Watford FC confirms sacking Slaven Bilić and replace with Chris Wilder
The Croatian Head Coach of the Hornets has only managed to secure one victory in the team’s last eight Sky Bet Championship games.
In fact, the team has only won three games since Christmas. As the club is still in the running for promotion, Technical Director Ben Manga believes that quick action is necessary in order to achieve success this season.
Given that the January transfer window has closed, the club has decided that changing coaches is the best way to inject new energy into the team for the remaining games.
The Board of Directors has expressed gratitude to Slaven for his contributions to the club during his five months in charge.
Bilic replaced Rob Edwards, who lasted only 11 games in charge, in September.
Wilder, 55, was sacked by Middlesbrough in October after 11 months in charge.
Chris Wilder is appointed as Head Coach
Chris Wilder is now the ninth full-time manager to have been appointed as the Head Coach of the Hornets until the end of the current season, and the team is pleased to make this announcement.
“We are all ambitious to succeed this season, so something new is needed quickly while the opportunity of promotion is still real,” technical director Ben Manga
The 55-year-old is a seasoned manager with an impressive track record, and the Hornets are looking forward to working with him.
With experience managing teams in both the Premier League and Championship, Wilder has successfully led several clubs to promotion, including Sheffield United, whom he took from League One to the top-flight within three seasons.
Under Wilder’s guidance, the Blades achieved their highest league position in almost 30 years with a ninth-placed finish upon their return to the Premier League.
Chris Wilder’s career as a manager began with Alfreton Town and Halifax Town. He achieved his first promotion with Oxford United, leading them to glory in the Conference Premier Play-Offs during the 2009/10 season.
Wilder continued to make his mark as a manager, winning the League Two title with Northampton Town in 2013/14, which earned him his first ‘Manager of the Season’ award. In 2016, he took over as manager of Sheffield United, his boyhood club, and led them to automatic promotion from League One to the Championship in his first season. He then secured promotion to the Premier League in the 2018/19 season, earning his second ‘Manager of the Season’ award in the process.
Wilder’s most recent position was as the manager of Middlesbrough. He now joins the Hornets with immediate effect, with 11 games remaining in the Sky Bet Championship season as the team aims for promotion.