Debate: is Adams the right man for the job? | Analysis: Tony Cascarino | Wenger backs Adams to succeed

Tony Adams warned the press today that he is "a little more reserved" than Harry Redknapp, his predecessor in the Fratton Park hot seat, but he still managed some jokes and one-liners that the new Tottenham manager would have appreciated as he was confirmed in his new post as manager of Portsmouth, stepping up from assistant manager.

For example, he revealed that he had already spoken to Arsene Wenger, for whom he played at Arsenal. "Arsene said 'Welcome to Hell,'" Adams said. "I said, 'Are you scared?' He said: 'What do you mean?' I said: 'I'm coming for you.'"

Adams's appointment was endorsed by Wenger, who insists his double winning captain in 1998 has now come full circle following his well-documented off-field problems.

"I believe in life when you go wrong you can always, with intelligence and character, turn things right and that is what he did," Wenger said.

"He came out and said he had a drinking problem when he was a player and he showed enough strength and character to change that. I believed in him because everybody deserves a chance when he wants really to change life. That basically didn't come from me, it came from him."

Wenger may not be quaking in his boots just yet, but Adams has already set out some aims. Although he paid tribute to Redknapp, whom he admitted will be missed, not least by him, he will resist any attempts by his former boss to buy any of his players during the January transfer window, when it is assumed that Lassana Diarra, Sylvain Distin and others will be targets for Tottenham and others. "I'll fight him," Adams said. "He'll probably want them and so will many others because they're good players."

Peter Storrie, who has stepped up from chief executive to executive chairman, stonewalled any discussions of the club's finances, which many believe will force player sales in January, preferring to talk about Adams, who has signed a two-year contract. Or two-and-a-half, as Adams reminded him. "We hope it will go beyond that," Storrie said. "We hope he will be here as long as he wants. I like the idea of continuity."

Adams, 42, confirmed that he felt ready to step up to a manager's job after two years as Redknapp's number two and would have been "gutted" if he had been passed over. "I think it's my time," he said. "I think I'm ready. I'm scared to bits, of course, but I'm excited. It's like Christmas. I couldn't sleep last night. I thank the club for taking the risk, having the courage to giving me the job."

But is it so much of a risk? Adams offers continuity to the players assembled by Redknapp, and has been widely credited with Portsmouth’s defensive improvement, particularly from set plays – even though he was wise enough not to accept too much of that credit while Redknapp was still manager, and regards himself as more than simply a defensive coach.

Although Adams’s only previous experience as the man in charge was a mixed period at Wycombe Wanderers during season 2003-04, since then he has studied coaching methods at home and abroad – with Feyenoord and Utrecht of Holland – before becoming Redknapp’s assistant in 2006. He has added practical experience under Redknapp to the ideas he took from working as a player under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, where he won four league titles and three FA Cups, and said last season that he felt ready for another crack at management.

Adams will also be keenly aware of the club’s financial position, and the early appointment gives him the maximum possible time to calm any concerns among the playing staff that there will be upheaval.

On a practical level, promoting from within will allow Portsmouth to save most of the estimated £3 million per annum that Redknapp was paid – a not inconsiderable sum for a business recently estimated to pay more than 90 per cent of turnover in staff wages.

Adams will take full charge for the first time in tomorrow’s match away to Liverpool, but could not confirm that Joe Jordan, the head coach, will be alongside him again as he was for Sunday's 1-1 draw at home to Fulham, when the Fratton Park crowd made it clear that they wanted him as manager.

"Joe needs a bit of time," he said. "He's a big man and makes his own decisions, but I want him to stay."

The media will welcome the decision. Adams is a relaxed communicator, who comes across as calm to the point of being almost comatose at times, but it may be of concern to the club that he can appear unguarded in his dealings with reporters. Comments he made in August to the effect that the squad was short of quality in some areas are understood not to have gone down too well at board level.

Yet a report appeared in yesterday's Daily Mail under Storrie's byline and with an "exclusive" tag in which the chief executive said: "We won't rush into appointing a new manager. To be honest, it all happened so fast with Harry and Tottenham we haven't really had a proper chance to think about it yet."

Storrie admitted that he and Alexandre Gaydamak had changed their minds rather quickly yesterday evening. "I couldn't see anything out there that was better than what we already had," he said.