DUX WANTS MORE GOLD FROM SILVA

MARCO SILVA is under pressure to halt Watford’s slump after testing the patience of the Hornets’ top brass with nine defeats in 13 games.

Hornets’ executive chairman Scott Duxbury stormed out at the end of Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by Swansea, fed up after Watford’s second collapse in the last five minutes against the Premier League’s bottom club in three weeks.

Silva, whose contract has 18 months to run, is not in imminent danger of the sack.

But after Duxbury and owner Gino Pozzo fought tooth and nail to keep him out of Everton’s clutches in the autumn, rejecting two approaches from the Merseysiders for their 40-year-old head coach, the Hornets expected better than 10 points from a possible 39.

And the prospects of an instant improvement are grim – because next up is a daunting trip to runaway leaders Manchester City, who won 6-0 at Vicarage Road in September.

Watford will back Silva in the transfer window, and they are front-runners to land Leicester striker Islam Slimani on a loan deal until the end of the season despite competition from Newcastle.

But there is increasing concern at the team’s readily collapsible nature, which has become a running sore since Everton’s unwelcome interest in Silva.

The Hornets threw away a two-goal lead at Goodison Park to lose 3-2, lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace after being 1-0 up with two minutes to go –and they were booed off after the rockbottom Swans’ burglary of three points at the weekend.

Midfielder Ben Watson (left) admitted: “I don’t know how we lost it. We were in control, didn’t kill the game off and got punished.

“It’s not the first time this season we have paid the price. We are gutted because we know if we had won, we would be eighth in the table.

“We have got to learn from this – and learn quickly.”