Walsall have appointed Jimmy Mullen as the club's new manager following Richard Money's resignation last month.
Money quit the club on April 22 only three days after a 3-1 home defeat by Bournemouth extinguished the Saddlers' hopes of reaching the Coca-Cola League One play-offs.
Mullen takes over the reins after spending much of last season as assistant to Money.
The 55-year-old arrived at the Banks's Stadium in September 2007, with the Saddlers losing only one of their next 23 matches.
Walsall chairman Jeff Bonser said: "We have had a number of interesting applicants but Jimmy stood out as the right man for the job.
"He has a wealth of experience, holds the highest possible coaching qualifications, and has an inside working knowledge of the club.
"As you would expect, we had a large number of applicants for the position. From those applicants a short-list of five was drawn up by the board, all of which were given serious consideration.
"After a number of formal meetings with all the prospective candidates it was Jimmy who was the strongest candidate.
"He has a proven track record as a manager following a very successful spell at Burnley and, during his time here, has impressed everybody with his knowledge and passion for the game.
"This has not been an easy decision. The board of directors have met on a number of occasions to ensure that we make the right appointment for Walsall Football Club. In Jimmy Mullen we believe we have done that."
During his playing career, Mullen represented Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham before linking up with Ian Porterfield as assistant manager at Aberdeen in 1986.
In 1989, he was appointed manager at Blackpool before moving to Burnley as assistant manager a year later.
After the departure of then manager Frank Casper, Mullen took over the reins at Turf Moor and enjoyed two promotions during his five-year stay.
He has also spent time at the helm of Irish outfit Sligo Rovers and widened his coaching experience with the Welsh FA, where he spent a number of years in a youth development role."
