Watford

England · Premier League 2015/16 – 2021/22 · Championship now · Manager: Alessio Dionisi (#993 in the world) since Aug 2026

#322 World rank · club rating

1,686 Club rating

26th in Championship

Watford played 6 Premier League seasons (2015/16 – 2021/22) and are in Championship now. Xisco (Dec 2020 – Oct 2021) had the best points per game of them (1.86 in 36 matches) and took the club rating from 1,849 to 1,878.

Watford managers

33 spells since 1999 · newest first

Manager Period MatchesGP W-D-L PPG Club rating Coach ratingCoach Vs expected

Alessio Dionisi #993 now Aug 2026 – present · PPG 1.06 current Aug 2026 – present 17 5-3-9 1.06 1,737 → 1,646 −91 −10.7 −0.11

Edward Still #1,018 now Feb 2026 – May 2026 · PPG 0.87 Feb 2026 – May 2026 15 3-4-8 0.87 1,720 → 1,664 −55 −14.4 −0.08

Charlie Daniels Feb 2026 · PPG 0.50 caretaker Feb 2026 2 0-1-1 0.50 1,770 → 1,775 +6 +1.2 +0.07

Javi Gracia #833 now Oct 2025 – Jan 2026 · PPG 1.48 Oct 2025 – Jan 2026 21 8-7-6 1.48 1,747 → 1,761 +14 +5.0 +0.11

Paulo Pezzolano Aug 2025 – Oct 2025 · PPG 1.33 caretaker Aug 2025 – Oct 2025 9 3-3-3 1.33 1,730 → 1,785 +55 +3.8 −0.03

Tom Cleverley #801 now Mar 2024 – May 2025 · PPG 1.26 Mar 2024 – May 2025 58 20-13-25 1.26 1,759 → 1,662 −97 −8.3 +0.01

Damon Lathrope (stand-in) 22 Nov 2024 22 Nov 2024 1 0-1-0 −0.2

Valérien Ismaël #936 now Aug 2023 – Mar 2024 · PPG 1.22 Aug 2023 – Mar 2024 41 12-14-15 1.22 1,779 → 1,707 −72 −11.0 0.00

Chris Wilder #154 now Mar 2023 – May 2023 · PPG 1.09 Mar 2023 – May 2023 11 3-3-5 1.09 1,871 → 1,799 −72 −13.8 −0.11

Slaven Bilić Nov 2022 – Mar 2023 · PPG 1.22 Nov 2022 – Mar 2023 18 5-7-6 1.22 1,823 → 1,797 −26 −10.5 −0.10

Rob Edwards #853 now Aug 2022 · PPG 0.00 caretaker Aug 2022 1 0-0-1 0.00 1,717 → 1,680 −37 −7.4 −0.90

Roy Hodgson #340 now Feb 2022 – May 2022 · PPG 0.50 Feb 2022 – May 2022 18 2-3-13 0.50 1,786 → 1,715 −71 −18.1 −0.12

Claudio Ranieri Oct 2021 – Jan 2022 · PPG 0.50 Oct 2021 – Jan 2022 14 2-1-11 0.50 1,916 → 1,764 −152 −18.1 −0.08

Xisco Dec 2020 – Oct 2021 · PPG 1.86 Dec 2020 – Oct 2021 36 21-4-11 1.86 1,849 → 1,878 +29 +18.1 −0.02

Vladimir Ivić Sep 2020 – Dec 2020 · PPG 1.59 Sep 2020 – Dec 2020 22 9-8-5 1.59 1,972 → 1,858 −114 −21.6 −0.14

Hayden Mullins Jul 2020 · PPG 0.00 caretaker Jul 2020 2 0-0-2 0.00 1,951 → 1,926 −25 −5.1 −0.19

Nigel Pearson Dec 2019 – Jul 2020 · PPG 1.23 Dec 2019 – Jul 2020 22 7-6-9 1.23 1,960 → 1,962 +3 +2.8 +0.10

Hayden Mullins Dec 2019 · PPG 0.50 caretaker Dec 2019 2 0-1-1 0.50 1,899 → 1,900 +1 +0.1 −0.01

Quique Sánchez Flores #350 now Sep 2019 – Nov 2019 · PPG 0.83 Sep 2019 – Nov 2019 12 2-4-6 0.83 1,992 → 1,863 −128 −13.3 0.00

Javi Gracia #833 now Jan 2018 – Aug 2019 · PPG 1.30 Jan 2018 – Aug 2019 66 24-14-28 1.30 1,770 → 1,927 +157 +8.9 +0.15

