Build from the back starts with Laidlaw

ROSS LAIDLAW already knows possession is nine-tenths of the law under John Hughes.

The Ross County goalkeeper, far from being an afterthought in the new manager’s revamp, quickly found himself at the heart of moves to imprint a new style of play on the Premiership strugglers.

After a first full week’s training without matches under Stuart Kettlewell’s successor, Laidlaw is confident Hughes’s favoured style will stand the Staggies in good stead.

Today they face a Livingston team basking in winning form but the ex-Hibs keeper insists County venture south in confidence.

Laidlaw said: ‘That was our first proper week’s training with him and it has been a case of getting used to his methods and what he wants from us.

‘So far, all of the boys have taken it in and embraced it.

‘The only difficulty, with the weather, has been training indoors when the manager would have preferred some 11 v 11 stuff outside.

‘We’ve been doing small-sided stuff at the academy, but it has been a good tempo.

‘Our coach Scott Thomson still mainly takes us goalkeepers, but the manager is very clear and specific on what he expects from his goalkeepers.

‘He has been very engaged with us and spelled out how he wants us to distribute the ball as part of the overall gameplan. He wants us to play it out from the back a lot more than we did with the previous manager and be brave on the ball.

‘He feels, previously, we were probably a bit panicky, with people hiding from the ball, so he is telling us to be brave and get on it whenever we can.

‘We saw that in the win at Easter Road where we passed and kept the ball really well.

‘Last Saturday, against St Johnstone, the pitch was cutting up badly and it was a lot more difficult to do.

‘But I think the big pitch at Easter Road suited us and we kept the ball pretty well there.

‘We’ve definitely got the players to play that way.

‘In the past, we’ve maybe depended a bit too much on kicking the ball up to Ross Stewart.

‘Teams were sussing us out doing that, so we’ve changed our style a little bit. With Ross injured, we haven’t had that option to go long anyway.’

‘We’ve had to try and keep the ball on the floor and it is encouraging how well we’ve done playing that way.’

County could include new signing Tony Andreu, but he will not be joined by Friday’s addition, French-Algerian midfielder Mohamed Maouche, who is selfisolating before joining the squad.