Parramatta fans have had little to cheer about of late, but newly appointed football boss Daniel Anderson has pledged to restore pride to the blue and gold.
Anderson quit his post as NRL referees boss after just 12 months, paving the way for him to return to the NRL club, as general manager of football operations, at which he has more than a decade's worth of experience at as coach, assistant and in junior development.
In a brand new structure, the Eels' grand final coach from 2009 will run the embattled NRL club's football department, overseeing rookie head coach Brad Arthur.
Anderson says he sees his role as largely administrative and development based, and wants to leave Arthur free to coach the team without interference.
"I think the pressures nowadays on the head coach at any NRL club are extensive and the scrutiny is very tough on coaches," Anderson said.
"The less distractions they have from the mundane, the administrative components of their job, the better. I see me being a pivotal part in allowing him to focus and free his creativity as a coach."
Anderson's pending appointment was reportedly a sticking point for Jason Taylor, who was all but handed the Eels' job before an embarrassing last-minute backflip by the board.
Although Anderson isn't running the entire club, a similar system operates at Penrith, where coaching great Phil Gould sits above Panthers head coach Ivan Cleary.
Arthur, who was a caretaker coach at the Eels for the back-end of 2012 before joining Manly as an assistant this year, is comfortable with having Anderson as head of football.
Anderson, 46, said he and Arthur must help the rugby league rich Parramatta area produce and retain more NRL talent.
He wants the area to once again be proud of its team after two consecutive wooden spoons.
"The focus for myself and the team in the area of Parramatta is also to generate quality players that will be able to put pressure on Brad, as the head coach, to have to consider them for NRL," Anderson said.
"Brad and I are both similar in that we have an obligation to the Parramatta club to foster and enhance rugby league so our community is proud of us.
"I know from living and growing up in the area how important the rugby league culture is to the community, and I want to see the Eels rising again."
Parramatta Eels chief executive Scott Seward says the appointment of Anderson is a significant step forward in returning the club to success.
"Daniel brings a wealth of experience to his position and will play a pivotal role in restructuring our football department into a modern-day club," Seward said.
"He will look after the pathways, the performance, the development of our players, the recruitment and retention, and make sure we have pathways for our players here to play at their very best."
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