Claudio Ranieri and Roy Hodgson were both caught in the crossfire of Watford midfielder Dan Gosling's astonishing takedown of the Hornets' “disgraceful” relegation.
In a coruscating autopsy of last season's dismal tailspin back into the Championship, Gosling slated Ranieri's “miserable” reign, branding the atmosphere “as bad as it can get.” He claimed the Tinkerman's over-reliance on five-a-side games in training was “nothing football” which was reflected in Watford's dismal results.
Gosling's flamethrower did not spare former England coach Hodgson, calling his coaching drills “repetitive” and suggesting they were outdated. And when new signings took Gosling's place in midfield – at one point forcing him out of the Hornets' 25-man Premier League squad – he accused at least one of being “not bothered” and unfit.
In summary, he called Watford's pathetic season “a real disgrace, easily the worst dressing room I've ever been part of.”
Although the Hornets' latest head coach Rob Edwards will begin yet another brave new dawn at Vicarage Road with tricky games against Sheffield United, West Brom and Burnley, Gosling is relieved he has purged the poison of a godforsaken season. But the searing honesty of his wide-ranging comments in the Watford Observer paints a damaging picture of the chaos which led to Watford's second relegation in three seasons.
Ranieri, who took just seven points from a possible 39 after taking over from the popular Xisco Munoz, copped some of Gosling's most damning criticism. He said: “The training we did, the spirit they created, the staff that came with him – the whole thing was just miserable. They were miserable, and it made it miserable.
“I was surprised they lasted four months, to be honest. I have been in football a long time, and so have a few boys in the squad, and that time was as bad as it can get. If you're going out on the training pitch and just doing five-a-side games day after day, it is literally nothing football. It's kids' football. As a pro, you don't learn anything from it.
'There's a time and place for five-a-sides obviously, but it's usually a few fun games at the end of a session. Doing whole sessions of five-a-side every day doesn't win you games. Look at the results on the pitch.”
To widespread surprise, the Hornets replaced 70-year-old Ranieri, who led Leicester to their 5,000-1 title miracle six years ago, with 74-year-old Hodgson, but his overall record was even worse – nine points from a possible 54. Hodgson also outraged the fans by clapping Crystal Palace supporters without acknowledging the crestfallen travelling support on the day Watford's relegation was confirmed by a 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park.
Gosling said: “To be fair to Roy, what he did in training was very repetitive, but at least it was game-like situations. You do need to freshen it up a bit, though. This is 2022.”
After moving his heavily-pregnant wife and two young children into the area after a free transfer from Bournemouth, Gosling, 32, resolved to fight for his place and resisted Watford's attempts to farm him out on loan. He was deeply unimpressed by more than one new signing turning up out of shape and with a mercenary approach.
“I thought that attitude was a disgrace,” raged Gosling. “There were a lot of disgraceful attitudes here last season and that's ultimately the reason we went down. It wasn't a question of ability. Maybe some players didn't always hit the levels they are capable of, but it was the attitude of individuals that did for us.
“They signed (Orzan) Tufan from a Turkish club. He was here on loan - is he going to really care if the club goes down? He knew that whatever happened, he could go back to wherever he came from. He wasn't bothered and he wasn't that fit either. It was a real disgrace, easily the worst dressing room I've ever been a part of. So now that we're clearing the decks and trying to build something new is refreshing.”
Watford complete their pre-season preparations with a 'home' game against Southampton on Saturday at Wealdstone's Grosvenor Vale ground to help the Vicarage Road Road pitch recover from two concerts by former chairman Sir Elton John earlier this month.
