Burton Albion: Dino Maamria succeeds Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink after chairman meeting

Dino Maamria (right) arrived at Burton as assistant manager when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was reappointed boss in January 2021

Dino Maamria says he has replaced Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as permanent manager of League One's bottom side Burton.

Maamria said he spoke to Burton owner Ben Robinson to clarify his position after Hasselbaink resigned on Monday.

A statement from the club had said Maamria would step up from his role as assistant to prepare the Brewers for Saturday's game against Fleetwood.

"If we want to do this properly, we have to do it properly straight away," Maamria told BBC Sport.

Maamria explained that he went to club chairman Robinson to ensure he was installed as Hasselbaink's full-time replacement before speaking to the players after the Dutchman had decided to quit.

When asked about the conversation, former Stevenage and Oldham boss Maamria said: "We spoke about the caretaker thing and I said 'I'm not really'.

"Caretaker isn't really helping anybody, I want to know where I stand.

"I want to speak to the players about where I stand - this is not a short-term fix, it's a long-term fix.

"I am the full-time manager of Burton Albion Football Club."

Maamria says he "is under no illusions" about what uncertainly a job as a football manager - caretaker or otherwise - brings, and accepts he "could be here 10 years or five minutes".

"What I know is, this is my vision," he said. "I buy into the football club, I've sold myself to the chairman, the players and everybody what I can offer this football club. I've got to go and prove it."

Maamria has not worked as a first-team manager since being sacked as Oldham boss in July 2020, having overseen just nine wins in 32 games. The Latics had finished the campaign 19th after it was curtailed because the pandemic.

He takes the helm of a Burton side that has collected just one point from seven league games. They have conceded 24 goals in nine games in all competitions and failed to score in five of them.

Hasselbaink left the Brewers saying he had "taken the club as far as I can with the limited resources available" and Maamria admits he will need to recruit free agents if they are to improve.

'Burton can turn it around'

Still, the Tunisian says his introduction to management at Northwich Victoria in 2007, taking them from bottom of the old Conference Premier with just two points from their first 17 games to safety, is proof that things can be turned around at the Pirelli Stadium.

"I did that, I know I've done that," he said. "When you have done something like that you are confident.

"That is not saying I'm going to do it, but that gives me confidence.

"It's been an horrific start, a terrible start. Yes, seven games are gone but we have 39 games to go, this will not define our season.

"The first thing you do when you take over a team bottom of the table and low on confidence is build their confidence. You organise them, make it simple for them, and motivate them. Those three things will never fail me.

"I believe with my experience, my track record, my knowledge of this group of players, my good rapport with them, we can turn it around and we will."