Chris Wilder Watford new Head Coach
Chris Wilder Has been appointed as the new Head coach of Watford football club replacing Slaven Bilic, Who have been the former Coach of the club for the season.
Slaven Bilic won 10 of his 26 matches in charge for Watford after being appointed in September. The 54-year-old’s last game was a 0-0 draw at home to Preston on Saturday.
Meanwhile Chris Wilder has agreed to take over for the rest of the season on a short-term deal.
Bilic arrived on an 18-month contract in September, succeeding Rob Edwards after he was given just 11 games at the helm.
But the club sit ninth in the Championship 13 points off the automatic promotion places and were held to a goalless draw at home to Preston on Saturday as they lost further ground on the play-off chasers.
Watford have turned to Wilder as his replacement, with the former Sheffield United and Middlesbrough boss signing a short-term deal until the end of the season.
Wilder, who secured promotion from the Championship with Sheffield United, has been out of work since being sacked by Boro in October.
Watford confirmed Bilic’s departure on Tuesday afternoon, with technical director Ben Manga saying: “We are all ambitious to succeed this season, so something new is needed quickly while the opportunity of promotion is still real.
“With the January transfer window over, to change coach is the only option available to re-energise for the final games ahead.”
Bilic admitted his future was out of his hands after a run of just one win in eight, saying: “I’ve got a job to do and that’s what I can have an influence on. The rest is not in my hands, or my control, or my decision.”
Giving a frank assessment of his team’s performance, he added: “It was pretty poor. I expected better than that and much more from us. We couldn’t get on the ball, we were weak in the good situations, weak in 50:50, we couldn’t get stability, and control of the game.”
Bilic arrived with the club 10th in the Championship after Edwards, who won three of his first 10 games, was axed after less than five months.
The former West Brom and West Ham boss became the 17th permanent manager under the Pozzo family since they took over the club in 2012.
But Watford, relegated from the Premier League last season, have made Wilder their 18th as they bid to make a late play-off push.
“With the January transfer window over, to change coach is the only option available to re-energise for the final games ahead.”
Since Gracia was sacked four months after taking the club to the 2019 FA Cup final, Quique Sanchez Flores, Nigel Pearson, Vladimir Ivic, Xisco Munoz, Claudio Ranieri, Roy Hodgson, Edwards and Bilic have had spells in charge.
Slaven Bilic Gets Replaced
Bilic replaced Rob Edwards, who lasted only 11 games in charge, in September.
Wilder, 55, was sacked by Middlesbrough in October after 11 months in charge.
He led hometown club Sheffield United to two promotions from League One to the Premier League before leaving in March 2021.
He took over at Middlesbrough in November that year but left with the club in the Championship relegation zone.
Wilder’s first game in charge of Watford will be at struggling QPR on Saturday.
This can come as no surprise to anyone anymore. Watford owner Gino Pozzo doesn’t hang around if he feels a head coach isn’t getting the best out of his players.
And the form since the World Cup has been very, very ordinary.
Yet it’s still a bit harsh on Bilic. A couple of months ago he had 15 players injured, including star man Joao Pedro, and six midfielders.
They have gradually returned to the side but Watford have slipped down the table waiting for them to return.
Last Saturday’s match against Preston felt like there could be no more excuses and the goalless draw wasn’t good enough for Bilic. This is what Watford do. I’m sure Chris Wilder knows what he’s letting himself in and will have a long term plan with Watford Club.
