Newport chairman Jenkins outlines big change of approach

Newport chairman Huw Jenkins had experience of the same role at Swansea

Newport County chairman Huw Jenkins has revealed just how much he wants to transform the way the League Two club works.

The 61-year-old former Swansea City chairman has outlined why he chose Nelson Jardim as the man to lead that change on the pitch.

Portugal-born Jardim, who has had spells on the staff at Swansea City under Jenkins, was upgraded from lead coach to head coach to succeed Graham Coughlan who departed as manager at the end of June.

Jenkins said when Coughlan went he was “inundated” with people wanting the job and said Jardim was aware of his search.

But Jenkins said: “We are looking for somebody to work with us as a football club to change probably the outlook, the atmosphere, the football – everything about the club - to go in a different direction.

“Even though there were many different conversations with different people, my thoughts were always coming back to Nelson.

“It's about making sure you have somebody that you are aligned together to go forward in a way that is comfortable for both parties.

"We are changing, we are trying to do something different at Newport County which I think is big anyway.”

According to Jenkins, there was “no-one better at this point in time” than Jardim, who has worked under the likes of Paulo Sousa, Aitor Karanka, Francesco Guidolin and Paul Clement.

“I think it is important you have people you can trust, you can work with. It's not about themselves, its about the club. It’s not about me, it's about the club. When you appoint a head coach it's about the club not the coach.”

Newport actually signed eight players before they appointed Jardim, but Jenkins said the new head coach was well aware of how the recruitment strategy had now changed to a “club-led” approach.

The Newport chairman explained: “It is a slightly different model to what was here previously. There are some clubs who adopt this policy and some who don’t. There is no right or wrong way of doing it.

“We have a recruitment team I know well and, as it happens, Nelson knows well. Over the last few weeks we have had a number of players potentially lined up and Nelson was fully aware of what was going on and what was happening.

“It is not manager-led but club-led. But club-led does not mean decisions are made without consultation or discussions with the manager.”

Jenkins said he learned a lot during his time at Swansea City – where the 'Swansea way' became a key feature of their rise and stay in the Premier League – and asserted their progress was built on foundations he wants to instil at Rodney Parade.

He said: “We had a shape, we had a system and we recruited players to suit that. Obviously I want the same here.

“I believe 100% it allows us to develop the club quicker and allows us to build year on year rather than when you change coaches, and there is usually mayhem behind the scenes trying to put those things right.

“We are trying to stop that by making sure everyone who comes to Newport works in the same way. They either want to come and work here or they don’t. There is no in between, there is no grey area.”