The BBC Sounds will broadcast the first episode of Sacked In The Morning with Craig Levein, Amy Irons and a host of other big-name managers discussing what it is like to be a manager of football.
Sometimes I ask myself why people want to be managers. It's an intense rollercoaster ride that will never let you stop enjoying it.
Getting good victories? It is all about the next game. Are you getting bad results? The microphone is about to be thrust in front of your face and you are the one who is carrying the can. My advice? Don't do it.
It is not a job where you can go too high or too low. You need to be somewhere in between.
Remember that your livelihood is at risk. You represent a club. You are responsible for the club. Don't be too happy or too down.
When I was younger, I often fell asleep, then woke up. Three to four times a day, I would get up and down, wake my wife, and move into the spare bedroom. Then, I'd sit writing notes for the next match.
Friday night was always very chaotic for me, just like Saturday after a game. It's always hard to get down. It's constant and you don't get a break.
When the season ends and you feel like you can go on vacation, the phone rings non-stop with players and agents. You can reach them 24/7, 365 days a year.
Sackings that'soul-destruct'
Although I was lucky to do well at Hearts and Cowdenbeath, my first experience of failure was at Leicester City. It was a terrible experience.
It's a horrible feeling that can hang around for a while. While some people are unable to recover from their first knockbacks, I was able to go away and make copious notes while reevaluating what had happened.
You can have your fun with 10,000 people singing "You're getting sacked" but it's devastating when it happens.
Although you know what the results will be, you aren't sure how long it will take to reverse them. My most recent spell at Hearts was the only time I felt sorry for an owner who fired me.
Ann [Budge] was not happy about the fact that I got along so well with her. Accept it is part of the territory. It's part of the territory.
One person must take responsibility, and 99 percent of the time it's the manager. Plus owners are more trigger-happy. I've had many disagreements with managers over the years but there is an element of empathy for the job.
It's a difficult job. It is why I admire long-term managers like Dick Campbell or David Moyes. The younger coaches put pressure on older players.
This is a completely different argument: the older managers versus the bright, young coaches.
You can go from being a young man to becoming a dinosaur without realising it. Every day, new coaches are redefining words that football has used for many years.
4-6-0 &'messing with media
No matter who you are, if your team doesn't win matches you can be criticised. I'm not the only manager who has been fired. I certainly wasn't the first to lose his job for failing to get Scotland into a tournament.
It was difficult to accept the national team job because I didn't want to leave Dundee United. But who knows, maybe I would have been given the opportunity again. Although I was fortunate to be the captain of the national team once, it took me so long to decide.
It was very different from what I was used to doing. International management can feel like a full-time job, but club management is hard. It was difficult to take a break.
My week consisted of driving up and down the motorway to England, watching football players. I was trying to fill my days. Although it wasn't quite as bad as boredom, it was close to that.
While people will forever remember the 4-6-0 formation against the Czechs in 2004, I try to forget it. It's better to be remembered for something than for nothing.
To be honest, nobody would have noticed it if it wasn't for the player leaking it to press. I still feel comfortable with this decision, even though it is now a long time ago. It would have been the same thing, looking back. It gives us something to talk about.
Although I disagreed with some of the statements made at the time, I was annoyed by the questioning. However, it is important to respond in a thoughtful manner, so I enjoy playing with the media.
It is part of the business, just like being fired. You can become a counselor for your players if you don't have any experience.
Levein spoke to Nick McPheat, BBC Scotland.
