'It was very easy for me to accept' - Hodgson on the Watford jobpublished at 14:55 2 February 2022
14:55 2 February 2022
On being Watford's 11th manager to take charge in the Premier League and whether he is worried about the churn, Hodgson said: "I don’t really think much about it at all.
"When I was offered this job it was on a very clear mandate: can you come in and work until the end of season and do what we think you do well and keep us in the Premier League.
"It was very easy for me to accept that challenge. I don’t intend to comment at all on the way the club and the board at the club decide they want to run their club in terms of managers.
"One thing is very clear: no-one at Watford, and the supporters in particular, want the club to go down."
Hodgson on relegation 'dog fight'published at 14:49 2 February 2022
14:49 2 February 2022
Roy Hodgson is speaking to the media for the first time as Watford boss as he does his pre-match news conference for Saturday's game against Burnley.
First up, he was asked if he has seen enough from his players to suggest they have what it takes to stay in the Premier League: "It’s more than possible. I wouldn’t have accepted the challenge had I not believed we could help the club stay in the Premier League.
"The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and it’s important the players react well and they can produce the level of performances that are going to be necessary. This league in terms of relegation is a dog fight."
Tufan's Hornets loan deal endedpublished at 13:41 2 February 2022
13:41 2 February 2022
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Watford Football Club
Hodgson's first Watford news conferencepublished at 12:31 2 February 2022
12:31 2 February 2022
Roy Hodgson is due to speak to the media for the first time as Watford manager at 14:30 GMT on Wednesday.
Catch up with all the key lines from his news conference on this page later
Burnley v Watford: Head-to-headpublished at 11:01 2 February 2022
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Watford Football Club
Burnley v Watford: Who makes your Hornets team?published at 17:29 1 February 2022
17:29 1 February 2022
Watford travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday with both teams in the relegation places.
It will be new boss Roy Hodgson's first match in charge of the Hornets but would you make wholesale changes for the trip?
It's up to you how to approach it - you could go for the team you WANT Hodgson to pick or the one you THINK he will.
Watford's January transfer window - ins and outspublished at 11:51 1 February 2022
11:51 1 February 2022
Image source, Getty Images
It was another bumper transfer deadline day in the Premier League on Monday as top flight clubssplashed out £295m across the month - making it the second-highest spending January in history.
How did Watford do in the transfer window? Here are all the ins and outs for the Hornets:
In
Samuel Kalu (Bordeaux, undisclosed), Edo Kayembe (Eupen, undisclosed), Samir (Udinese, undisclosed), Hassane Kamara (Nice, reported £4m), Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, undisclosed, loaned back to Sparta for rest of season), Yaser Asprilla (Envigado, £2.7m)
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Watford Football Club
'Watford deficiencies addressed early'published at 21:23 31 January 2022
While focus has been on the latest change at the helm [with Roy Hodgson replacing Claudio Ranieri], it’s significant how quickly Watford addressed the squad’s most obvious deficiencies in the opening days of the January window in contrast to more limited activity elsewhere.
How adequate these recruits will prove to be time will tell, but for now Kamara, Samir and Kayembe address deficiencies at left back, centre back and defensive midfield respectively, while more recently Samuel Kalu, our fifth Nigerian recruit since the summer, came in to provide cover for Sarr on the right.
With 28 senior pros over the age of 21 there will need to be outgoings. Danny Rose will not make the 25; others may be parked at Udinese, their ongoing usefulness dependent on which division we play in next season.
Hornets make late move for Hendersonpublished at 20:45 31 January 2022
20:45 31 January 2022
Image source, Getty Images
Simon Stone, BBC Sport
Watford have asked about the possibility of signing Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson on loan until the end of the season.
Henderson hoped for a loan move after losing out to David de Gea in the battle to be United’s number one.
With Tom Heaton also at the club, Ralf Rangnick has three experienced keepers at his disposal.
However, United’s interim boss has previously said he didn’t want Henderson to leave and it seems unlikely the German will change his mind at this late stage of the window.
Follow all the latest deadline day deals right here
Three hours to go!published at 20:00 31 January 2022
20:00 31 January 2022
We're just about heading towards now or never territory!
