Rose turns down offer to be on the board of Dulwich Hamlet

Gavin Rose doesn’t want to confuse the issue.

The Dulwich Hamlet board asked him to be a director in the summer after the club won promotion to the Conference South.

It is the first time the former Champion Hill club have reached these heights in the football pyramid – and the newly-constituted board naturally wanted to reward their long-serving manager.

Rose, above with assistant Junior Kadi, has overseen progress in every season since he started and does not want to disrupt the lines of responsibility at the 125-year-old club.

“The role I do off the pitch is much more than a manager but I am happy to do it without new titles,” said Rose.

“At the moment, the club would like me to be on the board. But my job and purpose is to prepare the team. And I do not want to confuse the issue – this is just about clarity.

“I should not be treated differently to anyone else. Yes, I do extra curricular work – that is my choice. I do not need a title to pin that down. If the club still want me to carry on doing the job of the manager, I do not need to go down that route.”

Rose already runs his own youth player set-up, the Aspire Academy, which has had huge success in both bringing players into the Hamlet youngsters enough for them to be offered deals with pro clubs. So his business acumen is not in question.

“That is my day-job,” he said. “It takes a lot to put on the sessions, on the technical side. I still enjoy it. I want to carry on producing the young players of tomorrow because it is rewarding.”

Rose’s side lost 2-0 on opening day at Welling United, beat East Thurrock 2-1 in their second and lost at home 1-0 to Concord Rangers in their third.

But the manager is a specialist at not getting too up with the successes or too down with the losses.

“We still have most of the players who went through promotion with us,” he said. “Confidence is high because they have been through tough times and come out the other side. Everyone is still bubbly and keen to make an impression in this division.

“Last year we lost a few games at the start of the campaign and this time we are getting used to the standard.

“It is really important for our players to keep a clear mind and not get carried away with people who might want to say there is a gap between the divisions.

“To me, the standard is pretty much the same. We knew there would be big battles. Some we will win. Some we might lose. It is important not to get too emotional after a single defeat.

“So far, I have not really seen any difference between the divisions after watching several games, to be honest. There will be more physical teams and more direct teams. But we will play our own game. We are looking forward to the challenges.”

The latest coup for Rose’s Aspire Academy is the signing to Derby County of Javaun Splatt, 17. He will join their academy perhaps a few years after their homegrown youngsters – but he is making a big move perhaps two or three years before previous Aspire graduates.

“It is an opportunity for him,” said Rose. “We wish him all the luck in the world and hope he does well. And Derby have recognised our contribution, even though we did not have him on contract, with a nominal fee – so it will be beneficial to everyone.”