The idea of Watford parachuting in players from Serie A giants is par for the course these days, but there was a time not that long ago when it remained a novelty. The likes of Roberto Pereyra, Stefano Okaka and Miguel Britos have featured for Watford in the Premier League, while even in the club’s previous Championship days the likes of Fernando Forestieri and Gabriele Angella joined the Hornets. However, the arrival of the Pozzos in 2012 did not mark the first time the club saw significant Italian influence. Oh no. Back in the summer of 2011, with Graham Taylor having retired at th ..read more

The Pozzo family have been in charge of Watford for almost 11 years and in that time no fewer than 17 different managers have sat in the dugout. Can you name each and every one of them? With a distinctly Italian attitude to hiring and firing coaches, there’s been plenty of churn, two relegations and two promotions. The club have flitted between the top two tiers, with six of 11 full seasons under the Pozzo’s rule spent in the Premier League. “We are delighted to have ensured that Watford’s immediate future is safe,” announced administrator Andrew Andronikou when the deal was completed in June ..read more

Managers aren’t afforded too much time in the modern game and we are asking you to name every Premier League manager to have been hired and sacked in the same season. We have seen as especially high turnover of managers during this season. In the 2022-23 season alone, we have seen 13 managerial changes, which is the most in Premier League history. The new phenomenon is to hire a manager mid-season and then sack him before the campaign has even concluded. Since the inception of the Premier League, this has been the fate of plenty of managers. It will come as little surprise to learn that W ..read more

Before he arrived at Tottenham in June 2008, success was all Heurelho Gomes had known. He’d made saves of elastic-limbed brilliance for Cruzeiro and PSV on the way to winning league titles in each of the previous five seasons. In contrast, his first few months in English football were a shock to the system. “It was physical for a goalkeeper. That was the most difficult thing for me,” admits Gomes. “I always tried to make the difference in the box. I always tried to come for crosses, but I realised that in England it’s much more difficult for a goalkeeper. “The pace on the ball from crosses was ..read more

Monday will mark exactly a year to the day since Leeds United sacked their era-defining manager Marcelo Bielsa.  The last 365 days have had their moments, but have been largely pretty miserable for Leeds. Like Jesse Marsch before him, Javi Gracia arrives at Elland Road with just one remit – keep the club in the Premier League. But his track record can give fans hope of sexy football again. It was always going to be a tough job following a coach that gave so much to Leeds as Bielsa did. Just ask Unai Emery about his stint at Arsenal or David Moyes about his time at Old Trafford. It’s not e ..read more

As we approach the final stretch of the Premier League season, no fewer than five clubs – Norwich City, Watford, Burnley, Everton and Leeds United – are all embroiled in an engrossing battle to avoid the drop.  Newcastle United spent much of the season looking over their shoulders, but the Magpies’ remarkable turnaround in fortunes under Eddie Howe’s stewardship suggests their fight for survival is already won.  Eight points adrift of safety, Norwich are the only side at the bottom end of the table who look destined to be playing Championship football next term, with Watford looking ..read more

The 2021 summer transfer window is well and truly in the rearview mirror for Premier League clubs now and most will be finalising their preparations for January. With that distance to the summer and time for new signings to have settled, we can now reflect on who the best buys of the last window were and which of them represent brilliant value for money. Some big-money movers have performed well – Ben White at Arsenal, for example – but here we are only looking at those who cost less than £20million in initial transfer fee and aren’t on astronomical wages. These are the 11 biggest bargain ..read more

The Premier League is marketed as the world’s finest domestic championship and boasts high audiences and media attention across the planet. But not every Premier League player enjoys the profile of superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne or Mohamed Salah. There are some players who are far more low-key, to the point that it’s easy to forget that they’re still playing for clubs in the English top flight. We’ve rounded seven players who we struggle to believe are still contracted to Premier League clubs in 2021. Andy Lonergan After a long career in the Football League, Lonergan has in ..read more

Neil Cox never wanted to leave Bolton for Watford and probably wished he hadn’t at times playing under Graham Taylor, but in the end the club treated him to some real money-can’t-buy experiences. After all, how many footballers can say they played under Gianluca Vialli, went out for meals with Filippo Galli and got invited to gigs by Elton John? Cox might not have enjoyed the smoothest of starts to life at Vicarage Road, but he certainly settled in eventually, making close to 250 appearances over a six-year period, comfortably more than he made for any other club. He joined the Hornets in ..read more

Former Chelsea and Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri is back in the Premier League – and we couldn’t be happier to see him return.  Ranieri will always hold a special place in the history of English football after guiding Leicester to the title in 2016 but another reason we’re pleased to see him is his immense quotability that enlivens the dullest of press conferences. We’ve collected 13 of Ranieri’s most memorable quotes for your enjoyment. Tinkerman “I can’t change now. I’m like Frank Sinatra – I always do it my way. I told the players everything I did in the Monaco game was wrong. I ..read more