Watford have beaten head coach Vladimir Ivic after just four months under control, with the club in fifth place in the Sky Bet Championship, four points behind the top two.
The 43-year-old Serb took no control of the Hornets in August after being relegated from the Premier League and has led for 20 league games – winning nine, pull seven and lose four – picking up manager of the month award for November.
However, after Saturday ‘s 2-0 loss to Huddersfield, the Vicarage Road hierarchy has decided it’ s time for another change with Ivic becoming Watford ‘s fourth boss to face off against from September 2019.
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Javi led Gracia Watford to the 2018/19 FA Cup final but since his dismissal they have gone through Quique Sanchez Flores, Nigel Pearson and now Ivic following Hayden Mullins’ time as head of care near the end of last season, as they failed to avoid relegation. .
Watford ‘s next game is against rising rivals and Norwich league leaders – live Sky Sports Football on Boxing Day – and on January 9 they will face Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup.
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A selection of the Championship match between Huddersfield and Watford
“Watford FC confirm that head coach Vladimir Ivic left immediately,” read a statement on the club ‘s website. “Ivic coaches will also be leaving Vicarage Road.
“The Hornets thank Ivic and his staff for their efforts this season and wish them every success in the future elsewhere.”
Ivic: Philosophy, Maccabi success and PL hopes
Prior to his dismissal on Saturday, Ivic sat down with Sky Sports to discuss his management philosophies, his success at Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv before he joined the Hornets and hopes of promotion for the seasons.
“In this job it’s not a good idea to copy someone,” Ivic said after winning the Sky Bet Tournament Manager of the Month award in November.
“You can follow a lot of coaches, especially in England, as some of the top coaches in the world are here in the Premier League and the Championship.
Prior to his arrival at Watford, Ivic had great success in Israel at Maccabi Tel Aviv
“It’s always good to talk to people who have experience and who have been successful and who can give you advice, but you have to have your own style of how you work and how which will make your team understand how to develop and how you want them. to play.
“My philosophy as a games manager is to win. It’s about working day-to-day with my players, talking to them and finding the best system I can play and win in every game.
“It can be 5-3-2, 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. Sometimes it depends on who is available to play. My favorite system is the one you can to get the most out of your squad. “
Prior to his arrival at Watford, Ivic had been a huge success in Israel at Maccabi Tel Aviv, winning the Israeli Premier League in back years in 2019 and 2020 – finishing a three-season series without the title for the most decorated club in the country. Prior to arriving there, he had also won the Greek Cup with PAOK in 2017 in his first senior management career.
Watford are fifth in the Championship after 20 games
“It was a great time [at Maccabi]”he said.” This was my first time moving to a new country to work [as a manager]. They are the biggest club in Israel but they had gone three years without winning the league before I joined, which was difficult for the club and the fans.
“There were also problems with Financial Opportunity Play when I arrived so we had to work on a very small budget, and we used a lot of young players who were on loan at other clubs in Israel.
“But our two years there were very successful and we won awards. We didn’t do as well in the Europa League as I would have liked, but it was a great time and I will remember forever for those two years. “
What targets did he set for the season? Naturally, there was only one.
“We have a lot of players who have been relegated from the Premier League, and now they have a great opportunity to show that we are a quality team that wants to fight, to the highest level. and to show that we want to come back, “he said.
“We know our targets and what we want to do, and that returns to the Premier League. It won’t be easy, it’s a tough competition with a lot of games and a lot of good teams. It’s about about our mind, being physically ready and going game after game. “