New Stevenage manager Paul Tisdale believes the next month will be a journey of discovery for both himself and his players - but it is one he is undertaking with huge optimism.

The former Exeter City and MK Dons boss was announced on Sunday as the man to take over from Alex Revell at the helm of the struggling League Two club but despite the club's lowly league position, the 48-year-old has been pleasantly surprised at what he has found at the Lamex.

He said: "As soon as we spoke I looked deeply into the way the team was playing, what the team is, the club, the environment and the people involved so I could ask good questions and make an informed decision.

"It’s been an enjoyable process actually. I’ve been surprised by the good things I’ve heard and the potential in the club.

"I’m a football manager that has been doing it for a long time. By definition you get to know some players well and others less so.

"But you do have to lean on recommendations and you do have to lean on advice from other people.

"The one thing that has come through is that it is a good dressing room and there are some really good people in there, not just the players but the team around the team.

"That gives me a lot of optimism of how I can affect that group and get the performances on the pitch.

"One of the surprises, if I can say that, is that a team that is struggling at the wrong end of the table, needing results, are still very motivated.

"They are fully behind the club and the team and it is a good environment and often when a team is having a bad run, that is not the case.

"That is certainly credit to the players, credit to the previous management team and the club as a whole that the environment exists.

"I’m very much looking forward to making their acquaintance properly and seeing if I can have an effect on them.

"One thing for sure it is a good place to walk in to."

It will be a whirlwind start for the new man who takes change of his first game tomorrow (Tuesday) when Boro go to Sutton United in the Papa John's Trophy.

That is followed by a trip to Yeovil Town in the FA Cup before two huge home games in the league against fellow strugglers Scunthorpe United and Carlisle United.

It gives both boss and squad the perfect opportunity to hit the ground running.

Tisdale said: "It’s my job to make sure I optimise the talent and the ability in the squad.

"You are always looking to outperform your standing and that’s what I need to do in the next couple of months.

"At the moment I’ve just got to give them some structure and ask them to play their best football so we can judge how we go forward.

"Once I’ve established their best, I can make decisions about the future.

"The second you sign as a manager, I believe that those players in the squad become your players.

"I don’t adhere to the view that I need to create my own squad before I can be judged.

"Those players that are at the training ground are my players, I am the manager. They will represent me and in time no doubt, that will change because football is a transient business, but at the moment they are my players and I want to give them the best opportunity to show me what they’ve got so I can put them in the best positions on the pitch and get the system I think will get us the most results.

"Whether I’ve got to change a lot, who knows, but there is more than one way of winning a game of football.

"I’ve just to discover ours very quickly."