They’re only making plans to beat drop WITHOUT Nigel

HORNETS DUMP PEARSON WITH ONLY TWO GAMES OF SEASON LEFT

NIGEL PEARSON has become the third manager ditched by Watford this season in another crazy rotation of the revolving door at Vicarage Road.

In an astonishing move, with just two games of the campaign left, the Hornets swung the axe again because they fear relegation with only tough dates against Manchester City and FA Cup finalists Arsenal to come.

With Watford one place and three points above the drop zone, stunned Pearson was understood to have been informed of the decision by technical director Filippo Giraldi at the training ground.

When asked last Thursday if he expected to be in charge next season, Pearson said he was “hopeful” of being retained beyond the end of his short-term contract and believed he had an “agreement” in place.

First-team coach Craig Shakespeare will also leave immediately, with Under-23 boss Hayden Mullins and goalkeeping coach Graham Stack taking charge until the end of the season.

It means Watford will be looking to make their 13th managerial appointment in eight years since

Sean Dyche was turfed out to make way for Gianfranco Zola in 2012.

Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, a vocal critic of Watford’s fondness for pulling the trigger, tweeted: “Watford have sacked Nigel Pearson. That’s a thoughtful reward for helping to drag a team out of the relegation zone.”

Pearson, 56, had taken 25 points from 20 games in charge since he replaced Quique Sanchez Flores last

December. In the Premier League, he had the best win percentage of any Hornets head coach since the club returned to the top flight in 2015.

But the board were dismayed by the pathetic 3-1 defeat at West Ham in Friday night’s pivotal relegation battle (below), which has left the Hornets perilously close to the drop.

Gino Pozzo has never presided over relegation at any of the clubs his family have owned in Europe – Udinese, Granada and Watford.

He does not intend to suffer a first blot on that record at any price. But the timing of Watford’s decision to part company with Pearson is still extraordinary.

His job looked safe as houses after Watford’s stunning 3-0 win over Liverpool in February trashed the Reds’ dreams of emulating Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ campaign in 2003-04.