Watford

Watford head coach Ed Still said the 5-1 defeat away at Middlesbrough was "really painful" for everyone.

The defeat is the Hornets fourth in a row and sees them drop to 16th in the Championship table.

"The result is really painful for everyone - myself, the fans, the club, the players," Still told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"There were two parts to it. As strange as it sounds, the first-half performance was a really, really good performance.

"The control we had in midfield, we caused them problems. We should have been 2-1 up.

"They've had a moment of brilliance with the free-kick, and the second goal sums up our patchy form in our defensive box.

"But the actual result isn't just based on this game, but the whole season. Not creating enough togetherness, not creating enough resilience, and that's what happens at the end of a season, unfortunately."

Geoff Doyle
BBC 3CR sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

It seems Watford are going to be appointing another head coach in the summer. The club have not admitted it yet but Ed Still's time is surely up.

The atmosphere at games in the last few weeks is the worst it has been since the Pozzo family took over.

The owner is now taking heavy criticism from a sizeable part of the fanbase and the surprising gamble on appointing Still has backfired badly.

His record is six defeats, four draws and three wins. At Watford that is sackable in itself but the toxicity that this run has brought means his position is untenable.

Morale at the club and among the players is at an all-time low and a vicious blame game has begun.

Previous head coach Javi Gracia predicted this downfall. He felt lack of leadership and experience was going to be the Hornets' undoing.

Despite a good first half of the season, Gracia felt it couldn't be sustained and he was right. The board made a mistake in not backing him in January and Gracia left so he didn't have to deal with the inevitable mess.

The appointment of Still has also proved to have been a mistake. Bringing in an inexperienced, relatively unknown manager into a young, fractured dressing room never felt a good fit and he's looked out of his depth.

The players must accept blame too, for poor attitudes (numerous instances of turning up late for training) and lack of desire but as has been the case so often with Watford, the players themselves will be cheesed off about the cultural set-up of the club: the hiring and firing of managers, the 'player-development' recruitment policy, the infighting, the lack of discipline inside the camp.

Which leaves the fans. Upset, disgruntled, annoyed - there is now even a sense of apathy. The players and the club need them in this time of need, but their patience has run out - again.

We have been here before, albeit not as bad as this.

The supporters have every right to be as critical as they are but just need to be mindful that someone has to pay the bills (Watford most recently suffered a £16m loss), unless there's a billionaire out there who wants to take over and doesn't care about losing money.

Watford will not change under Gino Pozzo but to get the fans back on-side, he's going to have to run the club better. With the Premier League days long gone and finances tighter, it would benefit him too.

Middlesbrough will hope to keep their automatic promotion bid alive as they host Watford on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Boro won their first home game in seven league matches when Morgan Whittaker scored the winner against Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday.

But they are still three points adrift of the second spot with four teams all vying for the coveted second automatic promotion position.

• Middlesbrough have lost each of their last three league meetings with Watford, their longest ever losing run against the Hornets.

• Watford, 1-0 winners in this exact fixture last season, are looking to win back-to-back league visits to Middlesbrough for the first time since April 1992 (3 in a row).

• Middlesbrough have only won their final home league game in two of the last six seasons (D2 L2), although one of those was against Watford in 2023-24 (3-1).

• Watford have lost their final away league game in nine of the last 10 seasons (D1 – v Sunderland in 2022-23) since a 2-0 win at Brighton in 2014-15.

• Watford have lost each of their last three league games, all without scoring; outside of the top-flight, only from December 1971 to February 1972 have they ever lost more in a row without reply (7)

Christian Fuller
Watford fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The time has come for Ed Still to depart Watford Football Club.

While it is never nice to call for the sacking of any manager, it feels like an appropriate time for Still and the club to go their separate ways.

With no wins in the past six Championship games, and three matches without a goal, there has been little for supporters to celebrate.

And even more worryingly, it is not just the results - it is the style of play, questionable tactical decisions and frequent lacklustre performances.

The lack of confidence was clear to see across the pitch during Watford's 3-0 loss at West Bromwich Albion.

Luca Kjerrumgaard never looked like scoring, captain Imran Louza was dropped to the bench and the heads of Egil Selvik and his backline dropped further as each goal went in.

