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The good news is, Watford have a new manager. The bad news, though, is that the fans are not happy with who they’ve picked to replace Tom Cleverley.
Watford had aspirations of promotion, or at the very least making it into the Championship play-offs this season, but they fell short.
A 14th-placed finish was enough to see Tom Cleverley sacked, causing shock and disappointment within the club and the Hornets fanbase.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 11 |  SwanseaSwansea | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 51 | 56 | -5 | 61 |
| 12 |  Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 60 | 69 | -9 | 58 |
| 13 |  NorwichNorwich | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 71 | 68 | 3 | 57 |
| 14 |  WatfordWatford | 46 | 16 | 9 | 21 | 53 | 61 | -8 | 57 |
| 15 |  QPRQPR | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 53 | 63 | -10 | 56 |
| 16 |  PortsmouthPortsmouth | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 58 | 71 | -13 | 54 |
| 17 |  Oxford UnitedOxford United | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 49 | 65 | -16 | 53 |
It was a harsh decision blasted by EFL fans across the game. Indeed, Watford absolutely needed to get the next appointment right, but by the sounds of it, they’ve failed in that regard already.
Paulo Pezzolano announced as new Watford manager
The news of Watford’s new managerial appointment slipped in among the chaos of the Sunderland vs Coventry City clash on Tuesday evening, but the club released an interesting statement to accompany the announcement.
Paulo Pezzolano is the new man at Vicarage Road, with the former Real Valladolid manager making the move to the EFL.
The club described Pezzolano as a “promotion specialist” in their statement, and praised his “rich pedigree of working with young players and establishing a clear playing identity.”
Meanwhile, Sporting Director Gian Luca Nani said: “Paulo has a hugely impressive track record working with young players, which is essential when you look at the age profile of our squad.
“He has had success at virtually every club, including league titles and promotions, but it is his work on the training ground that impressed the most when we undertook our research.
“He has innovative ideas and processes which he transmits passionately to the players. We believe Paulo is the leader we need as we refocus ahead of the new season. He is fully aware of our ambitions and determination to push for promotion and embraces that challenge.
“The club achieved great success when making similar appointments in Slaviša Jokanović, Javi Gracia and Xisco Muñoz, and we hope our fans welcome Paulo and wish him every success as we try to achieve the owner’s clear aim of challenging for a return to the Premier League.”
Given Gino Pozzo’s explanation for sacking Cleverley, in that he wanted to find a more experienced Championship coach, it’s an odd appointment, and one that has not gone down well with the supporters.
- READ MORE: Chris Wilder and Valerien Ismael have polar opposite opinions on their spells at Watford as bosses
What are the Watford fans saying about Paulo Pezzolano?
It’s safe to say Watford managers don’t last long. Cleverley was the first to stay more than a year since Javi Gracia back in 2019, and fans don’t believe Pezzolano will be granted that kind of time.
One semi-joking prediction from the supporters read: “25th September after losing away to Wrexham. Watford FC have parted ways with Paulo Pezzolano. We wish him all the best.”
Another said, “First of 3 managers next season. He will be gone by November,” while a third added, “Absolute poisoned chalice of a job.”
Others cited Pozzo’s contradictory comments, writing, “Pozzo out. Where’s this experienced Championship manager at then?”
One fan tried his best to support Pezzolano, but feared the worst, adding: “Nothing against this guy at all, it’s not his fault, but he’s not Tom Cleverley and that’s the problem for me. Almost no interest in him because I doubt he’ll be given the multitude of players, time and support required and therefore he’ll be gone before we know it. Pozzo is the issue.”
Now, we sit and wait to see how Watford operate in the summer transfer window, and how the season begins for the Hornets. We never want to see a manager lose his job, but the omens do not look good for Pezzolano already.