FA Cup: Crystal Palace v Watford - Hornets boss Quique Sanchez Flores dismisses talk about his future
The Hornets head to Wembley to face Crystal Palace tomorrow amid rumours the club’s owners are not happy with their form since the turn of the year.
Despite their cup heroics and achieving Premier League survival with room to spare, Flores’s position still appears to be under threat after just three league wins in 2016.
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Hide AdBut the Spaniard insisted: “This is the time to talk about Watford, to talk about Watford fans and how important this is for this club.
“It is not the time to talk about me. I can just transmit to the Watford fans that I am completely focused and happy. Watford fans need to know that I am completely happy at Watford.
“My future is completely happy. because I have an amazing family, amazing kids, I am happy with my profession and I am completely happy with Watford fans.
“So my future is completely safe and is not important in this conversation. This conversation is about this match and Crystal Palace. The only thing I am worried about is this match.”
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Hide AdAlan Pardew has revealed Yannick Bolasie, Joe Ledley, Scott Dann and Joel Ward are fit to start for Crystal Palace tomorrow, but has criticised the Football Association for giving his team so little time to prepare.
The crucial quartet return after missing Wednesday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat at Manchester United, but for all of his optimism surrounding the condition of his first-team squad and their chances at Wembley, Pardew is unhappy on the demands placed on them.
Both Palace and Watford faced league fixtures on Wednesday in the knowledge their showdown could define their season, and at a time when it is feared the cup’s stature is in decline, Pardew says it should be given more respect.
“The FA need to look at this, because we all had to play (Wednesday) because of the European rule that we can’t play on European nights,” said Pardew. “I think the Premier League get fined for that and that’s something they perhaps need to re-negotiate.
“We’re squeezing games in; the run we’ve had, this is our fourth game in 12 days. That’s a tough run, when you’ve got a semi-final, the biggest game in this club’s history for a while.”