Watford

Former Watford midfielder Tom Ince says he fears for the club in the Championship this season.

The Hornets have lost their past four Championship matches to slip into the relegation zone but have backed head coach Alessio Dionisi before Saturday's game at home to Charlton Athletic (12:30 BST).

Ince left Vicarage Road at the end of last season and is now with Tranmere Rovers in League Two but watched his former side suffer a 5-1 hammering at Cardiff on Tuesday night.

"It's something I saw coming," Ince told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

"When I first went there we had a lot of big experienced players who knew what it took to get results week in, week out but I looked at the squad at Cardiff and I hate to use the word, but it looks soulless.

"The performance had no heart, and I sympathise and say there's not enough experience or leadership in that dressing room to give them that guidance to tell them what's acceptable and what isn't."

Dionisi was appointed in June, becoming the club's 12th permanent boss since the end of the 2020-21 season but Ince - like many fans - believes the issues go deeper than the manager and the players.

"It's a fantastic football club - the problem they've got, especially from my time there which was three years and felt a lot longer, is there are too many cooks in the kitchen," he added.

"There are lots of different beliefs on how the club should move forward, what the team should look like and what players come in.

"Regardless of what happens upstairs, which is obviously a big issue, this is the year I look at Watford and think they could be in trouble.

"They've got to go in a different direction - I understand the model of bringing in young foreign players and trying to sell them on but in the Championship you need that core of experienced players who know what it takes to go Saturday/Tuesday and I looked at it [the performance on Tuesday] and it put a lot of fear into me."

Listen to all episodes of 72+ on BBC Sounds.

Aaron Paul, Jobi McAnuff and Tommy Smith are joined by former Hornets midfielder Tom Ince to chat about Watford, with the club in the Championship relegation zone after 10 games.

What's it like amid the constant turnover of managers in the dugout? Will they buck the trend and stick with Alessio Dionisi?

Plus, hear from Jon Rudkin, Leicester City's chief football officer, on the situation the club currently finds itself in. Will Leicester stick with Russell Martin, or do they need to make a change to ensure success?

And Tommy gives his opinion on Spygate after Southampton boss Tonda Eckert was handed a suspended six-week ban for his part in the spying scandal.

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Image source, Shutterstock

Watford say head coach Alessio Dionisi will be in charge for Saturday's Championship match at home to Charlton (12:30 BST).

That is despite the Hornets suffering four successive defeats and slipping into the relegation zone.

We asked Watford fans to send us their views and here is what some of them had to say:

Stephen - Yes, we should stick with the manager but (owner) Gino Pozzo and (chairman) Scott Duxbury should step down. Start the proceedings to sell to new investors as soon as possible and we would like to see a coach given two or three years. We want more homegrown and local players and stop (68% so far in 12 years) all the loanees and purchases from Udinese.

Martin - Hopefully the manager staying is a sign the owners are going.

Steve - It's the players and the board, not the manager. Let the board have a meeting with management and players to clear the air and to stand by the manager. The fans have stood by the board long enough.

Chris - Dionisi is unproven and has nothing to work with at the club. But the problem goes way, way deeper than the manager. The owners have left the club to rot over the past five years. Sure, the Pozzos saved us in our hour of need, we're grateful for that. But they've run their course. Sell up and get out.

Adrian - The Pozzos needed to stick with a coach way before this. They have had some half decent guys in the position. The players know they can underperform and it'll be the coach that carries the can. Any decent players that do emerge are either sold on for purely financial reasons or leave when they've had enough. I'm not sure this coach is the guy with which to decide to break the cycle but we shall see.

Image source, Shutterstock

Daniel - Dionisi is a good coach when given good resources (like a fully fit squad) as we saw with the stellar performance against Southampton and relatively decent performances against Wrexham and West Ham. Ever since then, he has been handed the biggest injury card in the world, a board unwilling to offer support and this isn't the first time.

Paul - I think you have to remember the state Watford were in before the Pozzos arrived. Watford may not have even existed today. However, after 48 years as a fan, this is a tough period. If the Pozzos go, we need secure financial backing and you have to ask who would buy Watford other than Elton John? Maybe a bit of calm and some patience this time around? Let's try it a different way.

