Watford need two months of stable, solid football – starting tonight

Speaking exclusively to The Watford Observer last week, full-back Jeremy Ngakia revealed that another season of change had been tough on the players – but that they must now take advantage of having come through it in decent shape.

The Hornets sit ninth in the Championship, six points off the play-off positions, with a shot at promotion still within their grasp if they get it right between now and Coventry City at home on May 2.

But at a club where the news cycle rarely sleeps, two months of stability and drama-free football is more of a long shot than elsewhere.

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Paulo Pezzolano lasted about that long at the beginning of 2025/26, before we saw several different versions of Javi Gracia's Watford in his four-month spell, during which he weathered periods of questioning about his style, oversaw a good winning run, and then the whole thing fell apart.

Going much further back, too, this is a club where the latest curveball is never too far away, ready to smack things onto a whole new course again.

That, essentially, is what Ngakia was referring to in the context of this season, when he revealed he was "impressed" by the players' ability to ride periods of turbulence and come through the other side.

Their decent league position is in spite of the churn rather than because of it and a sense of calm - rather than scrapping against the claws of chaos - is surely necessary.

Watford right-back Jeremy Ngakia (Image: PA)

With Ed Still now having got his feet under the table – impressing with his transparency, intent to play enjoyable football and common-sense decisions – the next two months are a test of whether the Hornets can keep concentrated and harmonious for a decent length of time.

Every player will be needed and must be on it; squad depth, after all, is a real strength of Watford's, who could near enough field a second-string back four and midfield that could compete at the level with the players available.

Ngakia praised the commitment and application his team-mates have shown in recent weeks but that needs to become the norm, the bare minimum for a team with the talent to string wins together.

A win at Sheffield Wednesday tonight feels almost non-negotiable considering the Owls' desperate state – though they are not as bad as 14 consecutive defeats would suggest – but Still has been working to ensure stability and consistency remains regardless of one-off wins or losses.

He said: "The basic and most important things is results.

"We know that if results are good in the coming days and weeks then that's the best way of creating that stability and calmness around the club.

"The other thing is to make sure that the team is as stable as possible. We don't want to be chopping and changing, playing one team one day and then three days later changing it completely.

"We want to find the balance between keeping everybody involved and busy, but also keeping a team that's stable.

"Thirdly, is making sure that our energy is always absolutely spot on.

"That was one of the big positives we took out of the first four weeks, that the team's energy has been, on the whole, really positive.

"We want that for the fans to be able to feed off and that's also a way of creating not just that calmness around the club, but the excitement we want to be able to create."

Giorgi Chakvetadze returned to form last time out (Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)

A trip to Hillsborough, where six consecutive visitors have won, is a test of that energy.

Wednesday may have lost 14 on the bounce, but only one of their last 12 defeats has come by more than two goals and they have held Wrexham and Millwall to one-goal winning margins.

Any complacency or lack of "commitment" could be punished, in a way that would be a little embarrassing for the Hornets, who would become the first club not to beat the Owls home or away this season.

The 1-1 home draw in December is arguably their worst result of the campaign and a match that summed up much of 2025/26, broadly doing enough to win but not making it happen.

Victory here, though, would mean back-to-back away victories and – with Wrexham facing Hull at the same time – going at least a couple of points closer to their target.

Just as importantly, though, it would reinforce an overdue sense of serenity and calm that is paramount to finishing the season strongly.

As Still seeks a way to allow the talent in his young squad to explode, keeping a lid on things is also key.