Kenny Jackett, former Wales and Watford player and successful manager, dies aged 64

The former Watford and Wales player Kenny Jackett, who managed clubs including Wolves, Millwall and Swansea, has died at the age of 64.

Jackett won 31 Wales caps during a playing career spent entirely with Watford, his local club, before starting his managerial career with Watford in 1996. He took charge of more than 900 games across spells with seven clubs, most recently Leyton Orient but also including Portsmouth, Millwall and Swansea.

Jackett, an accomplished left-footed defensive midfielder, was part of Watford’s most successful team that, under Graham Taylor, won promotion to the top flight in 1982. They finished second in the top division in 1983 and reached an FA Cup final the following season, losing to Everton.

After retiring from playing, Jackett joined Watford’s coaching staff and managed the team in the 1996-97 season before demotion back to the ranks after a 13th-placed finish in the third tier.

His management career took off when he built a strong side at Swansea, whom he led to promotion from League Two in 2005. After resigning in February 2007 he joined Millwall, taking them to two consecutive League One playoff finals, the second of which was won to take them up in 2009. He also oversaw a run to an FA Cup semi-final with the Lions in 2012-13 before resigning after an end-of-season slump.

That summer Jackett joined Wolves, who had just been relegated to League One. He engineered a swift turnaround in their fortunes as Wolves cruised to the title with a then-record 103 points. A seventh-placed finish in the Championship followed but he was dismissed in 2016 after the club’s takeover by the Chinese conglomerate Fosun International.

A brief spell in charge of Rotherham was followed by a four-year stay at Portsmouth and a less successful eight months at Leyton Orient, who dismissed him in February 2022. Jackett had a spell as director of football at Gillingham from January 2023 to November 2024, when he resigned on health grounds.

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Watford said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our former player and manager Kenny Jackett. A true club legend and one of our own, Watford-born Kenny was instrumental in some of our greatest successes as a player before going on to serve as coach and then manager. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”

Wolves paid tribute, saying: “Kenny led the club to its incredible record-breaking League One title and laid the foundations for the club as we know it today.”

A Wolves statement said: “Jackett will for ever be loved and remembered by everyone associated with Wolves for the incredible job he did in helping turn the club around after dropping from the Premier League into League One.”