Kevin - He will be sacked anyway - this is just delaying the inevitable as it suits the owner who has a meeting on Friday with a fan representative.

Rory - It's not the manager, it's the owners. We could have Pep Guardiola and we still wouldn't do much better.

Wrighty - The 'let's blame the manager' ship sailed a long time ago. The problems at our club lie in awful recruitment, the boardroom and an owner that has well and truly lost his way.

Image source, Shutterstock

It has been a rocky four days for Watford and head coach Alessio Dionisi.

Heavy defeats to Burnley and Cardiff City have dropped them into the Championship's relegation zone and they have now lost four games in a row.

Despite that, and their history of dispensing with managers at a fairly regular rate, Watford are sticking with Dionisi for now and he will be in charge for Saturday's home match against Charlton Athletic.

Have the club made the right decision?

Do Watford's problems go deeper than their head coach and poor form?

Hornets fans can have their say here and check back later for some of their views.

Image source, Shutterstock

Sir Elton John has "changed the narrative completely" at Watford after his comments online shifted fans' dismay at manager Alessio Dionisi onto owner Gino Pozzo, says BBC Radio Three Counties' Geoff Doyle.

The former Hornets owner criticised the club's decline in recent years following their 4-0 loss to Burnley in a now deleted response to a club post on Instagram.

"The sackings, the short termism at the club and how it's affected the club, the lack of stability, we've spoken about the culture at the club so often - I think they [the fans] have had enough," Doyle said.

"There were some brilliant years under Pozzo early on and no one is going to forget that but I think we've reached a crossroads.

"It's so important Sir Elton John coming out and saying this because it's completely galvanised now this feeling that something needs to be done, and that Gino Pozzo is going to have to front up and talk about where the club is going."

Listen to the full analysis below or on BBC Sounds here.

Image source, Opta

Watford will aim to end their three-game losing run when they visit fellow early-season strugglers Cardiff City on Tuesday night.

The Hornets were soundly beaten 4-0 at home to Burnley on Saturday and have won just one of their eight games since the opening day of the season (D2 L5).

The Bluebirds are 21st in the table and one place below Watford following their 2-1 loss at Blac

• Cardiff are unbeaten in five league meetings with Watford (W3 D2) since a 1-2 home defeat in November 2022.

• Watford remain unbeaten in six league visits to Cardiff (W4 D2) since a 2-1 defeat in October 2012.

• Cardiff have both scored (12 goals) and conceded (6) in each of their past five home league games, their longest such run since August 2021 (6 games).

• Watford have lost eight of their past nine away league games (D1), including their previous three in a row without scoring.

• Jack Moylan is the only Cardiff player to score more than one Championship goal at the Cardiff City Stadium this season (3), and has at least twice as many home league goal involvements as any of his teammates this term (4 – 3 goals, 1 assist).

We asked for your thoughts after Burnley thrashed Watford 4-0 at Vicarage Road to earn their first win of the Championship season - and a first league victory for Clarets boss Nicky Hayen.

Here are some of your comments:

Watford fans

Clive: Probably one of the poorest Watford displays I've witnessed in 15 years as a season ticket holder. No identity, no fluency, abject defending and an inability to play forward, progressive, entertaining football.

Naibsel: I never understand why managers play players out of position and then wonder why the team struggles. Then change it when the damage has been done.

Richard: Why do we insist on playing out from the back when we are clearly not very good at it, hence the 1st goal. Burnley did their homework, not difficult, that's why they always had four on the edge of the penalty area every time we had a goal kick.

Howard: The owners MUST sell. The club MUST have investment or will drop down the divisions.

Arjun: Watford lacked passion apart from Pollock and the line-up was a disaster. Starting a teenage CB at left-back with two on the bench is criminal. Doumbia was shockingly bad and I'm wondering why he was playing on the wing ahead of at least three or four other players. Kjerrumgaard was equally woeful and shows no ability apart from poaching. I have been defending the manager recently because of injuries but his tactics were awful today. I wouldn't be unhappy if he got sacked.

