First-time challenge for Dunn

David Dunn takes training for the first time

Matthew Chambers on Oldham’s new manager
HOW much does experience at the top level count for when taking command of a club at Athletic’s level?

Scoring two goals in a game at Arsenal, playing for England and lifting the League Cup during a career amounting to transfer fees of £7.7million isn’t bad going for any player.

But as many similar stars of the sport have found out before him, David Dunn’s past could carry little weight to motivate a League One team.

Picking a manager is a difficult task and there are no guarantees. Athletic chairman Simon Corney had taken plenty of flak for selecting Darren Kelly, who ultimately failed to rise to the challenge. But the directors weren’t being deliberately obtuse in their selection. They truly believed Kelly’s stellar interview would translate into training-ground gold. It simply didn’t work out that way.

Dunn began his new role this week from a similar starting position as Kelly. With no experience of management or coaching of a senior side, Athletic have essentially again put faith in a hunch.

While some would prefer an experienced candidate to come in, that is no guarantee of superior fortunes either - just look at the reign of Dave Penney.

Dunn wants to look forward, rather than back. A confident, assertive character, he is not a man you can imagine standing for much nonsense in the dressing room. The former Blackburn star isn’t afraid of laughing at himself — as he does on Twitter, where many remind him of a YouTube clip of him falling over while attempting a trick. But there is the streak of a real competitor running through him.

Helping Dunn, who is in interim charge, is Dean Holden, a man he grew up playing age group football against.

It isn’t an accident that Holden is still with the club. A maligned figure among some fans, the 36 year old’s stint in charge last season may not have always been exciting, but it brought vital victories against the backdrop of a crippling injuries list.

Holden is a far smarter, much more well-respected figure among the players than many supporters give him credit for: Dunn will no doubt lean on him for help.

The unspecified time frame of the arrangement means Dunn will look no further ahead than the next game. This Saturday it’s Doncaster. With the same group of players at Dunn’s disposal, at least for now, will fans see a big difference?

That’s the crux of the matter, and where Dunn will earn his corn as a freshman boss.