I have an understanding of how much is at stake in football, how much money is at stake, how much investment there is and what it means to the fans. It's an emotional game. It's a focal point for communities. It's escapism for fans. Sport is a wonderful thing but it is just that: sport. It is my job.
Management brings the best and worst out of me, and I think you have to find a distinction between what is work and what isn't work, because football can take over your life.
I live in Sheffield. I got the train in this morning. I had a walk yesterday afternoon and went to the pub in the evening. My family is very important to me.
I never underestimate or overestimate anybody. Really we have to try and find levels of performance for ourselves first.
I'm not going to all of a sudden start wearing a snazzy suit and putting a scarf around my neck, which seemed to be vogue for about 20 minutes at one point.
I get worn down by people telling you what you can't do or what the problems are. Go on, give us a solution then.
Going to Belgium proved to be quite a cathartic experience for me because it eventually helped to heal the situation of leaving Leicester too.
Some people criticise me for not being animated enough, for sitting in stands and not showing any passion. I come down, get involved in a couple of situations and all of a sudden, it's a slightly different angle.
Sometimes I just need solitude, which is really rather nice.
Sometimes I just need to be out in nature. It's amazing how much I need time on my own.
I've noticed being back in football that, after some anonymity, people recognise you again. It's a pain in the neck.
The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I questioned whether I wanted to go back into management.
One of the things I am grateful for is that I was able to make contact again with Khun Vichai and work with him again. I still have an awful lot of admiration, warmth and respect for how he worked. I still feel that connection to the people I worked with at Leicester.
I enjoyed living abroad. I enjoyed the differences as much as anything.
I find it quite amusing that it's feasible that your opponents can have somebody watching you.
The way football has evolved in some of the bigger leagues in the world, you'd have to say there has become a bigger distance between the contact that you have, for everybody really. It's quite refreshing actually to experience something as simplistic as enjoying winning a game, and the players and the fans being together.
I've been in a few tangles in my time. And a lot of them have been of my own making because of how I feel I need to protect the people I'm working with - that is the players.
Part and parcel of trying to understand and recognise your strengths and weaknesses is to be brutally honest with how you reflect on what you are yourself. I can't fundamentally change what I am.
I love the other side of life, I like to do what interests me. People talk about bucket lists - I hate that. You might as well call it the coffin list.
I hope I retain the appetite to find new things to stimulate me, whether that's travel or finding new interests. I'll always go out and enjoy nature and the countryside, because it's a big part of my life.
