Watford

Ben Ashton
BBC Sport England

Image source, Getty Images

The 2024-25 Championship season might be over but there are many ways to analyse and reflect on the campaign that has gone before us.

Not every club can go up but if there are signs a team is moving in the right direction, it can still be considered good progress - or quite the opposite if things are on the slide.

Here is a look at how each of the 18 sides who were in the Championship for the past two seasons got on points wise compared to the 2023-24 campaign.

It perhaps comes as no surprise that Sunderland, who won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, recorded the most significant improvement after finishing 16th in 2023-24 and picked up 20 more points.

Despite a tumultuous season off the field, Blackburn were the second most improved side in the division, gaining 13 points on the previous campaign as they missed out on the play-offs by just two points.

Leeds racked up 90 points in 2023-24 but somehow still managed a 10-point improvement as they hit the 100 mark on their way to winning the title in their best-ever season in the second tier.

Millwall's seven-point improvement was enough to help them finish five places higher in eighth, but they fell short of the top six by two points.

Meanwhile, Bristol City were only six points better off but managed to climb five places and claim a play-off spot, recording their best Championship finishing position since 2007-08.

Coventry also only improved by five points but were able to jump from ninth to fifth, perhaps showing just how fine the margins can be in the Championship when it comes to securing a play-off berth.

At the bottom...

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You might want to look away now, Hull City fans.

The Tigers went backwards more than any other side compared to the previous season under Liam Rosenior, dropping from seventh place and three points outside the play-offs to only escaping relegation on goal difference on the final day.

Cardiff went from mid-table in 2023-24 to rock bottom and will drop down to League One for the first time in 22 years. It is pretty clear to see why as the Bluebirds picked up 18 fewer points compared to the previous season.

Norwich tumbled to 13th place after finishing in the play-offs a year before - an underperformance which ultimately cost Johannes Hoff Thorup his job as head coach.

Preston were 10 points off the play-off places in 2023-24 but picked up 13 fewer points under Paul Heckingbottom in what was their worst season since they were relegated from the Championship in 2010-11.

The Lilywhites' downturn was largely due to a major dip in form in the latter stages of the campaign, picking up only one win from their final 15 games (D7 L7) to avoid the drop by just one point.

West Bromwich Albion endured a disappointing season - for a club which always harbours ambitions of plying its trade in the top flight - with an 11-point drop off.

Albion's final points tally of 64 was their worst in the Championship since 1999-2000.

Plymouth may have only been five points worse off than they were in 2023-24 but having survived on the final day that season, there were to be no such heroics this time around and their two-year stint in the second tier is over.

And the rest...

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*All data based only on teams who were in the Championship in 2023-24 and 2024-25

Geoff Doyle
BBC 3CR sports editor

Image source, BBC Sport

Watford owner Gino Pozzo, chief executive Scott Duxbury and sporting director Gina Luca Nani have bridges to build.

There has been seething reaction and resentment to Tom Cleverley's sacking and it's alarmed them.

In a poll in the local newspaper, 94% were against the latest head coach removal. The vitriol has been its loudest since Pozzo took over and it seems to have shocked him and the board.

Changes have been made and operation reconciliation has begun. There already seems a softer, more open, approach.

The message has been they are still very ambitious, that they envisage keeping nearly all of their best players, and that they are aiming for a Premier League return.

What Watford fans will want to see is promises kept and then action taken, rather than words. The ers are going to take some convincing.

Some hardened Watford fans have had enough. They are fed up with the way the club has been run in the past few years and the sacking of the immensely popular Cleverley was the final straw.

The board have made early inroads in an attempt to lift the mood. The g of Hector Kyprianou seems a shrewd one. A freebie, a good age - 23 - but with plenty of experience, an international and leadership qualities; he ticks a lot of boxes.

But some fans may need more time to forgive the sacking of Cleverley. There is an uneasy vibe at the moment - a disconnection.

Those who have paid for their season tickets will hope for change, but expectations are quite low. Pozzo and the board still have plenty of making up to do.

Image source, Rex Features

New Watford head coach Paulo Pezzolano says building "a clear identity" is his first priority after being appointed to replace Tom Cleverley.

The Uruguayan has achieved promotions as a head coach in Spain, Brazil and his home country and Watford says he also has an impressive track record of working with young players.

