‘INTENSE’ head coach Nelson Jardim has left Newport County AFC with no doubt that they need to pass with purpose as the League Two kick-off looms.
The Exiles are in the final days of the countdown to the opener at Cheltenham when they get under way with a new-look squad, a changed style and a different boss.
Jardim has been coaching the squad for just over a month after being brought in following the departure of manager Graham Coughlan.
The Portuguese coach has been brought in to play a more possession-based style and is working with a group that features 10 summer signings.
“He is trying to get what he wants across. It’s pretty evident from early on that he wants ‘pure’ football really,” said midfielder Bryn Morris, whose training time has been impacted by injury.
“He is intense in terms of keeping the ball and hopefully there are good things to come.
“I hope we can have more touches and dominate games in terms of possession but it’s a results business.
“It’s pointless having a load of touches and passes if you don’t put the ball in the net.
“We are looking, from training and games, progressive and Nelson does put that point across, he wants penetrating passes and to get in the final third and create.”
Morris was an ever-present in a superb first season in Newport in which he played in all 57 games in all competitions, starting all but the EFL Trophy trip to Cheltenham when he came on at half-time.
The 28-year-old was a firm fixture in the Coughlan XI and will hope to be just as important under Jardim, even if he is a doubt for the opener.
“Different managers have different philosophies and styles of playing,” said Morris, who led County for average passes last season.
“You respect that and there is not a right or wrong way to play. It’s about getting results.”
Morris is also one of the senior figures with plenty of EFL experience in a squad after a summer recruitment drive that focused on up-and-coming talent.
“We’ve all been there,” said Morris, who came through the ranks at Middlesbrough. “It’s a good opportunity for players.
“When young, all you ask for is a chance. It seems like people are getting them here and now it’s down to them to take it.”
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