Ousted Oxford United boss Ian Atkins has taken a swipe at some of the people behind the scenes at the Kassam Stadium who, he says, hinder the club's chances of moving forward.

He was officially unveiled as Bristol Rovers' new manager at a press conference yesterday morning and promised to bring the good times back to the Memorial Stadium.

When Atkins left Oxford they were fourth in Division 3, just a point off third position, while now they are down in ninth place, 12 points behind third place and three points off the play-offs.

But he didn't gloat on their slump, and didn't single out chairman Firoz Kassam, who would not give him a new contract and then suspended him when his representatives spoke to Bristol Rovers about one.

"Oxford United is a lovely club but too many people there have their own agendas," Atkins said. "To be fair to the chairman, he listens to certain people, and they don't give him good advice."

He added: "When the people who look after me said that Bristol Rovers would be interested in my services, it gave me a tingle inside, as it's a massive club.

"But at the same time I wanted to make it clear that I wanted to finish the job at Oxford, and I would have done that.

"The idea was to take over at Rovers in the summer, but things ended up going a bit quicker than that.

"The move does come with a tinge of sadness, as when I left Oxford we were up there at the top of the division, and I felt we would definitely have got promoted, not a shadow of a doubt.

"I was disappointed that having worked so hard for over two years, taking over when the club was going towards the Conference, that it ended like it did.

"In that time we had to cut the wage bill and get players in instantly. We just missed out on the play-offs last year, and this year had the foundations to go up. I wanted to bring four or five new players in during December when we were top of the league, but I wasn't allowed to, and I wasn't happy about that.

"I felt we needed to not rest on our laurels, but a barrier was pushed in front of me and I thought it was a little bit strange.

"There was so much uncertainty there, and I wasn't going to find myself in the situation of being successful and then out of work.

"If a club like Bristol Rovers makes noises for your services then you don't turn them down. They are a big city club, and one of just a handful outside of the top two divisions that has genuinely enormous potential.

"Too many people at Oxford had their own agendas, and the chairman listened to them. It's not a nice place to work, but I did enjoy the football side there and I had hoped to take them up and finish the job."

Atkins has signed a two-year contract with the option of a third year. Caretakers Kevan Broadhurst and Russell Osman will remain in charge for this season's final two games, but Atkins will go to work on the training field straight away.

Atkins added: "I know what I need from the players. The most important qualities are togetherness, spirit and a willingness to work hard.

"We're not all blessed with money at this level and you have to work hard to bring in the right players. Hopefully, I can do that.

"I've already done it with Nothampton and Oxford and been pretty successful in the past. But Rovers are a bigger club than either of those two and this is a big challenge for me.

"I had two very enjoyable seasons at Oxford. We were fourth from bottom when I took over two seasons ago and I'd like to think I've left the club in a strong position. We achieved an awful lot, had some great cup runs and set all sorts of records.

"I feel I've left the club in good shape and I still think they have a chance of making the play-offs."

Rovers chairman Geoff Dunford said: "I'm convinced Ian is the right man for the job. His record backs that up.

"Ian is here earlier than we anticipated and he will be looking at the club from top to bottom in the next few weeks and making his recommendations to the board. I believe we now have the right people in place to take this football club forward next season."

And Dunford promised to give Atkins full backing in terms of finance. He said: "We've had one of the top three budgets in this division for the last couple of seasons and Ian will get the same support.

Atkins told bristolrovers.co.uk: "It is my responsibility to get Bristol Rovers out of this division, and by hook or by crook, we will.

"There are some good players here, but it's no good them producing it on a one-off basis. This is a grinding league.

"I accept that they won't all play well every week, but they have got to know that if you don't play well, you've still got to get a result."