Kenny Jackett, the former Watford and Wales player who went on to manage seven clubs across the English Football League, has died at the age of 64. Tributes have poured in from the clubs he represented, with Watford describing him as “a local lad who quite simply lived and breathed the Hornets”. Jackett’s playing career was spent entirely at Watford, where he made 428 appearances and won 31 caps for Wales, before a knee injury forced him to retire at just 28. He then moved into coaching and management, taking charge of more than 900 games across spells with Watford, Swansea City, Millwall, Wolves, Rotherham United, Portsmouth and Leyton Orient.
Jackett was born in Watford and came through the club’s youth system. He was a left-sided defender or midfielder and was part of the Watford side that won promotion to the top flight under Graham Taylor in 1982. The following season, they finished second in the First Division, and in 1984 they reached the FA Cup final, losing to Everton. Jackett was eligible for Wales through his father Frank, who also played for Watford, and he went on to earn 31 caps for the national side. Persistent knee injuries ended his playing days in 1990, but he stayed at Vicarage Road as a coach before being appointed manager in 1996 when Taylor became director of football.
“Kenny Jackett, Watford legend and successful manager, dies aged 64”
As a manager, Jackett built a reputation for getting teams promoted from the lower divisions. At Swansea City, he led them to promotion from League Two in 2004-05, their final season at the Vetch Field, and won the Football League Trophy in 2006. He then moved to Millwall, where he won the League One play-offs in 2010 and took the club to an FA Cup semi-final in 2012-13. His most notable achievement came at Wolves, who had just been relegated to League One. Jackett engineered a swift turnaround, winning the third-tier title with a then-record 103 points in 2013-14. He followed that with a seventh-placed finish in the Championship before being dismissed in 2016 after the club’s takeover by Fosun International. He later managed Portsmouth, winning the Checkatrade Trophy in 2018-19, and had a brief spell at Leyton Orient. His final role in football was as director of football at Gillingham from January 2023 until he stepped down for medical reasons in November 2024.
Q: What clubs did Kenny Jackett manage? Jackett managed seven clubs: Watford (1996-97), Swansea City (2004-07), Millwall (2007-13), Wolves (2013-16), Rotherham United (2016), Portsmouth (2017-21) and Leyton Orient (2021-22). He also served as director of football at Gillingham.
Q: How many games did Kenny Jackett manage? Jackett took charge of more than 900 games across his managerial career, which spanned from 1996 to 2022.
Q: What were Kenny Jackett’s biggest achievements as a manager? His biggest achievements include winning the League One title with Wolves in 2013-14 with a then-record 103 points, leading Swansea to promotion from League Two in 2005, winning the League One play-offs with Millwall in 2010, and winning the Football League Trophy with Swansea in 2006 and the Checkatrade Trophy with Portsmouth in 2019.
Jackett’s death has been met with tributes from across the football world. The League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan said Jackett “stands as one of the most respected managers to have plied their trade in the EFL”. Watford chairman Scott Duxbury added: “Kenny holds legend status here following his remarkable achievements as a player, a coach and a manager, and the club has truly lost one of its own.” Jackett is survived by his wife Samantha and sons David and Ryan.