Roy Hodgson to Watford: Are the Hornets destined for relegation?

Watford sacked Claudio Ranieri yesterday.
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The former Leicester City boss was shown the exit door after three and a half months in charge - becoming Watford’s seventh sacking in four years.

Less than 24 hours after the Hornets confirmed Ranieri’s departure, they now look set to sign Roy Hodgson as his replacement.

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The 74-year-old has been out of work since he left Crystal Palace last summer and was rumoured to be nearing retirement - however it appears he may now be putting that on hold to join Watford.

Ranieri’s sacking comes as a surprise to nobody following their defeat to Norwich City at the weekend.

A new manager would be understandable given their position in the league table if it wasn’t for the club’s constant carousel of gaffers.

However, the arrival of Hodgson doesn’t quite match the Hornets’ usual blueprint, with most of their previous head coaches coming from abroad.

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The ex-England boss will no doubt be brought in as a short-term solution to keep them up - ironic given their ‘long-term’ options usually last a matter of months themselves.

Hodgson did a good job of stabilising Crystal Palace and securing their Premier League status, but is a man that was all but retired the right man for the job?

Hodgson’s decision to join the club is a bizarre one in itself and it is hard to believe he can rescue Watford from their inevitable relegation.

The 74-year-old certainly won’t bring much excitement to Vicarage Road and it seems unlikely he will provide them with the ‘new manager bounce’ that they will need to pick up some vital points.

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When Hodgson joined Palace in September 2017 he had a majority of the campaign left to ‘save’ their season, while this time round he would have less than four months.

Is the veteran manager one that Watford fans can rely on to turn things around so drastically in a short space of time?

It is incredibly difficult for the fanbase to back the side when they have had more managers than hot dinners over the past few years - and that could take its toll on the support Hodgson is to receive for the remainder of the season.

Even if Hodgson was able to improve on Watford’s recent results, it is hard to see them picking up more points than their competition in the likes of Newcastle United and Norwich.

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The Hornets still have five of the ‘Big Six’ to face, as well as tough clashes against West Ham, Aston Villa and Leicester City - it is hard to see where the points are going to come from.

While I agree that Ranieri isn’t the man to take Watford forward, I don’t expect Hodgson to save the day either.

The Hornets are a Championship side and until there are changes made higher up than the manager, then I think they have to accept their fate in the second tier.

Think long term and stick with your man... and that man is not Roy Hodgson.

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