Watford slump draws criticism from former owner Elton John

Elton John has criticised Watford's recent results after a 4-0 home defeat by Burnley left the club 20th in the Championship. BBC Sport reported that the former owner expressed his disappointment in a response to an Instagram post by the club. The comment has since been deleted, according to the report.

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John described himself as a lifelong supporter and said he felt for fans watching the team's decline over recent weeks. Watford have lost three league matches in succession and five of their past six. Saturday's defeat came against a Burnley side that had been 22nd in the table, with the visitors establishing a 3-0 advantage inside the opening 25 minutes.

Burnley's own record made the result particularly notable. Before their trip to Vicarage Road, they had won only one league match in 2026: a Premier League victory against Crystal Palace in February. They had also gone almost a year without an away win before ending that wait with four goals against Watford.

The downturn follows a more encouraging opening under Alessio Dionisi, who was appointed in June on a two-year deal. Watford beat Southampton at home before drawing away to Wrexham and at home against West Ham. Since those opening results, their only points have come from a 2-1 home victory over Preston last month. Dionisi is the club's 12th permanent head coach since the end of the 2020-21 season, excluding interim appointments.

John's connection with Watford includes two periods as owner. During his first spell, Graham Taylor led the club from the fourth tier to second place in Division One and into European football in the 1970s and 1980s. John returned to take control in the mid-1990s and brought Taylor back, with successive promotions taking Watford into the Premier League in 1999.

The 79-year-old relinquished control for a second time in 2002, but his association with the club remains visible at Vicarage Road, where a stand bears his name. His book Watford Forever, released in 2024, detailed that relationship. His latest intervention was a public expression of frustration at the results of his boyhood club.