Marco Silva #47 now Aug 2017 – Jan 2018 · PPG 1.12 Aug 2017 – Jan 2018 26 8-5-13 1.12 1,811 → 1,790 −21 −1.6 +0.02

Walter Mazzarri #570 now Aug 2016 – May 2017 · PPG 1.07 Aug 2016 – May 2017 41 12-8-21 1.07 1,968 → 1,755 −213 −32.0 −0.04

Quique Sánchez Flores #350 now Aug 2015 – May 2016 · PPG 1.31 Aug 2015 – May 2016 42 16-7-19 1.31 1,878 → 1,898 +21 −11.4 +0.15

Before 2015/16 · 11 spells, Aug 1999 – May 2015

Manager Period MatchesGP W-D-L PPG Club rating Coach ratingCoach Vs expected

Slaviša Jokanović #760 now Oct 2014 – May 2015 · PPG 1.89 Oct 2014 – May 2015 36 21-5-10 1.89 1,720 → 1,973 +253 +41.1 +0.19

Billy McKinlay Sep 2014 – Oct 2014 · PPG 2.00 caretaker Sep 2014 – Oct 2014 2 1-1-0 2.00 1,699 → 1,700 +1 +0.1 +0.02

Giuseppe Sannino Dec 2013 – Aug 2014 · PPG 1.50 Dec 2013 – Aug 2014 36 15-9-12 1.50 1,663 → 1,714 +51 −0.9 −0.09

Gianfranco Zola Aug 2012 – Dec 2013 · PPG 1.52 Aug 2012 – Dec 2013 75 32-18-25 1.52 1,626 → 1,567 −59 −8.2 +0.07

Sean Dyche #62 now Aug 2011 – Apr 2012 · PPG 1.39 Aug 2011 – Apr 2012 49 17-17-15 1.39 1,566 → 1,686 +121 +21.4 +0.06

Malky Mackay Aug 2009 – May 2011 · PPG 1.24 Aug 2009 – May 2011 99 32-27-40 1.24 1,622 → 1,524 −97 −12.6 +0.02

Brendan Rodgers Nov 2008 – May 2009 · PPG 1.44 Nov 2008 – May 2009 32 13-7-12 1.44 1,586 → 1,641 +55 +7.4 +0.10

Malky Mackay Nov 2008 · PPG 1.50 caretaker Nov 2008 4 2-0-2 1.50 1,568 → 1,580 +13 +1.5 0.00

Aidy Boothroyd Aug 2006 – Nov 2008 · PPG 0.89 Aug 2006 – Nov 2008 56 11-17-28 0.89 1,441 → 1,542 +101 −4.1 +0.17

Ray Lewington Aug 2003 – May 2004 · PPG 1.24 Aug 2003 – May 2004 46 15-12-19 1.24 1,431 → 1,478 +47 +9.3 +0.11

Graham Taylor Aug 1999 – May 2000 · PPG 0.63 Aug 1999 – May 2000 38 6-6-26 0.63 1,381 → 1,380 −1 −6.4

Before 2015/16 the source names the manager on fewer matches, so these rows can miss games.

Malky Mackay is the longest-serving: 99 matches over 20 months (Aug 2009 – May 2011). Slaviša Jokanović added the most coach rating: +41.1 over 36 matches.

Club rating - the club's rating at the manager's first rated match → after the last. Coach rating - what the spell added to the manager's coach rating. Vs expected - average result per match above what the club rating predicted. Stand-in - a caretaker who covered a few matches during another manager's spell, folded under that spell. Every competition we hold, lower divisions included.

Club rating

since 2015/16 · line by manager

1,686Club ratingWeek 46, 2026

#322World rankof 943 active clubs

#26Championshipof 42 clubs

2,039Peak since 2015/16Mar 2019 · low 1,666, Oct 2026

Colour changes with each manager (18 since 2015/16) · hover a point for the name

Watford's club rating peaked at 2,039 in March 2019, under Javi Gracia, its highest since 2015/16; the low was 1,666 in October 2026, under Alessio Dionisi.

One point per month: the club's rating before its last rated match of the month, the manager's part left out. World rank among the 943 clubs with a match in the last 12 months and 30+ rated matches. The rating describes results so far - it doesn't predict the next game. How the club rating works ›

Next matches

next 14 days

Watford play in Championship now - our fixture list covers the top 5 leagues and European games with a top-5 club.

