Having been beaten 4-0 at home by fellow struggling Burnley and then 5-1 against newly-promoted Cardiff City a few days later, the pressure immensely grew on Watford manager Alessio Dionisi.

In fact, during their demolition at the hands of The Bluebirds at the Cardiff City Stadium, reports emerged that Watford were perhaps readying themselves to indeed part company with the Italian.

However, Dionisi has remained at Vicarage Road and a 2-0 victory over Charlton Athletic with goals scored by Luca Kjerrumgaard and Jordan Zemura has continued to his stay of execution.

Being a Watford boss is never a long-term choice for a manager and Dionisi would have been well aware he was walking into a club that has appointed 22 different managers since the Pozzo regime took charge back in the summer of 2012.

The 46-year-old former Empoli coach remains in situ in Hertfordshire and some supporters believe he is a bright spot in a fairly difficult situation that the club currently finds himself in – but where does he rank in terms of the best managerial appointments made by the Pozzo’s in the last 13 and a bit years? This is our ranking.

22nd. Roy Hodgson

Last on the list, and it is a competitive list to be the worst appointment made by the Pozzo’s at Watford, is former England boss Roy Hodgson.

Hodgson took charge of Watford in January 2022 as The Hornets eventually succumbed to relegation with Hodgson alienating supporters by more or less ignoring them in order to applaud Crystal Palace fans at Selhurst Park on the day in which Watford’s relegation down to the Championship was mathematically confirmed.

21st. Claudio Ranieri

Hodgson was the third Watford manager of that Premier League season with the second being 2015-16 Premier League title winner Claudio Ranieri, who had struggled since leaving The Foxes – including his involvement in Fulham’s relegation the year before.

The experienced Italian managed just one win in his three and a half months in charge but isn’t last on the list as a result of the way in which Hodgson treated fans upon their relegation.

20th. Oscar Garcia

Another mid-season appointment that didn’t last too long was that of Oscar Garcia, who took charge of Watford in September 2014, just a few weeks into the campaign after the departure of Giuseppe Sannino.

The Spaniard lasted just four games in charge in the 2014-15 campaign. He lost his debut against Charlton Athletic before winning at Blackpool and then sharing draws with AFC Bournemouth and Blackburn Rovers. Unlike others, though, his reign was not ended as a result of his sacking but as a result of health problems.

19th. Ed Still

One of the worst appointments that Watford have made in their modern era came as recently as last season with the short stint in charge of Ed Still, the brother of former Southampton and now Auxerre boss Will Still.

Still was appointed in February 2026 and lasted until the end of the season as a malaise continued to takeover the fanbase with the stagnating Hornets winning just three of his 15 games in charge as Watford finished 16th in the Championship.

18th. Vladimir Ivic

Vladimir Ivic has gone on to perform reasonably well in the United Arab Emirates in charge of Al Ain but his Watford stint was a forgettable one.

Made worse by the fact that the just-relegated Hornets immediately gained promotion back to the Premier League in the second half of the season in which Ivic was appointed; Ivic’s time at Watford saw dour football leave them firmly in mid-table before his sacking in December 2020.

17th. Valerien Ismael

Maligned by West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers supporters as well, despite an impressive time of it at Barnsley, former Bayern Munich centre-back Valerien Ismael also endured a tough time at Watford.

Known for his extremely direct style of football, Ismael lasted nearly a full season in charge of Watford in the 2023-24 campaign before being sacked in the March as they limped away from being play-off hopefuls and into the bottom half of the second-tier.

16th. Giuseppe Sannino

Giuseppe Sannino has had one of the longer stints in charge of Watford in the Pozzo era, taking charge in December 2013 and being sacked a few weeks into the following campaign.

Taking over from Gianfranco Zola’s play-off finalists, Watford slipped into mid-table mediocrity after Sannino’s appointment mid-way through the 2013-14 season. Watford won three of their opening four games of the 2014-15 campaign but reported unrest in the dressing-room led to his own premature sacking.

15th. Nigel Pearson

Nigel Pearson did provide some leadership in trying times off the pitch during the 2019-20 campaign as Watford, like everyone else, dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the pitch, though, Watford slipped through the trapdoor in the Premier League despite beginning the former Leicester City manager’s spell reasonably well before the season became behind closed doors.

14th. Paulo Pezzolano

In the summer of 2025, after Watford had taken the surprise decision to part company with Tom Cleverley, former Real Valladolid boss Paulo Pezzolano was appointed.

However, the Uruguayan, who had Valladolid to La Liga promotion a couple of years earlier, lasted just ten games with Watford winning three of those before he was sacked in early October.

13th. Chris Wilder

Valerien Ismael had taken over from a Watford side that saw out the end of the 2022-23 campaign under the management of now once again Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder.

Wilder’s time at Vicarage Road was as forgettable as it could be as Watford stumbled their way to an 11th placed finish in the Championship with a squad that boasted Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro in attack.