Alan Pardew

If I'm going to work in Holland I would like to have more of a chance to do something in the league, because a Europa League place might be slightly easier to target than in England.

I consider this to be one of the biggest jobs in the country and to get the opportunity to be the manager of Newcastle is not something I'm going to give up lightly.

If you're in the middle of a field, surrounded by armies, left right and centre, you can't just say: 'I've had enough now, sorry.'

The pleasure of winning at this football club matches nothing I've ever experienced before. But if you're going to get those ultimate highs, you're going to get the ultimate lows.

In the search for a new challenge I'm glad that I came across ADO Den Haag.

Does it help Dutch teams in the Champions League because they don't have to be at it in the league? I think it does. I experienced the disparity.

I experienced great professionalism in Dutch football. I don't want to give a stereotypical view of them, but they are needy in terms of wanting to know exactly what the game plan is, what their role is, that information.

I've been a manager in the Premier League for many years and you do become conservative when you're in that bottom section. There's so much stress, because it is so important and there's so much scrutiny.

The AZ captain Teun Koopmeiners, a left-footed centre back who can sit in midfield, is probably the best player in Holland in defensive areas.

As a manager you're going to have some bad times, some really bad times. If you're going to walk away, then in my view you do not have the make-up to be a manager or a leader of men.

I'm the football manager of Newcastle, which is owned by Mike Ashley.

I'm the football manager. I make all the football decisions that evolve around the game that's being played on a Saturday.

A player's mentality is very important. The five or 10 per cent where they're not focused because of wanting to go somewhere is enough for them to haul off their quality. It impacts on everything. So, as a board and manager, you have to make a decision.

Crystal Palace were my first club and one I hold dear to my heart.

The spokesman at Newcastle, unfortunately, was mainly me. I had to manage the football club.

In my world, I have to keep my counsel at times, accept players are going to criticise various things, accuse you of various things. Sometimes you react, sometimes you don't.

The England job is unique and brings a certain pressure. I've experienced some of that pressure at the clubs I've been at.

The only gambling I do is on a Saturday afternoon when I might put on two wingers or two strikers.

For anything in your life, you have to be focused on what is the goal.

But what I'm not is someone who just comes in and becomes a lapdog to the board. Anyone who knows my personality knows that's not me.

At West Ham I had a fantastic relationship with the board but I was really upset with them when they sold the club without telling me. I then had new owners I didn't get on particularly well with.

I've never bet in a casino; it's just not something I do.

I always ask two questions when we are closing in on a deal: What currency are we dealing in and how many people are expecting to get paid as part of this transfer?

I look at Rafa Benitez in his time at Liverpool, he had difficult periods and the same goes for Brendan Rodgers in the same job now. These difficult periods come and you have to accept that. I did as well as I could at Newcastle.

I didn't listen to half of the criticism I received. I just didn't let it enter my brain.