THE GUIDES OF GAVIN: ICONIC AMERICAN COACHES, AVIATION AND NAPOLEON

Gavin described himself as “a practitioner.” “I don’t have any degree in sports psychology or fitness,” he stresses, yet he also cited big theories such Dale’s Cone of Experience, Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Fundamental Attribution Errors and the End-of History Illusion as touchstones of his own ideology.

Asked for a highlight of his time as manager, Gavin pulled a more obscure moment than most might expect.

“The National League final in 2013 was my first bit of tin (as Dublin manager),” he recalled. “We played Tyrone in that final. Dean Rock got a couple of scores late in the game off the bench.

“That probably solidified some of the concepts that we were trying to teach. That 21-man game.”

Then, in a quintessential Gavin pivot, he explained: “I’m reading a book on Napoleon. Your strength in depth is a key component of (success).

“That fella Napoleon won most of his battles – and I’d be a huge student of military battles – by using his strength in depth. His reserve.

“I’m not saying the players who start the game are like the clown in a bull fight before the matadors come in,” Gavin went on, “but in some ways they are.

“Kevin McManamon would have been a great bull fighter, would have made a great matador. He’s phenomenally mentally-strong, (a) superb man.

“He’s just a great guy. He’d push himself. That mental strength, we could use it to the team’s advantage.

“He could deliver a performance, no matter what the circumstances.”