Watford have dismissed head coach Ed Still after a dismal tenure lasting less than three months. The 35-year-old Belgian was appointed on a two-and-a-half-year contract in February but managed only three wins in 15 league matches, leaving the club 16th in the Championship table – 16 points adrift of the play-offs and just 10 above the relegation zone.
Still's final match in charge was a humiliating 4-0 home defeat to Coventry City, extending the Hornets' losing streak to five games, during which they conceded 16 goals while scoring just once.
Following the match, Still told BBC Three Counties Radio: "The end of season is needed and there is plenty of time to reset, reshape and start again afresh from the summer."
Watford will now begin their search for the 15th head coach (excluding interims) since September 2019, marking the 12th managerial change since the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
A club statement read: "Watford FC have this morning parted company with head coach Ed Still. First-team coach Karim Belhocine has also left the club. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours."
Analysis by Geoff Doyle, BBC 3CR sports editor: This has been inevitable for weeks. Results have been awful, performances dreadful, and tactical structure has been nonexistent. Player morale is rock bottom, and owner Gino Pozzo rarely hesitates once the situation becomes this toxic. Still may argue he was set up to fail in a chaotic club culture, but on the pitch he looked out of his depth as a motivator and tactician.