Image source, Getty Images

Burnley fans

Graham: An excellent response to an awful start to the season. The international performances by Amdouni and Edwards seems to have inspired confidence in them and the whole team. Much, much more positive, despite a few basic errors that need to be sorted out. Hopefully some consistency moving forward.

Anthony: Well done lads, you played as a TEAM in the first half. Please keep that spirit and you will be fine. I'm expecting you to be in the play-offs at least.

Michael: Moments of real quality which provide hope for the Burnley faithful as we move onwards and upwards.

Tom: At last! Anyone who knew Burnley FC literally could not understand the rapid slide to the bottom of the Championship. Some of us pointed out that one issue was the collapse in the confidence of the very young goalkeeper - arguably the more mature Coudert should have been given a chance earlier.

The problem was more fundamental than that, though, because Burnley were scoring goals - but also gifting the opposition a horrendous number of silly goals.

Still, the manager has at last supervised a professional performance with not only changing keepers, but also getting a substitution right - at last! This is a great platform for similar performances. The team's confidence must be sky-high now - well done all!

Janine: About time. A win was well needed. Hopefully now can kick-start our season. Onwards and upwards.

Richard: Still work in progress - some sloppy balls given away far too easily and still that feeling of being a little unsure what they are doing. However, some promising attacking play. Can only get better. Got to say Watford were awful.

Watford manager Alessio Dionisi spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio after his side's 4-0 loss at home to Burnley.

For a written section of the quotes click here.

Watford and Burnley meet in the Championship on Saturday (15:00 BST) with both hoping for a change in fortunes.

The Hornets have lost four of their past five Championship matches but did beat Preston 2-1 in that run, which is more than Burnley have managed with the Clarets still searching for a first league win of the season.

• Watford have won only three of their past 18 league games against Burnley (D7 L8) and just one of their past nine (D3 L5), a 1-0 win in August 2022.

• Burnley are hoping to win three league games in a row against Watford for the first time since a run of five between January 1998 and February 2002.

• Since the start of April, Watford have lost more games (10) and conceded more goals (29) than any other Championship side. The Hornets have not kept a clean sheet in that run and have lost four of their past five (W1).

• Burnley have already conceded more goals this season in the Championship (17) than they did in 46 games in the 2024-25 campaign (16). The Clarets are facing an average of 14.1 shots per game this season, compared to only 9.4 per game in 2024-25.

• Burnley are the only Championship side without a win in 2025-26 (D4 L4). They are the third team to be relegated from the Premier League and win none of their first eight games the following season, after Fulham in 2014-15 and Huddersfield Town in 2019-20, with the Terriers winning none of their first nine that season.

Image source, Shutterstock

The signing of Krepin Diatta looks another shrewd piece of business by Watford.

This is a seasoned Champions League player who featured in every match at the World Cup with Senegal.

With his national team in the summer he was used at right-back but he has played higher up the pitch and as a winger. Watford have had full-back injury problems this season so this could be his initial position with the option of using him elsewhere as the season progresses.

Diatta was linked to Premier League clubs in the summer so it is interesting that he has joined the Hornets now and why he has been a free agent since early summer.

Nevertheless, if he is at the level he has been playing at for the past six years, it is a great addition for Watford.

We will now see whether the Hornets can sign a midfielder in this international break. It goes without saying the club will be looking, as this is the current problem area.

The signing of Diatta indicates what market Watford will be searching; it is unlikely to be a British player. The Hornets don't pay huge signing on fees and big wages to what they would consider journeymen English players.

That's not to say they don't need this type of player. In recent years many head coaches have bemoaned the lack of British players with Championship or English Football League experience.

But this has never been the transfer model at Vicarage Road nor is it ever likely to be under owner Gino Pozzo. Which is why it was so odd that chief executive Scott Duxbury and sporting director Luke Dowling said in the summer those type of players were targets in the transfer window.

Why say it? Young overseas bargains with a view to sell on has always been the Watford way under Pozzo.

Like so many other clubs, Watford have many players on international duty and will be desperately hoping none of them come back injured.

The casualty list is still high in the treatment room at London Colney with key midfielder Edoardo Bove not expected back until the next international break in November.

With Diatta and other late August signings, Watford potentially have a very strong starting 11 (when all fit). Whether the backup behind is good enough is another matter.