Watford tipped to sack Edward Still – ‘I don’t think he’s ready’ | OneFootball

FLW’s Watford fan pundit has commented on what the future looks like for Hornets boss Ed Still.

Watford’s season is beginning to fizzle out after a disappointing run of recent form under Ed Still.

The Hornets have failed to taste victory from their last three second tier outings, with their latest 1-1 draw at home to Charlton Athletic meaning they are now nine points off the play-offs with five games remaining of the campaign.

Easter Monday’s draw marked 10 Championship games in charge for Still, who has had a mixed bag of three wins, four draws and three defeats in that time.

It’s very early days to judge a new coach, but with owner Gino Pozzo's track record of hiring and firing managers in quick succession, talks will undoubtedly be taking place over whether the 35-year-old is the right man to lead Watford forward for the long-term future.

The owners will have more time to think about it given that they are likely to already have one eye on next season, with the Hornets now playing for pride as their top six hopes now stand at being very slim.

If Watford fail to get into the promotion conversation, they will be resigned to a fifth straight term of second tier football without even once getting into the play-offs, so serious conversations have to be had over which coach can help turn the Hornets’ bleak fortunes around.

With this in mind, FLW’s Watford fan pundit has offered his thoughts over whether Ed Still should remain in the Watford dugout heading into next season.

Watford backed to sack Ed Still and find a new face for next season

Speaking to Football League World, Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie believes Ed Still is not ready at this stage of his career to lead Watford forward, and after viewing his opening 10 games in charge, believes he needs to be replaced by the start of the 2026-27 season.

Justin told FLW: “I think there were serious doubts over the appointment of Ed Still, which I don’t think have been removed during his time as head coach at Watford. I don’t think he’s ready to take on a Championship team, he’s certainly not ready to work with owners like the Pozzo’s.

“I’m sure he’s a capable coach, but he hasn’t proven it in his time at Watford, and I’d be very surprised if he’s not relieved of his duties at the end of the season. I can’t see anything in him that makes me think he’s ready to start next season with Watford.

“I think a lot of our bad performances and poor results are down to injuries. We’ve been without some key players for quite a long time, but the owners don’t help matters.

“Most of the ills that you see on the pitch are down to the owners, and you could put the world’s best head coach in at Watford, and they still wouldn’t succeed with the ownership we’ve got, so until the owners change, this manager merry-go-round will continue.

“We’ll carry on seeing the same finish in the table every year, we’ll be told that we’re really going for it this season and inevitably, after Christmas, things tail off, and we’re getting used to that now at Watford.”

Watford job continues to be a poisoned chalice under Gino Pozzo

Ed Still appears to be the latest in a long list of managers who can’t work their magic at Watford, but he hasn’t been helped with the standard chaos going on at board level.

Again, it’s been another period of uncertainty for the club, with Watford having three managers in a single season once again, following on from the 2021-22 (Xisco Munoz, Claudio Ranieri and Roy Hodgson) and 2022-23 campaigns (Rob Edwards, Slaven Bilic and Chris Wilder).

There’s just not enough continuity and trust from the ownership towards the coaching staff, and that is a big reason for Watford’s decline in the Championship and inability to mount a Premier League return ever since their relegation from the top-flight in 2022.

Signed on a two-and-a-half-year contract, Still will be hopeful he will at least get the first portion of next term to stamp his authority on the playing squad and see where he can take the club, but it appears it will be a difficult task to do when Watford fans are seemingly resigned to the fact this stint won’t work out.

It does feel like Watford won’t be able to taste any success until Gino Pozzo departs, and it’s the sad reality, with the Hornets being stung by an owner who pulls the triggers on managers far too quickly when the club desperately needs stability.

For now, Pozzo should stick with Still for the beginning of next season and allow the squad to take shape under his guidance. 10 games is far too early to dictate whether a manager is good enough, and at the very early stages of his managerial career, Still needs the time to prove he be a top coach and get Watford out of this slump.