logo
Watford sack yet another manager

Watford sack yet another manager

The 4206-05-2025

WATFORD HAVE SACKED head coach Tom Cleverley following a disappointing 14th-place finish in the Sky Bet Championship.
The Hornets have announced that the 35-year-old, who was appointed on a permanent basis last summer after a successful spell in interim charge, has departed with the search for a replacement now under way.
Advertisement
Cleverley's Watford endured a poor second half to the 2024/25 campaign, winning just five games in the 2025 calendar year to finish in the bottom half of the table.
Watford FC confirms the departure of Tom Cleverley as Head Coach. — Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) May 6, 2025
Sporting Director Gian Luca Nani told the club's official website: 'We thank Tom for his service – not just in his role as head coach, but for everything he has given Watford as a player and member of staff.
'But the time has come for a change and to build on what we believe is a young and talented squad that will have benefitted from the experience of the Championship this season.'
Cleverley is the 10th Watford boss to have been sacked in the last five years.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jim McGuinness hails Donegal's epic comeback as his side storm into All-Ireland semi-finals
Jim McGuinness hails Donegal's epic comeback as his side storm into All-Ireland semi-finals

The Irish Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Irish Sun

Jim McGuinness hails Donegal's epic comeback as his side storm into All-Ireland semi-finals

JIM McGuinness praised his Donegal players for digging themselves out of a big 'hole' at Croke Park. 2 Patrick McBrearty of Donegal celebrates after thel quarter-final match vs Monaghan 2 Donegal manager Jim McGuinness hailed his side as the came back in the clash at Croke Park But they showed just why they're All-Ireland SFC title favourites with a brilliant second-half performance to secure their semi-final spot. Man of the Match Shane O'Donnell, Michael Murphy, Conor O'Donnell and goal hero Michael Langan all punched holes in the Monaghan defence. Donegal reeled off 11 points in a row in the final 20 minutes or so as Monaghan crashed out of the Championship. It all turned sour for the Farney who capitalised on Donegal's fatigue in the first-half to lead 1-15 to 0-11 at the break. read more on gaa Gabriel Bannigan's boys were shooting two-pointers for fun with goalkeeper Rory Beggan drilling five first-half points. And Donegal goalie Shaun Patton was having a nightmare at the other end, struggling on his kick-outs and at fault for Micheal Bannigan's 27th minute goal. But Patton was redeemed after the restart, and Donegal rejuvenated generally, as they powered through to the Championship's last four. McGuinness said: "We didn't change any personnel at half-time, we just trusted the fellas to get it right themselves. Most read in GAA Football "It was over to the players. It's a moment where you've got to say, 'Listen, we're in a hole here - and only the players get themselves out of that hole'. "So very, very happy they responded the way they did, and very happy with the bench as well. That was very important, everyone that came on made a massive contribution." 'So much integrity' - RTE viewers hail Stephen Cluxton for 'principled stand' Dublin GAA icon took during Parnells saga McGuinness described the overall experience as a huge 'stress test' of the team's character. And he acknowledged that they looked 'tired' as they played their fourth game in June, and their ninth in the Championship. Langan's second-half brilliance after a quiet first-half summed up the team's afternoon. McGuinness said: "He scored a massive, massive goal. He was exceptional. He's a brilliant footballer and that's the bottom line. He can do it both ways - he's very stylish and he's very honest and brilliant defensively. He can fetch and finish. You don't want much more in a midfielder than that." McGuinness had words of praise too for Patton who looked much more assured after the break. Monaghan really got under his skin in the