Silva made a flying start to life at Watford but ran out of time and luck with the club starting their search for a replacement last week

To the outside world sacking your manager when you are tenth in the Premier League looks like a shock indicating a sudden panic or loss of nerve, but in reality Marco Silva’s dismissal by Watford has been coming for a long time.

The Portuguese head coach’s position at Vicarage Road has been weakening since he began to persistently agitate for a move to Everton in the final week of October, as The Times revealed last week, creating uncertainty in the dressing room leading to a dreadful haul of only 11 points from the past 45 available. Under Silva, owner Gino Pozzo concluded, Watford were sleepwalking towards relegation, with the club moving quickly to appoint former Malaga coach Javi Gracia as his replacement tonight.

Watford