A run of one win in 11 Premier League fixtures was enough to see ex-Swansea City boss Garry Monk go from future England boss to unemployed.

The former Swans defender was relieved of his duties with the Welsh side 15th in the Premier League – a far cry from the heady days of August when the Swans were fourth at one stage.

After a near month-long search, former Swansea forward Alan Curtis has been appointed as interim manager for the remainder of the season.

The 61-year-old had two spells at Vetch Field as a player and has held most roles within the club’s backroom staff since retiring in 1994.

Swansea had been in talks with former Marseille and Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa but were unable to persuade the colourful Argentine to move to the Liberty Stadium.

That led chairman Huw Jenkins to appoint Curtis – who has won one of his seven games in charge – until the end of the campaign as the search for a suitable candidate continues.

The Swans are currently precariously perched a point and a place above the relegation zone.

Here we profile three players who could make the difference against the Hornets.

Watford Observer:  

Ashley Williams: The centre-back has been with the Swans since they were in League One and recently passed 300 league starts for the club.

Now captain, the 31-year-old joined Swansea City on loan from Stockport County in March 2008 with a view to a permanent move.

He made three appearances before the end of the season as Roberto Martinez’s side won the League One title before completing a £400,000 permanent move to south Wales.

In July 2013, and after captaining the side for much of the last two years, Williams was appointed captain on a full-time basis as Monk stepped back from the role.

In the last four seasons Williams has only missed seven games, such is his importance to the Swans.

Despite being born in Wolverhampton, the powerful defender is a full Welsh international with more than 50 caps to his name and will, barring injury, be included in Chris Coleman’s squad for next month’s European Championships.

Watford Observer:

Gylfi Sigurdsson: The Icelandic international returned to the Liberty Stadium in the summer of 2014 after two frustrating years at Tottenham Hotspur.

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder had initially impressed on loan at Swansea during the second half of the 2011/12 season, scoring seven times in 17 Premier League appearances on loan from Hoffenheim.

His form under Brendan Rodgers prompted Tottenham Hotspur to bring him back to the Premier League on a permanent basis that summer, signing him up for £6.8 million.

However, he found Premier League games hard to come by under Andre Villas-Boas, making 26 starts in two seasons – scoring twice – before returning to south Wales as a makeweight in the deal which saw left-back Ben Davies move to White Hart Lane.

Sigurdsson began his career in England with Reading, joining the Royals from Breidablik in 2005.

It was under Rodgers that he made his first team breakthrough, ending the 2009/10 season with 20 goals in 44 appearances before joining Hoffenheim for £6 million the following season.

Watford Observer:

Lukasz Fabianski: The keeper has found a new lease of life in south Wales after seven years of inactivity at Arsenal, establishing himself as one of the top-flight’s most reliable stoppers.

Brought to England from Lech Poznan in 2005, the 30-year-old made 31 Premier League starts in seven years at the Emirates before he allowed his contract to run down and left in 2014 to join Swansea City in a free transfer.

His final act in an Arsenal shirt was to help Arsenal win the FA Cup in extra-time against Hull City.

More often than not the Kostrzyn nad Odrą-born stopper was limited to cup outings during his team at the Emirates after failing to dislodge countryman Wojciech Szczesny.

He made a further 44 appearances for the Gunners in other competitions with the 2010/11 campaign his most prolific in terms of league appearances, making 14.