The Sun-Herald: You've only just got your feet under the desk, what are your initial impressions of the place?
Daniel Anderson: It's very impressive. It's great the entire football club is now under the one roof; it was dispersed [when I was here] previously. That's very good, structurally. I've got a window with sunshine coming in, which is very unlike the office I had in the UK, so that's a good start. As for the players, they've been very accommodating and very welcoming, as have the staff. They're getting up to speed very quickly with the style I have on the training paddock. They'll tell you about my idiosyncrasies - I'm pretty detailed. Punctuality is very important, as is intensity in training. I'm not resculpting the wheel. They're just getting used to me.
SH: The core things - like the culture - have they changed much since you were last at the club [in 2000]?
DA: It's always going to be different depending on the players and staff. I don't know enough about the entire football operation to make a call on that. But Steve Edge is still the boss of marketing and Denis [Fitzgerald] is the big boss. We've still got Kevin Wise in junior operations. There's a lot of staff who were here when I left and a lot of new staff as well. I've had a good chat and a couple of coffees with some old people I've worked with.
SH: Do you think the fact you've worked at the Eels before helps in that transition process?
DA: Absolutely. It's been a welcoming return for me by the people I've mentioned - Steve Edge, Gareth Holmes in junior development. [Football manager] Phil Moss was my team manager in '99. We had the reserve grade team here. There's Andrew Hill, the general manager, who I have worked with. There are people who have risen through the ranks. They are people I'm comfortable with and there's others I'm enjoying getting to know.
SH: How have you changed as a coach since the last time you were at Parramatta?
DA: There's the physical aspects. I'm older. I've got grey hair. I've got a lot more responsibilities family wise, I've got kids. But I'm not dramatically different. I've got the same sense of humour. I still like to drink a coffee. I still like to have a general chit-chat now and then. I don't think there's anything dramatically different.
SH: How would you describe your coaching style?
DA: It's difficult. It's hard to put it into a handful of letters. I do enjoy players becoming more intelligent - rugby league intelligent, so to speak, knowing the subtleties of the game. To be disciplined at training - to not drop balls at training, that's what I mean when I talk about discipline. It's about camaraderie, I love to see players have a joke and a bit of a tease. It's just about the footy club, I'm not trying to make it bigger or less than it is.
SH: What style of play can Eels fans expect in 2009?
DA: I don't know. I'm still assessing and evaluating the players and the strengths; they have to determine what we are capable of. People will tell me what they are capable of, but until I put the players in different scenarios and situations on the training paddock, I can't make that decision.
SH: The wrestle is now a big part of the game in the NRL. How do you address that trend after coming from the Super League?.
DA: You dive in, it's as simple as that. You can't be left behind. I've got staff here that have been in the NRL for many years who will give me some advice. I've got video footage of all the games. I'll be my own personality but, of course, I'll be influenced by the trends of the game.
SH: The teams you coach are renowned for discipline and an expansive style of play. Do you see that continuing at Parramatta?
DA: People would like that but, again, I can't determine a style 'til I know more about the players.
SH: What did you say to the players in your first address?
DA: I don't think I did anything dramatic, I'm not sure you could even say I've addressed the players in a formal sense at all. We're just training and they're working hard.
SH: Are you happy with the cattle you've got? When a new coach comes in, you inherit the roster you're given - so when you look down the team sheet are you happy with what you've got and what those players are capable of?
DA: Yes, I'm very comfortable with the roster I've got. I'm looking forward to working with them all.
SH: Do you intend to address the players one-on-one?
DA: Yes, as the weeks unfold. I'll have a chat with players and outline roles and responsibilities. We'll have a chat about their goals and how their footy is going. We'll do it formally and informally.
SH: You touched on discipline. That's something you're known for, being a disciplinarian, on and off the field.
DA: [Laughing] Everyone says that. I don't know. I'm just doing what I do every day. People have responsibilities every day when they get up. The boys have been good at the moment. They're training well, and I'm happy about that.