Gerry Robinson gave Val Andrews a buzz to enquire about his plans for Louth football and found the accommodating new Wee County boss to be a model of honesty and sincerity... What is the attraction of managing a county such as Louth? The position could be described as a poisoned chalice and many good managers have come a cropper in the past, so why did you agree to take the position? A lot of people said it was a poisoned chalice - but I don't listen to a lot of people! Proximity was obviously a factor and there's also the challenge of being a manager at intercounty level. You have to test yourself at the highest level. Louth is certainly a challenge, but there's no reason why any county can't improve... The history of Louth football is tattooed with underachievement and hard-luck stories. Successive Wee County teams have failed to live up to their potential - does this worry you at all? I live in the now. Of course you can look into the past, but you can't dwell in it. We're going to concentrate on what we're doing now and put a plan in place that involves looking forward, not back. I firmly believe that anything is possible if you're prepared to aim for it. There is a huge wealth of talent and untapped resources in every footballer and in every human being. How familiar were you with Louth football before you took on the job? I would definitely have been aware of the Paddy Clarke era and they were a fine footballing team then. They were very unlucky against Kildare in the Leinster championship in 2000. While they didn't get the result, we could all see that the talent was there. Now we have to bring it on from there. Louth has always had the footballers and I know a lot of counties don't particularly enjoy playing against Louth, which is a very good starting base." What is your target for Louth football and how can this be achieved? Where are we? Louth won five games last year - against Wicklow (twice), London, Leitrim and Antrim. The previous year, they beat Kerry and Limerick in the league after Christmas, which were notable scalps, but they're still in Division 2B and this is the first thing we have to look at. For the progression of Louth football and in order to develop players properly, we have to get out of 2B. After that, the championship is one game at a time. It will be a benchmarking process when we play Kildare, Down, Derry and Antrim in the league. Both Kildare and Down reached provincial finals this year and playing those sides will give us a better grasp of where we're at. But I believe you have to get out of Division Two - and you have to stay out of it - if you're going to mount a serious championship challenge. Only by playing against the best can you become the best. The previous manager adopted a very scientific approach to preparations, with a major emphasis on individual fitness. Will the Val Andrews approach differ? Paddy Carr did a very professional job but all managers will set about the job in their own way and their own personality will have a bearing on things. Even though I come from a scientific background myself, I think that ultimately it's about football and that's what I'll concentrate on first and foremost ... scoring, handling, the skills of the game. I take fitness as given. You need to reach a certain level of fitness but it's not the most important thing. It doesn't worry me unduly. Fitness won't win you games, but a lack of fitness will lose them. The emphasis will be on quality over quantity. Rest on days off is just as important as training, because this allows time for muscle recovery and allows players to get the full benefits of training. Things like diet are important too - I'm not going to go over the top with stuff like this but reasonable lifestyle eating is important. I've noticed a tendency for some young players to miss meals, which is obviously not particularly good for their development. Of course, in an ideal world, a manager will be able to get his strongest XV on the field. Some players in Louth have been disenfranchised and alienated by previous regimes and one of the big tasks facing the new boss is to entice these individuals back into the fold. Presumably, the slate is being wiped clean? That's the point: I'm an outsider coming into the job and I intend to give everybody in the county the same opportunity. The past doesn't matter to me and I'm going to give everyone a fair chance. I see myself as a fair, objective and rational individual and I'll treat the players accordingly. Everybody is welcome to come in - where they're from, who they play for, their reputations, or what they may or may not have done in the past is of no interest to me. I have an open mind and no prejudice whatsoever. At the end of the day, my priority is to have the strongest possible team representing Louth and this means giving every fella in the county a fair crack of the whip. Louth has been dogged by a lack of success at senior level for 46 years, which has left some players lacking conviction and confidence. How will you set about instilling a sense of self-belief in these players? The players have the talent. Louth have the footballers. We have to build a good team culture and do the simple things right. If we get the basics right, then we can make progress gradually and effectively. I'm not going to set unrealistic objectives, otherwise you end up with a cycle of failure. Instead, we'll set targets that we can reach, cultivate a winning habit and the confidence will increase naturally from there. Louth had an exceptional minor team in 2003. These players are still very young, but are they too young to play senior football in 2004? Meath had a lot of very young men on the team when they won the All-Ireland in 1996 - Darren Fay, Mark O'Reilly, Paddy Reynolds, Barry Callaghan - and it didn't inhibit them in any way. So if you're good enough, you're old enough. The big thing is to develop everybody in the county to their maximum potential, regardless of their age, and to help them improve their game. I have a totally open mind regarding playing personnel, though obviously you need the right blend. You can't have too many young players in a championship team because experience is important at that level. Has there ever been a better time to win a Leinster championship? It looks wide open... One of the attractions of this job was that it's in Leinster. I've managed in Ulster and it's a dogfight but there are a lot of teams at the same level in Leinster and anything is possible. If we can get ourselves in Division One, then we can claim to be as good as anyone in Leinster. There are a lot of teams of a similar level and you could win a Leinster in three games. If you can win a Leinster, then why not an All-Ireland? There's a personal element to every decision we make. Thus, from a personal perspective, what opportunities does managing Louth offer Val Andrews? I'm going up to Louth to do what I normally do - to work hard, to be persistent and to keep going. I know what I want to do for Louth football and I fully intend to do it. In a lot of ways, football has become something that's endured rather than enjoyed, but I don't subscribe to that approach. I'd like to see the players enjoying themselves. I'll tell you one thing: I don't intend for Louth to become my managerial graveyard! I have seen the enthusiasm that exists for Louth football and I would dearly love to deliver a breakthrough. If we fail, it certainly won't be for want of effort from either myself or the players. Tweet

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