You would expect a confident Selvik to come and punch away the cross for the second goal, but he freezes, leading to a finger-pointing blame game in the six-yard box.

While it was clear that West Brom had something to play for in a match that secured their Championship status for another season, a performance of that standard by Watford is not acceptable.

And now the attention of supporters turns to just how low we may finish in the table.

Not long ago the discussion was whether the Hornets would be the team to snatch the final play-off spot - and now it looks like we will finish closer to the relegation zone than the top six.

The Ed Still experiment has not been a total disaster, as nobody expected a play-off spot with the age, quality and profile of this season's squad.

But the worrying disconnect between the players themselves, as well as between the squad and the fans, is a cause for concern.

That mixed with a string of negative results may signal the end of the manager.

Whether the board will pull the trigger before the final two matches are played waits to be seen. But it certainly would not be unusual - or unjust - for them to do so.

The only positive to take is that the season is almost over - and relegation is not mathematically possible.

Image source, Getty Images

Watford manager Ed Still says he and his players are accountable to the club's supporters in the wake of their poor run of Championship form which continued with a 3-0 defeat by West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday.

The Hornets are now winless in six league matches and have lost their past three games without scoring, a run of form which has seen them slip out of play-off contention and down the table.

Still, who replaced Javi Gracia in charge in February, has conceded that he and the playing staff must be answerable to the club's fanbase.

He told Three Counties Radio: "It's the same emotion as the last game. There's that feeling that every little thing that can go against you does go against you.

"The lack of confidence that there is in the team...it's like a sucker punch, once one of those small moments goes against you.

"Confidence being low is a part of high-level sport and football and when it happens, it's how to get over it. It's not by just relying on individual brilliance which comes from within the collective - it's about everyone standing together."

Asked whether his young squad have been left surprised by the response from supporters, Still added: "If they are surprised, it's something to learn quickly.

"You have to answer to your fans. The support they've given us, how committed they are, how much they spend on their team...we are accountable to them first and foremost. It's something you have to learn if you aren't aware of that."

Image source, Opta

West Bromwich Albion will hope to secure their Championship status for another season when they host Watford on Wednesday night (kick-off 19:45 BST).

The Baggies are 20th and five points clear of 22nd-placed Oxford United with three games to play.

If Albion win and the U's fail to do so at home to Wrexham, James Morrison's side will be mathematically safe - though there is still a potential points deduction for breaching financial rules which could change the final standings.

West Brom are undefeated in their past eight league games, while Watford, who cannot reach the play-offs or go down, are without a win in five (D2 L3).

• West Brom have won just one of their past 10 league games against Watford (D4 L5), though it was in this exact fixture last season (2-1).

• Following their 2-1 win in October, Watford are looking to complete the league double over West Brom for the first time since 1994-95.

• No side has drawn more home games in the Championship this season than West Brom (9), with five of their past seven league matches at the Hawthorns ending all square (W1 L1).

• Watford have lost each of their past three away league games, one more defeat than in their previous 12 league matches on their travels (W4 D6).

• Watford's Imran Louza has been involved in nine league goals away from home this season (4 goals, 5 assists); the last player for the Hornets to reach 10 in a campaign was Troy Deeney in 2018-19 (6 goals, 4 assists).

Watford manager Ed Still spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio following their 2-0 home defeat by Sheffield United.

"A very difficult day. When we lose, we lose together. I'm not going to throw anybody under the bus or criticise or point my finger at anybody," he said.

"Everybody's made mistakes in the defeat. It's important that when you're in a moment like this everybody gets together.

"I'm not someone who gives up. I'm a fighter. I'm a winner. So for me it's about working out how to take the next step forwards."

Image source, Opta

Sheffield United will hope to officially confirm their status as a Championship club for another season when they visit Watford on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 BST).

The Blades are 10 points clear of the relegation zone with four games to play and need a win to guarantee survival - although a draw or even defeat would be enough should Oxford lose at Derby.

Chris Wilder's side ended a run of six games without a win (D3 L3) by beating Hull 2-1 last time out.

As for the Hornets, their hopes of a play-off place are all but over as they sit 11 points behind sixth-placed Hull with only four games remaining - and have failed to win any of their past four (D2 L2).

