Jon Wilkin highlights ‘final nail in coffin’ for Ian Watson following Huddersfield Giants dismissal
Jon Wilkin has delivered a damning verdict of inevitability over Ian Watson's sacking by Huddersfield Giants
Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin has highlighted Ian Watson’s post-match outburst following Huddersfield Giants’ defeat at Warrington Wolves as the ‘final nail in the coffin’, delivering a damning verdict of inevitability around his sacking.
Watson was relieved of his duties by the Giants on Thursday afternoon following a board meeting, bringing an end to two-and-a-half years in charge at the John Smith’s Stadium.
The 47-year-old’s final game at the helm of Huddersfield came last Friday night, when they were beaten 48-0 at Warrington Wolves to extend a woeful run to just one victory in nine across all competitions.
And post-match following the defeat in Round 16 of Super League, with the Sky cameras in situ for one of their chosen ‘exclusive’ games, Watson launched an extraordinary scathing review of not just his squad, but the club’s values.
Among his comments, the then-Giants boss said: “I just think this club is different. I thought it was different from the outside – I thought I was coming to a top-four setup. Look at our squads, put them on paper next to St Helens, Catalans and Leeds.
“Look at the levels of player, or the champions in those squads. I know Leigh are sat in a tough position but they’re not getting the barren we’re getting. The levels of player are unbelievable. That makes a massive difference.
“What you’ve got to understand is you might not have the best players, but you’ve got to work harder than everyone else. I don’t think at this moment in time we’re working hard enough.”
WATSON’S POST-MATCH INTERVIEW: Ian Watson slams player effort, directs criticism toward club’s ethos
Jon Wilkin highlights ‘final nail in coffin’ for Ian Watson following Huddersfield Giants dismissal
The Sky cameras have returned to the Halliwell Jones Stadium for Warrington’s Round 17 meeting with Leeds Rhinos, and in the pre-match build-up to that clash, Wilkin was asked for his verdict on Watson’s exit from Huddersfield.
He said: “There was an air of inevitability about it. Without a doubt, that post-match press conference (after the defeat to Warrington) is where the damage was done.
“He started firing shots and spoke about the club in quite disparaging terms.
“When you’ve got a results board which looks like that (one win in nine) to back that up, Ken Davy (owner) is always going to start scratching his head and going, ‘well, what are we dealing with?’
“It’s been an incredibly tough few weeks for Ian Watson. I saw almost a despair in his eyes at times when we’ve interviewed him.
“Ian Watson’s a very talented coach, but he couldn’t get it done at Huddersfield for a myriad of reasons.
“It’d be so easy to blame just one thing or another – I thought recruitment was bad, Jake Connor was – for me – a bad recruit, and with all the money he (Watson) has spent, he just simply didn’t get the results it warranted.
“But then to criticise the club, that was the final nail in the coffin.”
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