MONTHS of unrest and internal conflict in the boardroom came to a head this week when the Russo brothers, Jimmy and Vince, were removed from the Watford Football Club PLC board.

The dramatic move was officially announced on Tuesday but it would seem that chairman Graham Simpson and chief executive Mark Ashton have been at loggerheads with the Italian brothers for some time, with the progress - or lack of it - the team has made under Aidy Boothroyd this season likely to have been one of the major bones of contention.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Russos claim they were jettisoned "contrary to our wishes and without any justification whatsoever". That would add credence to the belief they were very much on the fringe of decision making and that the process of marginalising them has been gathering momentum.

The Russos were at Sheffield United on Saturday and something clearly took place in the 72 hours after the game to spark their removal. On the basis of their press statement, court action may be likely "Our concerns have been and remain the best interests of Watford Football Club and its supporters," said a statement released by the Russos on Wednesday.

"Our removal from the board is completely contrary to our wishes and without any justification whatsoever.

"We have been long-term supporters financially and generally of the club. It comes as a complete shock that the board should see fit to take this action at such a critical stage in the club's history."

The Russos still hold a 29 per cent stake in the club and are still owed millions of pounds, including the unsecured loans that helped buy back the ground.

Removing the pair from the board against their wishes means the Russo are no longer part of the decision making process at Vicarage Road, leaving Ashton, Simpson and Andy Wilson, a financial advisor to Lord Ashcroft, to call the shots.

Ashcroft is the club's largest shareholder but is not a director and holds no formal power. The board would therefore not be obliged to consult Ashcroft before making a decision.

The events of this week appear to be the culmination of a power struggle and a personality clash that has been simmering for months. It may be that Simpson and Ashton began to increasingly view the Russos as a threat.

During Ashton's time at the club, Susan Graham, the finance controller and operations manager, Steve Simmons, the financial director, Richard Walker, communications manager, Tony Yorke, head of communications, and former commercial director James McLaughlin have all left the club.

Simpson, in particular, was far from happy with an interview Jimmy Russo, the vice-chairman, gave to this newspaper in December and Iain Moody, then the club's media officer, contacted the paper to relay Simpson's anger and stress the need to speak to the chief executive or chairman in future. This may well have caused a rift at boardroom level.

The straight-talking Russos are unlikely to have been happy with the way the team have performed on their return to the Premiership and will no doubt have voiced their disapproval at finishing bottom of the Premiership with just four wins.

But any criticism of Boothroyd is likely to have fallen on deaf ears and met with disapproval as Simpson and Ashton, in particular, continue to back the manager implicitly in his quest to establish Watford as a top-ten club by 2010.

Boothroyd's relationship with the Russos is unclear and he may have been an influential figure behind their removal. The manager, who has the reputation of not handling criticism particularly well, is unlikely to have taken kindly to anyone questioning his dealings in the transfer market. Dan Shittu, Damien Francis and Steve Kabba were all signed at a cost of nearly £4m yet have not had the impact that was expected.

Said Boothroyd: "I'm not briefed well enough to comment on what is going on but there is nothing to worry about. I work for great people and, as a manager, you need that.

"This club is very much going in the right direction. We are still shooting for 2010. We've got a bit of work to do as we are light years away from that at the minute."

The timing of the news, which comes just a week after Ashton was made a director, also raised a few eyebrows.

It is believed the idea of Ashton's elevation to the board was first mooted in January amid concerns that he was rumoured to be the subject of an approach by Manchester United. The move, recommended by Simpson, was unanimously agreed by the board. Ashton's promotion to the board was confirmed last week and one of his first acts as a director was to vote the Russos off the board.

The Russos have been directors at Vicarage Road since January 2004. Their initial cash injection of £2m-plus proved something of a salvation for the struggling club, who were believed to be two weeks away from administration. Their investment over the years is understood to have reached £8m.

They funded the transfer of Paul Mayo in March 2004, took up their full entitlement of nine million shares in the issue in March last year and it is believed they paid half the money towards buying back the freehold of the ground, a move that helped stabilise the club.

It is also understood they even deferred repayment on the unsecured loans they, along with Simpson, gave the club to buy back Vicarage Road.

It is believed the windfall from promotion to the Premiership, coupled with the money from the sale of Ashley Young, means the club no longer rely on the Russos' money.

The Watford Supporters Trust said they were concerned by the departure of two men who played such a pivotal role in securing the club's future. They also feel that a lack of information from the club left a lot of questions unanswered.

"It is with some concern that the Watford Supporters Trust learned of the removal of Giacomo and Vincenzo Russo from the board of Watford Leisure," a statement read.

"While the board of the Supporters Trust was informed of the actions to be taken prior to the public announcement, the reasons behind the actions have not been disclosed.

"The rather terse nature of the announcement has led to a lot of ill-judged and ill-informed rumour, which can only be to the detriment of the club.

"This is only exacerbated by the statements in the press, attributed to the Russos, expressing their view that their removal from the board was unjustified and contrary to their wishes. We look forward to a further statement from the board of Watford Leisure addressing these concerns.

"The board of the Watford Supporters Trust would like to take this opportunity to thank Jimmy and Vince Russo for their investment in the club and their efforts while on the board, which have been instrumental in the stabilisation of the club following one of the most difficult times in its history."

Watford FC chairman Graham Simpson said in a statement: "On behalf of the board I would like to express our gratitude to Giacomo and Vincenzo Russo for their contribution to Watford Leisure and their commitment to the Football Club during their tenure."

Following the release of this statement, the Watford Observer submitted a number of questions to the Hornets regarding the removal of the Russos from the board.

These questions included what was the justification for removing the brothers from the board? Did the interview the Watford Observer conducted with Jimmy Russo in January cause a difference of opinion? Was the boardroom split a result of a personality clash with either Ashton or Simpson? And have the Russos ever called for Boothroyd to be removed as a manager?

In response, the Hornets chairman said: "I believe it is in the best interests of Watford Football Club that we make no comment with regards to specific questions relating to the removal of Giacomo and Vincenzo Russo from the board."