Michael O'Neill admits he was a bag of nerves walking into Wednesday's unveiling press conference.
A packed media room at Windsor Park welcomed the 53-year-old back to the Northern Ireland helm.
O'Neill was a relative novice working for Shamrock Rovers when he was appointed first time out back in 2011.
Read more: O'Neill 'not after a statue' as he plots new Northern Ireland course
Fast forward 11 years and the 53-year-old has already written his name in the pantheon of legendary Northern Ireland managers, having led the country to the 2016 Euro finals.
Despite the success of his first spell, O'Neill says the opportunity to manage Northern Ireland will always come with a degree of trepidation.
He said: "I woke up this morning more nervous than I did the first time around, and that's a mindset of 'why are they giving the job to him?' because I was so nervous. The feelings I have now are very similar in nature.
"I think there are always some nerves. And that's a good thing.
"The first time I was appointed I was petrified, to be honest. The team was not in a particularly good place when I came in back in 2011. I wasn't sure where that group of players was.
"I also wasn't that much older than some of them, and I didn't come with any experience of managing in English football at that point in time.
"So there was a lot of anxiety on my part. Would I be able to do the job? Would the players accept me coming in?
"I think what evolved over that period shows that if you do the job right and prepare the team right, the players will come with you.
"So the players know what to expect which is a good thing, and the younger ones will be more than happy to buy into what you want to do.
"So hopefully that helps us hit the ground running."
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