A ringing endorsement from West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce convinced Teddy Sheringham to take the managerial position at Stevenage.

The former England and Tottenham striker was announced as Graham Westley’s successor at the Lamex Stadium on Thursday.

He left his role as an attacking coach at West Ham to join Boro.

While calling is first venture into management a big step, he said Big Sam helped him make the decision.

“I spoke to Sam and said I’d had an approach. He said ‘wow’ and when I told him who the club was he said ‘take it’,” said Sheringham.

“He’d heard the chairman is good, the training ground is fantastic and it’s a club that is positive and wants to go places.

“His initial reaction was ‘take the job’.”

With over 25 years of management experience, Allardyce gave Sheringham words of wisdom to take into the Stevenage job.

“He said ‘make sure it’s a good chairman that you’re working for’. [Phil Wallace] seems like a nice bloke to me. He’s very successful in his own right, and he’s come across as a good man.

“Sam also said ‘when you’re picking your backroom staff, make sure you can depend on them, have a good look at their characters. You’re going to see them on a day-to-day basis and talk to them a lot so make sure they’re good people.’”

Sheringham insisted he isn’t going to make an knee-jerk appointment to his backroom staff but wants someone in place soon.

“I’m going to have a good look around and see what’s available,” he said.

“To even think about it would be a snap call that might be a bad reaction. I’m going to take my time but at the same time get someone in quick.”