Coventry City boss Frank Lampard sympathises with Tom Cleverley as Watford react via social media to speculation on his future.
Watford issued a statement, after reports that Cleverley could be facing the sack, with former Villarreal boss Jose Rojo Martin, known as Pacheta, said to be taking his job.
A number of articles surfaced on Thursday (23rd January) saying that Cleverley was at risk of losing his job at Vicarage Road.
Reports in Spain claim Watford boss Tom Cleverley is to be replaced by former Villarreal manager Jose Rojo Martin, known as Pacheta.
It’s claimed the Spaniard will be given “major finances” to get them back to the Premier League.
(Via: @__AngelGarcia__)#WatfordFC pic.twitter.com/fgWtFWVV9Q
— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) January 23, 2025
Watford FC confirms Tom will be in charge for the match at Coventry City and that the speculation over his position is just that – pure speculation. pic.twitter.com/Q56X4squxY
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) January 23, 2025
Cleverly was speaking to the media in a press conference ahead of his side’s upcoming game this weekend against Lampard’s Coventry.
Tuesday saw the Hornets lose 2-1 at home to Preston, this result became their fifth loss in seven games in all competitions, with just four points from a possible 18 since Boxing Day.
Despite the run, Watford find themselves just two places and one point outside the championship playoff places.
He exceeded expectations after he took over by going unbeaten in his first 17 home games, impressive considering the struggles the club faced, and they sold some of their key players last summer, and put small investment back into the squad.
“Unfortunately if you have a tough period, which we all go though, this is the sort of speculation that goes with it,” Lampard said on the Cleverley situation at Watford.
“I’ve been there, you understand it, it’s not great, but you have to continue working and I’m sure he is doing that.”
“I know the challenges of it, in terms of being a young English coach going into a club and expectation of people, how they look at you and how they view you,” Lampard told BBC CWR.
“He was a very good player, possibly underrated in a sense, who had a top career. I had a lot of respect for him at that point and I’ve got as much, if not more respect for him to go into management.
“I think he has done very well in terms of how he has worked, how he has tried to set a bit of an identity with the way they play.”
Lampard says he “looks forward” to seeing Cleverley: “I know they are in a bit of a tough run at the minute, but they are still there or thereabouts in the play-off argument, for sure,” Lampard said.
“And that is not easy, and I never view someone from the outside and make too many assumptions anyway because I know all our jobs are tough and I think he is doing a really good job.”
After Watford won at Derby on Saturday. then lost to Preston with one of their worst displays of the season, Cleverley said, per sport/24874254.cleverley-admits-watford-are-inconsistent-team/”>Watford Observer: “It’s absolutely more disappointing coming after Saturday, but it’s what we are at the moment: a very inconsistent football team.
“I’ll continue to work as hard as I possibly can but the players need to realise that being a top footballer is a life-style; it’s a mindset.
“It’s how you live you life, how you train, how you recover.
“In that respect, these boys have someone like Moussa to see first-hand what you do to reach the very top.
“Do a lot of them learn? I would say not enough yet.
“We were nowhere near it.
“I keep banging on about doing the basics well, but in the first half we were absolutely nowhere near that.
“Preston ran faster, they tackled harder, they won every first and second contact, and that’s before I even start on the technical stuff.
“With performances like the first half we are throwing the outcomes of games into the hands of the Gods.
“We are always giving ourselves mountains to climb, sometimes we’ll do it and sometimes we won’t.
“I said pre-match to the players that we have a great record when we go ahead in games, and that should be extra incentive to try and get ahead – but we just don’t look like a team that’s willing to take that step at the minute.”
On the ‘tunnel vision mindset’ top players need, Cleverley said, per sport/24874809.watford-dont-enough-elite-mindset-yet/”>Watford Observer: “Not everyone is born with that sort of tunnel vision mindset of having no distractions and not allowing anything to come in your way to get to where you want to be,” he said.
“You try and teach people to have that.
“Even the way you do the warm-up on a Monday morning at training, or the way you do what you might think is the most pointless passing drill, or the way you do your gym work, or the way you do your recovery sessions.
“These things may all seem pointless, but it’s the detail, the care, the hard work and ultimately how you live your life all week – it all leads up to that 90 minutes.
“We don’t have enough that have that elite mindset yet.
“We never give up that’s for sure, because our second-half record is unbelievable.
