SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown wants the Shrimpers to create ‘a new vibe’ in the National League this season.

Blues kick off their campaign at King’s Lynn this weekend looking to bounce back from two successive relegations.

But Brown believes there must be a switch in mentality if his side are to start picking up points on a more regular basis.

“I’m not blaming anybody but you have to look at what’s happened over the past two or three years,” said Brown.

“You look at what’s been going on behind the scenes, the management and the players’ heads because there’s been a lot of failure and disappointment and you’ve got to smash that.

“You have to get rid of that vibe and bringing new players in doesn’t automatically do that.

“There are people who have been here a long time and it kind of gets entrenched into the walls of the club itself.

“We have to create a new vibe and a new environment and that’s what we’ve been trying to do.”

Blues have triumphed just 14 times in the League in the past two seasons, losing 45 of their last 81 matches.

But Brown is desperate for the run of wretched results to end.

“Hopefully we’ve moved away from the back to back relegations now and turned a corner but you won’t really find that out until we start playing,” said the 62-year-old.

“We have to have a totally different mentality to the last couple of seasons. We have to be on the front foot and be positive. We’ve got to be driven to win things rather than there being an expectancy to lose which has certainly been in and around the club for too long.

“We’ve got a responsibility to change that, myself included.”

The Shrimpers kick off their first ever season in the National League at King’s Lynn on Saturday.

And Brown is expecting a difficult opening encounter/ “I’ve been more than impressed with King’s Lynn when I’ve seen them play,” said Brown.

“Their manager Ian Culverhouse played football the right way with Norwich and he’s certainly coached his team to play that way too. They play from the back and look to pass it through the thirds. But if they can’t do that then they’ll hit the front man and they have a big lad who plays up top.

“They have experience and players who are singing off the same hymn sheet. They have energy too so they have a lot going for them but I think this league is going to be brutal and this is not an easy game.”

However, Brown is looking forward to the challenge.

“We’re going to a place I’ve never played at or managed before,” said Brown.

“There’s a lot of expectancy from the supporters and a lot of them will be turning up. We have more than 1,000 going and it’s a fair old hike. But I’ll be buoyed by that and so will the players.”