IT HAS taken four months but the Derek Adams mission statement is out there in black and white.

His “my way or the highway” post-match missive after City’s win in Rochdale has left no room for doubt.

It’s not just the supporters who are now crystal clear that the manager will be doing it by his own methods this season without any outside influence.

The players, too, if they weren’t sure already, know that they must conform with everything that their manager wants. Don't follow his blueprint and your days will be numbered.

But that is nothing new to those who have shared a dressing room with Adams before.

The likes of Yann Songo’o and Oscar Threlkeld are well versed in how their gaffer operates and the single-minded approach he will take to achieving results at all costs.

Songo’o has played for Adams at Ross County, Plymouth and Morecambe before linking up again with him at Valley Parade.

And Threlkeld credits the Scot for rekindling his passion for football after falling out of love for the game following an uncomfortable spell playing in Belgium.

Adams signed the right back three times for Plymouth, twice on loan and permanently in 2016, and the pair celebrated promotion together from League Two.

Nobody is better placed to offer an insight into the 46-year-old’s obsession with the game.

“He is just football-driven,” said Threlkeld, who played 107 times under Adams with Argyle.

“I don’t think anything else is in his mind apart from football.

“Even when you have a normal conversation with the manager about something else, he’ll somehow turn it round and get football into it.

“He’s just one of those type of people and you love him or hate him for it.

“He’s good at what he’s done – you only have to look at his CV with Plymouth, Morecambe and Ross Couny to see that.

“Credit to him that he knows what he’s talking about and he certainly gets the best out of me with the way he works.”

Adams’ blunt manner will not go down well with some and is likely to ruffle feathers on and off the pitch.

But Threlkeld is a big fan of his methods. The pair get on well – but that doesn’t mean his boss won’t give the defender a rollicking when he feels it’s required.

“The manager definitely knows how to push my buttons.

“If I need a kick up the backside, he will give it to me. But I won’t take it the wrong way.

“We’ve got a close-knit relationship – people say it’s almost like a father a son. I think that’s a good thing.

"I think it is just the mutual respect we have for each other. He trusts me and I trust him.

“I don’t sulk. I know I can go and knock on his door if I’m not playing and ask what I need to do more in training or game situations to get back in the team and he’ll tell me.

"I'm not scared of the answer because I know he wants what is best for me and the team.”

Other City team-mates are a little more wary of confronting Adams like that – and Threlkeld is often asked to judge the mood around the training ground.

“Some of the lads are a bit wary about going in to see him,” he laughed.

“They ask me if it’s a good time to do that and ask my opinion.

“Sometimes I’ll say, ‘maybe give it a couple of days’ and wait for the right moment.

“Because I know him so well, they sort of test the temperature for when’s best to chat with him.

“But we get on very well and I know how well he works.”

Having had a good look around the place, Adams is beginning to implement the changes he is after.

“Getting there” was how he described the progress when asked ahead of the weekend win, City’s first in eight games to end a sticky spell in September.

“It does take a bit of time,” he said after Saturday’s victory. “It needs to be step by step and I’m doing that.

“I think that over the season I’ll do that - and over the years.

“It just takes time because you have to adjust to looking at the structure of the football club. I’m doing that as we speak.”

Meanwhile, Finn Cousin-Dawson will miss City’s trip to Newport after his latest call-up for Northern Ireland under-21s.

Cousin-Dawson, who started six games for Adams when Threlkeld was injured, is in the Irish squad for their Euro 2021 qualifiers away to Russia and Spain.

The defender made his competitive debut in the final minute of last month’s win over Slovakia. He previously played in a friendly against Scotland during the summer.