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Watford appoint Slavisa Jokanovic as their fourth manager of the season Watford appoint Slavisa Jokanovic as their fourth manager of the season
(about 9 hours later)
The former Chelsea midfielder Slavisa Jokanovic has become Watford’s fourth manager of the season, bringing Billy McKinlay’s reign to an end after only eight days. Watford named Slavisa Jokanovic as their fourth permanent coach of the season on Tuesday as the bewildering managerial merry-go-round at Vicarage Road reached new levels of confusion. Jokanovic’s appointment brings to an end Billy McKinlay’s eventful 11-day spell at the club, into which he squeezed three matches, a promotion and the sack. The Hornets, who went into the last international break with the charismatic Italian Beppe Sannino still in charge, are now set to end this one six weeks later under the control of his third replacement.
McKinlay replaced Óscar García at the end of September after the former Brighton manager, who had replaced Giuseppe Sannino following his resignation, had suffered a health scare. Sannino resigned on 31 August following the breakdown of his relationship with senior players and with the board. The former Brighton manager Óscar García was swiftly named as his replacement but the day after his first game he complained of heart pains and was admitted to hospital. Watford played twice during his time in hospital and he watched a further game from the directors’ box before deciding to take a break from football for health reasons.
However, the Hornets owner, Gino Pozzo, has now dispensed with McKinlay after just two games at the helm because he feels he needs an experienced manager with a proven track record. McKinlay had initially been appointed an assistant to García on 26 September and was on the bench in that capacity for the 2-2 draw at Blackburn the following day before being promoted to full-time manager when the Spaniard stood down two days later. “In Billy McKinlay we have someone with the qualities and significant experience to build further on the foundations already laid for a successful season ahead,” Watford’s chief executive, Scott Duxbury, said at the time. The following day McKinlay gave up his role as part-time assistant to the Northern Ireland manager, Michael O’Neill, in order to concentrate on the new job.
Explaining the decision to hire the 46-year-old Serb, Pozzo said in a statement: “Our job is always to act in the best long-term interests of this football club. There can be no compromise on this – whatever the circumstances. Eight days after his appointment, with a win and a draw from his two games in charge and with Watford third in the Championship, level on points with the two clubs above them, McKinlay was sacked. He held the job so briefly that he did not get a chance to sign a contract. It is felt that Jokanovic will better adapt to the unusual role, almost without precedent in British football, demanded of managers at Vicarage Road. The club is owned by the Italian family that also controls Udinese and Granada, with much of the group’s infrastructure and all scouting based in Udine, and the manager does not have the influence expected by most British potential recruits.
“I fully support and endorse the view from our technical staff that, given the talented squad which has been assembled and our position in the league, an experienced head coach with a winning pedigree is of primary importance to help ensure the success we are all striving for. The Guardian understands there is no truth to rumours suggesting that McKinlay’s exit is linked to the managerial vacancy at Fulham, where the Northern Irishman worked for nine years before he fell victim to a clear-out of the coaching staff following Martin Jol’s departure last December. McKinlay was disappointed with the way his time at the club ended and relations with the club’s hierarchy are not believed to have significantly thawed in the 10 intervening months.
“The supporters of Watford have always been very understanding towards our project here and I am certain they will continue to do everything they can to support the new coach and his squad.” The two other coaches brought to Hertfordshire by García, Ruben Martínez and Javier Pereira – who having jointly looked after the team while the then manager was in hospital bring to six the number of different people charged with overseeing Watford in league matches this season, an average of one every 10 days – are expected to remain in their posts.
Jokanovic spent two years at Stamford Bridge between 2000 and 2002 and played against McKinlay, who was then with Bradford, in his first season with the Blues. He also made more than 60 appearances for Yugoslavia as a player before moving into management at Partizan Belgrade, with whom he won the Serbian league and cup in each of his two seasons. Jokanovic, the 46-year-old latest incumbent of the Hornet hotseat, spent two seasons at Chelsea towards the end of his playing career and made a promising start in management when he guided Partizan, in his native Serbia, to unprecedented back-to-back domestic league-and-cup doubles in 2008 and 2009, only to leave that August after twice failing to qualify for the Champions League. In the five years since then he has worked only sporadically, winning a league title in Thailand with Muangthong United in 2013 and most recently having a short spell with Hercules as they stumbled to last place in Spain’s Segunda Division last season.
Jokanovic then won a title in Thailand with Muangthong United before short spells in charge of Levski Sofia in Bulgaria and Hercules in Spain. He takes over a Watford side which is third in the Championship despite the unstable nature of their managerial position. While fans of Watford are likely to be embarrassed by the recent turmoil at manager level and shocked by the ruthlessness with which McKinlay was treated, the club’s position in the league, the new east stand currently being built to replace the grim, condemned and vacant previous seating, and the travails of their previous owner, Laurence Bassini, who was declared bankrupt for a second time in June, are all likely to fuel a sense of forgiveness.
McKinlay had been given García’s approval when hired at the back end of September and he led the Hornets to a 2-1 win over Brentford and a 1-1 draw with Brighton. Yet the Pozzo family have once again opted for a foreign appointment, ensuring the 45-year-old McKinlay a place in the history books as one of the shortest managerial stints ever. “Our job is always to act in the best long-term interests of this football club,” the Watford owner, Gino Pozzo, said in a statement. “There can be no compromise on this – whatever the circumstances. I fully support the view from our technical staff that, given the talented squad which has been assembled and our position in the league, an experienced head coach with a winning pedigree is of primary importance to help ensure the success we are all striving for.”
The former Blackburn, Dundee United and Leicester midfielder only left his role with the Northern Ireland set-up to focus on the Watford job one week ago.
He may not be out of work for too long, though, given Fulham are still searching for a new manager themselves. McKinlay played for and coached Fulham and has been linked with a return to the club he took temporary charge of in 2012, when he led them to a 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield.