Foster: Rot’s been allowed to take hold

BEN FOSTER has warned Watford’s next boss he must find a remedy for the “rot” that has taken hold at the club.

The Hornets prop up the Premier League after nine defeats in 15 games.

Caretaker Hayden Mullins was in the dugout for the 2-0 reverse at Leicester on Wednesday after Quique Sanchez Flores followed Javi Gracia out the door.

Watford are now looking for their third permanent boss this season ahead of Crystal Palace’s visit tomorrow.

Spaniard Quique Setien is favourite but Mullins could still be at the helm this weekend.

Foster (inset) admits the new man faces a huge challenge after tracing their dramatic demise back to April.

It saw Watford end the season with one win in six league games to finish 11th before being humiliated 6-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup Final.

Foster said: “It started before the FA Cup Final.

“If you look at the finish to last season, there were half-a-dozen or eight games where the standard really dropped.

“We struggled to address it at the time. It’s almost a symptom of being a middling club in the Premier League, when you get to a certain point in the season, then it’s handbrake up, holidays. That has crept in. It’s almost been left to fester and rot too much and now it’s too much of a problem.

“I know the ability we have in that dressingroom, I see it on the training pitch but it’s transferring it on to the pitch that counts.”

Hornets No.1 Foster expects reinforcements in January but says any new players must be up for the fight.

He added: “Getting in the right sort of players, that’s the important thing. Players who want to fight, who need to fight – almost like they’ve got a point to prove.

“There’s no point splashing out money on players who are going to be lovely on the eye.

“Because otherwise when the chips are down they are not going to be there to help you out.

“Come prepared for a scrap, without a doubt.”