This is great ..but I don’t know how long for!

HORNETS BOSS UNDER NO ILLUSIONS ABOUT HIS NEW JOB

JAVI GRACIA clocked on in the job where head coaches last an average of 208 days and admitted: “I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

Spanish dark horse Gracia became the 10th man to take charge of Watford since owner Gino Pozzo installed revolving doors at Vicarage Road in 2012.

The former Malaga and Rubin Kazan coach has signed an 18-month contract.

And, if he survives the full term, he will have lasted longer than the most durable of his nine predecessors – Gianfranco Zola, who quit after 533 days.

Gracia, 47, was parachuted in by the Hornets last weekend after Marco Silva ran out of goodwill, following his flirtation with the Everton job and just five points from his last 11 Premier League games.

Gracia inherits a squad decimated by injuries and further weakened by captain Troy Deeney’s inability to train all week, due to illness.

Gracia was asked whether he wanted to be at Watford for the long haul and replied: “I would like that – and I am confident.

“I would like to be here a long time, but I don’t know. Coaches’ lives depend on many things, including results, but I like it a lot. I think Watford is a nice place, a really good club and already I feel comfortable here.

“But you never know what happens in the future and we need to get good results because the last coach leaves due to results.

“I knew, when I came here, that no one has stayed more than one full season – but you never know. I am confident I can be different.”

After taking just five training sessions, Gracia is already convinced Watford’s slide towards the cliff-edge will not culminate in relegation. That is despite only four points separating the 10th-placed Hornets from Southampton – their opponents in the FA Cup fourth round tomorrow – in the drop zone.

Gracia said: “I am sure of that – sure of it. Based on the quality, commitment, effort, ambition, everything.

“I have watched all of Watford’s games this season and I have my opinion why results have changed, but it would not be correct to speak about the work of another coach.”

As with Silva’s reign, Gracia insists on English being the “official language” among the 17 different nationalities in the Hornets’ first-team squad.

Those players include English, Brazilian, Dutch, Uruguayan, French, Austrian, Jamaican, Nigerian, Malian, Northern Irish, Spanish, Greek, Belgian, Peruvian, Italian, Argentinian and Irish.

“It’s normal,” added Gracia, who is unfazed by the situation. “In my last job, with Rubin Kazan, there were 15 different nationalities. I don’t worry about that. But, on the training pitch, English must be the official language – we need to make a big effort to learn English and communicate with each other.” Watford bosses since 2012

June 2012: Sean Dyche Sacked on takeover December 2013: Gianfranco Zola 17 months August 2014: Beppe Sannino 8 months) September 2014: Oscar Garcia 3 weeks October 2014: Billy Mckinlay 8 days June 2015: Slavisa Jokanovic 8 months May 2016: Quique Sanchez Flores 11 months May 2017: Walter Mazzarri 11 months

Janury 2018: Marco Silva 7 months