first-half with their aggressive press and two lines of four. Patton booted one short kick-out out over the sideline, leading to a Bannigan point. Bannigan capitalised again when Patton took too long with his kick-out and a tap-over free was awarded. And Patton must have wished the ground could have swallowed him up when he booted straight to Stephen O'Hanlon who fed Bannigan for the Monaghan goal. McGuinness said: "You were trying to thread the eye of the needle at that stage with the kick-outs, and we got caught with one, and we were punished for that. "There was much more variety in the second-half and also we trusted our bigger men to go and fetch. Hugh McFadden did that really well, Michael Langan did it well, Jason McGee when he came in, so all of that was a big plus for us." McGuinnes said he was well aware that Monaghan would push hard for the two-pointers. But knowing it and being able to stop the orange flags going up are two different things - as the first-half proved. Monaghan helped themselves to four from distance in that period and sub David Garland added a fifth at the end of the second-half. Beggan and Andrew Woods booted a couple of two-pointers each in the first-half. Conor McCarthy and Ryan O'Toole drilled important singles for Monaghan too. McCarthy also fired three wides and eventually went off with a hamstring injury in the second-half. So did Ryan McAnespie as everything that could go wrong for Monaghan did. But at half-time they must have thought a second All-Ireland semi-final appearance in three seasons was coming their way. It was some difference to their Ulster SFC quarter-final meeting in April. Back then, it was Donegal that led by seven points at one stage in the first-half, and by six at half-time. Monaghan fought back bravely that day in Clones to lose by just two. Donegal were the ones that had to do the fighting back this time and they pinched the win that has left them within touching distance of the Sam Maguire Cup. Murphy provided vital leadership for Donegal, playing the one-two with Langan for his 44th minute goal and sniping four points. His three wides were surprising though, particularly his first from a free he'd normally slot over. Shane O'Donnell and Conor O'Donnell were excellent in helping Donegal exploit gaps in the Monaghan defence after the break. Those openings hadn't been there in the first-half and Donegal took full advantage, nailing the first three points of the second-half. Monaghan were still three ahead in the 45th minute and will wonder how things might have panned out had Beggan converted a 49th minute two-point free. His long-range shot hit the post and while Woods gobbled up the rebound, he couldn't convert. If Beggan had scored, Monaghan would have been three ahead. It all added fuel to Donegal's fire and when Langan rifled to the net, it was hard to see how they wouldn't win. Peadar Mogan, Ciaran Moore and Ryan McHugh poured forward as Monaghan were pinned back for the final 20 minutes or so. They reeled off 11 points in a row between the 46th and 68th minutes as Monaghan's entire season spiralled out of their control. Monaghan resorted to pot-shots for two-pointers late on. Beggan did kick a huge free all the way to the net in the last minute but a free-out for a foul close to goal was given anyhow. Donegal 1-26 Monaghan 1-20 Donegal: S Patton; F Roarty, B McCole, P Mogan 0-2; R McHugh 0-1, E Ban Gallagher, C Moore; H McFadden, M Langan 1-3; C McColgan, C Thompson 0-4, 2 tp, S O'Donnell 0-3; C O'Donnell 0-4, M Murphy 0-4, 2f, O Gallen 0-3. Subs: D O Baoill for McColgan 40, J McGee for McFadden 45, P McBrearty 0-2 for Gallen 49, E McHugh for R McHugh 56, N O'Donnell for Murphy 67. Monaghan: R Beggan 0-5, 1 tpf, 1 tp 1f; R O'Toole 0-1, K Duffy, D Byrne; R Wylie, D Ward, A Carey; M McCarville, G Mohan; R McAnespie, C McCarthy 0-0-2, S O'Hanlon 0-3; A Woods 0-4, 2 tp, M Bannigan 1-2, 0-1f, C McNulty 0-1. Subs: J McCarron for McAnespie 40, L Kelly for McCarville 50, D Garland 0-2, tp for McNulty 51, D Hughes for Mohan 59, K O'Connell for McCarthy 59, S Mooney for Garland 60-63 blood. Ref: P Neilan (Roscommon).

