Our EUROPEAN campaign is over for another year and I think I can take plenty of good experiences away from it.

We've learned how to come up against different formations and players we're not seen before; how we approach the game from both a tactical and physical element.

Last year, Steve Evans and I only came into it two weeks after Craig Harrison had left but this year, we had the whole of pre-season to plan, sign players and release players too.

We signed seven and got rid of eight, which meant a big overhaul before we've even started to properly play in pre-season. That was a big eye-opener so after last season when we won the league, we knew we could start planning properly.

They had to be people who could go straight into the team for the European games.

That six weeks of preparation was vital and that had to start in March, so I feel that's something I've gained a lot of experience on.

For training, we got the balls out from day one and I think the lads appreciated that; we didn't flog them and run them everywhere which was a change from previous ones, and we had a game four days later.

We're learned how to plan better for what we want from a staff perspective.

In games, you can only assume how the opposition will be set-up but once a competitive game starts up, that manager can change immediately and for the players, we have to adapt –you have to have a plan b and c.

It's how you use your bench as some of our players, against the top teams, do so much running that they have to come off on the hour.

That's not being negative to them, but the way it is and we plan accordingly.

Our workrate and intensity is usually higher so we have to be prepared for not just that game but the second leg too and how are the players going to recover.

First time around last year, I worked on adrenaline because it was my first one and while we struggled in the first leg, we acted and won the second leg. But we had to perform because we had to get the job.

But to get 10 European games as a 40-year-old new manager and that experience, is brilliant.