News

Watford: Simon Jordan discusses Claudio Ranieri appointment

|
Image for Watford: Simon Jordan discusses Claudio Ranieri appointment

TalkSport pundit Simon Jordan has expressed his concern over the idea of Watford appointing Claudio Ranieri as their next manager.

In a move that was surprising given their place in the table right now – and unsurprising given their past treatment of managers – the Hornets sacked Xisco Munoz following their defeat to Leeds United on Saturday.

Despite being more likely to feature in the latest Superliga odds, the next manager in line will be the former Fulham, Leicester City and Chelsea manager Ranieri, with the club confirming that he will be the next man in the Vicarage Road dugout.

Speaking about his appointment on TalkSport before the news was confirmed, Jordan didn’t seem too convinced by the idea, noting that despite leading Leicester City to the title in arguably one of the greatest achievements in the history of the sport, his efforts in that may have been exaggerated, as proven with his other appointments:

1 of 8
Merseyside derby, Liverpool and Everton

Who scored the opening goal in Liverpool's 4-3 win over Leeds United at Anfield in September?

“You look at his record at Fulham, you look at his record at Sampdoria. I was very underwhelmed with him when I met him years and years ago. People think of him as his nice, genteel, soft little ‘Tinkerman’ – he isn’t.

“But I also think if you look at his record over the last two or three jobs that he’s had, whether it’s Sampdoria, whether it’s Roma, whether it’s Fulham, you’re not even getting into the 40s as a win rate, which is going to get this team relegated.

“For me, if I’m Watford, I wouldn’t employ him. But he’s Italian, they know him.

“I think there’s a lot of reasons why they won the title and one of them was Ranieri’s press management. I think the players and the coaching staff were incredibly instrumental in that outcome and Ranieri gets a lot more credit than possibly I think his managerial capabilities entitle him to.”

TIF Thoughts on Simon Jordan’s comments about Claudio Ranieri at Watford…

Is Claudio Ranieri a good appointment by Watford?

Yes

Yes

No

No

Jordan is right to have his doubts when it comes to Ranieri’s appointment, because as recent history shows (via Footballdatabase), his winning percentage at the clubs he has managed hasn’t been that great overall. With things seemingly taking a major downturn following that title-winning season with Leicester, only at AS Roma was he able to break past that 40% win rate in a season.

When he took over at Fulham, the Italian was branded as a ‘risk-free’ appointment, but that didn’t end too well for him as he only won three league games during his time there and was sacked in February. And if his numbers are anything to go by, then it appears as if Watford could be taking a big risk in putting their Premier League survival in his hands.

Although, given the Watford owners’ history when it comes to managers, whether or not he even makes it through the season will be an interesting story in itself.

In other news: “That doesn’t make sense” – Exclusive: Pundit fires warning to Nuno over key Tottenham player

Share this article

Freelance sports journalist & broadcaster.