Hamlet boss GAVIN ROSE spoke to the 'South London Press' online, and here's what he had to say

Speaking to their reporter Richard Cawley here is what Gavin told the local paper, via their website:

Gavin Rose has blossomed at Dulwich but no serious approaches to leave

GAVIN Rose has completed five successful seasons in the dugout at Dulwich Hamlet - so it’s a surprise to hear that he has never attracted interest that has threatened to end his Champion Hill reign.
You would expect the 37-year-old, who grew up in Peckham, to be a target for rivals.
During his spell as boss at Dulwich he has won promotion from Ryman Division One South - after a couple of heartbreaks in the play-offs - and last season they only faded away from a top-five finish in the Premier Division in the last few weeks.
When you consider that Rose has also got Dulwich playing an attractive passing game and developed a raft of youngsters - many that flourished in his Aspire Academy before jumping into the Football League - he seems like a manager that should have been coveted more.
Rose said: “I’ve had one or two whispers where people have asked if I’d be interested in something but if we’re talking any concrete offers then I’d have to say no, not really.
“But then I look at Jamie Howell at Bognor Regis Town. He has been there an equal amount of time as me and has got a very good side full of talented footballers. There is a template that I believe you could take into league football.
“Maybe both of us feel hard done by. There are definitely managers out there that have done decent jobs but not had the opportunities to move on.
“It’s hard to just look at yourself. I don’t know the stats for how many have made the step up from non league into professional football.
“It’s disappointing. You hope if you do good work then you’ll be rewarded - just like players do. We’re no different. I want to go as high as as my ability allows, whether that is with Dulwich or elsewhere in the future.”
Over those five years Rose, on the books of Charlton, QPR and Millwall as a youngster, has shown a belief and commitment to youth as Dulwich have gained success against many sides with bigger budgets.
“Being a lad from the area I always thought there was potential at the club and it would be great to ignite it,” he said.
“I wanted to play attacking football, get more people to games and bring success.
“Five years on and we get decent gates for our level of football and it is a vibrant community club.
“When I first became manager I spoke to supporters and they were turning up as a duty - because they were Dulwich fans over many years - but not really watching the games. They’d turn up on a Saturday regardless of how good or bad the football was. They never came with any expectancy. That mindset has changed now and it’s exactly what I set out to achieve.
“I wouldn’t be critical of other teams’ style. There is some very effective football at our level and some really good passing teams - I don’t think we are unique.
“But if you can pass the ball well and are successful then people talk about you a little bit more. In the past few years we’ve combined the two. If you are passing the ball but are down at the bottom or mid-table then nobody cares.
“You need the combination. Our football is attractive - but it is also winning football.”
Rose does believe that his ethos means that Hamlet give chances to youngsters that would otherwise slip through the gaps.
A prime example is pint-sized playmaker Erhun Oztumer, who has dazzled in pink and blue for a couple of seasons and recently signed for Peterborough.
“Other teams are probably looking for strength, power and pace and we seem to come across lads who probably wouldn’t be playing for our rivals,” said Rose. “We look for more technically based players - if we lose with ones like that then we will take it all day long.”
Rose admits he experienced that selection process during his playing days which took him to Sutton, Gravesend & Northfleet, Bromley and Dulwich.
It was when he arrived at Dulwich as a player 12 years ago that he set up his academy.
Injuries took the edge off Rose’s own game at the relatively young age of 27.
“I didn’t really know how a guy who should have been one of the best players did not get in the team because of the way the side was set up,” he said. “Back in my non-league days as a player that always used to rile me.
“You’d see good players’ careers go by the wayside and that shaped my philosophy for coaching and managing.
“They were discarded in non league football because talent came second to hard work and commitment.
“But I always had my eye out for talented players because if they had that then I’d ask the question of could we mould the character? You can get character - you can’t give someone talent.”
The list of players that have been through the Aspire Academy or worked under Rose and made the jump into the paid ranks is lengthy.
One of the most high profile is Streatham-born striker Paul McCallum, who joined West Ham in 2011. Another frontrunner that also made the move was Daniel Carr, who went to Huddersfield Town last summer. Defenders Quade Taylor and Michael Chambers both earned moves to Crystal Palace.
“I don’t keep an exact count but we must be talking more than 40,” said Rose. “At the start we were moving three a year. “It’s difficult saying this one is better than the other.
“I’d say Albert Jarrett was one of the best - he could go past people for fun - but he went into the professional game and didn’t acclimitise to what it takes to be a professional.
“And we had Ryan Martin, who had an unbelievable left foot. He was very cultured but didn’t fit into the style of football that a professional club wanted - a player has to marry up to what a team want and need.
“A lot of people know about the academy but it still isn’t anywhere near where I’d like it to be.
“If I move on I’d like to have a base for the academy so at least the coaches would be able to continue coaching in the building and classroom.
“For the amount of talent it has produced and provided education for, it could’ve had a little more support off the field.
“We’ve spoken to various organisations like Sport England but the criteria they want for funding is quite difficult to nail down.
“There is no denying the amount of work we’ve done and support that has been given to these young kids in the community over the last 12 years.”