Whether your club's transfer deadline day is about to take off or actually never really got started in the first place, here's a final reminder that you can follow live text coverage here
Any late drama before the window shuts at 23:00 GMT?
'Watford's transfer business already done'published at 15:55 31 January 2022
15:55 31 January 2022
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by BBC Sport Three Counties
Time's ticking on deadline daypublished at 12:30 31 January 2022
12:30 31 January 2022
For all the rumours, excitement and hype, just two Premier League deals have been done so far on deadline day - Christian Eriksen to Brentford and Wout Weghorst to Burnley.
Will this afternoon bring about a bit more movement? We're now less than 11 hours away from the window shutting at 23:00 GMT.
And you can follow live text coverage of deadline day here
Transfer window: 'There will need to be outgoings'published at 09:58 31 January 2022
Whilst focus has been on the latest change at the helm, it’s significant how quickly Watford addressed the squad’s most obvious deficiencies in the opening days of the January window in contrast to more limited activity elsewhere.
How adequate these recruits will prove to be time will tell, but for now Kamara, Samir and Kayembe address deficiencies at left-back, centre-back and defensive midfield respectively, whilst more recently Samuel Kalu, our fifth Nigerian recruit since the summer, came in to provide cover for Sarr on the right.
With 28 senior pros over the age of 21, there will need to be outgoings. Danny Rose will not make the 25 while others may be parked at Udinese, their ongoing usefulness dependent on which division we play in next season.
Your deadline day hopes for Watfordpublished at 08:08 31 January 2022
08:08 31 January 2022
Image source, Getty Images
It's the final day of the transfer window and we've been asking for your thoughts on Watford so far and if you're hoping for any last-minute moves from Roy Hodgson.
Here are some of your comments:
Christopher: Watford need a central defender, a box-to-box midfielder. But, mainly they need confidence. When they played Manchester City, they looked scared to be on the same pitch. But we need stability in the manager's office.
Steve: Watford could do with another upgrade at centre-back but I can't see any more players coming in. More like two or three leaving. Kabasele and Rose to be left out of the 25-man squad?
Kenneth: Watford have been poor for many seasons and regardless of what manager is appointed by the club the problem is the players. The majority are not good enough.
Follow transfer deadline day livepublished at 07:29 31 January 2022
07:29 31 January 2022
Whether it turns out to be a day of high drama or ultimately a bit of a damp squib for your club, you can still rarely take your eye off transfer deadline day.
Are you hoping for a rush of late deals or expecting a relatively quiet one?
Either way, you can follow live text coverage throughout the day here
The window shuts at 23:00 GMT, which means your team now has less than 16 hours to sneak in any late business. Better get a wriggle on!
Transfer window: Four 'typical' signings for Watford so farpublished at 07:01 31 January 2022
07:01 31 January 2022
Image source, Getty Images
Geoff Doyle, BBC Three Counties Radio
Watford have signed four players so far in the transfer window and it's been typically Watford business. All four are overseas signings for relatively small amounts of money and the players have decent backgrounds but no Premier League experience.
The most recent signing was Bordeaux winger Samuel Kalu. The Hornets have reportedly been tracking him for some time. There must be close links somewhere as he becomes the fourth Nigerian international in the squad alongside William Ekong, Peter Etebo and Emmanuel Dennis.
His highlights reel is impressive, but he'll have to prove he can translate those skills to the Premier League. He also faces a battle to get into the side as attack hasn't been the problem for Watford this season, so he will compete against the likes of Dennis, Josh King, Cucho Hernandez, Joao Pedro and Ismaila Sarr when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations.
The other three signings (Samir, Edo Kayembe and Hassane Kamara) were completed early in the window and were much needed to add more steel to the Hornets. All three did well against Newcastle on their debuts offering hope that they might make the difference between staying up and going down. But they weren't as comfortable against Norwich in the most recent game although more experienced Premier League teammates didn't help them much.
New signings will take time settling in, but Watford will need them to adapt quicker than normal to help the survival cause. The Hornets are being linked with other players but wholesale changes to a struggling team midway through a season is probably unwise.
Another new signing - manager Roy Hodgson - needs to get better out of Watford players as a collective rather than as individuals.
