Billy McKinlay is the latest coach to be given his first managerial opportunity at Vicarage Road and if he continues Watford’s fine recent record regarding debutants, then it could be fourth time lucky for the Pozzos.

The Italian family did not take over the Hornets in 2012 so they could pop out to Cassiobury Park on their lunch breaks. The target is, and always has been, the multi-million pound windfall that is Premier League football.

They’ve tried the legendary status and free-flowing-style of Gianfranco Zola. They’ve tried the experienced Italian with a track record of securing promotion in Beppe Sannino. And they’ve tried the Barcelona-moulded Oscar Garcia.

It was time to look closer to home.

Like with any appointment – particularly when they have not fulfilled the role before – there was an element of risk when the Pozzos decided McKinlay was the man to lead their third push for promotion.

But the 45-year-old has served his apprenticeship after almost a decade of coaching at Fulham. The current England and Wales managers, Roy Hodgson and Chris Coleman, and Mark Hughes and Martin Jol have all had McKinlay on their staff.

He spent most of his time at Fulham working alongside former Watford boss Ray Lewington and the England assistant coach has publically backed McKinlay to succeed at the Hornets.

And Vicarage Road has proven to be an excellent training ground for talented coaches making their first venture into the managerial ranks.

Sean Dyche, Malky Mackay, Brendan Rodgers and Aidy Boothroyd all started with the Hertfordshire club and went on to manage in the Premier League. Looking even further back, Kenny Jackett and Lewington himself, have gone on to have successful careers.

Watford is now a very different club to the one frequented by those men. But you could argue McKinlay has been handed the best opportunity out of the lot to reach English football’s top flight with the Golden Boys.

McKinlay acknowledges he has been given an excellent opportunity.

He said: “I am fortunate. The progression the club has made over the last few years has been promising to say the least. Everything here is geared up for the club to do well and I am thankful for the opportunity.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with a good group of players and staff.”

“The training ground is fantastic, the stadium is coming along and we have a good group of players. I am confident we can have a successful season,” he added.

McKinlay only joined Watford on Friday as first-team coach and within four days had been given the top job.

The Scot addressed the local media on Monday afternoon, just two hours after his appointment was announced, but he remained measured. There were no bold predictions, no claims of overhauling the club’s philosophy and no massaging of his own ego.

But equally he made it clear that he believes he deserves to be in this position. That he is ready for the challenge.

He said: “I’ve been working ten years to build up the experience and the attributes to be able to do the job as best I can.

“So I am thoroughly excited and looking forward to it. Hopefully we can be successful.”

He continued: “I am confident I have the right attributes to be successful and I am hungry to do well. It’s a really good opportunity and I am looking forward to it.”

With the team fourth in the Championship when he took over, McKinlay acknowledged he doesn’t need to reinvent the Watford wheel.

Tuesday’s win over Brentford moved the Hornets level on points with league leaders Norwich City and second-placed Nottingham Forest.

But McKinlay knows there is work to do. The coach who is recognised for his ability to organise and develop a team’s shape will need to do just that.

Speaking before Tuesday’s game, McKinlay said: “It’s a testament to the staff and players that they are [high in the table] even with a few [managerial] changes. It shows me there is a nice way of working. The staff know their jobs and responsibilities and there is a consistent theme through to the players.

“I don’t see any real reason to come in and change too much. It’s been pretty successful this season and I want to continue that.”

”I will try to put my personal traits into the side but we’re in a good position and we have made a reasonable start to the season,” McKinlay continued.

“There were some good things shown on Saturday but others that we need to work on as well. I am excited about doing that and small things will change over the days and weeks.

“But there are settled players and staff here so I am not looking to change that work ethic.”

McKinlay admitted he wasn’t sure what type of manager he would be when asked on Monday.

Communication was one of the issues under Sannino but that is unlikely to be a problem during McKinlay’s reign.

He explained: “I think communication is key though in any walk of life. You need to talk to people and get your message across.

“You need a variety of attributes to be successful though. We want to be organised and we want the players to know what we are looking from them. Hopefully we can get the message across.”

He added: “I want to continue the type of style Watford have had over the last couple of years. There are a lot of good players here and I like to see a nice progressive passing game.

“But we need to win matches and ultimately produce good results. So I think with the quality of players we have got, we can produce a style of football that people will enjoy.

“Ultimately though fans want to see a winning team and that’s the most important thing. With the attributes of the players though, they’ll hopefully enjoy watching us as well.”

The dynamic of Watford’s dressing room is different to most Championship clubs due to their close links with Italian side Udinese and sister club Granada in Spain.

But McKinlay is used to working with different nationalities at Fulham, and recognised: “It is a multicultural game now. You look at every team and there are various nationalities. So I don’t think that will be a problem and communication will be key.

“The most important thing is to get them on the grass and get them working. We need to make sure we’re organised and players are playing in a system that suits their individual attributes.”

Watford have the squad to secure Premier League football. The Pozzos will be hoping they now have the head coach.