FORMER Newport County AFC manager Anthony Hudson has been named as the new coach of New Zealand and he's vowed to take the All Whites back to the World Cup.

As had been widely tipped, New Zealand Football have confirmed that Hudson is leaving his job as national coach of Bahrain to take over from outgoing coach Kiwi boss Ricki Herbert.

Hudson’s first match in charge of the 101st-ranked All Whites will be against Uzbekistan in Tashkent on September 8.

Interim coach Neil Emblen, the ex-Wolves and Crystal Palace midfielder, will stay on and select the team for Uzbekistan while Hudson sorts out visa issues.

There was no immediate word on whether Emblen would become Hudson’s assistant.

“I want to go to the World Cup," said Hudson, who was in charge of the Exiles for only six months in 2011 before being sacked after a poor start to the 2011/12 season.

"I want to make history with the All Whites by going further than we’ve ever gone, and I want to do it in a certain way,” he added.

“We need to be showing up to training and how we work every day with one thing on our mind, and that’s to make history; to improve football in the country and make people happy.”

Hudson’s appointment was widely expected after the Bahrain Football Association said Hudson had informed them he wanted to leave to take up the New Zealand job despite being contracted until 2016.

The 33-year-old was appointed as the manager of the Bahrain under-23 and Olympic team in 2012 becoming the senior national team manager a year ago.

He made history by leading Bahrain to their first title at the Under-23 Gulf Cup of Nations.

And Hudson impressed with the senior team as well, sealing qualification for the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia and their highest finish at the West Asian tournament by beating Kuwait to the bronze medal.

The BFA is taking legal advice to “safeguard the association’s legal and financial rights,” president Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa told the Guardian.

Herbert, who guided New Zealand to the 2010 World Cup, quit in November last year after the team missed qualifying for the 2014 World Cup following an embarrassing 9-3 loss on aggregate to Mexico in a two-leg play-off.