Match ends, Burnley 0, Watford 0.
BurnleyBurnley0WatfordWatford0
Roy Hodgson said his return to the Premier League as Watford manager was a "baptism of fire" after his side secured a point in his first game at bottom side Burnley.
Watford remain in the relegation zone after the goalless draw but former England manager Hodgson believes he has the "knowhow to help them" stay in the top flight.
Hodgson has never suffered relegation from the Premier League.
"I was more than prepared to walk away for longer than seven months but [they] convinced me I could do a job for them," said Hodgson.
"I had that stress before, but the way we work, I felt we could have an effect and give us a chance to stay up. But I've had a baptism of fire like the players.
"We have to keep Watford in the league. That's how it is and that's what we'll work towards."
Watford came closest to breaking the deadlock at Turf Moor just before half-time, when Clarets skipper Ben Mee almost turned the ball into his own net from a corner.
Burnley's best chances came after the break when Maxwel Cornet forced a decent save out of Ben Foster with a curling shot and £12m new-boy Wout Weghorst fired wide after being set-up by James Tarkowski.
But, in their first home game since the middle of December and only their 19th game of the season - the latest any side has reached the halfway point of a Premier League campaign - Sean Dyche's Burnley still lack conviction around the penalty area and have recorded a solitary win all season.
They are now three points behind fourth-bottom Norwich, albeit with three games in hand, and boos accompanied the final whistle.
Watford are two points better off from two extra games and Hodgson can take comfort from the clean sheet, his side's first in 31 Premier League matches.
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Roy's return
As the opening period drew to a close, the TV cameras panned on to Hodgson.
He was stood in his technical area, the rain swirling around him, utterly drenched. His glasses were steamed up, his hands were stuffed into his pockets.
At the age of 74, Hodgson had no need to put himself through a foul Lancashire evening. He didn't need to join a 17th club in his stellar career.
But football is Hodgson's life. The former England boss thrives on the challenge and he even joked afterwards that he did not notice the horrific weather conditions.
"I was aware of the wind and rain because of how it was affecting the game. It was only at half-time when I came in and saw how wet I'd got that I realised how much it was raining!" he added.
He will be delighted with the clean sheet, even if he failed to join the company of Xisco Munoz, who remains alone among Watford's last 11 managers to win his first game.
Watford did have chances. Joao Pedro should have done better with a second-half header that went straight to Nick Pope, who was tested to a far greater degree by Tom Cleverley's long-range effort in the final stages.
In Moussa Sissoko and Edo Kayembe, Watford were able to gain control in midfield, which meant Burnley were never able to generate a head of steam that might seriously threaten a home win.
Burnley lack cutting edge
Dyche can only hope the Weghorst and Cornet combination eventually click into gear as the lack of goals is a clear threat to their five-year stay in the top flight.
In patches, both looked decent, without truly getting on top of the Watford backline.
And Burnley's hopes were not helped by repeatedly gifting their opponents possession with poor passing under minimal pressure.
Mee was particularly wasteful, which was not the way he would have wanted to mark a decade of outstanding service.
He came perilously close to turning the ball into his own goal and was relieved that first, Aaron Lennon stopped the ball, before his central defensive partner Tarkowski cleared it.
Substitute Jay Rodriguez steered a header wide of the far post in the latter stages, although by then, it appeared both sides had settled for a point.
Line-ups
Burnley
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Pope
- 14Roberts
- 5Tarkowski
- 6Mee
- 23Pieters
- 17LennonSubstituted forRodriguezat 66'minutes
- 18Westwood
- 16StephensBooked at 45mins
- 11McNeil
- 20Cornet
- 9Weghorst
Substitutes
- 2Lowton
- 4Cork
- 13Hennessey
- 19Rodriguez
- 22Collins
- 25Norris
- 26Bardsley
- 28Long
- 37Thomas
Watford
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Foster
- 21Femenía
- 15Cathcart
- 22Samir
- 14Kamara
- 33Kucka
- 19Sissoko
- 39KayembeSubstituted forCleverleyat 70'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 12Sema
- 10João PedroSubstituted forHernándezat 83'minutes
- 7KingBooked at 20mins
Substitutes
- 2Ngakia
- 5Troost-Ekong
- 6Louza
- 8Cleverley
- 11Masina
- 17Fletcher
- 26Bachmann
- 27Kabasele
- 29Hernández
- Referee:
- Craig Pawson
- Attendance:
- 19,527
Match Stats
Home TeamBurnleyAway TeamWatford
- Possession
- Home52%
- Away48%
- Shots
- Home13
- Away11
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away5
- Corners
- Home4
- Away7
- Fouls
- Home16
- Away9
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Burnley 0, Watford 0.
Post update
Foul by James Tarkowski (Burnley).
Post update
Joshua King (Watford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Booking
Tom Cleverley (Watford) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Dwight McNeil (Burnley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Tom Cleverley (Watford).
Post update
Corner, Burnley. Conceded by Craig Cathcart.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Maxwel Cornet (Burnley) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
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Wout Weghorst (Burnley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Craig Cathcart (Watford).
Post update
Corner, Watford. Conceded by Erik Pieters.
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Corner, Watford. Conceded by Nick Pope.
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Attempt saved. Tom Cleverley (Watford) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Cucho Hernández.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Cucho Hernández (Watford) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Hassane Kamara.
Post update
Attempt saved. Joshua King (Watford) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Kiko Femenía with a cross.
Post update
Foul by Wout Weghorst (Burnley).
Post update
Joshua King (Watford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution
Substitution, Watford. Cucho Hernández replaces João Pedro.
Post update
Foul by Ashley Westwood (Burnley).
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Comments
Join the conversation
They'll definitely both receive £80m+ more than the clubs with which they'll be competing in August.
They're both likely to return at first attempt.
End parachute payments.
What utter garbage that match was.
A top flight team who never pick up players from the lower leagues and never promote academy players. The club is a depressing bottleneck of bang average foreign imports and, until Roy’s arrival, a haven for over hyped foreign coaches
Nadal vs Jokovich. It wasn't.
Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier. It wasn't.
Tonya Harding vs Nancy Kerrigan. It wasn't.
What it was ...
Sean Dyche vs Roy Hodgeson.
The most turgid match on the calender. Watching paint dry would be more worthwhile or counting hair on the head.
Both deserve to go down on that performance.