NEW manager Paul Groves is vowing to get tough with his Cherries players as he bids to win over the Dean Court faithful.

Groves put discipline and professionalism at the top of his agenda after he was yesterday named as Lee Bradbury’s permanent successor on a two-year contract.

Ex-player-boss at Grimsby Town with coaching experience at Portsmouth and West Ham, Groves has been elevated from his position as caretaker following a spell as Cherries’ youth team chief.

Groves insisted he was “a lot wiser” than during his difficult Grimsby tenure and said he had learned from working for the likes of Harry Redknapp and Avram Grant.

The 46-year-old told the Daily Echo: “We will work extremely hard to try to produce a football team here that work very hard in terms of the hours they work and the days they work. From that point of view, that will be a guarantee.

“We will be professional, we will look at every little bit of detail and look to constantly improve on every aspect to keep moving things forward.

“They (the fans) can rest assured we will not leave anything unturned to make sure we take this football club forward.

“We are ambitious and hungry and we realise the fans have a major part to play.

“We will be looking for them to support us and to give them something to look forward to in terms of a brand of football they will enjoy and a team that gets the ball down to play, passes, keeps it on the floor and looks to hurt the opposition.”

A vastly experienced player in the Football League ranks, Groves captained Grimsby during a successful period and led them to Wembley victory over Cherries in the 1998 Auto Windscreens Shield.

In his time as Cherries’ interim boss, Groves had to deal with a number of off-field issues.

He added: “I think, to a degree, that was inherited from that point of view.

“A lot of that has been off the pitch and there are things you can put in place to make sure it is limited.

“But the individual has to take responsibility for their actions as well. That is something we will have to try to instil in the group.”

Derby-born Groves, Cherries’ 27th boss, becomes the first non former Cherries player to manage the club in 28 years. He will be assisted by ex-Cherries midfielder Shaun Brooks, who also penned a two-year deal.