Vladimir Ivić has been named the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month for November.
The Hornets’ Head Coach beat off competition from Daniel Farke (Norwich City), Dean Holden (Bristol City) and Tony Mowbray (Blackburn Rovers), who made up a four-man shortlist for the award.
“It’s very important for all of us. This is the work of my players and without them it’s impossible to be Manager of the Month,” said Ivić, who oversaw an unbeaten month that featured three home wins and two away draws.
“I’d also like to thank the coaching staff that worked with me through this really strong period and it’s important that we continue now.
“I can’t choose one game that stands out, because we had games where we had to survive to win – against Coventry and Stoke for example – and I believe that all of the games are a separate story.”
Danny Wilson, who chairs the Sky Bet Manager of the Month judging panel, said: “Unbeaten in November, with an impressive 11 goals scored, Ivić propelled Watford into third position in the Championship.”
Sky Sports’ EFL pundit Don Goodman added: “Watford faced a pretty tough run of fixtures in November, but the Hornets passed the test with flying colours, accumulating 11 points from five games and going unbeaten in the process.
“Ivić arrived here with a huge reputation for moulding a water-tight defence that led to success in previous jobs, but it was scoring goals where they excelled in November, particularly at home where they netted 10 in three games.”
Sky Bet EFL trader Ivor Davies said: “Vladimir Ivić had to rejig his formation last month due to injuries but his side were still impressive and went unbeaten in November, winning three and drawing the other two to take the Hornets up to third place in the Championship.
“This saw Sky Bet cut their title odds into 5/1 for the title from 7/1 at the start of the month.
“Ivić’s side were one of the favourites for the title prior to the season and they look to be well placed to be promoted straight back to the Premier League (7/4).”
