TUESDAY night in Newcastle. Four of Down's Belfastbased contingent are a couple of minutes late for training.

It's only a few days to go before their championship begins and Ross Carr is taking no prisoners. The rest of the squad are out, the warm-up started. As the late-comers race past, they mumble their apologies. Carr exchanges a wry smile with DJ Kane. The squad have absorbed the managerial mantra . . . there has to be respect for the team. Everybody is treated the same, all part of the learning curve.

And that curve is looking a lot steeper. A dismal National League pulled Down into Division Three for the first time. It hurt Carr and Kane, their players and the Down supporters.

The pragmatic approach prevails however. And today's match against Cavan serves up a more appetising test.

While Carr keeps a close eye on his players, the most striking aspect is the youth. Despite criticism that he has done little to change the squad, the evidence at training reflects a very different reality.

Captain Declan Rooney will be one of six players making championship debuts this afternoon, proof of Carr's commitment to lay new foundations. The infusion of so many new players might be regarded by some as a massive gamble but Carr and his staff have the utmost confidence in the kids' ability. From the very beginning, Carr and Kane were convinced of the need to implement the kind of changes that were never going to be welcomed by loyalists to the Paddy O'Rourke regime.

"At this level there are always going to be things that force your hand. The circumstances surrounding our pathetic form in the National League can be analysed over and over. We have to move on.

All those that have made the line-up are there by merit.

They know I am convinced they won't let anybody down.

"Of course it would have been great to have wider selection options. It would have been great to call upon players like Michael Walsh, Liam Doyle, Brendan McVeigh and Alan Molloy. However, for a combination of reasons . . . personal, work, studies and injury . . . they have not been able to play a part. The lads chosen know how much we believe in them. If there were any questions marks, they would not be in the squad."

Certainly there is no question mark as far as Carr is concerned over the choice of captain. "I am convinced that in Declan Rooney Down has a captain that can lead the county for the next decade."

Carr does not try to make excuses for Down's lamentable performances in the McKenna Cup and National League.

A single point from a disastrous campaign provokes an honest response. "There is no nice way of describing Down's failure in the league. We were crap. Absolute crap. Don't get me wrong. Armagh, Derry, Galway and Westmeath are all sides that have, in recent years, managed to get through to the latter stages of the All Ireland. At league level they have also shown consistency.

"Consistency, or the lack of consistency . . . that's what really hit us. There were times when Down played some good football but it was never sustained. Football is all about being able to maintain standards. Mistakes are made when those focus levels slip.

The impact was that Down invariably suffered. The longer a team goes without winning, the harder it becomes.

"The problem for Down is that for far too long the county has lived on a false reputation. With Down it's a feast or a famine. Mostly famine. Two All Ireland titles since 1968.

Nothing at all since 1995. Long years of some very good players getting no recognition."

His views on a complex situation ask demanding questions. They place a huge question mark over the commitment of successive county board hierarchies. "Whatever success Down has achieved has been in spite of deeply ingrained problems. Winning in the '90s acted as a mask. It satisfied the supporters. It put Down back in the frontline.

However, it is hard to argue against the view that it was all imagery and no substance.

"Of course Down will always have a glamour image. But we have continually failed to understand that alone is not enough. We did not sit down and take stock. For years we have paid the price."

He accepts that championship success will be the yardstick by which he will be judged. Equally, however, he will not buy into a false economy. He wants investment in Down, at all levels. He is, he explains, immensely proud to have been given the job, but he doesn't hide his frustration at the lost years. "That was a squad with the talent to have won much more. Sure we got two All Ireland medals. However, I am convinced that during the '90s we could have won at least another couple of titles. That's hard to accept.

"I don't want this bunch to go through their career thinking about ifs and buts. Look, I really do believe we are at the beginning of something special. Down football has imploded far too many times. But we have an opportunity now to ignite something special."

This driven Carr can kickstart a revival in Breffni Park this afternoon.