I just didn't want to walk away from football without knowing what it meant to be a manager, or even wondering what it was like to be sacked.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I just think to be a manager you've got to live and breathe and have this incredible enthusiasm for football, the whole thing. And while I love the game, and it's been a large part of my life, it's not the only thing in my life.
The reason I became a manager was to have full control over training. If you are a coach, you are bound by what the manager wants you to coach. The other reason is that I just like the company of football people.
The biggest thing I've found since I left the game - and I'm glad I chose to leave rather than being sacked - is that so many people are in football for the wrong reasons. Not because they love the game, but because they smell money.
So I know all about the ups and downs of football, I know that one day I will be sacked.
My main regret about my years in football was keeping my mouth shut like a little mouse, not daring to speak out because I was told you left the managers to get on with the job and that the chairman must never interfere with the manager's decisions or the performance of his team.
Being a football manager is no fun at all. You have to put up with all the hassle. It is not surprising that so many turn grey or have heart attacks.
I have had interviews and got close to taking a managerial job. I would consider going back into football.
It took me 35 years of being involved at a decent level of football to become manager at a great club like Celtic.
I love football so when I finish playing I would like to still be involved in it somehow and a manager would be my first choice.
I never had the slightest desire to be a major league manager, and all knew it. But Ban Johnson, Bob Hedges, and Jimmy McAleer persuaded me that the Browns were in a sort of a jam, and it was up to me, as an old standby, to do what I could.
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