• Watford have lost their previous four league games against Sheffield United, having been unbeaten in the previous six against the Blades (W4 D2).

• Sheffield United won this exact fixture 2-1 last season, having failed to score in each of their previous four league visits to Watford (D1 L3).

• Since winning four in a row between December 2025 and January 2026, Watford have only won three of their past 17 games in the Championship (D7 L7).

• Sheffield United have only kept two clean sheets in their past 20 Championship matches – indeed, no team in the division has kept fewer than the Blades since Boxing Day 2025.

• Imran Louza has been directly involved in 16 goals in the Championship this season (seven goals, nine assists), just one fewer than the most by a Watford player across their previous 10 league campaigns (17 by Ismaila Sarr in 2022-23 and 2020-21).

Ben Miller
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Head coach Ed Still says the whole of the Watford squad has to "step up and take responsibility" if they are to "buck the trend" of finishing poorly in recent seasons.

The Hornets have failed to win any of their last four games, following three wins and two draws in their first seven matches after Still succeeded Javi Gracia in early February.

Sitting mid-table in 12th, having fallen out of play-off contention, it continues a recent trend where Watford have finished 11th, 15th and 14th in the Championship since their relegation from the Premier League in 2022.

"I'm not going to go into too much of an analysis of that, but there are patterns and trends that are there and it's something that needs to change," Still told BBC Radio Three Counties.

"These are times in the season when you need to stand up, compete and put everything on the pitch to match your ambitions and all the talk and everything you say and I say.

"I know I am one to be open and communicative but you then need to deliver on the pitch and we didn't do that [in Saturday's defeat at Oxford United].

"You've got to grow and learn. OK, there are a lot of young players – but it isn't just a team of young players.

"Everybody's got to step up and take responsibility, not point fingers or turn round and say 'it's his fault and it's his fault'.

"It's not – it's everybody. All of us have got to come together even more, push harder and buck the trend that's been happening over the past seasons and also, now, over the past few weeks.

"Before coming in, I knew exactly what I was walking into. It just is what it is.

"Fingers can be pointed [but] I'm very open, extremely hard working and I'm just going to work really hard with the staff and the players and push on."

Marc Webber
Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It's Groundhog Day for Watford. With the play-offs out of reach, the Hornets have slipped into their annual end-of-season slumber, with low-key performances which instigate boos from their own fans.

It started with the 2-0 loss at Oxford United on Saturday, when manager Ed Still had to apologise for not taking it to an opposition side "who wanted it more."

It remains to be seen how Watford navigate the next few games when there's no jeopardy.

Do you stick a rocket up the current squad and at least ask them to put a bit of personal pride in their performances to collectively get some results?

Do you motivate the players by giving them a target to end their four-game winless run away from home?

That could be achieved in the remaining two trips to West Brom and Middlesbrough. But both of those sides still need wins for different reasons.

Or do you try something more radical?

The manager has said planning has already begun for next season and is happening in between these games. But what happens if these games are more obviously being used in the planning process?

Perhaps he should tell players who think they are a shoe-in for next season that the next four games are a trial to decide their role in this club going forward.

That may mean some unusual formations, more risk-taking and a greater chance of further defeats.

The Watford fans would have to tolerate using the last few games as an experiment for building a better future. Will they just stay away if the defeats continue?

It's a brave strategy which may take more man and fan management. But if Still is determined to make this club his future, he may want to create disruption now to create a better Watford for next season.

Watford head coach Ed Still has spoken to BBC Three Counties Radio about fans booing after the 2-0 defeat at Oxford United.

"I can understand it completely," he said. "It's the worst – our fans have travelled so well and given us such support this season.

"To send them home that way is horrible. They've seen a team that hasn't matched the opposition in terms of aggression and physical impact. That makes us all angry.

"It's not for being caught by surprise; we know what Oxford are, how windy it is, how the pitch is and how difficult it is, but you've got to deal with it. End of story.

"It is far too much of a familiar story from what's gone on in previous seasons, as well. To be repeating that trend now is terrible."

Image source, Getty Images

The EFL has announced the fixtures for the 2026-27 season will be published at midday on Thursday, 25 June.

