Watford sack third supervisor in a yr as blunt 32-word assertion launched
Watford FC have officially sacked Ed Still after just 15 games in charge, issuing a blunt statement following a turbulent three month tenure at the Championship club
Watford have sacked Ed Still(Image: Richard Lee/Shutterstock)
Watford have sacked Ed Still after just three months at the helm of the club.
The Hornets also shared a blunt 32-word statement to confirm his dismissal. It read: “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 endeavours.”
Still – who is the brother of Will Still, who managed Southampton between May and November 2025 – signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club in February. However, he will now look for his next challenge just three months later.
A disastrous tenure saw Still oversee 15 games with the Hornets, managing just three wins, four draws and a staggering eight losses. It comes as the third manager that the club have sacked within the space of a year, following Tom Cleverley’s departure last May and Paulo Pezzolano’s dismissal in the October.
Javi Gracia also took up tenure with the club between October and February, ahead of Still’s appointment, albeit he ultimately walked away on his own terms earlier this year. It comes as Watford Chairman and CEO, Scott Duxbury, released a damning statement over club matters ahead of the club’s 4-0 thumping from Coventry on home soil on Saturday.
He wrote: “The summer is usually the time for considered reflections and communicating fuller thoughts. But with one final game to play of this campaign, we have to accept there were things we got wrong – and things that MUST improve over the close season.
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“That will start with our recruitment. We underscored our commitment to challenge for promotion last summer by signing 14 players and four more in January. We believed we had the talent within those signings to push for a top-six place.
“They were exciting signings in line with our recruitment model and, at the turn of the year, just three points off second, that faith seemed well-placed. To lose players like Rocco Vata, Hector Kyprianou, Othmane Maamma, Kwadwo Baah and Stephen Mfuni for long periods heavily impacted our performance.
“We never truly had the opportunity to test how competitive we would have been, owing to those significant injuries. This is not an excuse, but a reality.
“However, I accept those absences exposed a lack of leadership in the dressing room. Undoubtedly, we were missing senior players who understood the Championship and had the mentality to guide our younger talent.
“To that end, I have insisted the recruitment department address this over the summer. Our strategy will involve moving out players who, in different ways, have made it clear they do not see their future at Watford.
“In the large part, they will be replaced by experienced leaders who understand the demands of this league. Building a squad that possesses both talent AND the right mentality has to be our overriding priority.
“The need for a consistent and positive culture within the group, one that represents our supporters with the effort they demand and deserve, will be the driving factor this summer. We’re not hiding from the unacceptable level of performance recently, it’s obvious this has been truly disappointing in the extreme.
“But there are solid foundations going into the summer. We have some very exciting young attacking players with pace that can make a real difference in this league if allowed to flourish and supported by more experienced players.
“Despite the way the season ended, please enjoy the summer and the World Cup and I promise you; we will be doing everything in our power to be better both on and off the pitch come August. Best wishes to you and your family.”
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