HEREFORD United's new director of football has plenty of hard work to do after arriving at what he sees as the worst team in the Football League.

Former Preston, Exeter and Shrewsbury boss Gary Peters breezed into Edgar Street on Tuesday under no illusions about the size of the job to be done.

"I can’t say that I am impressed so far but I can say that I can understand why I have been brought in," said the 57-year-old.

"I saw the Cheltenham game and I thought it was a spirited performance and, I’m told, one of the better ones this season.

"We are well short of where we need to be.

"I have seen loads of games in this division this season and teams who you would expect to be down fighting for safety were, I thought, better teams than us.

"I have seen Macclesfield, Bradford, Northampton, Accrington – I’ve not yet seen Plymouth but if they get their takeover then they are going to come strongly.

"From what I have seen, we are the worst team and I think it is important that everyone at the club has realised that, and that we need to do something and have seen the danger."

Peters played a significant part in the career development of Everton boss David Moyes when the pair worked together at Preston and he sees a similar role, working with Bulls manager Jamie Pitman.

"I have to help Jamie with the things that he doesn’t want to do and leave him to get on with the things he wants to do," said Peters.

"He is the one who instigated this; he said that he wanted help – he had it last year with Lennie Lawrence who had done a great job at Bristol Rovers.

"It would give young managers more longevity if it was done more often.

"I have come in between Jamie and the board to help both parties but one of the biggest parts of my job is to make sure that Jamie is successful.

"If Jamie is successful then Hereford will be and if Hereford are successful then we are all doing our job."

Peters called on fans to get behind the club, insisting that his connection with one of the Bulls' great rivals had no relevance.

"We have to appeal to the fans," he said. "Footballers, managers – we’re mercenaries, we go and work for whoever is going to pay us at the time.

"People will say that Gary Peters is a Slop, well I’m not – now I’m working for Hereford. There should not be any rules about working for Shrewsbury and then for Hereford because Graham Turner has been magnificent for both."

While Peters has been brought in to take charge of football – in the words of the club statement announcing his appointment – 'from board room to boot room', Pitman will still have the last word on picking the side.

"Jamie will have the final say on matters on team selection," said Peters.

"I can help with the decisions but I don’t think I ever made a decision at Preston without asking David Moyes, the coach Steve Harrison, the goalkeeper coach. You run it by everybody and try to get the best information.

"As a young manager, Jamie feels a bit lonely at times. He instigated the whole thing, we have talked for about eight hours already about how and whether it’s going to work.

We are going to give it a hell of a go, anyway."