Fans hit back as Watford chairman Scott Duxbury speaks on an ‘unacceptable’ end to the 2025/26 season ahead of the final game.
In it, he outlines his recruitment plan to sign experienced, Championship-ready players during the summer transfer window, fans say they have bookmarked the tweet and will revisit this time next year to see if he had stuck to his word.
Paulo Pezzolano was appointed in May 2025, but only lasted until the 8th of October, sacked after just 10 games in charge.
The Hornets brought in 13 players over the summer after last season’s 14th place finish under Tom Cleverley.
Pezzolano was then he was replaced by former head coach Javi Gracia, but then he resigned at the beginning of February, Gracia then resigned, a week later, Ed Still was appointed as the new head coach, reports are he is expected to leave at the end of the season having agreed to part ways, due to a poor run of results.
Going into the final game of the season, Watford sit 16th with 57 points from 45 games played. Their highest position was 4th after a 3-0 win against Birmingham. But they have since, 20 games have been played, they have won 3, drew 7 and lost 10.
Chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury’s comments ahead of our final game of the 2025/26 season.
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) May 2, 2026
STATEMENT:
The summer is usually the time for considered reflections and communicating fuller thoughts.
But with one final game to play of this campaign, we have to accept there were things we got wrong – and things that MUST improve over the close season.
That will start with our recruitment. We underscored our commitment to challenge for promotion last summer by signing 14 players and four more in January.
We believed we had the talent within those signings to push for a top-six place. They were exciting signings in line with our recruitment model and, at the turn of the year, just three points off second, that faith seemed well-placed.
To lose players like Rocco Vata, Hector Kyprianou, Othmane Maamma, Kwadwo Baah and Stephen Mfuni for long periods heavily impacted our performance. We never truly had the opportunity to test how competitive we would have been, owing to those significant injuries.
This is not an excuse, but a reality.
However, I accept those absences exposed a lack of leadership in the dressing room. Undoubtedly, we were missing senior players who understood the Championship and had the mentality to guide our younger talent.
To that end, I have insisted the recruitment department address this over the summer. Our strategy will involve moving out players who, in different ways, have made it clear they do not see their future at Watford.
In the large part, they will be replaced by experienced leaders who understand the demands of this league. Building a squad that possesses both talent AND the right mentality has to be our overriding priority.
The need for a consistent and positive culture within the group, one that represents our supporters with the effort they demand and deserve, will be the driving factor this summer.
We’re not hiding from the unacceptable level of performance recently, it’s obvious this has been truly disappointing in the extreme. But there are solid foundations going into the summer. We have some very exciting young attacking players with pace that can make a real difference in this league if allowed to flourish and supported by more experienced players.
Despite the way the season ended, please enjoy the summer and the World Cup and I promise you; we will be doing everything in our power to be better both on and off the pitch come August.
Best wishes to you and your family,
Scott Duxbury
Fans hit back as the Watford chairman Scott Duxbury speaks on an ‘unacceptable’ end to the 2025/26 season…
@cultureforce1: Same statement different season 😴
@DNSYE_podcast: And that’s… bookmarked. Will revisit this in 12 months
@TomMaverickPKR: Scott the only thing you should be doing is resigning if you had an ounce of integrity, respect or decency. Look in the mirror you are part of the problem!
@Tomzy87: If any of us were this bad at our job we’d have been sacked by now. Why does he get a free pass for failure every single season? Change needs to happen from the top…
@BenWheeler_WFC: Are we really blaming injuries again?? pathetic. Every team gets injuries but they don’t capitulate as terribly as we have. 🤦♂️
@DanHarvey74: Groundhog Day, again! Any CEO presiding over the last 7 desperate seasons would have been long gone. If not sacked then resigning out of self respect, so as to distance himself from this appallingly run and now dying football club. Nothing changes until you have gone Duxbury 👋
@Richwfc2: Ah here we go, last game of season upon us, let’s put more Duxbury bullsh@t out , promises that never happen, gaslighting the supporters yet AGAIN. You sir are the biggest problem and need removing. Let him hear it today #watfordfc fans don’t be treated like Idiots anymore
@HJClarke95:
“they do not see their future at Watford” – why are they played every week?
“both talent AND the right mentality” – Mentality starts from Owner and Board. It trickles down
“I promise you… better both on and off the pitch” – another promise, high water and play offs #watfordfc
@HTAM96: You’d think after all these years he’d stop saying “promise”.
@barnesy007: He’s alive! Usual old 🐂 💩 apologies when we all know nothing will change until the club is sold, he leaves and Bayat has no further input. In any other world, he’s sacked as CEO for continuing to under perform
@PatMcNicholas: Blah blah blah blah blah. A rinse and repeat statement year after year.
@GuyWelb: No acknowledgement that his leadership or lack of it with Pozzo has led to the culture of players not being fully invested, failure yet again to recruit the right coach or in the case of Gracia not support him plus madness of not going into the season with an experienced striker
@gloryhornet15: Saying Baah being out injured is one of the reasons we struggled is laughable , how may matches has he been available? How many has he played ? #pozzoout #Duxburyout the 1881 are right about you
@stuartscullion: How many times do you need to get it wrong before you learn the lesson Scott? Both Tom Cleverly and Javi Gracia could have achieved promotion if you had backed them with players they wanted and needed, instead of more dross from Udinese. #watfordfc
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