In a move that surprised few given recent form, Watford Football Club has parted ways with head coach Ed Still after a whirlwind tenure of less than three months. The 35-year-old Belgian manager was shown the door following a disastrous end to the season that saw the Hornets plummet down the Championship table.
Still arrived at Vicarage Road with a two-and-a-half-year contract on February 9, stepping in after Javi Gracia's resignation. At the time, Watford sat 11th in the standings, just three points adrift of the playoff positions—a promising position for any new manager. However, the optimism quickly faded. Under Still's guidance, the team managed only three wins from 15 league matches, spiraling to a 16th-place finish. That left them 16 points behind the top six and uncomfortably close to the relegation zone, just 10 points above the drop.
The final straw came on Saturday, when Watford suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at home to Coventry City—a result that marked their fifth consecutive loss. In those five matches, the Hornets conceded 16 goals while scoring just once, a statistic that underscores the team's defensive struggles and lack of attacking firepower. After the match, Still reflected on the season, telling BBC Three Counties Radio: "The end of season is needed and there is plenty of time to reset, reshape and start again afresh from the summer."
Watford's revolving door of managers has become a defining feature of the club in recent years. Still's departure marks the 15th head coach (excluding interim appointments) since September 2019, when Gracia first left the club. Remarkably, this is the 12th managerial change since the end of the 2020-21 season alone—a staggering turnover rate that has left fans and pundits questioning the club's long-term strategy.
In a brief statement, Watford confirmed the decision: "Watford FC have this morning parted company with head coach Ed Still. First-team coach Karim Belhocine has also left the club. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors." As the search begins for yet another manager, the Hornets will be hoping for stability—and results—in the upcoming season. For fans, the summer reset can't come soon enough.