Ian Watson’s early winner on F365:
The Hornets looked dead and buried but Nigel Pearson has revived a rotting corpse. A month ago they languished on nine points, six from safety and 10 behind Bournemouth. Today, at the Vitality Stadium, they recorded their fourth win in five games to overtake the Cherries and climb out of the relegation zone for the first time this season.
The whole piece proves statistically the various ways in which Pearson has so quickly transformed Watford. I think the appointment of Pearson is one of the best mid-season managerial changes I have seen in the Premier League, up there with Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino’s arrivals in England. The key has been, and this was evident in his first game at Anfield, that Watford haven’t played a single game since Pearson took over with any sense of inferiority. Despite the classic narrative of British manager going back to basics, this is not what Pearson has done. Yes they are definitely more organized, that was the obvious starting point. But they are also playing to win and that requires a whole lot more than just organization. Long may their ascent continue.