"I know what this club stands for – its history, its people. It's a big responsibility and a challenge that truly motivates me. I arrive full of energy and eager to work, to build a competitive team that embodies Watford's values," he told the club website., external

"Football is lived here with unique intensity – full stadiums, a rich football culture. For any coach, working in England is a dream. I approach it with humility but also great determination."

Pezzolano is an advocate of the high press style favoured by so many modern coaches but wants the team to play with "order, balance, and courage".

He added: "The fans will see a team they can identify with – one that fights, competes and plays with identity."

There have been very few Uruguayan managers/head coaches in English football, but Pezzolano follows the likes of Gus Poyet (Brighton and Sunderland) and further back Danny Bergara (Rochdale, Stockport and Rotherham).

Watford finished 14th under Cleverley this season, 11 points short of the play-off places.

Earlier we asked for your views on the appointment of Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano as the new Watford boss.

Here's a selection of typical responses from Hornets fans.

Stewart: A typical Pozzo appointment - a foreign coach with zero experience in the Championship. Squad has some promising youngsters but needs a hefty investment in some fresh blood and letting go some of the older dead wood. Sadly this ownership's approach is testing the loyalty of some of its most ardent ers. Good luck to him but my expectations are low this season sadly. He won't get the investment he needs to make a success of this team

John: The owners have no track record in recent years of appointing successful managers but I guess the more you change them then statistically one could be successful. My concern would be his lack of experience in this country or the Championship with its relentless nature.

Gerry: We needed an experienced coach who can work with a young squad. I wish him very well.

Robbie: Who? It doesn't really matter how happy we are with them because if the owners are serious about wanting to challenge for promotion when we seemingly don't have the finances to make the necessary additions to the squad to enable this, then they'll be on their way when we are (hopefully) mid-table or worse, halfway through next season.

Dave: Lots of fans saying 'don't care, don't want him'. How about give him a chance and when it does or doesn't work have your say then? Yes I agree sacking Clevs was dumb and a stupid move. But it's done now. Move on and get behind the team and let's see what happens.

Graham: A patchy CV at best, most recently ending in failure and no EFL experience vs Tom Cleverley, eight years with WFC as player, captain, coach and manager. Enough said. After 50-plus years as a er, I'm done with the club until Pozzo leaves.

Paul: I'll give him a chance. It seems as though the board has built him up as more than he may be. All the candidates seem to have lost their jobs after very few games. Not promising. We will wait and see for the next manager to arrive.

Stephen A: It doesn't matter who the manager is if Pozzo doesn't back him and strengthen the squad. And, assuming he isn't backed, he will be sacked long before the season ends and we will be in severe danger of swapping places with Luton at the end of the season.

Beth: It's clear the aim is promotion with this new appointment. But instant results have been the thorn in our side for a long time. I'm not pleased at all with Cleverley's dismissal and although he wasn't replaced the same day as has happened in the past, I'm not ready to accept a new coach yet. But if we bring in decent players this summer then I can be open to seeing how this new coach gets on.

Stephen: I am unsure if he has the credentials to succeed in the Championship. The current squad is short of the required elements of a good Championship side as well. He will need a lot of help and some good additions if Pozzo really wants Premier League football back at the Vic.

Steve: Never heard of him! Time will tell, I'm not holding my breath any more. ed this club for 60 years and have never felt so unconnected with it.

The Hornets unveiled Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano as their new head coach on Tuesday night, their 12th boss in less than six years.

We want to know what Watford fans make of Tom Cleverley's replacement - were you aware of him before last night? Does he sound like he fits the bill? Do Watford have a squad capable of challenging for promotion next season under Pezzolano?

Click here to let us know your thoughts.

We'll publish a selection of the best responses later today.

Image source, Getty Images

Geoff Doyle, sports editor, BBC Three Counties Radio

Head coaches getting sacked at Watford stopped becoming a surprise a long time ago.

If the team isn't doing well, it's the head coach's fault and he pays the price. End of.

Watford fans didn't particularly like this philosophy but they kind of understood and accepted it. It was the board's way of doing things and it worked to an extent.

The ers took the teasing from other fans - after all they spent six seasons in the Premier League over a seven-year period. They sucked up the fire them/hire them culture.

But Watford haven't been in the top flight for what will soon be four seasons in a row.

The 'blame the head coach' strategy is fine if that head coach has the necessary players and culture. If that isn't there then we're going round in circles.

And the hiring and firing of managers, of course, affects the culture. More circles. The club board needs some introspection.

