Steve Cooper to Watford? Honest reaction given to potential move | OneFootball

FLW's Watford fan pundit shares their thoughts on the potential appointment of Steve Cooper

Watford are preparing for their fifth consecutive year in the Championship after a dismal run of form in the latter stages of the season resigned the Hornets to a third consecutive bottom-half finish in the second tier.

Things are rarely stable or consistent at Watford, and you wouldn't have to speak to too many supporters of the club to figure that out.

Since the Pozzo family took control of the club in the summer of 2012, 23 different permanent managers/head coaches have taken their place in the Vicarage Road dugout, each to varying degrees of success.

Paulo Pezzolano, Javi Gracia, and Edward Still all took the reins in Hertfordshire in the campaign just gone, with the latter dismissed after just three wins in 15 games, as the Hornets hunt for their next appointment.

This constant change and lack of consistency have proven to be a double-edged sword for Watford, who have spent six out of the last ten seasons in the Premier League and reached an FA Cup final in that period, but are now consistently a bottom-half Championship side.

As the Pozzo's search for their next employee, a whole host of names will be considered, as the Italian family should evaluate the potential appointment of a former Swansea City and Nottingham Forest boss, with three play-off finishes in three seasons to his name.

Watford should consider Steve Cooper as a potential option for the managerial vacancy following the Welshman's dismissal from Brondby

Welsh boss Steve Cooper began his coaching career working in the youth setups at Liverpool and England before taking the top job at Swansea in 2019, with whom he led to back-to-back play-off finishes, losing the final the second time around to Brentford.

He'd once again achieve a top six with Nottingham Forest, but this time would be victorious in the play-off final, defeating Huddersfield Town 1-0 at Wembley, but wouldn't last long in the top flight, as he would be dismissed the following December.

Spells with Leicester City and most recently Danish side Brondby have since followed, the latter of whom he was recently dismissed from after failing to qualify for a European place.

Football League World's Watford fan pundit, Justin, has shared their thoughts on whether Cooper would be a good fit for the Hornets, and whether he is someone that the club would consider.

Justin said: "Steve Cooper is obviously someone with experience of managing Championship teams, having previously been head coach at Swansea, Nottingham Forest and Leicester.

"I'm not sure he's the kind of head coach that we are actively seeking, as Scott Duxbury recently said in a podcast that Watford aren't likely to appoint a head coach with English Championship experience.

"So, whilst I can see on one level it would make sense to appoint a head coach like Steve Cooper, the noises coming out of the boardroom are that they aren't looking for someone like him.

"I'm not sure if whoever comes in is the right fit at Watford, as has been proven over the past 15 years, we're not very good at appointing managers, but we are very good at sacking them."

Watford must break this managerial cycle in favour of consistency and should consider Steve Cooper

Whilst the constant chopping and changing of managers served Watford relatively well in the early days of the Pozzo reign, recently, it hasn't been anywhere near as effective.

The Hornets' lack of consistency, with the players needing to adapt to different styles and formations regularly, has no doubt been more of a hindrance than it has been a benefit as of late.

Cooper has proven his capability in the Championship with three play-off finishes, and could be exactly what Watford