“We just don’t start well enough.
“Is that the players being scared of gassing out? Is there a flatness to us?
“It’s a difficult training regime we have here, do we need to maybe put more emphasis on the start of games rather than training so hard?
“Performances like that tonight really take you back to the drawing board.
“And that’s disappointing because I want to add layers on where I think we are as a team but it looks like we need to strip it back at times.
“I think Preston are one of the most solid teams in the league and they keep a flat line of five at the back.
“So if you give yourself one goal to get back then you’re in trouble. If you give yourself two you’re almost dead.
“I didn’t recognise the players I saw in the first half and that is a worrying comment.
“James Abankwah came in and did fantastically well on Saturday, and set a high bar.
“He’s come back down to earth with a bit of a bang tonight but hopefully that doesn’t dent his confidence too much.
“That’s the championship though. No challenge is ever the same.
“I will have to watch the game back and come to some sort of conclusions to how we go forward from here.”
On the fans, he said, per sport/24880976.cleverley-asks-watford-fans-different-songs-support/”>Watford Observer: “I can’t put words into people’s mouths or control what they sing, and what I would say is just how much me and the team are inspired by how our fans have supported us this season,” he said.
“If I could ask for more of a unified support or choice of song, I think that would be fair for me to say.”
“Other songs would make us look a little bit more behind the team than directing frustrations somewhere,” he said.
“I’m not beating around the bush, we know where that is.
“All I would say is I played for this club before the current owner and since he became owner.
“Before we had one training pitch, we had three sides to our stand, we had a very average, treading-water-in-the championship squad – I don’t need to say any more.
“We appreciate, and are inspired by, the support we have had through tough times this season.
“Can we do it in a bit more of a unified way?
“It’s all about us now, it really is.
“People talk about the February fixtures we have, but it really doesn’t matter to me who we play.
“It is all about us being the best version of us, because I feel if we see that then we can beat anyone.
“Fixture lists absolutely mean nothing to me now, I just want us to look at ourselves and put the best version of ourselves out there.
“It’s always easy to say change it up when results and performances aren’t as good as you want.
“I think people aimed comments at Valerien that we were too predictable, and they wanted him to change it up.
“Now we’re probably too unpredictable because we’ve not found consistency in a three or a four.
“We have a thin squad at the minute but I’ve not had to say that once this season because our availability record has been very good.”
Twitter users reacted while Frank Lampard sympathises with Tom Cleverley as Watford react to speculation on his future…
@tomcobbing: ‘In charge for the match at Coventry’ doesn’t fill me with a lot of hope I can’t lie lads
@ZanzoSam: Having to announce that a manager isn’t getting sacked. Only at Watford 😂
@FrankieHolliday: Why not just say this earlier instead of no comment
@vincesmith1881: Why no statement saying Tom is 100% not being replaced? End of story. Instead this lukewarm pish about the Cov game/speculation. Confirm it or kill it if you’re going to comment. Why always such a fiasco at this club?
@Paulfleming__: The fact they just say for the Coventry match adds even more doubt Cleverley will continue afterwards. Also what a very unprofessional tweet. #watfordfc
@HancockAnalysis: I give it a week
@Stoke_Davo: An announcement to announce that your Manager is still your Manager 😂
@k3vpa: Is this supposed to settle us? A select few of us saw shit like this and called it out many many years ago and got slated for it. Pozzo is a wanker.
@andycpenn: Why stop at Coventry? If this was pure speculation, they wouldn’t even mention the Coventry game – just simply say he’s our manager. I’m guessing they just could get the new guy signed up in time!
@DanFleming__: As a communications professional I have to say you guys have handled this dreadfully. Why would you refuse to comment when asked by WO if there wasn’t any truth to the rumours? This statement does nothing to quell any concerns despite you acknowledging the speculation here.
@cultureforce1: Someone needs to make an amazon documentary on this club. Absolutely mental day in day out
@sxmj4: The fact you have to confirm that our manager will in fact manage our team is hilarious. Anyway most unreassuring post I’ve seen, hardly sounds like he’s got complete support. Setting him up for complete failure come Coventry with the state the squad is in.
@DanHarvey74: Awful statement. Who on earth thought the final part was either necessary or professional? Tom, do yourself a favour and leave on your terms, tonight.
@vinyl_music1: What about the Norwich game and the games after that. I guess the answer is “No comment.”
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