Former Watford winger Jobi McAnuff says the club's decision to sack head coach Tom Cleverley is "ridiculous".
The Hornets were sixth and in play-off contention after a 2-1 win over Portsmouth on Boxing Day but fell away to finish 14th.
"When you've got a squad as thin as theirs - there has been no investment, same as in the summer - he pulls out a miracle really in that first half of the season," McAnuff told Football Daily 72+: The EFL Podcast.
"I think it's a classic case of a club believing they should be where they were in the league and he was overachieving, there's no two ways about it.