"Frankly outrageous" - Reaction given as Watford FC weigh up big Tom Cleverley decision | OneFootball

FLW's Watford fan pundit has given his reaction to reports that the club are set to replace head coach Tom Cleverley.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Watford are reportedly set to replace head coach Tom Cleverley with former Villarreal manager Jose Rojo Martin, who is more commonly known as Pacheta.

According to Spanish journalist Angel Garcia, Pacheta has agreed to become the new Watford manager after 10 days of negotiations, and the Watford Observer claim that the Hornets have issued a firm "no comment" when asked about the reports, fuelling speculation that Cleverley could be set to depart.

Cleverley initially took over at Vicarage Road on an interim basis in March following the sacking of Valerien Ismael before being handed the permanent job the following month, and his side have spent much of this season in and around the play-off places, despite many tipping them to struggle at the start of the campaign.

It has been a difficult few weeks for Watford, with Cleverley's men losing five of their last eight league games, but despite that, they currently sit eighth in the Championship table, just one point from the top six.

However, the strong league position does not look to be enough to save Cleverley's job, and Pacheta, who has been out of work since being dismissed by Villarreal in November 2023, appears set to become the 22nd manager to take charge of the Hornets in the last 13 years.

Watford fan pundit reacts to Tom Cleverley sack rumours

When asked for his reaction to reports that Pacheta is set to replace Cleverley, FLW's Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie slammed owner Gino Pozzo and predicted that supporters would protest if he decides to make another managerial change.

"The fact that a manager is set to arrive, putting Tom Cleverley's future in doubt, is frankly outrageous," Justin said.

"The squad he's been given is one of the worst that I can remember for many seasons, the summer transfer window was poor and we recruited badly.

"There are areas of the squad that need immediate improvement.

"We need a goalkeeper to put pressure on Daniel Bachmann's position, and we need forwards as we have just one recognised forward in the squad at the moment in Mamadou Doumbia, because Mileta Rajovic is out on loan and Vakoun Bayo is on loan to us from Udinese.

"The vast majority of Watford fans are fully behind Tom Cleverley, and the fact that the owner wants to tinker with the head coach position again is absurd.

"I don't know what Gino Pozzo is expecting from his investment in the squad recently.

"I suspect there will be a backlash against the owners if they go ahead and replace Tom Cleverley."

Pozzo has certainly not been afraid to change managers during his time as Watford owner, but sacking Cleverley would be a crazy decision, and he would risk a significant backlash from supporters.

Despite the sale of key players such as Wesley Hoedt, Ismael Kone and Yaser Asprilla in the summer and just £3 million being spent on the squad, Cleverley has done an outstanding job to keep the Hornets in play-off contention for much of the season.

The current form is a cause for concern, but Cleverley still retains the support of the vast majority of the Watford fan base, and parting company with such a popular figure would be a huge mistake.

Pacheta has achieved three promotions in his native Spain with Elche and Real Valladolid, so he could prove to be a decent appointment, but he has not managed for over 14 months after a disappointing 12-game spell at Villarreal, during which he won just five matches, and replacing Cleverley with the 56-year-old would be a completely unnecessary gamble.