DON'T point the finger at the coaches and keep the faith -- that is the message from Newport owner Tony Brown after a disastrous start to the season.

Newport got off on the wrong foot when they lost all three of their pre-season friendlies, first to Pontypool and then twice against Gloucester, conceding over 50 points on both occasions.

Even worse, Newport have lost all three games they have played in the Celtic League, going down to Bridgend and Glasgow at home and Pontypridd away.

In a sharp irony, Newport beat all three of those teams home and away last season.

It gets tougher from here on because, in the next month, Newport visit Ireland twice and Scotland once.

They face Connacht and Leinster in the Celtic League and Edinburgh in the Heineken Cup. Already they can't qualify for the Celtic quarter-finals.

But Brown says, "I wouldn't point the finger at coaches Leigh Jones and Richard Hill."

And, in a reference to the criticism they received after making a string of substitutions in the second-half against Glasgow on Saturday, Brown said: "They made the changes any others would have made."

He urges Newport fans: "Keep the faith. It's not just a question of the good times only. We are still trying to create something special.

"One does still feel for them. Five years ago, we didn't have the players, now we have the players and they expect us to win but we are still not doing that.

"But we still have a good side here. It's a question of getting the side to play for 80 minutes.

"It has been hugely disappointing. When we beat Bridgend, Pontypridd and Glasgow home and away last season, people are entitled to ask why we have lost to them all this season.

"It's disappointing but it's early days yet. People should remember Leicester have lost twice this season already and Manchester United aren't doing very well either.

"Those clubs have got similar problems. The formbook seems to be turned on its head."