If you’d have told me just after Watford had beaten Arsenal in October that Marco Silva would be sacked in January, I’d have laughed.

Back then he could do no wrong. Everything was rosy at Vicarage Road and it looked like an exciting season lay ahead for all those associated with the club.

It’s a sign of how quickly things have gone downhill ever since Silva angled for a move to Everton that now, whatever anyone says, the Hornets are in a relegation battle.

After another defeat on Saturday, this time against Leicester, something had to change and that change happened on Sunday morning.

A new era is underway at Vicarage Road, with Javi Gracia swiftly installed as the Hornets’ new head coach just hours after it was announced that Silva had been sacked and the latter can have few complaints.

Ultimately, he was the architect of his own downfall. The way he handled the whole Everton situation was incredibly poor and it says a lot about a head coach’s mentality if he wants to leave after 10 games.

Yes, he did do a good job at Hull City last season, but Watford gave Silva a chance to improve his already growing CV and an opportunity to build something special in Hertfordshire.

With a talented squad at his disposal and owners willing to back him, Silva had a platform to really cut his teeth in English football and a place to prove pundits like Paul Merson wrong.

In the end though, Silva has put his own personal interests before the club and it has not only undermined Watford’s progress this season, but it will undoubtedly affect Silva’s growing reputation in the game.

The warning signs were there when he didn't rule himself out of the running for the Everton job. His public flirting with the Toffees was not only a slap in the face to the club, but also to the supporters as well, who Silva originally vowed to create something special with.

All of Silva’s good work instantly went down the drain and after such a poor run of form which extends back to the defeat to Chelsea, his position had ultimately become untenable in the end.

Silva has publicly denied all claims that he has become distracted due to the Everton saga, but articles in recent weeks from the Daily Mirror, Watford Observer and the Times have suggested otherwise.

Results would suggest otherwise as well, and the club’s strongly worded statement summed it up. An ‘unwarranted approach’ from a Premier League rival, namely Everton in this case, has led to a 'significant deterioration in both focus and results.' It’s hard not to argue with that.

Ultimately, Silva’s personal ambitions have undermined our progress this season and he can only have himself to blame.

Pundits in the media will see this as another chance to criticise Watford and how the owners work - without really looking at the facts. People like Gary Lineker, Jake Humphrey and Watford’s good old friend Martin Samuel have been quick to criticise the decision, and the amount of head coaches the Hornets have had under the Pozzos stewardship.

But put it this way. If a player asks to leave a team and submits a transfer request, what does a club do? Nine times out of ten, they will sell him. What’s the point in keeping a player at a club against his own will? So, why shouldn’t that apply with managers and coaches as well?

The form book doesn’t lie either. In the space of two months, Watford have gone from serious challengers for a top-10 finish to being in the midst of a relegation battle. 11 defeats from 16 and five points from our last 10 games is relegation form.   

The most worrying thing is that teams weren’t even having to play well to beat the Hornets in that run of games. All opposition sides had to do was turn up, put in a half-decent performance and the Hornets would roll over.

Silva’s management of players was also questionable as well. To drop Andre Gray against Leicester after he scored in back-to-back league games is poor management. Gray is clearly a confidence player, so how is it meant to improve if he is dropped every time he scores? What sort of message does that send to him?

The way Stefano Okaka has been handled has been poor too, with the Italian striker largely marginalised until Silva had no other option.

Also factor in Silva’s stubbornness to start with a 4-4-2, which would clearly get the best out of Gray and Troy Deeney, and the 40-year-old can only have himself to blame for how this situation has panned out.

He’s not the only one to blame though. There is a part of me that thinks the board could have handled the last two weeks of the transfer window better, as it certainly seems that Mollo Wague and Marvin Zeegelaar were last resorts.

Also factor in how Silva had no say in Nordin Amrabat’s departure and Jose Holebas’ new contract and you can partly under his frustration. But on the flip side, he knew what he was letting himself in for when he signed the two-year-deal at Vicarage Road in May. If he wasn’t happy, then he should have never signed that contract.

Marco Silva had the opportunity to be one of Watford’s best managers in recent history. He had the opportunity to build something special and the chance to really enhance his growing reputation at an ambitious club.

But instead, he put his personal ambitions first. He’s now gone from being linked with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United to being at a crossroads in his career. If he is to become one of Europe’s best managers, then he needs to stay at a club for more than a season.

In the end, it’s hard not to think about what might have been had the whole Everton situation not happened. We’re now back to square one again and simply have to focus on retaining our Premier League status for another season.

Bradley Hayden is the founder and sole writer of @WatfordFCBlog