New Hull manager Iain Dowie says he is relishing the challenge of keeping the club in the Premier League after being appointed the new Tigers boss following the departure of Phil Brown.
Hull are currently 19th in the table and three points adrift of safety, following a disappointing run of four successive defeats.
But the experienced 45-year-old, who is set to take training for the first time on Thursday, believes he can save the team from relegation this season.
He told Sky Sports News: "I'm really looking forward to the challenge. It's a difficult one but one that I can embrace and my favourite time is when I'm on the training ground - that's what I love to do.
"The buzz of preparing things, of organising, seeing improvement in players, seeing a plan come together, learning from a session that goes wrong and putting things right.
"Its being on your feet, being on the sharp end - there's nothing like being a coach.
"I'm coming to a working class town that has a ferocious fanbase that needs a team representative of that ferocity and tenacious spirit.
"The club have won one in 15 and in a poor run of form away from home. But what we must do is look forward.
"We've got nine great games - five at home and four away - and some games with people in and around us.
"We want to get to a position where destiny is in our own hands."
Dowie, who will be assisted by Steve Wigley and Tim Flowers, admits it has been a whirlwind few days.
He also believes there are good foundations at the KC Stadium that have been laid down by previous manager Phil Brown, giving him reason for optimism.
"It's all come as a bit of a whirlwind," he added. "I'm delighted. It's a huge challenge of course.
"We have to keep this club in the Premier League. It's a mark of the job Phil's done that says the calibre of individuals linked with the job.
"It's obviously a difficult time for Phil. I've been there, I had a fairly decent win percentage at QPR and it didn't work out for me.
"Too often too many managers come in and talk about what wasn't here before. Phil's done a great job here and should be applauded for it.
"So for me it's about looking forward and what we do from now on. It's not an easy one. We know it's a difficult situation.
"I'm looking forward to it, it's a great opportunity. I've got a lot of regard for Adam Pearson as a person.
"It's a city that can hold a Premier League ground. It has the fanbase to go on from here.
"There's no time for niceties. Come 10.30am tomorrow we're off and running."
Dowie's first game in charge is a trip to rock-bottom Portsmouth at the weekend, and he wants to start his tenure with a victory.
He remarked: "We've got a real tough away game at a resurgent Portsmouth, certainly at home under Avram Grant, so we've got to go there and try and get something on the board, try and win away from home.
"That's our ambition. We're going to play positively. It's not a time to be negative, we're going to go there and play in a positive fashion.
"What we require is the same tenacity and spirit they showed against Arsenal, and hopefully in the brief time put my stamp on how I want the team to play.
"My teams always play with a high tempo and we'll hopefully do that. We'll get the ball down, we'll get it out and we'll play, that's important."
Hull chairman Adam Pearson is pleased with the appointment, despite the decision to appoint Dowie not being completely popular among the club's fans.
He said: "We've got a very honest manager who is going to give us some good discipline and integrity.
"He's going to work very hard. He's got a small package of games, nine games, but five or six in there we feel are eminently winnable.
"He's somebody who'll really embrace the challenge and get straight in there. He'll make a big impact on the squad.
"That is the plan. Everything at this stage in the season has a gamble about it but we're optimistic his presence and with his impact we'll have a change of fortune.
"Sometimes it is not possible to make popular decisions. Sometimes those hopes of the supporters are slightly unrealistic.
"We've a manager here who understands about survival battles, who understands the Premier League, and has good relationships with players and works hard.
"We've picked a specific man for a specific job."