Davy Fitzgerald said he got the first decade of his management career "so wrong it was unbelievable" as he lifted the lid on his approach to modern management.
The Clare man took his first inter-county job back in 2008, after stints with Limerick IT, Sixmilebridge and Nenagh Éire Óg.
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Then 36 years old, he galvanised Waterford, leading them to an All-Ireland final and two semi-finals. He won the Liam MacCarthy with Clare in 2013 and after stepping away from the Banner three years later, he headed for Wexford.
Fitzgerald expanded on his techniques - which he says have changed vastly with experience - in a wide-ranging interview on RTÉ 2fm's Game On, admitting attitude is everything when it comes to how he evaluates a player.
"To me attitude is savage," said Fitzgerald. "Give me a guy who's going to work at his game, who's going to go home and do his homework, that's willing to take on any challenge, but most importantly one who's a team player. They're hard to come by but they are so important.
"You could have the most amount of talent in a guy but if his head is in the wrong space, he's more of a hindrance than a help. It's something I look for in a big way. I'm not prepared to carry guys like that.
"The end result is everything isn't it? How do you achieve the end result? I'm training teams 28 years. The first ten or 12 years I got it so wrong it was unbelievable. I thought my way was the best way. The way I played I thought was the best way. No.
"It's what gets the group you have over the line. What do you need to do? If you can get a group that will buy into the way you want to train... if they don't buy into that and start listening to the public outside of it, you're done. No matter what you say, you're done.
"But if you can explain it properly, explain the process, I think you have a better chance."
Fitzgerald's tendency to use a sweeper has parked much debate, but the former goalkeeper said it's been misunderstood.
"Since I went into Waterford, I've definitely developed better as a manager," he added.
"People would often say to me, 'is there a specific you play? Obviously you play with a sweeper a lot of the time'. It depends on the bunch you have.
"Clare were a fast team, they loved moving into space, getting the ball on the run. Whereas if I had a team like Kilkenny had a few years ago, big lads that were able to win their own ball 50/50, then you're going to go more direct. It all depends on what you have.
"You figure out what you have, you work to their strengths as much as possible, but I believe the buy-in comes form you explaining why you're doing what you're doing.
"If they understand it, they'll buy in, and that's massive."