Tom Brady's Birmingham join transfer race for Nottingham Forest midfielder but will have to stump up £8million
Tom Brady's Birmingham join transfer race for Nottingham Forest midfielder but will have to stump up £8million

The Irish Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Irish Sun

Tom Brady's Birmingham join transfer race for Nottingham Forest midfielder but will have to stump up £8million

NOTTINGHAM FOREST have set their price for in-demand midfielder Lewis O'Brien amid interest from a slew of Championship clubs. Southampton, Hull and 3 Lewis O'Brien is attracting interest from across the Championship this summer Credit: Getty Forest want £8million O'Brien, a figure that could cool the interest of those monitoring him. O'Brien shone on loan at Swansea last season, where he made 16 Championship appearances after making the switch in the winter window. But his eye-catching performances may have worked against him as Forest now chase a bigger fee big fee. Hull have already launched an approach at £5m and may up their offer to land him. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL O'Brien is in the last year of his deal at Forest having joined the club back in 2022. His time at The City Ground has been a frustrating one, making just 17 first-team appearances since arriving from Instead, O'Brien has had to settle for minutes elsewhere - heading on loan to four separate clubs since his move. Those temporary switches have included spells in the Championship with Most read in Football 3 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS O'Brien left the door open for a return to Swansea at the end of last season. He said: "I have really enjoyed my time here. It's never out of the question [returning], but sometimes it's not in my hands, especially having to go back to my parent club. Tom Brady and Tom Wagner branded 'embarrassment' for Wembley antics after Birmingham's cup final defeat to Peterborough "We will see what the summer holds. It's never say never really." Meanwhile Swans manager Alan Sheehan also made it clear he would love O'Brien back in South Wales. He said: "The effect he has had on the place, he has been exceptional. I cannot speak highly enough about him and I make no secret of that. "If he is available, should you try to re-sign him? I think that's quite an obvious answer." 3

Jim McGuinness distances himself from Donegal GAA statement after Monaghan win
Jim McGuinness distances himself from Donegal GAA statement after Monaghan win

Irish Daily Mirror

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Jim McGuinness distances himself from Donegal GAA statement after Monaghan win

Jim McGuinness said Donegal's management and players knew nothing about a statement put out by the county board ahead of their All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Monaghan. Donegal booked their place in the last four of the Championship with a 1-26 to 1-20 victory over Gabriel Bannigan's men at Croke Park on Saturday. However, the build-up to the game was dominated by a statement released on Monday, slamming the GAA's decision to fix Donegal's game with Monaghan for Saturday rather than Sunday, given that McGuinness' side played Louth in the last of the previous weekend's games. The statement read: 'No other county has played as many matches as Donegal in this year's championship. "To compound the physical and mental demands, those eight games have been played within an 11 week window. Match number nine comes this Saturday, less than 12 weeks after playing Derry in the Ulster Championship Preliminary round on April 6th. "On that basis, we thought it wholly reasonable and fully justified to seek an extra day recovery time for our players this weekend. "Coiste Chontae Dhún na nGall concludes that it is most regrettable, and very disappointing, that our request has been turned down. We feel the welfare of our players was not adequately considered in the decision making process.' At his post-match press conference following the first of Saturday's quarter-finals, McGuinness was eager to state Donegal's management and players had nothing to do with the statement. 'We didn't know the statement was going to be put out," he said. 'There was an awful lot of noise, and awful lot of articles and awful lot of stories about that statement and that we weren't happy and that we were disappointed or annoyed. 'The management and players knew once we got beat by Tyrone that we were going to be facing into three games in three weeks, and that was the way it was. 'The statement was released by the county board I think on the back of people in Donegal and clubs in Donegal not being happy. 'But as a management team we were okay with the game. From my own personal point of view, you should never ever make an excuse for a game before the game is played. 'I have never done that in my life and so I want to make sure that distance is there because it's disrespectful to Monaghan. "If we got beat today and that first half performance followed through to the second half and we got beat then people would be saying that he was saying that during the week. 'We had nothing to do with it nor did we know it was going to be put out into the until I read it myself on the phone so that is very important from a management and from the players point of view. "We were happy to be here today because we were beat against Tyrone and it was always going to be that way. It was always going to be three games in three weekends and suck it up and lets get on with it."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store