The first-round draws for the Carabao Cup and the Vertu Trophy will be made on the same day.

The new season will kick off on the weekend of August 7-9 with the first round of the Carabao Cup, and the opening fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two will follow a week later on 14-16 August.

The first round of the Vertu Trophy will be played in the week commencing 21 September.

Watford boss Ed Still has revealed midfielder Edo Kayembe missed their Easter matches against QPR and Charlton because of international commitments after helping DR Congo qualify for the World Cup finals.

The Leopards beat Jamaica 1-0 in their play-off in Guadalajara 10 days ago to reach this summer's tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico, but Kayembe then failed to return to England in time for Watford's matches on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

"He's back from all the celebrations with DR Congo and their World Cup qualification so that's really good for the team," Ed Still told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"There were governmental obligations from their side and all the players selected for the last play-off game were in the same situation. West Ham had the same issue with (Aaron) Wan-Bissaka and many clubs in France and Belgium had the same issue.

"On the one hand we're really happy for him and proud that he'll be at the World Cup in a couple of months, but it was disappointing not to have him with us for the QPR or Charlton games."

Still has also revealed defender James Abankwah is available for selection for Saturday's Championship match at Oxford (15:00 BST) and midfielder Othmane Maamma is back in training after almost two months out with a thigh injury.

Watford are currrently 10th in the Championship table, nine points adrift of the top six with five matches remaining.

Listen to more Watford interviews and content on BBC Sounds.

Oxford United will seek an exit from the bottom three as they welcome Watford on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The U's are on a four-match winless streak but are only one point below 21st-placed Portsmouth and could leapfrog both Leicester City and Pompey to reach safety should they pick up a better result.

They face a Hornets side on a three-match winless run of their own, with a nine point-gap to the play-offs.

• Oxford have won just three of their last 26 league games against Watford (D11 L12), though one of those was in this exact fixture last season (1-0).

• Watford lost this exact fixture 1-0 last season, having been unbeaten in their previous 12 league visits to Oxford between 1972 and 1999 (W4 D8).

• Oxford have the lowest average possession (39.7%), have completed the fewest passes (8,870), had the fewest sequences of 10 or more passes in open play (128), average the fewest passes per sequence (2.3) and have the shortest sequence time (5.6 seconds) in the Championship this season.

• Since Ed Still's first game in charge of Watford on Valentine's Day, only Middlesbrough (211) and Portsmouth (165) have had more shots in the Championship than the Hornets (151), though 44% of them have come from outside the box (67), the third-highest ratio of any side in that time.

• Since the start of February, only Hayden Hackney (28) has created more chances in the Championship than Watford's Giorgi Chakvetadze (25). He created nine open play chances last time out against Charlton, only the third player on record (2013-14 onwards) to do so in a Championship game: the others are Pablo Hernández for Leeds vs Bolton in February 2019 (10) and Finn Azaz for Plymouth vs Watford in January 2024 (9).

Image source, Shutterstock

Watford are mourning the death of promotion-winning defender Brian Garvey who has passed away at the age of 88.

He was part of the Hornets side which won the Third Division title in the 1968-69 season and made 201 appearances, scoring two goals, in a five-year stay at Vicarage Road between 1965 and 1970.

Garvey started out at Hull City before joining Watford and finished his professional career at Colchester United where he helped the Essex club win the Watney Cup and famously beat Leeds United in the FA Cup in 1971.

"We were saddened to learn of the passing of our former defender Brian Garvey," Watford said in a post on X., external

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends."

Image source, Getty Images

Watford boss Ed Still said poor defending by his injury-hit side was the reason for the 2-1 defeat against QPR at Loftus Road.

The Hornets were outplayed for large spells and only a late strike by Imran Louza brought any hope of salvaging a point.

"We've given ourselves too much to do in the last part of the game," Still told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"We've not defended the box well enough and that's one of the things we have done really well and been consistent with.

"But we've not done it today for both goals - and another chance they had. We showed a lack of quality.

"Clearly when you have to shuffle your back four game-to-game it weakens your team. That is one of the big explaining factors as to why we have struggled to defend the box."