If you feel a bit aggrieved or hard done by, you probably need the break just to reset yourself and give yourself time for different learning - to get out there and experience different things.

In my last years, I was conscious how I used to play the game when I first broke through. It was absolute chalk and cheese. I probably finished at the right time. There won't be many players like me in the future.

I suddenly thought, if I was going to make a go of it, I was going to have to look after myself and not keep apologising for knocking people over. That transformed my career.

The four and a half years I had at Stoke is something I will always look back on with pride because it was a huge achievement. To be able to last in a high profile job as long as I did showed that, for the most part, I did a decent job there.

As a kid, I loved contact sports, especially American football and boxing.

I worked at the crossroads of policy and operations. I kind of bring all that experience together because homeland security is a team sport, and I've played almost every role, every player, every team.

I'd heard about Texas football and how much of a religion it is, but to go to Odessa and experience it first-hand is something different than just hearing about it.

When I got there, there were two sides: business and football. Business I understand. It was pretty obvious to me what we had to do. But the football side was like the Holy Grail.