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Full list of Watford managers in the Gino Pozzo era

Watford are notoriously known for the short-term hire and fire culture implemented by owner Gino Pozzo.

Under the Italian's ownership, the Hornets have appointed 19 different managers in the last 13 years, with only Quique Sanchez Flores having the fortune of a second managerial stint at Vicarage Road.

To put the volume of managerial changes into perspective, Watford only had 30 different managers in 109 years prior to Pozzo's purchase of the club.

We've taken a look at all of the managers that have warmed the Vicarage Road hot seat in the Pozzo era.

Sean Dyche (368 days)

Appointed: June 2011
Departed: July 2012

After leading the club to their highest-placed finish in four years, Sean Dyche was informed that his contract was to be terminated with immediate effect following the takeover of the club.

His dismissal ultimately proved to be a blessing in disguise as the former Chesterfield centre-back next ventured to Burnley, where he enjoyed a glittering decade at Turf Moor with two promotions and Premier League consolidation.

Gianfranco Zola (526 days)

Appointed: July 2012
Departed: December 2013

Former Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola was the first appointment of the Pozzo regime and in his first season the Italian led the club to the Championship play-off final, where they lost to Crystal Palace.

A rarity in what is to follow, Zola resigned just 17 months into his tenure with the club enduring a dismal run of form to sit 13th in the table. He will always have that dramatic play-off semi-final triumph over Leicester City to fondly reflect on.

Giuseppe Sannino (256 days)

Appointed: December 2013
Departed: August 2014

Watford name Giuseppe Sannino as Zola's successor and he was another to tender his resignation following a bizarre nine months in charge.

A polarising figure at Vicarage Road with his management style questioned by senior players, Sannino was on the brink of being sacked a fortnight prior to his resignation.

That outlook changed dramatically after the Hornets won four of their opening five Championship matches but Sannino decided to call time on his Watford stint following a 4-2 win over Huddersfield.

Oscar Garcia (27 days)

Appointed: September 2014
Departed: September 2014

Oscar Garcia was next in at WD18 but the Spaniard lasted only 27 days before he was forced to step down with immediate effect following ill health.

He returned to management a year later with Red Bull Salzburg where he completed the double in back-to-back seasons by landing the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup.

Billy McKinlay (eight days)

Appointed: September 2014
Departed: October 2014

With Garcia departing, Billy McKinlay was catapulted into the Watford managerial role.

The Scotsman resigned from his coaching position with the Northern Ireland national team to focus his efforts entirely on Watford but after just two matches, Pozzo - who had assumed full control of the club in the summer - had a change of heart and informed McKinlay that he would be replaced by Slavisa Jokanovic.

McKinlay was offered a job as assistant, which he rejected.

Slavisa Jokanovic (266 days)

Appointed: October 2014
Departed: June 2015

Despite the controversial nature in which he was appointed, Slavisa Jokanovic was a hit at Watford and boasts the joint-best win percentage of any manager in the Pozzo era.

The Serbian ended the Hornets' eight-year absence from the Premier League by finishing second, but Jokanovic never got the opportunity to continue his work in the top-flight as a contract dispute saw him depart at the end of the 2014/15 season.

Quique Sanchez Flores (365 days)

Appointed: June 2015
Departed: May 2016

Quique Sanchez Flores was the man tasked with leading Watford in the Premier League and the Spaniard succeeded, finishing the campaign in 13th and even providing the Hornets with a trip to Wembley courtesy of an FA Cup semi-final appearance.

The former Real Madrid and Valencia right-back was surprisingly dismissed at the end of the season, though Watford's deterioration in form in the second half of the season ultimately contributed to his demise.

Walter Mazzarri (325 days)

Appointed: July 2016
Departed: May 2017

Pozzo went high-profile with his next managerial appointment and lured former Napoli and Inter Milan boss Walter Mazzarri to Hertfordshire.

Despite preserving Watford's Premier League status for another campaign by finishing six points clear of the drop, growing disharmony in the squad resulted in the Italian leaving at the end of the season.

Marco Silva (239 days)

Appointed: May 2017
Departed: January 2018

Watford turned to former Hull City chief Marco Silva as their next manager following the Portuguese tacticians impressive stint on Humberside.

He was sacked just seven months into his reign following a cheerless run of one win in 11, although the Watford hierarchy blamed Everton's approach for Silva in November as the "catalyst for their decision", with Watford's results declining after they blocked the Toffees' approach for his services.

Javi Gracia (594 days)

Appointed: January 2018
Departed: September 2019

Javi Gracia was drafted in immediately as Silva's successor and orchestrated an appearance in the FA Cup final, where they were emphatically beaten 6-0 by Manchester City.

