New Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath believes the club are close to success, despite the departure of Dean Ryan.

Ryan left the club by mutual consent on Thursday after a disappointing campaign, with former Scotland scrum-half Redpath stepping up into the role.

And Redpath is adamant his lack of experience will not prove a problem.

"The squad is strong enough, we have a great group of kids coming through and I can get the best out of the group," Redpath told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

Leicester's Richard Cockerill and Toby Booth of London Irish enjoyed impressive debut seasons as head coaches, and Redpath believes success can be achieved at Gloucester by getting the basics right.

"All I can say is judge it on the game," said Redpath, who won 60 caps for Scotland, and has been at Gloucester as backs coach since May 2005.

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"There wasn't a huge amount wrong last season and we were a couple of wins away from the top four. We weren't miles away. We didn't perform as well as we have in the last two or three seasons.

"I want to get back to some core principles within the game, which are there for every coach to see and use.

"We got a little bit mixed and matched last year. We didn't do one thing particularly well, and then the other suffered.

"I think we've got to get back to some basics, back to playing some rugby at the right time in the right areas and supporting the players. That's something we all have to buy into."

Redpath, who played for Melrose, Edinburgh Reviers, Narbonne and Sale, joined the Kingsholm coaching set-up four years ago after calling time on his playing career at the Sharks.

Gloucester secured the European Challenge Cup in his first season at the club and finished top of the Guinness Premiership in each of the following two campaigns, only to lose in the play-offs.

However, last term Ryan's team finished sixth in the table and lost the EDF Energy Cup final to Cardiff Blues, prompting chairman Tom Walkinshaw to launch an internal review which culminated in Ryan's departure.

And Redpath, who will continue to take charge of the backs, will have to turn around results without the benefit of a recruitment drive as the Gloucester are operating under budget constraints.

"At the moment I want to concentrate on the rugby, get coaching, get the team playing and training and that's the main thing," he added.

"The club are still in discussions with myself to decide how we go forward with the director of rugby role. At the moment I'm just appointed head coach to get the rugby team going, and that's my main aim in the whole thing."

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