Football Season Guide

2023/24 turned into another typical season of upheaval at Watford. The club have a reputation in recent years of hiring and firing managers, but actually did try to go against the grain this time around. New boss Valérien Ismaël was surprisingly given a contract extension just ten games into the season and with only two wins under his belt. Despite a decent run in the winter, the wheels started to fall off and poor form, especially at home, saw him sacked in March. Tom Cleverley came in as interim-manager and steadied the ship with some solid but unspectacular performances. The former Hornets midfielder managed only two wins from his nine games in charge at the end of the season, but also only lost twice (P9 W2 D5 L2). It proved to be enough to convince the board to make him the new permanent boss. Having previously captained the club, Cleverley will know better than most of his predecessors what it means to the fans but question marks will remain over his ability to get results on the pitch. Having previously managed Watford at youth level, it’s unsurprising that Cleverley appears to be putting a lot of faith in young players. Teenage right-back Ryan Andrews has started almost every game for him after appearing to fall out of favour with Ismaël, much to the chagrin of the fans and his father Wayne Andrews who once played for the club. Yaser Aprilla was named Young Player of the Year after some impressive displays on the wing. The gamble on youth has been extended to the transfer market with teenage forwards Mamadou Doumbia and Rocco Vata arriving, along with 20-year-old defender Antonio Tikvic. Talented young midfielder Ismaël Koné has left the club, along with veteran Jake Livermore who also excelled in the engine room at times last season, so that looks like an area that still needs improvement. Moussa Sissoko has returned to the club to add experience but isn’t a long-term solution. Speculation continues over the future of centre-back Wesley Hoedt who was the club’s most consistent performer last season. Losing him would be a huge blow.