Having officially joined the Club on Friday, Gary Rowett eventually got to work today (Monday) as the new Head Coach of Oxford United.
After taking charge of his first training session with the group, Rowett spoke to OUTV and he was impressed with the quality and application of the group.
With only a few days to go until his first game in the dugout against Cardiff City on Boxing Day, the Head Coach has got to work quickly to get his message across.
He said: “I have an idea of the things we need to do and it was key for me walking in today to meet the players and talk about the standards and expectations.
“I tried to be clear with the players in our first meeting, and then of course the main work is out on the training pitch.
“It’s difficult on a Monday just a few days after a game because you can’t do as much as you would like, so today was about getting some ideas into them about what we want to do when we’ve got the ball.
“Sometimes on the first day of a new manager, the players have a little bit of a zip in their stride and that was there which was good for the session.”
With Cardiff just three days away, and only two training sessions to work with the group, it’s a quick turnaround to get the playing style across, while also prepping for the test of an opposition.
But even in such a short space, Rowett is sure he and the supporters will able to see elements of what he wants from his team come Boxing Day.
He added: “The message early on is about how we want to play, and of course, if it doesn’t go to plan then you have a plan B, and a plan C.
“The first thing we do is work that out on the training pitch and this morning we have had about 30 minutes of quality work in getting the message across.
“I will then back that up with conversations with individual players and tomorrow we’ll come in and do something similar.
“The players have been very enthusiastic and receptive so far and I’ve been pleased with the application.
“We will be very organised out of possession because I think every team has to be. That doesn’t mean we’re going to sit and wait for the opposition to play their game, it means that we’re going to press at the right time and get on the front foot at the right time.
“We will try and work incredibly hard to maintain that for as long as we can within the game, hopefully the full 90 minutes.
“We are one of the lowest in the division in terms of shots and chances, so we need to change that and play forward with precision a bit quicker when the space is there.”
