Roy Hodgson, Former England Manager, has been hired as Watford’s new manager.
After departing Crystal Palace at the end of last season, the former England and Liverpool manager, 74, returns to the Premier League.
Claudio Ranieri was fired by the Hornets on Monday, marking the club’s 15th managerial change since the Pozzo family took possession in 2012.
Hodgson will be responsible for ensuring the club’s Premier League survival, as they currently sit in 19th place, two points from safety.
Club Statement Below
Ray Lewington, who coached Watford from 2002 to 2005, will join as an assistant, occupying the same role he held for England and Palace under Hodgson.
The length of Hodgson’s contract has not been disclosed by the club.
Watford moved rapidly to recruit a replacement for Ranieri, who was fired after a 3-0 home loss to relegation rivals Norwich on Friday.
On February 5, Hodgson’s first game will be against Burnley, who are currently in last place in the Premier League.
Hodgson has been in football management for more than 50 years, with Watford becoming his 17th club in eight nations. He has also led the national teams of Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and Finland.
During a brief stint in command of Udinese, he worked for the Pozzo family, and in 2010 he led Fulham to the Europa League final before taking over as Liverpool manager that summer.
He joined West Brom in February 2011 after leaving Liverpool after only six months and managed the Baggies to two mid-table finishes.
He also led England to the quarter-finals at Euro 2012, but he stepped down after a 2-1 last-16 loss to Iceland in the 2016 tournament in France, after previously guiding England to a group stage exit at the 2014 World Cup.
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Hodgson, who will become the Premier League’s oldest manager, spent nearly four years as Crystal Palace manager after replacing Frank de Boer in September 2017 with the team in the relegation zone.
He led Palace to 11th place in the table after losing his first three games in charge. In the following three seasons, they finished 12th and 14th twice, and in 2018-19, they tied for the joint-best Premier League points total of 49, matching the number from the 42-game season in 1992-93.
Roy Hodgson’s Premier League record
| Club | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Win % |
| Blackburn Rovers | 52 | 18 | 13 | 21 | 71 | 74 | 34.62 |
| Fulham | 94 | 31 | 24 | 38 | 95 | 105 | 34.04 |
| Liverpool | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 24 | 27 | 35 |
| West Brom | 50 | 18 | 13 | 19 | 67 | 72 | 36 |
| Crystal Palace | 148 | 48 | 36 | 64 | 168 | 217 | 32.4 |
| Total | 364 | 123 | 90 | 152 | 425 | 495 | 33.8 |
