PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – New Trinidad and Tobago head coach, Terry Fenwick, has criticised the playing style of the national team and says a change is imperative if they are to improve results.

“I think the past administration was playing a style of football that clearly doesn’t work and sticks out like a sore thumb, based on the results that we’ve seen,” the Englishman said in his first media session earlier this week following his appointment last month.

“I’ve got to change that. We’ve got to start playing a style of football that suits the players that we’ve got. And we’ve got some terrific players; we need now to play to their strengths.

“We are blessed with some fantastic footballers, but unless you put the footballers together in a system of play that suits them, you lose games and that’s what we’ve had.

“Some teams get beaten by playing the wrong style of football. (You have to) play to what your strengths are and then that will pull you through.”

T&T will attempt to once again rebuild their profile under the former England defender, after experiencing a wretched run last year.

They went 14 matches without a single win to mark their worst patch of form in recent history, the only success being a 15-0 crushing of minnows Anguilla last November.

The run of form resulted in the sacking of Dennis Lawrence last month and Fenwick, who signed a two-year deal as the replacement, said an overhaul was now necessary to move the national programme forward.

Importantly, he said there would be phased introduction of new players to freshen up the squad.

“In time, I want to be bringing some new faces out there, give them a chance, give them a run … I will select the best players for the team,” he explained.

“Teams around the world have got a core of senior, good example players, not necessarily (because of) what they do on the field – although they are all good players – it’s how they help these youngsters off the field.”

He added: “I will need a core of players of that sort of calibre and (with a) feeling for this country. And over time we will introduce youngsters. We will push them through, we will get them into programmes that work and make our different levels successful.”