Listen to the full interview above via the Off The Ball Football Show podcast
It is just over a decade since Colchester United manager Joe Dunne retired from the game at the tender age of 29.
The Irishman and Inchicore native who played for Gillingham, Colchester United and Dover Athletic had no choice but to call a halt to his career following a serious knee injury.
Since then he has been making a name for himself as one of the brightest young minds in lower league management.
In charge of League One Colchester since 2012 and with childhood friend former Ireland international Mark Kinsella as his assistant, Dunne is crystal clear about his goals and philosophies as he told us tonight.
"Every managerial job is extremely difficult. It requires a maximum amount of effort. As soon as I put the phone down to you guys, I'm in the car to go and watch Gillingham against Sheffield United because we have Sheffield United next week.
"From our point of view the philosophy is important. Each club is different but we want to bring through our young players, playing a style of football that allows them to hopefully move on to a higher level because the higher you do go up, the football is certainly a better premium."
While Dunne acknowledges that he is judged on results like all his fellow managers, one of his main aims is to help better themselves, which is why he believes passing and control are vital tools for players.
"If you're routined in kick and rush, you become that type of player and are only targeted by that kind of club," said Dunne who admits that his style of football is difficult to pull off at lower league level.
"I want my big burly defenders to be able to handle the ball still. I want to teach an old dog new tricks if you like. We all get brought up on tradition and 'the way to do it', and at our level the formula might be different to what I'm using. But I don't conform to normality and I want to stick to my beliefs."
Dunne also gave his take on why he believes there are fewer Irish managers getting a break in England and you can listen to the full interview via the Off The Ball Football Show podcast.
