EDDIE Howe has been tasked with keeping Cherries in the Football League after being appointed manager on a permanent basis.

Howe, who stepped in following Jimmy Quinn’s departure on New Year’s Eve, was offered the post following Cherries’ 1-0 defeat at Rotherham on Saturday.

The 31-year-old held talks with director Adam Murry (left) and chief executive Alastair Saverimutto and will remain in charge at least until the end of the season.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Echo last night, Murry, who was among the crowd with Saverimutto at the Don Valley Stadium, confirmed Howe’s appointment.

He said: “We are satisfied that Eddie is the right man to take the team forward because we have seen an improvement since he came in.

“We want the players to get behind Eddie. We want them to know he is their boss and he is in charge. We needed to take away any uncertainty and Eddie will take us through to the end of the season. We are backing him 100 per cent and have full confidence in him.

“From a personal point of view, I am satisfied from what I have seen from the time I have spent with Eddie and the players that he is the man to take the club forward.”

Howe took the reins for the first time during Cherries’ 2-1 defeat at Darlington on January 3 before his second match in charge also ended in disappointment in South Yorkshire.

Murry added: “It would be unfair to judge anybody after one game, especially as he only had two days to prepare for the Darlington match.

“However, we felt the team performed well at Darlington and there was also a vast improvement at Rotherham. Eddie hasn’t had an awful lot of time and his position is a difficult one because of our situation in the league.

“It is also very difficult to entice players to the club when you are operating on a caretaker basis and that was another reason for wanting to remove any uncertainty. We want to make sure the players Eddie is targeting know he is in charge on a permanent basis.

“The decision has been made for the good of the club and we are going to stick by him. Hopefully, our supporters will see this as a positive move and trust our decision.”

Asked whether Howe would have any more room to manoeuvre in the transfer window, Murry replied: “We haven’t categorically said no to any players he has brought to the table.

“We have to be realistic when it comes to money because the club only came out of administration a few months ago and we want to ensure it is stable.

“Eddie will continue his search as he sees best and we will continue to support him 100 per cent. He has got our full support to go forward and present to us any players he thinks would benefit the squad.”

Howe told the Daily Echo: “I would like to thank the directors for giving me this opportunity and am grateful to them for their support. In this job, you learn as you go along and I am enjoying it.

“I’d like to change the players’ mentality because I think we’re a bit weak in that area. We know there are things to improve on and a lot to work on. I’m pleased to be doing it.”