National Football League: New Dublin manager Paul Caffrey tells Ian O'Riordan that he wants to quietly get Dublin football back to the top, starting with an improved league showing

Until recently the Dublin football management would have basked in an opening night like this: the beaten All-Ireland finalists coming to town, playing under the new floodlights at Parnell Park and all captured live on TV. Perfect for a little bit of swagger. Until recently they would even have been tempted to play it in Croke Park.

In a little over a month Paul Caffrey has changed all that. Unlike his predecessor Tommy Lyons, he's not one bit concerned about promoting Dublin football, only improving it. Caffrey's approach is so low profile it borders on the subterranean, where there's no such thing as any publicity. If Lyons was a song and dance man, Caffrey is the unknown poet, who prefers to sign off as anonymous.

At least that's the impression so far. When Allianz brought together some intercounty managers to flag the start of the National football league the Dublin manager was the most cautious about what he revealed. And then he slipped away before too much heat came on. He says he'll never refuse a phone call but he's obviously not out to make any headlines.

"It's just the way I do things," he says, "and I hope people respect the way I want to do the job. It's not that it's important for me to keep the thing low key, but I do firmly believe that it is about the players.

"I've no problem with players talking as long as they're comfortable talking. But I don't think this management is about what impact Paul Caffrey will have. It's about the impact the players will have."

It's helps that Caffrey worked under Lyons for three years. So did Dave Billings, while his other two selectors, Paul Clarke and Brian Talty, complete an intimate circle. It could be said he's got a head start on other new management teams.

"A head start in what?" he responds. "Getting my head on the block? But no, it's not a disadvantage having been there for three years. I enjoyed working with Tommy Lyons and I learnt a lot from him. My philosophy is that every day is a learning day and you should be picking up things all along, and passing on your experiences to the players."

Behind his hardened, somewhat daunting demeanour Caffrey has a gentle sense of reality, that football is only a game and the heavy challenge of managing Dublin should ultimately be enjoyable.

"Well I'd a fair idea of what was involved. It's a big task for sure. A lot of man-hours have to go into it. But it's not like it's been all-encompassing. I've a very supportive family and a good extension of close friends that keep me well grounded. So I'm just looking forward to getting the games now so we can start measuring ourselves.

"Of course it will take time to put my mark on this team. We were appointed on the 25th of November and very little was done before Christmas beyond getting things organised. But we have had a good four weeks of hard training now, but the manager is just there to facilitate the whole thing. So I'll be looking to get the players to perform to the maximum of their capability.

"But I think this year's league is a huge challenge for Dublin. In fact the way the format has gone now, with seven matches over nine weeks, is going to be a true test of any county's panel."

That challenge begins on Saturday night with the mtch against Mayo, and for now Caffrey is focused solely on them. He's named Paddy Christie as captain for the new season but beyond that he's intent on developing the entire panel over time. He's been handed the former hurling specialists Conal Keaney and David O'Callaghan for the time being, yet it seems every player on his panel is starting from scratch.

"Well I'd hope there'll be a lot of focus on a lot of players before this National League is out. And I think there will be a lot of players wearing Dublin jerseys this year. My main objective is for Dublin to be competitive during this league, and that means taking each challenge one by one.

"And the National League is very important to Dublin, and has always been. People have the idea that Dublin haven't really been trying in the National League for a good few years. I know we've tried very hard, but maybe we just haven't been good enough. I also believe that winning breeds confidence in any team, and this is what Dublin have to get back to: winning trophies and winning them often."

At least in that regard Caffrey is just like any other Dublin manager.