An east-Belfast man himself, Walker wants to put the smiles back on the faces of the locals and to the Oval faithful that will mean putting silverware in the cabinet.

The Glens have collected just one trophy in the last two years, winning the CIS Insurance Cup back in December.

That win, plus finishing second in the league, wasn't enough to keep Paul Millar in a job though and his sacking a week ago has handed Walker the opportunity to manage the team he supported as a boy, 16 months after turning down the opportunity to succeed Roy Coyle.

"I didn't hanker after this job and if I hadn't been offered it I would still be out of work as far as football management is concerned," said Walker.

"The fact that the club came back after I turned the job down 16 months ago told me a lot about the people who are here.

"They could have felt snubbed by my decision to say no then, but that hasn't been the case.

"There is no doubt that this job is going to be a big challenge, but challenges provide you with opportunities.

"I am an east-Belfast man myself, I still have a BT4 postcode and I know what Glentoran Football Club means to the people of the area.

"They want a team that they can be proud of and I hope that I can make the people proud of the team and make them smile again."

Walker's arrival at the Oval sees him cast in a similar role to that of Martin O'Neill when he became manager of Aston Villa last summer.

Out of work for some time - even years away from football management in Walker's case - other clubs had tried to tempt him into a comeback and on his return he is hailed as the saviour. The man who can restore the glory days to a club that is seeing long shadows cast from across the city by double-double winners Linfield.

Just like when Coyle was ousted from the Oval hotseat in January last year, Walker was the first - and only name - on the shortest of shortlists drawn up by the Glens.

He was approached almost immediately after Millar's departure last week and ironically he was at a Linfield function at the time.

"Late last Thursday I received a text message to my phone, while I was at the Linfield golf day, from Glentoran saying that they didn't have a manager anymore," said Walker.

"I was asked could we talk and then had a meeting, first with one or two people from the club and then the whole board.

"I had a long, hard think about things, there were a few other matters to discuss, but I agreed to take the job and it all started for me at around 11am on Thursday morning.

"I haven't had much time to digest things as yet, but will get down to work quite soon."

How things would have worked out at the Glens had Walker taken over in January last year we will never know.

Although he was the dream ticket for the Glens, there was, however, no possibility of him taking the job on at that particular time.

"Last time around there were very different conditions around my life," said Walker.

"I knew what I was committed to for the next six months and I couldn't and wouldn't have changed that.

"Also, I knew that if I had taken the job on that I wouldn't have been able to give it my full commitment and I would never short-change anybody.

"I don't like to let people down either and I couldn't have put my full self into the job.

"I have a peace about it now and I feel this is the right time for me to take the job.

"Arguably it is a tougher job now. There are a number of players who are out of contract and when you take over in the middle of the season that isn't the case. I know the job that is in front of me and anyone who knows me will know that I will do it to the best of my ability."