Louth football is in safe hands under the stewardship of new supremo Paddy Carr, a man whose desire to see Wee County GAA realise its full potential is infectious. Gerry Robinson fired some questions at the new county boss shortly after his appointment and was extremely impressed by the feedback. Read on to learn how no stone will be left unturned in the quest to move Louth football on that crucial extra few yards. What was it that attracted you to the Louth manager's job in the first place? I've been teaching in Drogheda since the early '80s and have had a strong day-to-day commitment to underage football in the county all that time. I think I've gained a good insight into what can be bettered in Louth football and how that can be achieved. I feel it's something I can improve upon, otherwise I would never have allowed my name go forward. What attributes do you bring to the job? It's impossible to be objective when referring to oneself so a question like that would be better addressed by the people who have worked alongside me over the years. There are a lot of people better qualified than myself to answer that one. Do you feel that there's any pressure on you as you ease into the job? There's a healthy pressure there and I feel very comfortable with that. At all the grades of football I've been involved in different capacities - be that colleges or successful club sides - I have garnered invaluable experience of what's needed to win. I have far too much respect for this position to have ever allowed myself to take it unless I felt that I could contribute something positive. How do you feel about the failure of previous Louth teams, and does that add to the pressure? I would never use the word 'failure' when referring to recent Louth teams. The word that comes to mind is 'unlucky'. Paul Kenny in particular came close to achieving success on a number of occasions and was very unlucky in Navan against both Dublin and Offaly in Leinster semi-finals, where circumstances beyond his control had a big bearing on the outcome. What I'm going to endeavour to do - and the players are already aware of this - is to make sure I'm 100% committed to making sure that anything that falls within my control will be looked after that. We'll make sure those things are looked after and just keep our fingers crossed that we aren't hampered by factors beyond our own influence. Louth football has made a significant movement in the right direction and there is still room for us to keep moving that way. How would you appraise the calibre of footballer available to you? There's a lot of good young talent here. The difficulty at intercounty level is that despite the best efforts of talented and hardworking coaches the county hasn't enjoyed anything like the kind of success at underage level that we'd hoped for and I think a lot of that is a result of players not having a successful senior team to look up to and try to emulate. If we could develop a successful senior team then that would spawn successful underage sides. What's required: an overhaul or just a bit of fine-tuning here and there? It's natural enough for people to be interested in how things are going to be developed when a new management structure comes in. I can't see anything radical being done or any form of culling taking place. It's very much a case of trying to build upon what's there already. But nothing stays still in football and we're aiming to move on. The only thing I can say with absolute certainty at this stage is that the level of commitment needed on all levels in terms of lifestyle and everything else that goes with that is going to be very high, and only those who are prepared to operate at that level will be in the shake-up. Is it possible to build a successful senior team against a backdrop of underage woe? That's an interesting one to try and figure out but I'd argue that it is very possible. The media would lead us all to believe that you can't have success at senior level if you haven't had it underage but the converse of that is that underage success can often create problems of its own. I know from speaking to Luke Dempsey who's a close friend of mine that it's not all black and white. The perception most people have of Westmeath is that the 'success' they've had this year is largely down to their successes at minor and under 21 levels but a lot of people in the know in the county wouldn't subscribe to that notion at all. Of course underage success is important as it creates a belief amongst the players that things can be achieved and builds their confidence. What has given us encouragement is that Louth have actually enjoyed success at colleges level and I've had numerous teams in provincial and All-Ireland finals. I feel that if those lads are managed properly, they will be a handful for anybody. There are a lot of very good GAA people in Louth who dearly wish for success. I hope they will be supportive and open-minded enough to appreciate that sacrifices will have to be made if these targets are to be met, because the demands on players at intercounty level these days are absolutely enormous. So what can we expect from Louth in next year's championship? I have already explained to the players that the central target for the year has to be success in the championship. With the new system whereby every team has two chances there's a need for high-quality performances at a consistent level and that will affect the type of preparation a team will have to make. The key will be hitting the peak performance at the right time in the year. We are working along very scientific lines to ensure the team is as mentally toughened and prepared as possible for whatever route we might end up taking in the championship. To what extent will you focus on youth? The important thing is to get the blend right. You need experience and you also need the vigour and energy that come with youth, which leads to liveliness in the panel. There won't be any deliberate policy to bring in young blood just for the sake of it - I honestly believe that if a guy's good enough then he'll play regardless. When I was given the opportunity to pick my own selectors one of the key factors in my choice of Gerry Sheridan was that, as well as having the greatest regard for his experience and ability, I was also eager that whoever was in charge of the under 21 team would have a say in the senior team so that the young players in the county would see very clearly that they are in the spotlight and that there is an opportunity there for them to progress into the senior squad. What is your view on the new intercounty championship structure? I'm in favour of it for a number of reasons, one of which is that the level of commitment involved for intercounty footballers is colossal and they deserve a second chance. I also feel it allows a better opportunity for the cream to rise to the top, as Galway did this year. It gives a fairer reflection of the effort and commitment of the players, and hopefully it'll work in Louth's favour. I have to say I'm very enthused by what I've seen so far from our players. And your verdict on the structures within the Wee County club scene? I'm convinced the new system is the way to go. The more frequently players perform to the pitch of championship football, the better. There's no experience like championship football and it brings young players along. I'm very impressed by the way the County Board is going about things and even people who might have been sceptical at the start would now have to applaud the County Board for its vision. How much emphasis will you place on fitness in your preparations for the challenges that lie ahead? It's a chicken and egg situation in that a team has to be physically very fit to be able to compete at the highest level these days. I am going to place an emphasis on individuals taking responsibility for themselves and for their own fitness. We're putting in place a personalised fitness programme and hope that will prove beneficial. We will leave no stone unturned with regards to our approach. Our's will be the most advanced training system put together by any county team in the country. I'm aware of all the work that is done in all the fine clubs in the county and of the enormous desire in Louth that our team will make a breakthrough at intercounty level. To this end, I can guarantee people that we will take every necessary measure to ensure that whatever talent is in the county is realised and harnessed to its maximum potential. They will be prepared meticulously and any Louth team I'm involved with will leave the pitch, having given their very best. We can't ask for any more than that. Tweet

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