The sacking of Tom Cleverley has hit a nerve - hard.

Owner Gino Pozzo and the board can point towards a poor 2025 calendar year of results and without question, the form has been sub-standard. Their argument is they always want the team to be improving and they haven't seen that in the past four months. That's a fair point.

They also believe the squad was good enough for a play-off place. But here, not many, including myself, agree.

A decent January transfer window would have helped (and is a major reason for the poor form) but I'm not convinced it would have been enough.

This Watford squad without Giorgi Chakvetadze and Kwadwo Baah is a mid-table team. With them, and barring no other injuries, a side who might finish close to the play-offs. A squad lacking enough depth.

There is no doubting Cleverley made quite a few mistakes decision-wise (the Daniel Jebbison gamble was his and majorly back-fired) and tactically (got it wrong against some of the weaker teams) but all managers do and it was Cleverley's first season. He did a lot more right than wrong.

That end-of-season form wasn't good enough but across the season it was, predominantly because he got more out of the players than any other Hornets head coach since Javi Gracia.

And, crucially, having been at the club for so long he 'got' Watford - and the fans deeply cared for him as a result.

Towards the end of his reign Cleverley told me the players didn't have enough consequences for their actions which was a dig at the club's environment and culture.

The incoming head coach will have to adapt quickly and try and juggle numerous balls. But recently not many of his predecessors have succeeded.

The fans are restless. Fortunately for the board there is a break now, giving them time to try and get through the stormiest period since the Pozzos took ownership.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Watford winger Jobi McAnuff says the club's decision to sack head coach Tom Cleverley is "ridiculous".

The Hornets were sixth and in play-off contention after a 2-1 win over Portsmouth on Boxing Day but fell away to finish 14th.

"When you've got a squad as thin as theirs - there has been no investment, same as in the summer - he pulls out a miracle really in that first half of the season," McAnuff told Football Daily 72+: The EFL Podcast.

"I think it's a classic case of a club believing they should be where they were in the league and he was overachieving, there's no two ways about it. Then they don't help him out in January.

"The fans clearly are with him. If you'd said to Watford fans in of where they'd finish, everyone at that football club would have taken it at the start of the season given the lack of funds and resources.

"It seems as though it's a club the owners have almost forgotten about a little bit and they're more interested in putting their money in some of the other businesses they run."

But former Huddersfield Town defender Tommy Smith says just five wins in 24 games (D5 L14) and only 20 points after Boxing Day is what cost Cleverley his job.

"I think he definitely did [a good job] pre-Christmas," Smith said.

"They were in and around the play-offs, they looked like a team - certainly at home - that were in good shape.

"But I think if you look at the drop-off they've had post-Christmas, it's not really surprising that he's lost his job - and I mean that from a Watford perspective.

"I certainly don't think he's done a bad job but, as I say, the post-Christmas form has been ultimately the downfall."

Listen to the latest episode of Football Daily 72+: The EFL Podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

We asked for your thoughts after Watford decided to part ways with head coach Tom Cleverley following his first full season in charge.

Here's what you had to say...

Joel: As a Watford fan, the sacking of Cleverley is an absolute disgrace. The board failed to back him in January, and a wave of injuries since then has cost us dearly. A united fanbase rallying behind its manager was exactly what this club needed - and the board has gone and destroyed the only source of positivity we had. Pozzo out!

Sharon: I am so angry that this has happened again. We have had over a year of stability under Tom; he has been badly let down by the owners with a lack of investment in the squad. Good luck, Tom - you will be missed.

James: It is an absurd decision but one that every Watford fan knew was coming. For once, all fans have stood firmly behind a manager who took us from relegation-threatened before the season to play-off chasing until the final few matches. Gino Pozzo is destroying this club and everything it stands for.

Martin C: Madness - he has done a good job and should be given time to build and develop the squad.

Andrew: The Pozzo family are clueless. No clear plan, no investment. Personally I'd want Ryan Mason, but would he want Watford with their track record?

Rachel: Terrible decision. Tom did as well as anyone would have with what he had at his disposal. With no further investment in the transfer windows, he had his hands tied behind his back.

Matthew: We are not at all right to sack Tom!! A great manager, but it comes from the owners at the top. They don't care about the club anymore. The Pozzos are the problem, not Cleverley.

Oliver: Shameless. As Cleverley said, there are not enough consequences in this club for players. The same stands for the board and owners, so there is no path forward for this club until the fans unite.

