The 35-year-old has left his role as assistant to Roy Hodgson at Albion to sign a three-and-a-half-year contract at Fratton Park. Appleton played for Manchester United as a young midfielder and also had spells with Lincoln, Grimsby, Preston and the Baggies before his career was cut short by a knee injury in 2003 and he moved into coaching. He is the 21st man to have played under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford and gone on to become a manager, following the likes of Steve Bruce, Roy Keane, Mark Hughes and Bryan Robson. And Appleton has set his sights joining his old boss in the Premier League with Pompey. He told the club's official website, www.portsmouthfc.co.uk: "I'm delighted and excited to be taking the job and hopefully I can share that enthusiasm and excitement out around the club. "It's going to be a progressive challenge. You get judged on results and the first team is the most important thing, but we want to build the infrastructure of the club, developing the academy and hopefully along the line getting our own training ground. Things like recruitment will be key. "Hopefully, with a sensible approach, we can take the club forward. "It was very difficult to leave West Brom because I had spent nearly a third of my life there and had made a lot of good friends and worked with good people. "But it was time for me to take on a different challenge, and this is one I'm really excited about. "Portsmouth have fantastic traditions and the supporters are renowned throughout the football world for being very loud and getting behind the team. We want to give them something to shout about. "A few years ago Portsmouth were a successful Premier League club. I would like to think I can help the people at the football club achieve that again." Appleton replaces Steve Cotterill, who left to join Nottingham Forest last month, and takes over with Pompey 16th in the npower Championship. He is the club's fifth manager in little more than three years, but Albion boss Hodgson has backed his former number two to be a success on the south coast. He said: "I, and the rest of the coaching staff, would like to wish Michael all the very best in his new job and thank him very much for the work he has put in during my brief time at the club. "I realise what an excellent club servant he has been over the years and he fully deserves this opportunity to manage a team of his own. "We will miss him and, in an ideal world, we would have liked him to still be here with us. "However, I was fully behind the club's decision not to stand in his way when this excellent opportunity presented itself and our loss is going to be Portsmouth's gain."
