PRAGMATIC but positive, Carlow hurling manager Kevin Ryan, busily preparing for the real start to the 2010 season, is also casting an optimistic eye to the future. 'With no relegation from Liam MacCarthy, for me it's how much we can consolidate and improve, what structures/foundations we can set in place to achieve long-term aims,' declares the Waterford man who steered Carlow to successful retention of the Christy Ring Cup last year.

'The average age of the panel is 24; where can we be when its 26/27? What do we need to do to get there?,' he asks before answering his own question with the blueprint for further progress.

'There is an old Irish saying 'Moralach gan a beidh sasta' - proud but not satisfied' which is applicable to ourselves at this juncture,' declares the former Waterford selector who himself lined out with the Decies in the 1989 Munster final against Tipperary in Cork.

'You have got to move on after each year, whatever it has brought you, and you have three choices,' he insists.

'One, you have the ease of thinking the job is done (or you have had enough), if so the result will definitely be worse than before.

'Secondly, carry on and do the same as last year - chances are results will be the same or similar to before. There is a saying in 'lean manufacturing' - if you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.

'Or, thirdly, each group, that is management/administrators/panel/back-room team sit down and challenge themselves to do things differently/better. If everyone improves by 10% the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts.

'It's the The law of the chain - 10% x 10% x 10% = 1000% but 10% x 10% x 5% = 500%. You have to look at all areas or the improvement won't be as great,' continues the Mount Sion clubman who concludes with a Vince Lombardi quote.

'Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work,'.

'We intend to concentrate on the process, the process of improvement, not on outcomes, the outcomes are only a result of the process, so concentrate on the process,' declares the Carlow boss who is absolutely thrilled that the renowned Gerry Fitzpatrick has joined the Carlow back-room team (see separate panel).

'In lay-man's terms that translates as being seriously competitive in all our games and that in the league matches against Clare and Wexford, the big hitters in our group, that we are not blitzed out of contention early on, that we extend them for as long as possible, see how close that brings us,' says Ryan who cut his coaching teeth with his own Mount Sion and Oulart-the-Ballagh in Wexford and was once touted by Liam Dunne in the 'Sunday Times' as the man he would like to see take charge of the purple and gold.

'Our first target is to consolidate our NHL position, we finished 4th last year, our ambition down the line to be serious contenders in Division 2, I firmly believe that in two years time Carlow can be a be a top ten team,' says Ryan with genuine feeling.

'It's great to be in the Liam MacCarthy Cup and drawing Laois gives us a realistic target though remember they came very close to beating Limerick last year,' muses the manager who notes 'our last league game is against Laois just four weeks before we play them in the first round of the Leinster championship and we play them in the U-21 around that time too so Laois will haunt our thoughts at that stage.

Kevin is also manager of the Carlow U-21 team, selectors yet to be finalised and he is high in his praise of Co Secretary Tommy O'Neill and Leinster Council delegate Eddie Byrne who successfully negotiated a path for his coming of age charges to participate in the championship proper after the original draw consigned them to the B championship, the winners of which had no access to the main event.

'As minors three years ago the U-21's were seriously competitive at A level, unlucky against both Wexford and Laois and, as with the seniors, if everyone puts in the work we can take it a step further,' says Ryan, starting out his second year with Carlow having taken over from fellow Mount Sion clubman Jim Greene.

'We had to adhere to the embargo on collective inter-county training in November and December, then our preparations were further hindered by the January cold snap but since we got up and running there has been plenty of activity,' reveals the manager.

'Apart from the Walsh Cup games against NUIG, UCD and Antrim we have had a regular diet of challenge matches, playing St Pat's, Drumcondra, Carlow IT, Kildare and Limerick as well as putting in the physical work on the training field and in the gym,' states Ryan.

'We were without our cup-tied college players and a few others for various reasons but we also got the opportunity to have a look at a host of new players as well as welcoming back a few who were not with us last season,' enthused Ryan.

'We would have preferred to have at least four weeks extra to prepare, for the league,' says Ryan who hints that not all counties are adhering to the November/December standstill.

'In thirty years time they'll be making films about an All-Ireland winning team who used a secluded field, down a back country lane to train before Christmas,' he smiles.

'Next Sunday's league match against Antrim in Belfast has been our main goal since we started back training, everything up to now was about getting ourselves ready for the league opener,' says Ryan.

'We beat them in Dr Cullen Park last year, considered a bit of surprise outside our camp but going to Casement Park will make things more difficult for us and you can be sure Dinny Cahill, even if he had to prepare without the Dunloy and St Gall's contingents will have Antrim well primed,' says the Carlow boss, 'but then I'd like to think we're well primed too,'