Neil Harris insists he has made no pledges to Vincent Tan that Cardiff City will hit the owner’s target of 35 shots per game.
The new Bluebirds manager – who says he is no clone of Neil Warnock – has predicted “evolution, rather than revolution” at the club after his appointment.
Harris has vowed to move the squad on in terms of playing style but underlined it will not be towards the kind of shoot-on-sight tactics desired by the club’s Malaysian owner.
Tan is notoriously demanding over performances and results, with Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman saying last week that the owner wanted a side who would have “35 shots on goal” during matches.
But Harris – who resigned at Millwall in October – said: “I’ve certainly not made any promises about making 35 shots a game! I don’t know if it’s possible to have 35 shots per game!
“We want to play attack-minded football, press high and win it back high. There’s loads of ways to score goals.
“I’m big on set-plays, which has been a very successful avenue for the club given the players they’ve recruited over time.
“The owner and the board are rightly demanding of the football club and want to achieve. You have pressure to succeed from the fan-base and owners.”
Harris has signed a deal until the summer of 2022. The 42-year-old takes over with Cardiff 14th in the Championship following their Premier League relegation last season.
An assured first press conference from Neil Harris at Cardiff City. Realistic about time needed to change playing style and the scepticism of some fans. More on @SkySportsNews pic.twitter.com/4cBH8PWrtw
— Graham Thomas (@Graham_Thomas) November 18, 2019
Harris managed Millwall for four years, winning promotion to the Championship in 2017, but the former striker is remembered in Cardiff for a 2004 loan spell which was cut short.
He joined Nottingham Forest in a move that did not go down well with fans at the time.
“I made a mistake not staying here longer,” Harris said. “I mean that in total respect to Nottingham Forest, but at the time I made a family decision for various reasons.
“It’s probably one of the only things I’ve really regretted in my footballing career so far.
“But I’m certainly proud and privileged to be sitting here. I have to win people over and I am prepared to do that.”
Warnock’s three-year stay with the Bluebirds came to an end last week and Harris has been labelled as having similar principles based on direct football to his 70-year-old predecessor.
“I think people are referring to the club I was at previously and the way we played,” said Harris, who revealed Warnock had sent him a text congratulating him on his appointment.
“I was at Millwall who demand getting the ball forward quickly and have physical attributes to the game. Some of those principles I will stick to, but I want to adjust because of how I am as a coach.
“I don’t think there is a Neil Warnock Mark II. He’s his own man and I’m respectful towards that.
“I also have to be respectful of the players I’ve got and we can’t change overnight. You can’t suddenly turn from a Neil Warnock side to playing like Man City.
“There has to be a process to that and it takes time. It is not going to be revolution overnight. I just want to change the culture as we go along, try and build some confidence in the group.”
Harris is Tan’s seventh manager since the Malaysian businessman bought the Sky Bet Championship club in May 2010.
