Quality key for Dickov

WITH Paul Dickov set to head into his second season as Latics manager, Chronicle sports reporter Matthew Chambers gets an insight into his role.

MC: A year on from first getting the Athletic manager’s job, what lessons have you learned in your time at Boundary Park so far?

PD: I learn something every day. It has been great for me — it is a big learning curve and has been an eye-opener at times. But I have loved every minute of it. I speak to other people in other jobs, not just in football, and they moan about what they do.

I don’t have anything to moan about. I love my job. I love what I am doing and where I am and as always, I want to get better at it.

MC: How does the task you are facing this season compare to that you faced when you first arrived?

PD: When I came in last year, the squad was too big. There were a lot of players who, through no fault of their own, we had to get out.

This year that is not the case. I know people are still looking at it and saying that the squad is too small and wondering if we get any injuries, what will happen. But we have still got that in hand at the moment.

No disrespect to the lads who were here last year, but I think the team picked itself too easily when everybody was fit.

This year, I want to have quality in competition for places and in most positions.

Though the season is approaching fast, I am still confident we will achieve that.

MC: Can the pressure of the job get too much sometimes?

PD: I love it. The hardest thing I have found with the job is switching off. That isn’t because of any external pressure put on me, but that which I put on myself.

Even when I go home, there is always stuff to do whether it be phone calls, emails, or going to watch games. I am up at 6.30am and I can be going to watch games in the evening here, there and everywhere. It isn’t unknown for me to just jump in the car and drive up to watch a game in Scotland and come back in to work the following day.

What I want to do is get as much knowledge as I can together. The more I know about players and teams, it can only be beneficial.

MC: How important are the rest of your staff?

PD: We are constantly in touch with each other. We have a structure in planning training that everybody has an input into. I do have the final say, but it doesn’t mean I don’t listen to them.

They are very good for me in lots of ways. Whether it is in going to watch games, coming up with match reports and player reports, we all muck in.

At the start last year, I tried to do it all myself. You quickly realise that is what your staff are there for. You need to bounce things off them.

For us all to grow and learn as a management team, we all have to muck in.

MC: How tough has it been for you dealing with the restrictions of a playing budget?

PD: It has been great. Even now when I speak to my chairman, and Simon Corney has been fantastic for me, he finds it very hard to say no to me sometimes.

I think that is because I am a realist as well. I don’t go asking him for things we haven’t got, so I won’t go and ask him to pay for someone when we can’t.

I won’t bang on about the budget I have got because I knew the score when I took on the job. Yes, it has been cut again this year but great — it makes it more challenging.

When you are successful, it makes it all the more satisfying as well.

MC: There are a lot of players who have come through the ranks at Boundary Park in the first-team squad at the moment.

PD: When I first took the job I said I wanted to get the young players involved. And if you look at the record, I don’t think there are many clubs that can match us in terms of kids coming into the side and playing.

Even of the players that played a lot of games for us, Dean Furman is only 23, Jean-Yves Mvoto 22, Paul Black 21 and Kieran Lee 23. At times, Chris Taylor was our oldest player at 24.

Now we have all had that season together, these players are looked upon as senior pros. And they will be better for it.

What we have noticed in pre-season already is that the things we had to explain to the squad last year they are doing automatically now.

MC: How much of a personal impact does the fans’ support have on you?

PD: It is massive for me. The backing that I have received in my first year in the job has been superb.

With the bad spell we had, it was humbling that they still backed us.

If you aren’t winning games, fans won’t be happy. Nobody understands that more than I do.

We just want the fans to be patient. We have the basis of a good, young squad but it may not happen for us straight away.

What I would ask is that if fans have any frustrations, take them out on me. The players that go out there, whether they are winning or losing, will give me and the fans everything they have got.

MC: Do you consider League One to be stronger or weaker than it was last season?

PD: I think it is stronger. If you look at the clubs that are new to the division, budget-wise, there will be a lot more money around than there was. It means that a lot of clubs can go out and get better players.

It doesn’t mean we can’t do well. We are a match for anyone, as we proved last year and as we have again proved in pre-season.

We just need to get more consistency. I believe that will come as well, now we have all had a year together.