Ranieri says he can save Parma from the drop

Struggling Serie A side Parma have appointed Claudio Ranieri as their new coach.

The 55-year-old former Chelsea coach, who signed a contract until the end of June, takes the place of Stefano Pioli, who was sacked on Monday after a 3-0 defeat to Roma at the weekend.

Parma lie 19th in the 20-team division on 15 points from 22 games, three points from escaping the relegation zone.

Ranieri is expected to take charge of the club for the first leg of their UEFA Cup first knockout round tie at Braga in Portugal tomorrow.

"I'm confident we can avoid relegation. I've taken on this job because I believe in the project the club is trying to push forward," Ranieri was quoted as saying.

"I've seen Parma a few times recently. They play well, but I want them to be less beautiful and more practical."

Ranieri made his name at Cagliari between 1988 and 1991, taking the southerners from the Serie C1 to Serie A in successive seasons.

Stints at Napoli and Fiorentina followed, but in 1997 he left Italy to take charge of Spanish side Valencia, who he led to victory in the Copa del Rey in 1999.

After a brief period at Atletico Madrid, he took charge of Londoners Chelsea at the start of the 2000-01 season.

Under Ranieri the club consolidated its position among the elite of English clubs, but never quite fulfilled the promise of a series of expensive signings.

Ranieri's over-rotation of the squad, however, earned him the nickname "The Tinkerman" and he was sacked in May 2004 after making a series of widely-criticised substitutions in a Champions League semi-final defeat by Monaco.

Ranieri's appointment as Parma coach is his first coaching post since he was sacked by Valencia at the end of an unsuccessful eight-month stint in February 2005.