Ray: The owners let him down, no money for transfers. We were favourites for relegation.

Barry: This was a squad all the pundits said would struggle to stay up, and few ers disagreed after Asprilla & Kone were sold. Cleverley was loved by all, & despite results, it was clear the players did their best for him. His biggest mistake was Jebbison, but underinvestment has been the club's problem, not Cleverley, who will go on to prove the Pozzos wrong.

Eamon: Watford owners are obsessed with promotion to the Premier League, but the simple fact is we're not good enough to get there or stay there. Tom did a reasonable job with what he had but was on a hiding to nothing with the Pozzos.

Gary: Disappointed to see Tom go. The problem isn't the manager, it's the consistent underinvestment in playing staff. Look at the squads we've had in the past and compare it to now. Selling good players and buying replacements on the cheap isn't sustainable, especially when there's a trickle of players coming through the academy. Shame on you, Gino!

Image source, PA Media

Watford have relieved head coach Tom Cleverley of his duties after the Hornets finished 14th in the Championship.

Cleverley was hired on an interim basis in March last year before landing his first permanent role in management one month later.

The 35-year-old won 18 of his 55 league games (D14 L23) in charge at Vicarage Road with a win percentage of around 33%.

He led Watford to a third consecutive mid-table finish this season since relegation from the Premier League in 2021-22.

It marks the end of the tenure for Watford's 21st boss in the past 14 years, excluding caretaker managers.

We want to hear your views on Cleverley's departure.

• Do you agree with the club's decision to sack Cleverley?

• What do you make of the club's strategy of regularly changing managers?

• Who would you like to replace Cleverley?

Let us know your thoughts here.

Image source, Getty Images

Watford head coach Tom Cleverley said a simple lack of goals was behind his side's stuttering finish to the Championship season and subsequent failure to secure a play-off spot.

The Hornets ended a run of four consecutive league losses with a final-day draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Vicarage Road.

But that sequence, which rounded of a miserable streak of just two wins in 12, meant they placed 14th.

"We've not scored enough goals and we together have to realise that was a big part in why the play-off charge wasn't sustained," Cleverly said.

"Now it's for all of us to recognise why we didn't sustain these results and learn from that."

Cleverley was, however, pleased with how his side performed against the Owls.

"I thought it was a strong performance," he added. "We dominated the game for large spells, especially almost all the second half, and did more than enough to win.

"I was really pleased with how much desire we showed to win the game in what was literally just a battle for 12th place.

"I think you saw a lot of promise, a lot of players who were playing football in a way that's entertaining."

The sun may have been shining across England during the week but it's clear life is anything but bright for the teams who will meet at Vicarage Road on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Hosts Watford have lost their past four games to end their play-off hopes as they tumbled into the bottom half of the table.

But things at visitors Sheffield Wednesday, a point ahead of Watford in 12th, could be worse.

Tension between the fans and the ownership have grown over the course of this season with speculation over the future of manager Danny Rohl.

• Watford are unbeaten across their last eight league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W5 D3), since a 1-0 defeat in December 2013.

• Since beating Watford 3-1 in November 2000, Sheffield Wednesday have won just one of their 11 visits to Vicarage Road to face the Hornets (D2 L8).

• Watford have lost each of their last four league games and will be looking to avoid losing five in succession for the first time in the second tier since November 2008.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won each of their last three final games of a league season by a combined scoreline of 7-1. Their only fixture against Watford to finish a season saw the pair draw 1-1 at Vicarage Road in May 2015.

• After defeat in their home league games against Sheffield United in January (2-1), Watford will be looking to avoid losing to both Sheffield clubs in the same season at Vicarage Road for the first time in the EFL.

Image source, Rex Features

Watford boss Tom Cleverley spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio after his side was beaten 2-1 by Blackburn Rovers.

"For me, that was an unacceptable performance," he said.

"It was way, way short of the demands we put on the players and the standards we set for large parts of the season.

"It was completely below the level in all aspects of the game. For me, it has significance on how we can enter the summer and prepare for next season to ensure we don't fall short next season.

"We spent, I think, 10 weeks in the play-off places this season and next season we want to spend the last week in the play-offs, but performances like that are just unacceptable.

"It will be a significant performance that, because it's clear that we need to change quite a lot to ensure that it isn't replicated. I'll start with the culture and environment, for sure, I feel like it needs to go up a level."