Gosling gave an insight into the troubles behind the scenes
Dan Gosling lifted the lid on a tumultuous season for Watford in which he criticised the methods of managers Claudio Ranieri and Roy Hodgson, as well as members of the squad.
Watford endured a terrible Premier League campaign and went down without a whimper, finishing 19th. Gosling found himself out of the 25-man squad for a large bulk of the season – only making four appearances.
‘That time with Ranieri was just really unenjoyable’
But the 32-year-old still witnessed what contributed to their downfall and cited the management styles of Ranieri and Hodgson, the first he described as “miserable.”
“That time with Ranieri was just really unenjoyable,” he told the Watford Observer.
“The training we did, the spirit they created, the staff that came with him – the whole thing was just miserable. They were miserable, and it made it miserable.
“I was surprised they lasted four months to be honest. I have been in football a long time, and so have a few boys in the squad, and that time was as bad as it can get.
“If you’re going out on the training pitch and just doing five-a-side games day after day, it is literally nothing football. It’s kid’s football. As a pro, you don’t learn anything from it.”
‘This is 2022’
Ranieri would eventually be replaced by Hodgson in January but his methods didn’t see any improvement, with Gosling believing that his style was ‘outdated’ and ‘repetitive.’
“To be fair to Roy, what he did in training was very repetitive, but at least it was game-like situations,” he added. “You do need to freshen it up a bit though. This is 2022.”
Summer signing ‘wasn’t bothered’ and ‘wasn’t fit’
Gosling’s teammates didn’t make for much better comparison either. The former Bournemouth and Newcastle United midfielder was shocked by the lack of professionalism at the Hornets and labelled the attitudes as “disgraceful.”
Summer signing Ozan Tufan was one of those called out by the 32-year-old after he arrived at the club uninterested and unfit.
He said: “I thought that attitude was a disgrace. There were a lot of disgraceful attitudes here last season and that’s ultimately the reason we went down.
“It wasn’t a question of ability. Maybe some players didn’t always hit the levels they are capable of, but it was the attitude of individuals that did for us.
“They signed Tufan from a Turkish club. He was here on loan: is he going to really care if the club goes down? He knew that whatever happened, he could go back to wherever he came from.
“He’d never played English football at all, never played here, never played in the Premier League. He wasn’t bothered and he wasn’t that fit either.
“It was a real disgrace, easily the worst dressing room I’ve ever been a part of. So now that we’re clearing the decks and trying to build something new is refreshing.”
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