Watford owner Gino Pozzo has defended the club's decision to sack head coach Rob Edwards after just 11 matches.
In May, the Hornets approached the then-Forest Green Rovers boss to spearhead their first campaign back in the Championship after relegation from the Premier League.
Watford initially made a strong start to the season, recording seven points from fixtures against Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion and Burnley.
However, just one win has come from the last eight fixtures in all competitions, resulting in the club dropping down to 10th position in the standings.
Despite remaining only one point adrift of the playoff places, Watford announced on Monday that they had parted ways with the recently-appointed 39-year-old.
© Reuters
Within 15 minutes of confirming Edwards's departure, Watford revealed that Slaven Bilic had been appointed as Edwards's replacement in the dugout.
At the same time as announcing Bilic, Pozzo took the moment to defend the call to sack Edwards, amid widespread criticism from fans and on social media.
Speaking to the club's official website, Pozzo said: "As with all decisions taken by the board, I believe this change to be in the best interests of the club.
"We felt Rob had enough time to show us the identity of his team, however performances haven't reflected our hopes and ambitions.
© Reuters
"Now we must move forward, and, in Slaven Bilic, we have secured the services of an experienced coach who has recent experience of promotion to the Premier League."
Edwards becomes the seventh Watford permanent head coach in succession to not last longer than 36 matches.
Bilic arrives at the Hertfordshire-based club having previously had spells in English football with West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion, winning Championship promotion with the latter in 2019-20.
The 54-year-old has been out of work since January this year after a 29-game stint with Chinese outfit Beijing Guoan.
Darren Plant
