Work to be ‘Dunn’

Next question: David Dunn takes his first pre-match press conference as manager.

KEEPING the same hours as a late-night convenience store, David Dunn’s life has already become hugely more demanding during his first week as Athletic’s interim manager.

Sitting in at his first pre-match press conference as a boss, the 35 year old answered questions from the club’s own media team and the press, both national and local.

Phone ringing as he left, the next port of call was to step out of the board room and on to the steps near the tunnel entrance for a live TV interview. After that, there was the training session at Chapel Road - after which the player deals bubbling under this week needed to be worked on.

Starting at 7am and not retiring until 11.30pm, the former Blackburn maestro’s life has utterly changed from the days when a school run and training would be followed by rest..

“I was speaking to Phil Parkinson at Sheffield United the other night and asked does it change? He said no, this is pretty much it now,” said a smiling Dunn. “When he first got a job at Colchester he thought after a week or 10 days it would die down. But it never does. That’s what we are in it for. It’s a great challenge and one we throw everything into.”

The implication of these epic days at the office is that while Dunn is emphatic about not hanging up his boots yet, the job is too much for him to concentrate fully on maintaining as full a playing role as he has had.

“I’m sure I can do it,” he said. “But at the moment there’s so much going on.”

Helping him are trusted aides Keith Brown, the club’s new first-team coach, and Dean Holden — someone Dunn has known since the pair attended college together as apprentices.

“He didn’t see me much as I never really went into the class,” Dunn joked. “We have the same kind of background and schooling and Bolton and Blackburn are close to each other.

“Even when I came in as a player, I have been really impressed with Deano. He knows the club really well and more importantly, he wants Oldham Athletic to succeed. At a club like this, we need everyone on the same page and pulling in the same direction.”

If he does run into managerial problems in his new career, Dunn has some expertise to draw on.

“England manager Roy Hodgson gave me my debut at Blackburn in 1998, which seems a long time ago,” he said.

“I’ve worked under Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce, Sam Allardyce... I’ve missed a few there, but you try to pick the best bits of each and take that into your own style.

“I am sure I will make mistakes along the way and I am sure I will be ringing them for advice - which I already seem to be doing.”