New Watford head coach Oscar Garcia arguably did a better job at Brighton & Hove Albion than he will be remembered for.

Hornets fans who look at social media sites might see comments from Brighton fans which do not portray Garcia's reign in a particularly good light.

There have been suggestions his football was often boring and lacked penetration, particularly at home. And he has also been accused of lacking charisma.

But in his first season in English football, with an average squad and after suffering several key injuries, the Seagulls surprised most by securing a place in the play-offs in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season.

Part of the problem for Garcia was that he was not Gus Poyet. Under the energetic former Chelsea man, the Seagulls had been promoted to the Championship and subsequently finished fourth, before Poyet's controversial departure.

Poyet was a big personality who created a reputation for playing attractive football.

Garcia is a totally different manager and person, but that doesn't mean he didn't do a good job.

Watford fans know first hand that reaching the play-offs one season does not guarantee success the next and the 41-year-old coincidently used the Hornets as an example of that during his time at Brighton.

The Seagulls did not strengthen much during Garcia's first summer at the club but did lose former England international Wayne Bridge.

Brighton had a similar squad to Poyet's but Garcia suffered badly during the season with injuries to key players, and it started on the opening week of the season.

Liam Bridcutt and Andrea Orlandi, two crucial players, suffered injuries in the first two games and - baring a 45-minute return for the latter - were both out until November. Leonardo Ulloa was sidelined for more than two months, Kazenga Lualua missed around six weeks and it didn't get any easier for Garcia during the second half of the season.

Bridcutt and Ashley Barnes were sold in January and Andrews Crofts missed the second half of the campaign with injury. Key players like Will Buckley also struggled for form.

But Garcia always found an answer; either tactically or by playing someone out of position. The Spaniard made the best of difficult situations.

Defensive organisation and their excellent away record were the cornerstones of Brighton's success. Only Burnley conceded less than Brighton's 40 goals last season and no other side let in less than the Seagulls' 19 on the road.

However, scoring was the problem. Brighton's 55 goals in 46 games was less than all of the other teams in the top 17 places in the Championship last season. Birmingham City, who finished 21st, even scored three more.

But Brighton still finished in the top six. And Garcia's attacking options have improved significantly at Watford. In the summer, Hornets defender Gabriel Tamas stated this team will always score goals and not conceding was the priority. If that is the case, then Garcia appears to be a good appointment.

The Golden Boys players will not have any issues from a language point of view, as Garcia is fluent in English. He also appears to favour the 4-3-3 formation with a clearly defined holding midfielder, which Watford were working on in the summer.

Garcia's first season in England ended on a low as Brighton were beaten 4-1 by Derby County in the play-off semi-final second leg. But it is worth noting that Brighton's defence, which had been so impressive during the regular campaign, was decimated for the game at Pride Park. Right-back Bruno and player-of-the-year Matthew Upson were out injured and Gordon Greer was forced off midway through the first half, with the score 0-0.

It ended on a devastating low but sixth place with Brighton's squad was an achievement nonetheless.

Garcia has accepted he did not work hard enough to maximise his potential as a player but has stated he won't do that as a manager.

The 41-year-old played with, and for, some of the greatest names in world football. He came through the ranks at Barcelona and his teammates included modern greats like the Brazilian Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Hristo Stoichkov, and Rivaldo, to name a few.

He names his first Barcelona manager, Johan Cruyff, as "the best" and learned a lot from the Dutch great, who revolutionised the Catalan side. Garcia was also coached by Bobby Robson, Loius van Gaal and also worked with Jose Mourinho whilst at Barca. Some of the greatest managers of their generation.

Garcia averaged a goal every three games during his six years with Barcelona's first team and 'B' team; making 148 appearances for the two sides. He also had spells at Albacete, Valencia, Espanyol and Lleida during his playing career. The new Hornets head coach also represented Spain through all the age groups but not the full team.

Garcia started his coaching career under Cruyff's son Jordi with the Catalonian national team.

He then spent two years coaching in Barcelona’s Academy before taking the role as head coach at Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2012.

Garcia spent one season with the Israeli club but it was a successful one as he guided the side to the first league title for a decade.

However, he resigned at the end of the campaign, citing personal reasons for his departure and joined Brighton.

He rejoined Maccabi again at the start of June after his year on the south coast but his second spell with the club lasted less than three months as he resigned once more on Tuesday. The club stated Garcia’s departure was down to the current security situation in Israel.

Garcia stated he loves attacking football on his arrival at Brighton but it ended up becoming quite functional at the Amex Stadium, which has tainted the view of some Seagulls fans.

However, his reign was still successful and with improved tools to work with at Watford, Garcia is likely to relish the opportunity he now faces at Vicarage Road.