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" It's a strange feeling obviously because it's only last year that I moved. When I left Carlisle it was just basically to go to a bigger club and everything and I could live at home as well. There were no hard feelings on my part and in a way I was sad to leave because we'd had a lot of success after we'd been through a lot of troubled times. That always makes it special after you have had those bad times, those two promotions were fantastic and gave the fans something back because they were fantastic throughout the relegation season. They deserved something to cheer about and thankfully we gave it to them.
" It is good to be back though, it's a club that, I've had a few clubs but it's a special part of me, I've always been made very welcome and my wife has. I'm just hopefully able to try to give something back to the club. If I can scout one or two things out of the job then that's fine. Greg (Abbott) rang me to see what I was doing, and I was happy with it, it's only on a part-time basis but it keeps me involved in getting out to matches.
" I'm looking forward to it because when you have done football all your life it's the only thing you really know. I think I do have a quite a bit of experience so hopefully that can come to the fore for the club. I only know Greg and Neil (McDonald) through football really, I think when I was at Hull City that we tried to sign Greg, when I was with Brian Horton if my memory serves me rightly. Neil, I have just come across him when he has played, Aston Villa and Everton. Basically I don't know them that well in terms of personally but I know them and they did a very good job I thought last season.
" The role will be looking at players that they want me to look at, that I'll go and run the rule over and report back to them. If I come across something myself then I will speak to usually Greg and say that I've heard that there is a player at so and so before anybody gets to find out, you can get a jump on one or two clubs. Also I'll be doing match reports on up-and-coming opponents so that's basically what it is, to try to bring players into the club and also to do the match reports to help the team when they go and play these sides in the next game.
" I've spoken to Greg and he has told me what players they are looking for so when I'm out and about on my travels I shall certainly look at those areas that he feels that they need into the side. We have spoken a little bit about what they think they require so that will be the first priority. "
" We only had the one scout and it is difficult, and I think that lower down you have to do your own work more than the bigger clubs. It's easy to go and see (Paul) Scholes and (David) Beckham and people like that isn't it, you don't really need to scout them. It's trying to see if you can get players before they come on to the scene of other clubs attentions as well. It's vital for teams like Carlisle I think because they don't have the big money to spend.
" Obviously they can go out there and spend, if there is a certain player they require and they know about him, that has played somewhere else then that's fine. I do think you need a structure when you haven't got the millions of pounds to throw around like the top clubs.
" You don't regret anything in football, you can't do otherwise you'd drive yourself mad. You make decisions at the time and I've moved on and I've been to different clubs at the top level and I've also worked in the Conference. I don't regret anything, when I was first at Carlisle the club needed turning round and Simmo (Paul Simpson) to his credit did that and I hope that I played a part with him. Then we had two fantastic seasons to get out of the Conference which is more difficult than I think people realise.
" Then to win the League Two championship the following season was a fantastic achievement but the offer of a bigger club, a Championship club came along. It allowed me to travel back and forth every day which obviously at my age you don't want to be living apart from your wife so that was another point in favour. Basically though it was the ambition, you want to work as high as you can and I did that, I have no regrets about it. Obviously I was sad to leave Carlisle but these things come up in the future for the managers and they'll have to make decisions whether to move on or not.
" We made that decision but from my point of view there were no hard feelings at all, I think we left on very good terms with everyone there. I've got a lot of friends there and I used to speak to them over the season as well, I always looked for the results and at one time I thought they were going to do it. They had a fantastic season overall anyway but it certainly looked as if they were going to make the play-offs and who knows then.
" At the moment nothing has come up in coaching, it's one of those times of the season when nothing really happens. People have got their staff sorted out and everything so nothing is really happening in that. Just to be involved instead of sitting about in the garden and doing things, you feel that you have got a purpose now to go out and try to help the club to get some players on board if I possibly can. I've been in football since I left school so it's in the blood, when you are going scouting to see players you come across old friends and I'm looking forward to it. "