Watford’s turbulent managerial history under the Pozzo family’s ownership

Rob Edwards’ sacking after just 11 games in charge of Watford is the latest in a long line of changes under the ownership of Gino Pozzo and his family.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the club’s turbulent managerial history since they entered the boardroom.

Even by Watford’s standards, Edwards’ reign was a short one.

Only Oscar Garcia, who resigned due to ill health after four games, and his ill-fated replacement Billy McKinlay, who was sacked after just two, have spent shorter spells in one of football’s hottest seats.

Edwards earned the role after leading Forest Green to promotion from League Two and he started promisingly at Vicarage Road, with seven points from his first three games in charge against Sheffield United, West Brom and Burnley.

A four-match winless run followed, with draws at Birmingham and Preston before defeats to MK Dons, in the Carabao Cup, and QPR, with victory over Middlesbrough only a brief respite.

The Hornets drew at Rotherham and lost at Blackburn and a 2-2 draw at home to Sunderland, who equalised late on through Jewison Bennette, proved the final straw for Pozzo.

Starting with Gianfranco Zola shortly after their July 2012 takeover, Pozzo and family – along with chairman Scott Duxbury – have made 16 permanent managerial appointments in just over 10 years.

That included three in 37 days in one madcap spell shortly after Gino Pozzo took sole charge in 2014.

That was admittedly influenced by Garcia standing down due to ill health after just four games in charge, though the decision to appoint McKinlay on a permanent basis and sack him two games – and four points – later was Pozzo’s alone.

No manager in their time in charge has matched Zola’s 75 games, with Javi Gracia the only other man to