Cards and corners

a game · by season

Season GP Cards Agst Lg 2nd half Corners Agst Lg

2021/22 38 1.74 1.71 1.82 70% 4.24 6.16 5.20

2019/20 38 2.18 1.76 1.79 76% 4.39 5.29 5.35

2018/19 38 2.18 1.47 1.72 72% 4.66 5.53 5.14

2017/18 38 1.82 1.87 1.63 62% 4.82 5.21 5.15

2016/17 38 2.50 1.74 1.93 67% 4.32 5.32 5.21

1 earlier season, 2015/16 – 2015/16

Season GP Cards Agst Lg 2nd half Corners Agst Lg

2015/16 38 2.05 1.32 1.70 78% 4.32 6.42 5.40

Watford picked up 2.50 cards a game in 2016/17, their most in any season since 2015/16 and 29% above the Premier League's average side (1.93).

League matches only (Premier League), from 2015/16 - European and cup games carry no card or corner data. Lg = the league's average side that season. Bold green / red = 15%+ above / below it. Premier League cards table › · corners table ›

Half-time / full-time

228 league matches since 2015/16

FT winFT W FT drawFT D FT lossFT L

HT winHT W 3415% 84% 73%

HT drawHT D 2511% 2812% 3616%

HT lossHT L 31% 115% 7633%

Points won from behindPts from behind

losing at half-time in 90 matches

Points dropped from aheadPts dropped

winning at half-time in 49 matches

1st half · W 49 · D 89 · L 90 GD −77

2nd half · W 62 · D 72 · L 94 GD −59

League matches since 2015/16. Each half scored as its own match: 2nd half = goals after the break only.

Referees at Watford

16 referees with 5+ matches · most matches first

Referee MatchesGP W-D-L PPG Cards/g Club avg +/−

Anthony Taylor 18 5-3-10 1.00 2.33 2.08 +12%

Michael Oliver 18 4-4-10 0.89 1.89 2.08 −9%

Mike Dean 17 5-5-7 1.18 2.41 2.08 +16%

Jonathan Moss 16 4-2-10 0.88 2.50 2.06 +21%

Craig Pawson 15 1-3-11 0.40 2.07 2.08 −1%

Martin Atkinson 15 2-3-10 0.60 2.13 2.08 +3%

Paul Tierney 14 4-3-7 1.07 1.57 2.08 −24%

Lee Mason 13 6-1-6 1.46 2.38 2.15 +11%

Roger East 13 6-3-4 1.62 1.69 2.14 −21%

Andre Marriner 12 5-3-4 1.50 2.08 2.08 0%

6 more referees with 5+ matches

Referee MatchesGP W-D-L PPG Cards/g Club avg +/−

Graham Scott 12 3-2-7 0.92 2.17 2.08 +4%

Kevin Friend 12 0-5-7 0.42 2.25 2.13 +6%

Simon Hooper 7 2-2-3 1.14 2.57 2.04 +26%

Chris Kavanagh 6 2-2-2 1.33 2.33 2.06 +13%

Robert Madley 6 2-0-4 1.00 1.17 2.28 −49%

Lee Probert 5 3-0-2 1.80 0.80 2.17 −63%

Under Paul Tierney, Watford picked up 1.57 cards a game, 24% below their own average in the same seasons (14 matches).

League matches since 2015/16 with the referee named (228). Cards = Watford's own yellows and reds. Club avg = their cards a game in the same seasons with every referee. Under 10 matches the gap is grey: too few to call. Referees aren't drawn at random - the big games go to the senior ones - so a gap here describes, it doesn't prove a bias.

Quick answers

4 questions · from the tables on this page

Who is Watford's manager?

Alessio Dionisi, #993 in this week's coach world ranking, since August 2026 - 17 matches, 5 won (1.06 points per game).

How many managers has Watford had since 2015?

19, counting 4 caretakers. Plus 1 stand-in: a caretaker for a few matches during another manager's spell.

Who is Watford's longest-serving manager?

Malky Mackay: 99 matches from August 2009 to May 2011.

How many cards a game do Watford get?

1.74 a game in the Premier League in 2021/22, against 1.82 for the league's average side.

The coach rating describes, it doesn't predict. It measures what a manager's teams did against what was expected of them. Match chances come from the club rating, calibrated on 85,718 league matches. How the rating works ›

Source: spells, ratings and ranks from the weekly ranking (Week 46, 2026); season stats updated nightly; next matches refreshed every hour.