Chris Wilder: Will Watford head coach switch lead to play-offs?

Chris Wilder began the season hoping for success with Middlesbrough - can he achieve it at Watford instead?

Among those clubs with a 'revolving door' approach to hiring and firing managers, few have a door which spins more quickly than Watford.

The decision to part company with Slaven Bilic and bring in Chris Wilder means that for the second season running, the Hornets have had three different people in charge of the team.

Since the club was taken over by the Pozzo family in the summer of 2012, Watford have had 18 full-time managers/head coaches if you include Sean Dyche, who was in situ at the time, but soon left to make way for Gianfranco Zola.

It is, though, a consistent approach - their Italian club Udinese had 13 in charge over the same period while Spanish club Granada, owned by the Pozzos from 2009 to 2016, had six in their final four years of ownership.

The decision to sack the vastly experienced Bilic followed a run of one win in Watford's last eight matches and was necessary, according to technical director Ben Manga - who only arrived in December - in order to "re-energise for the final games ahead".

The Hertfordshire club had five successive seasons in the Premier League from 2015 to 2020, but their last top-flight adventure lasted only one campaign and ended in relegation last May.

Three bosses in a season - again

The club thought former Forest Green boss Rob Edwards was the man who could help them bounce back at the first attempt, but he lasted only 11 games before it was Bilic's turn.

Now, that task falls to Wilder, who guided Sheffield United to promotion from the Championship four years ago.

Chris Wilder celebrates promotion to the Premier League with Sheffield United in 2019

"With the history of Watford under the Pozzo regime, you're not totally surprised," former midfielder Derek Payne told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"They've lost confidence in Slaven to get them into the play-offs, and they want to go up - they made that clear at the end of last season.

"They've had a lot of injuries but now they are back, I think the club were looking at it that he's got the best squad available and expecting him to get results that were needed to get into that play-off position."

Although they lost top scorer Emmanuel Dennis to Nottingham Forest last summer, the bulk of last season's squad, including the highly talented Joao Pedro and Ismaila Sarr - who each have nine goals this term -remained for the current campaign.

Bilic was backed by the club in the January transfer window, bringing in six new players, including defenders Wesley Hoedt and Ryan Porteous, midfielder Matheus Martins and striker Britt Assombalonga.

But he only won 10 of his 26 games in charge in all competitions.

'Attacking side of game not right'

Slaven Bilic has coached in Croatia, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and China as well as England

Payne, who played for Watford in the 1990s under Glenn Roeder and Graham Taylor, says the former West Ham and West Bromwich Albion boss can feel "hard done by" to an extent but thinks some of his team selections and substitutions were questionable.

"With all the players they've got in the forward areas, they don't seem to be able to get the attacking side of the game right," he said.

"They looked like they weren't going to score against Sheffield United and Preston. They had a couple of half chances but the hierarchy, the people above, think the players are there to do that and he hasn't found that attacking formula."

At 55, Wilder is a year older than Bilic, having begun his managerial career with Alfreton Town in 2001.

Prior to his success at Sheffield United, he did well at Oxford United and Northampton Town, but a spell at Middlesbrough ended in him being sacked in October with the club 22nd in the Championship table.

Since then, they have surged up to third under former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick.

So is Wilder the right man to close a four-point gap to Norwich in sixth place and secure Watford's spot in the play-offs?

"He had some good initial success at Boro, he won four out of his first five there and was manager of the month in his first month so you'd certainly hope he's capable of bringing in some positive results pretty quickly," said Stephen Temple, chair of the Watford Supporters Trust.

"He's a manager who likes a side to work hard, be committed and really give its all so, from that point of view, it looks like a sensible appointment. The proof will be in the pudding."

Like former England boss Roy Hodgson, who was appointed by the Hornets in January 2022, Wilder has only been given a contract to the end of the season.

"Once again we're not seeing any long-term planning or even medium-term planning, so that's a bit of a concern," Temple told BBC Three Counties Radio.

Among Watford's more recent head coaches, only Javi Gracia - now in charge at Leeds United - managed more than a few months in the role.

Temple added: "Reading the forums and talking to a lot of fans, you see a lot of fatigue with that constant change, constant rotation.

"Essentially, it doesn't give the fans anything to really get behind. It's probably been three or four years now since we've had a manager, maybe [Xisco] Munoz and prior to that Gracia - they're the two the fans felt they could really get behind."

Payne, who was once with Wilder in Southampton's youth set-up, says the end of his time on Teesside has given him a point to prove.

"I would imagine from the club's point of view, he ticks a lot of boxes, he knows the league, he's got promoted out of that league. With the Middlesbrough experience, he's probably got a point to prove to the football world that he can do it again," he said.

"Whenever I've watched his teams, it's not about individuals, it's about the whole group so I'm very hopeful for him and I just hope he can get the best out of these players."

If Wilder can, maybe his time at Vicarage Road will be extended beyond 11 games - but, based on Watford's record with managers, don't bet on it.