Brendan Rodgers: In his own words

"I've had to work and throw my life into being different because I didn't have the big career. It's always worked for me and I'll always maintain that ethos. Managing players is my job.

"I suffered from a genetic knee problem that also prevented two of my brothers having professional careers. Full-time training exposed the brittleness of our knee bones. I could've continued but would not have reached the level I desired so I made the conscious decision to retire from playing and coach. I was in love with football. I wasn't going to achieve what I wanted as a player but I felt that I could as a coach. So I set off on a journey where I wanted to be the very best.

"I helped the Reading academy and was comfortable teaching. I could demonstrate what I was asking players to do as I was intelligent and technically strong. I liked Dutch and Spanish football principles and how they could control games. I visited Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla...gaining experience and broadening my coaching horizons.

"In terms of coaching I like my players to be technically strong and understand the game tactically, but I also think it's vital to maximise the extent to which every player can play the game, and it's also very important to understand the human needs element of players.

"From 20 years of age I studied in Spain and travelled throughout Europe, to understand the structure and the formation of 4-3-3. Going to Chelsea allowed me to explore and experiment with how far you can take that system with really good players.

"I like my teams to be attractive and creative, but also with good tactical discipline, and that is really the core of all our work each and every day.

"Mourinho was a big influence. We had a rapport because he saw something in me that was similar to him. We had lots of similarities. Our birthdays are on the same day [January 26] and we both believed in communication, hard work. We had a similar philosophy - we believed in the passion for football and the organisation.

"My wife says I am the only man who loves going back into work after a holiday. It is something I love doing and I am ambitious to be successful.

"Dad loved watching great football teams like Brazil. That stuck with me. I want to be entertained and my teams to play that way. I enjoy winning but I like to control how to win.

"We need style and steel. We must pass the ball with arrogance and back it up with a willingness to defend.

"I've many friends in football - Alex McLeish, Steve Clarke, and I speak to Jose, but I'm very much my own man. Besides, I don't like to burden people with a problem I may have. I like to carry it myself and rectify it that way.

"My big dream is to be a highly successful football manager whose methods provide innovation for youth and senior footballers and coaches.

"I started coaching for one reason and that was to make a difference for people, not just as footballers but as human beings. I'm learning lessons all the time.

"My template for everything is organisation. With the ball you have to know the movement patterns, the rotation, the fluidity and positioning of the team. When we have the football everybody's a player.

"If you are better than your opponent with the ball you have a 79% chance of winning the game."