PEARSON GETS PUSH
Watford boss is sensationally axed after bust-up with club owner
WATFORD sensationally sacked Nigel Pearson yesterday with just two games left to play following a disagreement with owner Gino Pozzo.
MailOnline were first to report the shock development yesterday, with the club later confirming Hayden Mullins and Graham Stack will take charge of the final matches of the campaign.
A club statement read: ‘Watford FC confirms that Nigel Pearson has left the club with immediate effect.’ Friday’s disappointing 3-1 defeat at fellow strugglers West Ham was met with major frustration by the club’s Italian owners.
Sources claim there was a significant difference in opinion between Pearson and Pozzo in the aftermath of the loss at the London Stadium.
And yesterday, the decision was taken at the club’s Hertfordshire training ground to axe Pearson.
It is understood the news was broken to Pearson at around lunchtime. Some players and staff even saw Pearson leaving their HQ as they arrived, providing an indication of what had just happened.
Players were ushered into a 2pm meeting by club officials where they were informed of the decision to relieve Pearson of his duties.
Sportsmail understands that Watford were keen on Pearson’s assistant Craig Shakespeare taking the reins until the end of the season — but the former Leicester boss stayed loyal and has also left Vicarage Road.
Players were understood to be shocked by the decision. Pearson was liked by the players and he had certainly impressed the squad with his work since arriving seven months ago.
Equally, players have become used to losing bosses during the Pozzo regime, Pearson’s sacking their third managerial departure of this season alone.
One insider has described the club as a ‘circus’. But there is a feeling that the decision can give Watford players an opportunity to regroup and refocus heading into the final two games.
Watford are three points above Aston Villa, who occupy the final relegation place. They have a superior goal difference.
Despite Pearson’s excellent work in giving Watford a fighting chance to escape the drop following a dreadful start to the season under Javi Gracia and then Quique Sanchez Flores, there was uncertainty over the 56-year-old’s future ahead of next season. Former Leicester and Southampton manager Claude Puel is believed to have his admirers within the Watford boardroom and could emerge as a contender to replace Pearson.
Chris Hughton was a contender for the job after Sanchez Flores’s sacking earlier this season and could be in the frame again. For now, however, it will be left to left to Mullins to steady the ship, as he did following Sanchez Flores’s dismissal in December.
Mullins will have the full backing of the playing staff. He and his caretaker No2 Stack are known to be popular figures at the club’s training facility.