I caught up with Keith this morning just before he set off for training and he was in great form looking back at pre-season and next week's preparations for the League One Opener against Hartlepool.

Firstly, its the last friendly match tomorrow so what's your verdict on your pre-season preparations?

Its been excellent, really enjoyable. Players both old and new have worked hard together and come together as a group. They are all listeneing and learning and taking fully on board  our strategies and views and are all fully immersed in what we are building and our objectives for the season ahead, This close season has been so different because of the number of new players in and the number of players who have moved on but everyone, including all the back room team, are fully inclusive with what we are working towards and aiming to achieve. The players have been learning from one another too and this has added to the positive dynamics of the group. It has been an excellent pre-season and we are at the point we need to be at. this time.

What is the plan for next week then?

A lot of the hard work has been done now. The players all came back in excellent physical condition having worked through the off-season maintenance programme they were given. The new lads have been assimilated into this programme too and have worked hard to get to the same level of fitness. The benefits of looking after the players throughout the close season can be seen in that we have had no muscle injuries in our pre-season. Yes, we have had a few impact injuries which is to be expected when players are training hard, but no muscle injuries is testament to the regime we have created here at the Club and the players willingness to be part of it. The players are mentally prepared too and really looking forward now to the new season.

Its a historic season for the Club - how much are you and the players looking forward to it?

We are all absolutely looking forward to it. The players are bubbling over at the moment and ready to go on the 7th when we play Hartlepool. We are really looking forward to the challenges of League One and understand how long it has been since Rochdale competed at this level.

We are all coming up with our formations and who we would play where but it's you who actually has to do it - what might we see in League One.

We will not be too obvious thats for sure. We know what formations we can play in and we know what we can adapt and we will need to adapt as will the players. Looking at the bigger picture the entire English game is changing and has been for many years now, certainly in all the time that I have been involved in football the changes have been immense. Outfield players need to be adaptable and, possibly with the exception of Centre Half, have to be multi-positional. This is the same at Rochdale and is a mantra which Dave and myself firmly believe in and is fundamental when we look at players who will fit into our style. I will have to change things round next season but it is not a case of tinkering, its about changing to the challenges posed by different Club's styles and the challenges posed by those Clubs playing players in different positions as we too must do.

Taking that a little further how does this apply to Rochdale and the recruiment of players, and the future recruitment of players.

The game is changing and as mentioned above players have to be adaptable. Look at full backs - possibly the most physically demanding position of all as they have to push on and support the attack but get back to defend. In our team we do have players who can fulfil several roles and whilst a player may have a favoured position he must have the mental flexibility and adaptability to perform in another position and it is players like this the we have and will look for when adding to the squad. This mental flexibilty is seen in the character of the players in understanding that we want to be successful and this is integral to our success. When resources are limited this is vital as unlike Manchester City for instance, we don't have two internationals challenging for every position on the park.

You have made some additons to the squad - still looking?

Of course but we will not be making any hasty decisions just to add numbers to the squad. We want to create more quality in depth with players who want  to be involved with what we are doing and are prepared to work hard to earn the right to play. We will be looking at utilising the loan market and any player coming in must have the mind set and attitude to work hard to justify their position. We have achieved success Dave and myself and we have a blueprint which we completely believe in and players have to be open minded about this and not come in with pre-conceived notions or an attitude of " that's not how we did it there " for instance. No-one will upset the dynamic we have created but will become an integral part of it. We hope that there will be some further news regarding new additions in the coming week and Dave and myself will continue to look at players on an ongoing basis.

So we might see some different formations next season?

We will, as mentioned ,have to adapt. Supporters will have their views but its part of their education too as they will get an insight into what we have done and why we have done it. There are different ways to get three points - that is the objective, Its important that the supporters understand what we are trying to do and get behind us. A good example of this is Swansea City where Brendan Rogers has come in to a Club where the two previous managers have basically re-educated the supporters in how the game is changing and how these changes relate to Swansea. Brendan likes to play football in a certain way and the fans are now attuned to that style so Brendan now has a position ideally suited to him - a team that will play in his style and under his guidance and supporters who understand and appreciate that style and his guidance. It could be a really successful partnership.

And finally, Bradford tomorrow, how will you approach that.

Its our final friendly and an important step in the process to be ready for Hartlepool. We can hone and polish certain aspects of what we have been working on and are looking forward to a good match against a team which are likely to very well next season under Peter.