MY ACCOUNT
Watford appointed their fifth manager in the less than 12 months when replacing Rob Edwards with Slaven Bilic on Monday.
Former Forest Green boss Edwards, who was only appointed in May after guiding Rovers to promotion from League Two, was relieved of his duties after just 11 games in charge at Vicarage Road.
The Hornets confirmed his replacement would be revealed in due course — and announced Bilic as their new chief just 16 minutes later.
With a trip to Stoke first up on Sunday lunchtime, we assess whether the charismatic Croatian can break the chain of quickfire sackings in Hertfordshire.
Change of heart
Edwards’ appointment over the summer was supposed to signal a change of approach from Watford’s controversial owner Gino Pozzo.
The Italian’s penchant for axing bosses throughout a campaign had brought mixed results over recent years and it was felt stability needed to be injected after a particularly disruptive 2021-22.
Xisco Munoz, Claudio Ranieri and Roy Hodgson each tried and failed to keep the club in the Premier League, managing just two league wins apiece from their brief stints.
Speaking in June, chairman Scott Duxbury said: “What happened last season was almost an epiphany.
“We had hidden behind relative success, but it wasn’t significant success. What we needed was continuity behind a coach that we believe in and the supporters believe in.
“We also wanted somebody who could grow with us. That’s the change we have made and it’s what Rob will give us.
“It will solve communication, it will solve identity, he will become the face of the club and the custodian of the values that Watford Football Club is all about.”
Big personality
With Edwards sacked less than four months on from that statement, it appears not everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet in the Watford boardroom.
That means as the day-to-day face of first-team affairs, new man Bilic will need to show strong character and a thick skin if he is to succeed.
His managerial career has taken him far and wide to date, with six years in charge of his national side between 2006 and 2012 followed by spells in Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and China.
In England, however, the 54-year-old has arguably enjoyed his most successful periods — and he certainly knows how to hit the ground running.
He guided West Ham to seventh in his first season in East London, finishing just three points shy of Manchester City in the final Champions League spot in 2015-16.
Four years later, he expertly led West Brom to promotion from the Championship at the first attempt under intense pressure.
Good fit
It is that latter spell in charge of the Baggies that makes Bilic the perfect man for the job in the eyes of his new boss.
Pozzo said in a club statement: “We felt Rob had enough time to show us the identity of his team, however performances haven’t reflected our hopes and ambitions.
“Now we must move forward, and in Slaven Bilic, we have secured the services of an experienced coach who has recent experience of promotion to the Premier League.”
There is no doubt that Bilic will waste little time putting his imprint on the Hornets squad — but just how he goes about that is unclear.
At the Hawthorns, his side initially showed a desire to play possession-based football but also had no hesitations hitting it longer when things were not going to plan.
He is an adaptable coach who looks to quickly identify a squad’s strength before tailoring his tactics accordingly, with a 4-2-3-1 his preferred shape.
Expect the likes of Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro to be the stars the Croat builds around.
Results business
One thing for sure at Watford is that results will ultimately do the talking while the current owners are at the helm.
A man of Bilic’s experience knows that all too well and if the Hornets are outside the division’s top six come Christmas, he could easily be starting 2023 out of work.
Many would suggest that taking the reins at Vicarage Road right now is madness — but the eccentric coach is not one to be deterred by a challenge.
After West Brom’s promotion, Bilic said: “What a season, what a league!
“I was very vocal when I said I would always like to manage in the Championship because it’s especially difficult.
“I never imagined it would be this difficult, this demanding. It’s exhausting. I didn’t enjoy every minute of it, of course, but with a finish like this, the results at the bottom, the Forest situation, it’s unbelievable.”
He may have undertaken his most challenging role yet.
