Luis Longstaff believes Inverness Caley Thistle are settling in to Duncan Ferguson's preferred style of play as Everton legend prepares for first Scottish Cup tie as manager
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For the second season in-a-row, Luis Longstaff saw the manager who brought him to a new club depart, with the winger being forced to prove himself all over again.
Having been signed by Jim McIntyre for Cove Rangers last season, Longstaff saw Paul Hartley return to the Aberdeen outfit at the start of January.
Then, after being brought to the Highlands by Billy Dodds, Duncan Ferguson took over as the Caley Jags' new boss at the end of September.
It is not a situation Longstaff will want to get used to, be he quickly earned favour with Ferguson, starting the manager's first three matches in charge before picking up an injury against Airdrieonians.
While only missing the trip to Dundee United, the 22-year-old may have to be patient for his chance to return to the starting 11 with the club on a six-match unbeaten run – and the former Newcastle United and Liverpool academy player has acknowledged that the team is playing much better than they were a few months ago.
"You try not to think of it as impressing a new manager or going through it all again, you just go into training the same way you always have and try not to let it affect you too much," he reasoned.
"You just try to work hard, and hopefully that's enough. It's difficult, but I suppose when the new manager comes in you're in the same boat as everyone else.
"He's coming in with new ideas, and he might fancy you or not – it's the same for everybody. You've just got to get on with it and try to work out what the new manager is looking for, and do the best you can to impress.
"He's a big name in football, so there was excitement around the club about him coming in, and seeing what he would be like as a person and a coach.
"He has been really good with everyone on and off the pitch and lifted everyone, and brought our football on the pitch to a level it wasn't at before.
"From the Arbroath game, the football we're playing now is very different. We were a bit more counter-attacking at first, because he didn't have long to work with us, but after more time he has got us playing a little bit more.
"If you look at what we're doing now it's all about dominating possession, playing passes and keeping the ball.
"The difference between the first game and now is just down to the time it took to get his style across, because he didn't have long before the first game, and I think he's got the style he wants now."
Longstaff puts that improvement down to higher intensity levels and standards in training day-to-day, but it is a different challenge that awaits this weekend.
Rather than a league match, Caley Thistle take on Lowland League side Cowdenbeath in the third round of the Scottish Cup.
Inverness, finalists in last season's competition, will be strong favourites to continue building momentum with a win, but Longstaff is confident nothing will change in their approach going into Saturday.
"We obviously go into the game as favourites and expecting to win, but I wouldn't say we're under any kind of pressure from that," Longstaff added.
"We look at it the same way as we would for a normal league weekend – we want to win, and we expect to win because of how we're playing at this moment in time.
"Obviously I watched Caley Thistle get all the way to the final (last season), which was a good achievement.
"Everyone wants to try and replicate that again this year and try to get to that stage. It will obviously be difficult, but it all starts with the first game on Saturday.
"Even though it is a lower league team, you can't take these games for granted – you've still got to put in a performance, get into the next round and see what happens in the draw.
"Everyone wants to try and put a good run together and do as well as possible in this cup."
