Darren Moore insists he is the man to lead the massive rebuild needed after Port Vale’s two-season stay in Skybet League One ended in a 2-0 defeat at Bolton.
Moore says he is sufficiently “energised” to try to transform the fortunes of a side that were early-season third tier pacesetters.
Vale had to win at the Toughsheet Community Stadium and hope results elsewhere went in their favour to keep them up.
But second-half goals from Aaron Collins and Cameron Jerome sent them down and kept alive Wanderers’ slim hopes of automatic promotion.
“The biggest thing is to galvanise and get together to start the rebuilding for next season,” said Moore, less than 12 months after taking Sheffield Wednesday into the Championship.
“But I am here for the rebuild. I am energised.
“It is fantastic club with wonderful owners and a wonderful fan base.
““We have lots of ideas going forward and I look forward to getting that plan into action. But it is a big rebuild, let’s not kid ourselves.
“Structurally, we have got to get it right first and then it will be implemented on the pitch.
“We have to get a team together to cope with the demands of that league (League Two) and be pushing on to get this club back to this league and beyond.”
Vale earned five of their 10 league wins by mid-September. Moore was appointed on a five-and-a-half-year deal five months later but failed to stop the rot.
“It’s a sad day,” he added. “You can hear a pin drop in the dressing room. The mood is down and sombre.”
Bolton must beat Peterborough on the final day of the season and hope second-placed Derby lose to Carlisle to avoid the play-offs for a second successive campaign.
“We must have laser focus for what lies ahead,” said manager Ian Evatt.
“We are a really good team and I have felt we have been in pretty good form for a couple of months.
“There is some hope. For us, it is being in a position to take advantage.
“We have to go to Peterborough and win, first and foremost. If we get a miracle elsewhere, then fantastic. If not then we continue our momentum into the play-offs.
“What is important is that we don’t look backwards. What’s done is done. There can be some frustrations but that is not going to help anyone moving froward.
“We could have scored more goals but we have seen that game a lot this season. Sometimes there is anxiety in the box when we should be more composed.
“But Aaron came up with a bit of magic and I’m delighted for Cameron to get a couple of goals this week because his performances deserve that.”
