Huddersfield Giants boss Ian Watson responds to fan discontent in impassioned defence of tenure

Watson's side have lost their last five games, including a Challenge Cup semi-final hammering by Warrington Wolves.

The losing streak has ramped up the pressure on Watson following a disappointing ninth-place finish last season.

A section of the club's support have called for Watson to be sacked but he is paying no attention to the outside noise.

"I don't see it so it doesn't really bother me," said Watson, who took over in 2021 and led the Giants to the Challenge Cup final and a third-place finish the following year.

"I'm not going to take advice from people who have never achieved anything and just want to have a pot shot at certain things.

"Somebody said to me the other day that we must have been wrong and when we came to this club they were playing in Grand Finals and Challenge Cup finals. We weren't doing that. We definitely hadn't played in two semi-finals in four years and getting to finals.

"I can't worry or try to prove other people wrong; it's just about doing my job to the best of my ability to give the players what they need going into games.

"If the club and group feel I'm the right person then I'm the right person for it. I'm not really worried about what anybody else says. I know what I do and what I'm about as a person."

Watson became the third coach to lead Huddersfield to a Challenge Cup final in the summer era but the club have floated in and out of contention in Super League without reaching a Grand Final.

The club's history and the current expectations do not stack up, according to Watson.

"Once you start doing things, people will say that I've been here four years now and we should be winning a comp," said Watson, who has suffered two fresh blows after captain Luke Yates and star centre Esan Marsters decided against renewing their contracts.

"When were you winning a comp before? We didn't come here because we were winning a comp.

"We want to try build things. Losing some of your best players at the end of the year doesn't help in that situation.

"As long as I'm making sure the players are ready for the weekend and I’m respected by the players then I'm doing my job.

"What I can't control is what people are saying on the outside. I know what effort the boys are putting in and how hard they work on the inside. I've no problem with the playing group here."

Huddersfield are eighth ahead of Friday's home clash with struggling Hull FC, four points adrift of the play-off positions.

During their recent run of defeats, the Giants have lost three games by six points or fewer.

Watson views those results as evidence that his team are not as far away as some people believe.

"There have been a hell of a lot of close games," he said.

"If we'd won those three games, would they all be saying it? We'd be sat near the top on 16 points.

"You've got to have a balance of where you actually are and how you've actually got there. It's small margins at this level.

"People are pretty quick to jump on people when it's not going so well and want to rip you apart and tear you down. That's why I don't buy into all that noise.

"If I get caught up in that, it'll start affecting what I'm trying to do. If I see the boys working hard and trying their best, I've not got a problem."

Watson was rewarded with a new contract midway through 2022 that still has two and a half years to run.

While he admitted that he can never relax in a job, Watson is philosophical about what the future might hold.

"I think I'm getting sacked every week," laughed the former Salford Red Devils boss.

"I've always been like that. As a player, I learnt very early to play every game as if it's your last ever game.

"That's all on them and their decisions. When people are on the inside, it's about making good decisions based on facts rather than saying, 'We didn't win the comp this year.'

"You tell me which teams have been winning the competition. If winning was easy, everyone would just do it.

"Do we want to win? One hundred per cent. That's what we're here for. We're ambitious and have a determination to compete to win things.

"Patience is not always there but it'll be what it'll be. Over the years with the amount of players we have lost, we've actually done alright.

"We're not a million miles away with this group. We just need to make sure we get our best players out on the field and tidy up on small little areas."