Neil Harris: Cambridge United head coach rules out rapid 'revolution'
- Published
Neil Harris was previously manager of Millwall, Cardiff and Gillingham
Neil Harris wants to make Cambridge United a team "others don't want to play against" after taking over as head coach on an 18-month contract.
The former Millwall, Cardiff and Gillingham boss admitted the U's are "underdogs" within League One.
But he believes the squad has the potential to start climbing the table from their current position of 18th.
"When you go into a club in November or December, it's not about rapid change or revolution," the 46-year-old said.
"It's purely [about] just trying to get your messages across, to try to be harder to beat, to score more goals; it's about working with the players in the building and trying to see their attributes.
"There's quite a few players on the training ground that I've tried to sign in the past, so that's a good sign."
He continued: "I want to bring all my personal traits with me and represent the football club and fan base the best I can and I want us to be a team people don't want to play against.
"We're a little bit of an underdog in the division and we need to use that as a real strength. We have to raise our game every week."
Harris has not brought long-time assistant David Livermore to the Abbey Stadium, and will instead work with the coaches already in place, headed by Barry Corr - a former team-mate at Southend United - and Kevin Betsy.
"They wanted a head coach to come in and work with the current staff because they've head-hunted them and recruited them and believe in them," he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
"If I didn't feel my attributes would suit them I wouldn't have come, but I feel like I've inherited really good people and talented staff."
He praised Cambridge-born predecessor Mark Bonner for his work at the club since January 2020, but felt the team were underachieving this season.
"Following someone like Mark, and the legacy he's left and the foundations he's left, it's a brilliant opportunity for me. He's a class bloke and he's helped build this football club along with Paul Barry and [sporting director] Ben Strang, a lot of good people," said Harris, who was sacked by Gillingham two months ago.
"I've followed good managers in the past - Ian Holloway at Millwall and Neil Warnock at Cardiff. Mark's put a really good group together and done extremely well over a period of time. [But] I believe there's a lot more potential in the group to gain better results. That starts Saturday against Charlton."
Affinity with the city
Taking over at the Abbey Stadium has brought Harris' career full circle, having begun his playing career at Cambridge City, when U's board member Graham Daniels was their manager.
"That was a brilliant time for me. That was my real apprenticeship in football. I was only a young lad at the time, 18 years old - Graham Daniels is a huge personality as we know, very outspoken, and it was a great experience for me," Harris added.
"Over the course of the weekend I spoke to Graham because he reads people really well and talks very well about people's identities.
"Speaking to him was fantastic. Graham doesn't get involved in football matters [here] but he has played professional sport and he understands football, so getting his perspective was quite key for me."
Meanwhile, Liam O'Neil has been appointed as Under18s coach by Cambridge after ending his playing career with National League side Boreham Wood.