Nigel Pearson sacked by Watford with two Premier League matches remaining

Posted Monday, July 20, 2020 by Express.co.uk

Nigel Pearson sacked by Watford with two Premier League matches remaining
Watford have sacked boss Nigel Pearson (Image: GETTY)

Watford have sacked manager Nigel Pearson.

Ex-Leicester boss Pearson was appointed Watford manager in December following the dismissal of Quique Sanchez Flores.

The Hertfordshire side were rock bottom of the Premier League but he led the side out of the drop zone.

Watford have won two of their last three matches but defeat at the Olympic Stadium was enough for the board to swing the axe.

Last year's FA Cup finalists face a difficult final run-in with clashes against Manchester City and in-form Arsenal on the horizon.

Victory over West Ham would have all-but guaranteed survival and Pearson admitted it was a huge opportunity missed.

“One of the things we will all do tonight, we will get home and think about it, and it will be annoying because we’ve missed an opportunity,” he said.

“We haven’t done what we talked about doing, what we’ve worked at doing, and that is difficult. We have to get over it and make sure we bounce back.

“Whether that’s the pressure of the situation, who knows, but now we have to find good performances in the last two games to give us chances of winning those games.”

It is unclear who will take charge of Watford for the two remaining games of the season.

Assistant Craig Shakespeare has yet to be relieved of his duties and he could hold the fort temporarily.

Fans are baffled by the club's decision as Pearson holds a perfect record of never being relegated from the top-flight.

The Watford boss was also confident that his side would be able to cope with the two tough remaining ties.

"First-half we let the game pass us by," said Pearson. "We had passengers which is disappointing at this stage of the season.

"The second-half performance was much improved - very competitive. It's annoying. Very disappointing. It means now we have got to find another one or two good results.

"There's no getting away from the fact this result is bitterly disappointing. I'd expect better from our players - that's not to say everybody.

"It's a really poor result for us. It's a case of finding solutions.

"I'll look at it again and players will get honest feedback. There isn't time to dwell on it. The players will go home tonight and think 'wow we've let that one drift past us'. It wasn't good enough.

"We know that [we have the toughest run-in] but we have to cope with it. I can't waste time thinking about what everyone else will do.

"It comes back to bite you where you don't want to be bitten."