CHRIS Powell is ready to prove himself to Southend United’s supporters for a second time.

The 48-year-old became a huge fans favourite during his successful six year stint as a player at Roots Hall.

And he is now also eager to impress as a manager after being named as Phil Brown’s successor.

“This is the club where I learnt my trade and proved myself as a player but now I want to prove myself as a manager to the fans too,” said Powell.

“I had player of the year awards here and someone even told me I was voted the club’s hero which is great when you consider we had people like Stan Collymore, Brett Angell, David Crown, Steve Tilson and Ricky Otto.

“We had some great players around that time and overachieved really.

“We got promotion into what is now the Championship and I can remember us going top of that League for a short while.

“That was a long time ago now but I want to add those memories as a manager, and that’s what I will be working hard to achieve.”

Powell - who made 290 appearances for the Shrimpers in the early 1990s - will take training for the first time today as he starts to prepare for Saturday’s clash with Scunthorpe United.

And the former left-back is keen for Blues’ fans to play their part.

“I want to engage with the fans here, I want them to stay solid and for more to come along too,” said Powell.

“I always had a great relationship with the fans and I know that they get behind you when things aren’t going well which is great.

“That’s important when you have young players and we will need them to back us during the big, big 18 games we have coming up.”

Blues are currently 20th in the League One standings, having suffered eight defeats in their last nine games.

As a result, the Shrimpers find themselves just one point and one place above the relegation zone.

And Powell is therefore keen to improve the team’s morale.

“I want to make this a happy place again,” said Powell.

“I watched training on Tuesday and the boys all looked in good heart.

“I’ve been there as a player and it can be hard to get that confidence back but that’s definitely what we’ll be looking to do.”

And chairman Ron Martin is confident Powell will be able to boost the team.

“Chris will lift not just the players but the fans and the town as well,” said Martin.

“He’s exactly what we needed.”