Friday, June 14, 2002

Gianluca Vialli was sacked as Watford manager, becoming the second man to fail to live up to the challenge of succeeding Graham Taylor.

On arriving the previous summer he had undertaken a complete overhaul of the club's playing and coaching staff.  His highly paid squad never looked like delivering the promotion that had been banked on and became a millstone around the club's neck.

Vialli's statement on departing read: "I am very disappointed by the decision of the club, especially as my work at Watford was still in its early stages."

Vialli was to issue court proceedings against the club over the termination of his contract, a settlement being reached the following summer.

Reproduced by kind permission of Matt Rowson from his book, Watford FC On This Day