Football fans were surprised when Watford announced that Marco Silva had been sacked on Sunday.

The Hornets have won just once in their past 11 Premier League matches but they still sit 10th in the table.

Gary Lineker and Michael Owen couldn’t make sense of the decision to sack the Portuguese.

“Absurd decision, in my opinion, by Watford to fire Marco Silva after his first bad run,” Lineker tweeted.

“He’ll be snapped up very quickly and Watford will almost certainly get someone less talented.”

Meanwhile, Owen added: “There are surprise sackings and then there is the sacking of Marco Silva!

“Regarded by so many in the game as one of the brightest young managers around and given the bullet so quickly by Watford. Good luck in finding anyone better…..”

Yet when you look at the situation a little more closely, it becomes easier to understand why Watford decided to axe Silva.

Their recent form has been awful and they sit just four points above the relegation zone. A relegation battle was a real possibility following a great start to the season.

And Matt Hughes of The Times has penned an article that digs deeper into just why Silva had to go.

What Silva did after Everton's approach

Uncertainty was created inside the dressing room at Vicarage Road when Everton made an approach for Silva after they sacked Ronald Koeman in October.

Silva made clear his desire to join Everton and his reaction to the Toffees’ approach suggests Watford were right to sack him.

According to The Times, the 40-year-old demanded meeting after meeting with Watford’s board to plead his case as he sought a move to Goodison Park.

There was simply no way Watford’s relationship with Silva could recover after he expressed his desire to leave the club.

Silva lost the dressing room

Hughes’ report goes on to state that Silva lost the dressing room at Vicarage Road.

“More significantly Silva’s command of the dressing room also declined, with the players sensing his lack of commitment and some even seeking to follow him to Goodison Park,” Hughes writes.

Silva apparently discussed with Andre Carrillo, the Peruvian winger on loan from Benfica, the possibility of him following his manager to Everton.

Silva’s man-management skills have also been questioned by staff at the club. Stefano Okaka, Etienne Capoue and Sebastian Prodl have all been ostracised, and he also irritated Watford’s hierarchy by demanding they sign players who were simply unattainable, such as Islam Slimani.

“It was his loss of the dressing room and the creeping fear of relegation that proved the final straw,” Hughes writes.