Roy Hodgson is enjoying his last chance as manager but reckons he hasn’t had the impact he hoped for at Watford after the club moved closer to relegation from the Premier League.
Saturday’s damaging 3-0 loss to Leeds was the seventh loss in 11 games since former Crystal Palace boss Hodgson replaced Claudio Ranieri at the end of January.
The Hornets, bottom second, finished the weekend six points from safety and having played one more game than 17th-place Everton.
Hodgson, who is working alongside long-term assistant Ray Lewington at Vicarage Road, was non-committal when asked if he would like to continue beyond this season as he focuses on planning a big escape.
“I enjoyed it, there’s no doubt about that,” the 74-year-old said of his time at Hertfordshire.
“I am disappointed because when Gino (Pozzo, owner of Watford) and Scott (Duxbury, president) asked me to go with Ray, I sincerely thought that we could make a difference and that maybe we could help the club and get the results that had been obtained. . missing until now.
“But unfortunately we have failed in that aspect because we have not been able to do that. The results are still not what we want them to be. We’re still not taking enough points and we’re still in the bottom three.
“I certainly haven’t enjoyed that aspect.
“But if you ask on another level and say, ‘Are you enjoying the daily work with the players?’ and, ‘are you happy to go to Watford every day to work with these players?’ then the answer would be, ‘yes’”.
Hodgson is the third Watford manager in a shaky season following the sackings of promotion winner Xisco Munoz and Italian veteran Ranieri.
The Hornets’ owners have developed a reputation for hiring and firing, having made 14 permanent managerial appointments in 10 years.
However, Hodgson, whose side return to action at home to Brentford next weekend, has no complaints about the boardroom backing.
“The model since I’ve been here has been good,” said the former England manager. “They have given us all the support we need to try to help the team win games.
“The setup is pretty outstanding: the training ground, everything around the training ground, the medical facilities. The medical department has done an amazing job.
“I have never been to a club in April where all the players are fit and ready to play football.
“I think a lot at Watford Football Club is very, very good and Ray and I have benefited from all the support that we think we would need to try to get this team to deliver results and move away from the relegation zone.
“But we have not been successful in doing so.”
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