Can Watford's latest manager secure promotion?

Gianfranco Zola was so close to getting Watford promoted

Oh Watford. What has been going on? Yet another new manager has been brought in and is he the man who can return Watford to the Premier League?

We've all used the phrase "they've had more (insert whatever metaphor you like) than I've had hot dinners".

For Watford right now, that something is managers. The Championship club are on to their fourth manager in a remarkable 37-day spell.

Former Partizan Belgrade boss Slavisa Jokanovic is the latest incumbent of the Vicarage Road hot seat.

The club's owners are desperate to secure promotion and the Serb is unlikely to last long if things don't go to plan.

They are one of three sides level on points at the top right now, so can Jokanovic help them rejoin the big time?

Managerial Rotation

The Watford owners appear to be rotating managers like some clubs do players.

Beppe Sannino quit his post on August 31 amidst rumours of discontent in the dressing room.

Former Brighton boss Oscar Garcia was appointed his successor. After suffering chest pains, Garcia stepped aside for health reasons and was replaced by the man he brought in as coach, Billy McKinlay.

The Scot took charge of two games - collecting four points - before being removed after eight days to make way for Jokanovic.

It is a remarkable chain of events. All the more so considering the club are joint top of the Championship - third on goal difference only - as they approach the second quarter of the season.

Watford's owners are the Pozzo family. They have a notoriously difficult time keeping their managers in place - 25 permanent managers in 28 years at their Italian club Udinese.

What will please Watford fans is their record of success. Both Udinese and Spanish outfit Granada were taken on by the Pozzo clan as underachieving second-tier outfits and now sit as top-flight mainstays in Serie A and La Liga.

Who is Slavisa Jokanovic?

A fair question. Jokanovic is not entirely unknown to English football fans having played for Chelsea under Claudio Ranieri for two seasons.

The defensive midfielder was by no means a star and his managerial career is not immediately astonishing.

He guided Partizan Belgrade to a 'double double' by winning the Serbian league and cup in 2007/08 and again in 2008/09.

He also won the Thai Premier League in 2012 and was last spotted managing Hercules in the Spanish third tier before arriving at Watford.

Gino Pozzo described him this week as "an experienced head coach with a winning pedigree".

The remit is quite clear for the new coach: Promotion.

What are his chances?

Gianfranco Zola came within an agonising whisker of promotion two years ago after Kevin Phillips' extra-time penalty for Crystal Palace denied them after they had finished the season in third spot.

Last season under Zola and latterly Sannino, Watford appeared to suffer a hangover and didn't manage to threaten the play-offs.

The Vicarage Road players deserve immense credit for their efforts under such testing circumstances this term.

Sannino's final game was the 4-2 win over Huddersfield on August 30. From that day, they've tasted defeat just once in six games.

Watford's strength in recent seasons has been their goal-scoring ability. In finishing third under Zola they were comfortably the Championship's top scorers with 85 goals.

Despite struggling last term, they returned a very credible 74.

In Troy Deeney and Fernando Forestieri they have a little and large duo that cause trouble at this level. It is, however, the return of Matej Vydra that could prove crucial for Jokanovic.

The Czech Republic striker scored 20 goals on loan from Udinese two years ago. After an indifferent spell at West Brom last term, he is back on another season-long loan at Vicarage Road from the Serie A club.

Jokanovic has got the attacking potential needed to get out of the Championship. If he can forge a slightly more resolute defensive set-up to go along with it, his owners could get their desired rewards.

Recent events show that a good start is needed or the Serb may not be around to see how the season finishes.