Cherries legend Steve Fletcher believes the club's new management team can succeed and says: Big-name bosses don't always work.

Fletcher today backed Cherries' decision to choose interim chief Paul Groves as Lee Bradbury's permanent successor.

Groves and assistant Shaun Brooks have been handed two-year contracts following an eight-game stint in caretaker charge.

A number of supporters posting online were unimpressed by the appointment after they had called for a higher profile and more experienced manager. Former England boss Glenn Hoddle and two ex-Premier League stars were linked with the vacancy in recent weeks.

But Fletcher told the Daily Echo: “I think it is a very good appointment.

“Everybody has been saying that we should have big names here and names have been thrown around left, right and centre, but I don't think that always works.

“Just because we have maybe got a little bit more collateral to put into the club, it doesn't mean you have to go and get a big-name manager to succeed.

“We have seen many times before where big-name managers have gone into smaller clubs and it just hasn't worked at all. In fact, it has probably had the opposite effect.”

Fletcher, who has one year remaining on his Cherries contract, added: “I get on really well with Paul and Shaun and have done since they came to the club.

“I always took an interest in the youth side when they were doing that and went down to the centre of excellence a few times through Shaun inviting me.

“I trained here a couple of days a week when I was on loan with Plymouth. I enjoyed their training.

“They instilled a lot of discipline in the squad, which we probably needed at the time.”

• FOR COMMENT AND REACTION ON CHERRIES' MANAGERIAL APPOINTMENT, SEE TOMORROW'S DAILY ECHO.