Alessio Dionisi faced the cameras on Thursday and delivered a clear message: the reports circulating after Tuesday's 5-1 defeat at Cardiff that he was about to lose his job were, in his own word, "fake news".

The Watford manager, appointed in June, confirmed he will take charge of Saturday's home fixture against Charlton Athletic despite the Hornets sitting 22nd in the Championship table after ten games, having lost six of them and all of the last four.

"There is good news, bad news or fake news probably," Dionisi told BBC Three Counties Radio. "In this case for the moment, it is fake news. But I don't decide."

That last clause carried weight. Dionisi was careful not to give himself a guarantee he cannot deliver. The decision rests with the Pozzo family ownership, and he acknowledged that he speaks to Gino Pozzo regularly. "Inside the training ground there is only one mentality, only one street for everyone," he said, presenting a picture of unity that the recent results have made harder to sustain.

A run that demands answers

Watford opened the season with three unbeaten games, including a first-day win over Southampton, and the early mood at Vicarage Road was cautious optimism. Since then the Hornets have won just once in the league, against bottom side Preston, and the past fortnight has brought the kind of defeats that trigger genuine alarm.

A 4-0 loss to Burnley at home was followed within days by the 5-1 rout in Wales, where Cardiff controlled the game from early on. Ten games in, that is a goal difference of minus 16, and Watford find themselves in the relegation zone.

The noise around the club has grown louder with every defeat. Former owner Elton John published a post on Instagram saying he was "upset and disappointed" by the team's performances before deleting it, and ex-Hornets midfielder Tom Ince described the Cardiff display as "soulless" on BBC Sounds.

Dionisi addressed both with a diplomat's care. "I have a lot of respect for everyone," he said. "For Elton John, I am sorry because I don't know him. But football is wonderful because everyone speaks their mind. There are supporters, there are journalists. There are a lot of people."

Fourteen years in the dugout

The Italian leaned on his experience when asked how he processes a period like this. "I have been a coach for 14 years, and it is normal. In my past there was negative and there was positive moments. At the moment it is a negative moment."

That perspective may be genuine, but perspective alone will not alter a table that shows Watford with only four points from a possible thirty. Saturday brings Charlton to Vicarage Road, a fixture the Hornets will be expected to approach as winnable, even if recent form has stripped away any sense of certainty about what this squad can deliver under pressure.

Whether Dionisi is still in the job by Sunday evening depends less on his own composure than on whether a result materialises. The manager knows that as well as anyone. Calling the sacking reports fake news buys him one more game. Three points would buy him considerably more.

Frequently asked

Is Watford manager Dionisi going to be sacked?
As of 16 October 2026, Dionisi confirmed he will take charge of Watford's next game against Charlton Athletic and described sacking reports as "fake news", though he acknowledged the final decision rests with the club's ownership.
Where are Watford in the Championship table?
Watford are 22nd in the Championship after ten games, having won just two and lost six, including their last four matches in a row.
What did Elton John say about Watford's poor form?
Former Watford owner Elton John posted on Instagram that he was "upset and disappointed" by the club's recent performances before deleting the message. Dionisi said he respected John's right to speak his mind.