“The game shapes you. I played for 20 years at all levels, apart from t...” — Sean Dyche Quote

The game shapes you. I played for 20 years at all levels, apart from the Premier League. I had a disaster at Bristol City, where in two years I learnt more about myself, the industry, fans, how you get treated, than I ever learnt in my career.

If there is a flaw in the academy system it's that they try to tell them everything. Kids are taught the same. They look the same. So you're constantly looking for the X factor. It's the hardest thing, that mystical ingredient, instinct, the four-second hit, like/dislike, it can come unbelievably quickly.

I've put all the hours in and there's a depth to my education. There are a couple of brain cells in there, more than you might expect of a 6ft 1in ginger skinhead.

True success for me is allowing players to be better than I was. That is what I went into coaching for and I've not lost sight of that.

Let's get one thing straight: there's no such thing as the Bristol sound.

We never stayed anywhere for long. Southport, Blackpool, Bristol, Essex - we moved all the time. I went to dozens of schools. I was always the new boy.

I just felt that I might to go to university and get some real life. It wasn't stimulating in the same way. I loved being at Bristol, but I missed the thrill of being on set.

When someone tells me they've never been to a race, I tell them that the first one they should go to is Bristol, Tennesee. The shape of the track, the energy, and excitement under the lights is similar to what you might get at a stick-and-ball game in college football or the NFL.