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My granddad was a hard worker, and my dad is, too. It was instilled in me as a kid. I never got pocket money; I had to earn it. I had two paper rounds before school, not just one. Wherever I worked, whether it was at football, in the pub, I'd do whatever was asked of me - and more.

My dad worked all sorts of jobs when I was growing up and finally ended up as a surveyor; my mum delivers meals to old folk around where we live. We didn't have much money when I was growing up, but I had a very happy childhood.

I was always determined to make it as a footballer, but if things hadn't worked out, I'd have maybe followed my dad into the building industry.

My father was very clear; I had to have an ordinary upbringing. I was put to work as a lowly-paid trainee after college. I didn't like it at the time, but I can't help but feel that that was probably the best thing for me.

My father was a factory worker, and we were really poor. But everything I earned peddling papers and working in stores, he made me put aside for education.

My mother's a secretary; my father's an electrician in a mining company.

My dad took on every job he could get. He worked like mad. But then, at some point, he had saved up enough to open his first pub.

I wasn't really aware that my father was working for quite a while. I thought it was my mother who had all the money!

My dad takes care of me as a manager and as a dad. That's his job, you know, to take care of me. He has my best interests at heart.