Alan Pardew: "It was a very important route because you understand the workplace and what the media represents to the working man.
"When I was a glazier, I was reading the newspaper every day and that was my only insight into the football world.
"When you play in non-league football, you meet a cross-section of characters that you don't meet in professional football.
"You might have a company chief executive and a dustbin man playing side-by-side in the same non-league team, so you come across many characters from different walks of life whereas in professional football, you have football-focused individuals who have based most of their upbringing on football because it was going to be their career from day one.
"Due to the playing route that I took, I have experienced diversity of character, so when I come across what may be classed as a 'difficult or enigmatic character' in the football world, it's not much of a problem for me."