Former Liverpool and Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson returns to the Premier League as Watford manager; Hodgson signs a deal at Vicarage Road until the end of the season; Hodgson's Watford future assessed at end of current campaign
Wednesday 26 January 2022 06:15, UK
Watford have appointed former England boss Roy Hodgson as their new manager on a deal until the end of the season.
Hodgson replaces Claudio Ranieri, who was sacked on Monday after three-and-a-half months in charge, with Watford 19th in the table, two points from safety.
The Englishman has been out of work since leaving Crystal Palace at the end of last season.
All parties will assess Hodgson's future at Watford at the end of the current campaign.
At 74 years old, he is the oldest-ever manager in the Premier League, while the job at Watford is the 17th different club he has managed in a 46-year managerial career.
Hodgson succeeds Ranieri, who had failed to turn around the team's fortunes since being appointed in October. The Hornets dropped into the Premier League relegation zone for the first time this season after Friday's 3-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers Norwich.
Asked about his future after the loss to the Canaries, the former Leicester and Chelsea manager said: "I don't go away. I want to continue because I am a fighter. I've never given up in my career."
Under Ranieri, Watford lost seven of their last eight league matches. Their most recent victory was the 4-1 defeat of Manchester United in November at Vicarage Road.
Ranieri's departure means Watford have now sacked five head coaches since the exit of Javi Gracia in September 2019.
Quique Sanchez Flores, Nigel Pearson, Vladimir Ivic, Munoz and Ranieri have all left the club during that 28-month period, while Hayden Mullins has also had two spells as caretaker in that time.
Hodgson becomes the Pozzo family's 15th permanent manager since they completed their takeover of Watford in June 2012.
Watford travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley on Saturday, February 5 at 6pm in their re-arranged fixture.
Sky Sports News reporter Gary Cotterill:
"Roy Hodgson is a safe pair of hands and has all the experience in the world. This will be his 22nd job in a 46-year career. He worked miracles at Crystal Palace back in 2017.
"When he arrived, they were 0-0-7 - they'd lost their licence to thrill! It was seven defeats from seven games, but in the end they managed to finish 11th in the Premier League and he did a similar job at Fulham.
"He's a very experienced manager having also been at Inter Milan, Liverpool and England of course. He's clearly still got a hunger to show he can operate at the top level even at his age.
"He left Palace through his own decision, but as he told Sky Sports News last week, he still has a hunger and believes he can turn things around. Maybe he caught the ear of the Watford owner off the back of what he told Sky last week!
"He's already been down to the training ground, having signed some paperwork on Monday."
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson...
"I think it's a good appointment, I really do. I think they need to steady the ship, they've got to stop leaking goals left, right and centre.
"What Roy brings is experience. He doesn't mind playing 11 players at the back and the crowd booing like mad, as long as he gets a point. That's what they need at the moment.
"Some people might say they need someone younger who's going to come in and be flamboyant - no, they've had that and they've been getting battered everywhere they go.
"They've got every chance of staying out of trouble now."
Hodgson will be joined at Vicarage Road by his trusted assistant Ray Lewington, who had a spell as Watford manager almost 20 years ago.
Chair of Watford supporters' group ESEA Hornets, Alan Lau, says the experienced pair will need to get an instant reaction from the players if Watford are to preserve their Premier League status.
"Roy Hodgson is a good fit for us given our current predicament. He has vast experience of working in the Premier League, with a good track record, and he has also worked with the Pozzo family before," Lau told Sky Sports News.
"It's also great that he has a former Watford manager alongside him [as assistant manager] in Ray Lewington, who was in charge at Vicarage Road when we were arguably in a more precarious situation than we are in just at the moment.
"It is vital that Roy and Ray get a reaction from the players to give us the best chance of staying in the Premier League."
Who will be on the move in January?
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