Ottawa Fury FC fans should keep hopes high for 2016, says new head coach Paul Dalglish

The 2016 version of Ottawa Fury FC might look substantially different than the team that made it to the finals of the North American Soccer League, but the team's new coach is urging fans to keep their hopes high.

"They should be high. We've got good players and a great organization," said PaulDalglish on Ottawa Morning from Liverpool, England, where he was scouting for new talent.

"My hopes are high as well, going into this season."

Dalglishwas announced as the team's new head coach and general manager in November, taking the reins from Marc Dos Santos after heleft the team for a position with Major League Soccer.

One month earlier, the second-year soccer club made it to the NASLchampionships, where they lost 3-2 to the New York Cosmos.

'They're not irreplaceable'

Since the league final, however, the Fury have seen at least 10 players leavefor new pastures, including captain Richie Ryan and strikerTom Heinemann, the club's leading scorer in 2015.

Dalglish downplayed the significance of those losses Wednesday morning.

"They weren't people's heroes and they weren't the top players on the roster before they came [to Ottawa]," said Dalglish, noting that Heinemann in particular despite leading Fury FCwith 12 goals spent the first part of the season on the bench.

"They're very, very good players but my experience in the game tells me that they're not irreplaceable."

Dalglish's soccer bonafides are genuine: the 38-year-oldspent more than a decade playing professional soccerfor teamsin the English Premier League,the Scottish Premier League, andMajor League Soccer.

As well, his father Kenny is considered one of the best footballers in Scottish history, scoring more than 200 goalsfor top-flight clubs Celtic and Liverpool during a two-decade career.

More offense, fewer counterattacks

As for the style of soccer Fury FC fans can expect, Dalglish said he'll be aiming for more offense and less focus on running counterattacks.

"I'm a much more offensive-minded coach...I want to put much more aggression in the team, much more intensity in the pressure, and just bring much more excitement to the games," he said.

"If I'm goingto coach a team, I want it to replicate the type of football I want to watch as a fan."

• ON MOBILE? Listen to Ottawa Morning's interview with Paul Dalglish here.