However, with the Hornets winless in their opening four fixtures at the start of the 2019/20 campaign and concerns still lingering over defensive frailties, Pozzo opted to wield the axe on Gracia during the September international break.

Quique Sanchez Flores (85 days)

Appointed: September 2019
Departed: December 2019

Flores returned to Vicarage Road for a second spell as boss but lasted less than 90 days before he was dismissed.

The Spaniard won only one of his 10 league matches in charge, leaving Watford rooted to the bottom of the Premier League.

Nigel Pearson (223 days)

Appointed: December 2019
Departed: July 2020

Keen to avert Premier League relegation, Watford turned to Nigel Pearson in order to quell those fears.

They won seven matches under his tutelage in the Covid-affected season - including an impressive triumph over runaway leaders Liverpool - but a defeat to West Ham during the July resumption, which left Watford three points above the drop, ultimately cost Pearson his job.

Hayden Mullins assumed caretaker duties for the remaining two matches against Manchester City and Arsenal but was unable to prevent the Hornets from being relegated to the Championship.

Vladimir Ivic (126 days)

Appointed: August 2020
Departed: December 2020

Watford turned to Vladimir Ivic as the man to spear an immediate return to the Premier League, with the former PAOK and Maccabi Tel-Aviv manager putting pen to paper on a one-year deal.

The Serbian lasted just four months with Watford perched in fifth at the time of his dismissal, four points off second-placed Bournemouth and nine off leaders Norwich City.

Xisco Munoz (287 days)

Appointed: December 2020
Departed: October 2021

Xisco Munoz became Watford's fifth manager in a calendar year and the Spaniard succeeded where Ivic wasn't given chance.

The Hornets won 18 of their remaining 26 matches to win automatic promotion back to the Premier League, but Munoz lasted only seven matches in the top-flight as the club opted to part ways following a 1-0 defeat to Leeds United.

Claudio Ranieri (112 days)

Appointed: October 2021
Departed: January 2022

Watford turned to Claudio Ranieri in their hour of need, hopeful that the Tinkerman would be able to weave the same magic that saw Leicester City shock the world and win the Premier League.

Those hopes were soon extinguished with the Hornets amassing just seven points from 13 matches before the Italian was sacked, with a club statement citing a change was needed to give a new appointment time to lift Watford out of trouble.

Roy Hodgson (156 days)

Appointed: January 2022
Departed: May 2022

Persisting with the trend of appointing experienced managers in a bid to steer clear of trouble, Watford turned to arguably the most seasoned tactician in Roy Hodgson.

However, the former England manager won just two of his 18 matches and the Hornets were consigned to relegation with four matches remaining.

Hodgson confirmed prior to the end of the season that he would be stepping down as Watford manager and had no interest in returning to Premier League management in the future - until Crystal Palace stepped in, of course.

Rob Edwards (87 days)

Appointed: May 2022
Departed: September 2022

Fresh off the back of a stellar debut season as a manager with Forest Green, Rob Edwards made the switch to Watford in somewhat controversial circumstances as the Gloucestershire club accused the Hornets of conducting negotiations behind their backs.

The fallout ultimately felt pointless when, 11 matches into the new season, Edwards was sacked amid fears that the team had already lost too much ground in the automatic promotion race.

Edwards subsequently guided Watford's local rivals Luton Town to Premier League promotion in the same season.

Slaven Bilic (162 days)

Appointed: September 2022
Departed: March 2023

Former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic assumed control following Edwards' sacking with the remit of winning promotion back to the Premier League.

A spate of injuries to key personnel did not help Bilic's cause and with Watford slipping out of promotion contention, a run of one win in eight Championship matches sealed the Croatian's fate.

Chris Wilder (64 days)

Appointed: March 2023
Departed: May 2023

Chris Wilder became Watford's ninth full-time manager in less than four years but his stint was the shortest of the lot.

Unable to inspire a consistent run of form to guide the team into the play-offs with three wins in 11 matches, Wilder departed by mutual consent at the end of the campaign.

Valerien Ismael (252 days)

Appointed: May 2023
Departed: March 2024

Rising to prominence after leading Barnsley to the Championship play-offs in 2020/21, Valerien Ismael had two unfruitful stints at West Brom and Besiktas before taking the reins at Watford.

Ismael was given more time than his predecessors to get results but the Frenchman eventually saw his time at Vicarage Road end after 10 months amidst the threat of relegation, while his abrasive playing style failed to win over spectators.

Tom Cleverley

Appointed: March 2024

Replacing Ismael on an interim basis, former Hornets midfielder Tom Cleverley was awarded the job on a permanent basis after impressing during his caretaker spell.

In his first managerial role Cleverley has earned an array of plaudits, although the threat of the chop looms ominously given the club's significant expectations and high turnover rate.

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