’Cynical’ Watford FC verdict given as ex-Cardiff City boss eyed by Gino Pozzo | OneFootball

The Hornets are looking for yet another head coach after Ed Still's departure

Watford FC have begun the process of searching for their next head coach after it was confirmed that Ed Still was the latest figure to depart said position at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

Indeed, rumours that the 35-year-old was to depart the Hornets after the final match of the Championship season were already rife, and such developments came true after his side were defeated comprehensively against champions, Coventry City, by four goals to nil.

For Watford supporters, these are also developments which have become the norm under the controversial ownership of the Pozzo family, with some certainly beginning to make their feelings be known about how the club has been run in recent times.

The Hertfordshire outfit have been outside the Premier League since the end of the 2021/22 season after just one campaign back in the top-flight, and have shown very little to suggest that they will be hitting such heights again anytime soon.

Indeed, since that relegation campaign four years ago, the Hornets have finished 11th, 15th, 14th and now 16th respectively, with their early-season hopes of reaching the play-off places turning into a pipe dream after a dire run of form in the season's final weeks.

Still was appointed in February following the exits of both Javi Gracia and Paulo Pezzolano earlier in the season, and had won just three of his 15 matches in charge, leaving the club with a win percentage of 20 percent and a record of 0.9 points-per-game.

Even prior to the confirmation of his dismissal, Watford had already become linked with a handful of managers, with one of those being former Cardiff City boss, Erol Bulut.

However, whilst such reports haven't been met with any degree of enthusiasm by Football League World's Watford fan pundit, Justin Beattie, he isn't surprised either.

Watford FC reaction given as Erol Bulut managerial links surface amid Ed Still exit

Indeed, it was reported by Football Insider ahead of the defeat to the Sky Blues that Bulut has been considered as somebody who could take over from Still at Vicarage Road.

Despite the fact most of his managerial career has been spent in Türkiye, the 51-year-old is no stranger to the Championship, having overseen matters at Cardiff City between June 2023 and September 2024, when he was sacked after the accumulation of just one point from a possible 18 at the start of 2024/25, with his overall record showcasing a win rate of just 38 percent.

Whoever is appointed next at Watford will be the club's 12th permanent head coach since they were last promoted to the top-flight, and Beattie believes that even if Bulut was to be handed the reins, he wouldn't last long.

"With a 38 percent win rate and being sacked after just six games (into the 2024/25 season at Cardiff), it sounds like Erol Bulut is the 'ideal' man to take over Watford," he told FLW.

"That seems to be how our coaches have performed recently in terms of points gained and the amount of matches they hang around for.

"I can very much see this being an 'ideal' appointment at Watford. He'll probably be the first one next season, last three months, and then we'll be looking for the next," Beattie claimed.

"I know this sounds cynical, but Watford fans have just about reached their limit now with the 'hiring and firing' culture at Vicarage Road, and no appointment of a head coach garners any excitement.

"We all know the fate that awaits them after they lose a certain number of games or if their face doesn't fit."

Watford FC role would be a poisoned chalice for Erol Bulut as 'culture' claim made

As Beattie mentioned, Hornets fans have grown beyond frustrated at how the club has been run in terms of managerial appointments for many years, and the job certainly feels like a poisoned chalice for any manager or head coach to take on at present.

Bulut's own record at Championship level isn't the most standout either, which would only add to the concerns over which direction the club is heading in, as there appears to, yet again, be no stability.

A managerial appointment which, given recent developments, wouldn't last long and isn't particularly inspiring, as well as the potential loss of captain, Imran Louza, after FLW exclusively revealed interest in the Moroccan from Everton and Fulham, also means it would be very little surprise to see Watford among the favourites to struggle in next season's Championship.