Former Newport County boss James Rowberry lands FAW job

The 38-year-old is training to run March’s half-marathon around the city with his sister Kate, fundraising for the British Heart Foundation after he had a pacemaker fitted last summer.

Rowberry tends to slot physical activity into his schedule when Newport County AFC train and he would love to still be leading the sessions at Spytty Park.

Alas, a poor end to last season was followed by a slow start to the current campaign and, on the afternoon of Monday, October 10, Rowberry was called in by the board and sacked.

He spent less than a year in charge of his hometown club and has recently secured a return to football as head of elite coach education at the Football Association of Wales.

However, the Exiles remain in his thoughts.

James Rowberry after County's defeat at Stevenage (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“I’ve been reflecting a lot,” said Rowberry, who hasn’t shut the door on a managerial return. “I’ve gone around clubs – Burnley, Norwich, Swansea – and have seen a lot of people.

“I’m trying to learn, reflect and review on how I see the game and what I can do better. I’ve been watching a lot of my training sessions back and have been clipping things down, while I’ve watched games back that we played last year and this season.

“I’ve been thinking about what went really well and what could have been better.

“It’s been difficult and the truth is that you have your good moments and bad moments. That’s normal and I am lucky to have a good support network around me.”

So, with a record of played 52, won 21, lost 22, drawn 9, what did go wrong?

“As a leader you have to take responsibility and there were two major things for me,” said Rowberry.

“I wish that I had stuck to my principles more – I though about maybe trying to be more pragmatic and recruited that way to a degree [last summer].

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“We had special players on loan in Finn Azaz, Ollie Cooper and also Jake Cain, players who could play in pockets and between the lines, who could press high up the pitch. Maybe I should have stuck to my principles [after they left at the end of the season].

“When we beat Portsmouth this season it was a real Newport County performance – we played the 4-2-2-2 box that mean we were aggressive and got after teams.

“With that you’ve got to accept you are probably going to concede a few more goals but I wish I’d stuck with those principles, and you live and learn.

“The second thing was to not be so hard on myself. Because I am from Newport and live in Newport, I lived and breathed it.

“The club might not be Manchester United but to us in Newport it is huge. I probably put too much pressure on myself for success and was too tough on myself.

“I used to say to the lads that they had to stay in the moment but I probably didn’t do that enough personally.

“I should have enjoyed moments for what they were – Bristol Rovers away and home, Swindon away, Tranmere and Portsmouth this season.

“I should have been kinder to myself and it’s alright for things not to be perfect rather than searching for perfection.

“We were always striving to be the best that we could with a mindset of ‘better never stops’. I was probably always thinking about the future too much.”

Ultimately it was results at Rodney Parade that did for Rowberry, with five straight losses on home soil at the end of last season leading to them going from third in March to missing out on the play-offs.

It is now clear that the summer recruitment wasn’t good enough and County, who had switched to predominantly using a 3-5-2, were in 18th when he was given the boot.

They are still looking nervously over their shoulder but Rowberry believes his successor Graham Coughlan will ensure that League Two football is still being played in Newport in 2024.

“At Carlisle they executed the game plan and it worked, but it always boils down to both 18-yard boxes. That’s all of football, not just Newport County,” he said.

“You live and die by what happens there but I have no doubt they will be fine with Graham and Joe [Dunne, his assistant manager] there with all their experience.

“I think they will finish strongly. As Graham has said, they have a good squad that will be strengthened by one or two additions and he has a really supportive chairman who works extremely hard for the club.”

Rowberry might not have returned to Rodney Parade yet but he still watches the Exiles closely on the Wyscout analysis platform.

James Rowberry celebrates with his County players after their cup upset at Luton (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

He said: “I’ve got a natural affinity with the lads – it’s great to see Priestley Farquharson doing so well, Declan Drysdale getting better and better, Offrande Zanzala back to fitness, Adam Lewis, Aaron Lewis, I could reel them all off.

“I want those lads to do well as individuals, have good careers and earn a decent wage to provide for their families.

“Newport County will always be in my heart but there is also a strong connection to those players individually and I am desperate for them to be successful.”

Rowberry followed Michael Flynn in managing his home city, discovering that there was no escaping the criticism in tough times.

“The hardest bit was seeing my family go through it, especially my mum and dad,” he said.

“I tried not to read social media, although those that say they don’t completely are telling fibs, and I knew that criticism came with the job when I signed up to it.

“If fans come to the game and pay their money then they are entitled to their opinion, as long as things don’t get personal.

“The clip of Mark Hudson [after he was sacked by Cardiff] struck a chord – I will never forget telling my daughters when I became manager, and will never forget telling them that I wasn’t anymore.”

But Rowberry isn’t bitter after the way that things ended at Rodney Parade.

“I had some really good times and it really pleases me that we finished 11th in the league but had the highest average attendance the club has had. That says it all about what we were trying to do,” he said.

“It’s something that probably hasn’t sunk in yet because I am thinking of the next thing and how I can be better but I’m so proud to have been manager of Newport County. I’ve got no regrets.”

Rowberry and his sister Kate will be running the Newport Half Marathon on Sunday, March 5 to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

The former County boss had a disorder picked up by a routine pre-season check. Sponsor them: HERE.