Roy Hodgson appointed as new Watford manager

Watford have confirmed the appointment of Roy Hodgson as their new new head coach.

Hodgson has put pen to paper on a six-month contract and takes over the reins from Claudio Ranieri, with the Hornets sitting second-bottom of the Premier League table.

The vastly experienced former England, Liverpool and Inter Milan manager has been out of a job since bringing an end to his near four-year reign at Crystal Palace last summer.

Hodgson’s long-term assistant Ray Lewington – who previously managed Watford from 2002 to 2005 – has followed the 74-year-old to Vicarage Road.

There will be immediate pressure on Hodgson to oversee a drastic upturn in performances and results given Watford are staring down the barrel of relegation after just four wins in the English top flight this season.

The Hornets have lost eight of their last nine matches in all competitions and their dismal 3-0 defeat at home to Norwich last Friday proved the final straw for Ranieri.

Hodgson is perhaps best known for leading the England national team from 2012 until his resignation four years later after the side’s Euro 2016 elimination at the hands of minnows Iceland.

He has also worked in Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Finland and the United Arab Emirates across his 45 years in football management.

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Ranieri wished Watford and ‘fantastic manager’ Hodgson all the best as he left the club’s training ground for the final time on Tuesday.

‘I can only say good luck to everybody – to Watford, the fans, the