Troy Deeney takes aim at Watford FC after Tom Cleverley "mistake" | OneFootball

Former Watford captain Troy Deeney has given his verdict on the club's decision to sack head coach Tom Cleverley.

Former Watford captain Troy Deeney believes the club's decision to sack head coach Tom Cleverley is a mistake.

Cleverley initially took over at Watford on an interim basis in March 2024 following the sacking of Valerien Ismael before being handed the permanent job the following month after picking up some impressive results during his caretaker spell.

The Hornets emerged as surprise play-off contenders after a strong first half of the season, but despite sitting just outside the top six at the time, there were reports in January that the club were set to replace Cleverley with Spanish coach Pacheta.

That sparked a furious backlash from supporters, prompting owner Gino Pozzo to issue a rare public statement confirming that Cleverley retained his full backing, but his vote of confidence did little to improve Watford's fortunes on the pitch.

After a 2-1 win over Portsmouth on Boxing Day, the Hornets picked up just 20 points from their final 24 games, with no team in the Championship picking up fewer points in the same time period, and they eventually finished the season in 14th place, 11 points from the play-offs.

In a statement announcing Cleverley's departure, Watford sporting director Gian Luca Nani thanked the 35-year-old for the service he had given the club over the years as both a player and manager, but he insisted that "the time has come for a change".

Troy Deeney reacts as Watford sack Tom Cleverley

While he admitted that Watford's form in the second half of the season was alarming, Deeney said that the club have made a mistake in parting company with Cleverley, and he accused the board of undermining his former team-mate in January.

"It's difficult because I don't know what the expectation is," Deeney told talkSPORT.

"You don't back him in January and you strip him of resources.

"You undermine him in January as well by leaking this information out that he could potentially get replaced.

"He stays professional and does a good job and they finish 14th in the league.

"They were in a position where, at the start of the season, they were talked about as relegation candidates as well, so when you look at it from that perspective, he did a solid job and they're ready to kick on next year.

"If you look at where they were three months ago, right up there in the play-offs, you would argue that the tail end to the season has been poor, so you can understand why they've moved away.

"I just don't understand who you replace him with and what's going to change, I don't think it's going to get any better by getting rid of Tom Cleverley.

"But Watford have decided to get rid of him, and the harsh facts, which are not good reading for Clevs, are that, since Boxing Day, if you look at the form guide, they got 20 points.

"They are bottom of the form guide, with Derby, Blackburn, Cardiff and Luton all above them.

"You can make the argument for both, but I would argue that it's a bit of a mistake in the short-term."

Despite their dismal second half of the season, Cleverley remained a hugely popular figure among Watford supporters, and the club are likely to come in for plenty of strong criticism after making the controversial decision to sack him.

The Hornets board would understandably have been concerned that the poor form towards the end of the campaign would continue into next season, and they may also have been disappointed to miss out on the play-offs, but given the lack of backing he received in the transfer market, Cleverley did an outstanding job to keep his side in top six contention for as long as he did.

While results were not always positive, Cleverley certainly proved himself to be a talented coach at Championship level during his time in charge at Vicarage Road, and it is difficult to disagree with Deeney that Watford have made a big mistake in dismissing him.