It is almost 20 years since David Robertson took his first steps in management in Scotland and he concedes he probably was not ready.
Robertson saw his playing career come to an end in 2001 with an injury-hit spell at English Premier League side Leeds United.
He moved into management with Elgin City in 2003, and was two years into the job at Borough Briggs before he called it quits.
A four-month spell at Montrose followed, before Robertson emigrated to America.
His management journey, which most recently took him to India and the remarkable tale of success at Real Kashmir, has now brought him back to his native north-east, after being appointed Peterhead manager this week.
Transition from pitch to dugout was ‘hard at the start’
Robertson was 34 when he made the transition from the pitch to the dugout and for the former Aberdeen and Rangers defender, it was something he was not ready for.
“It’s nearly 20 years – I’d gone from playing in the (English) Premiership to the Third Division and part-time football,” said Robertson.
“When I came to Elgin, there were hardly any players and, until we trained for the first time, I didn’t realise logistically how difficult it is.
“I probably wasn’t ready for that type of job. I’ve got my Uefa Pro License now and then I was doing my B License.
“I did a little bit of coaching at Leeds United and then all of a sudden you get thrown into it.
I probably wasn’t ready for that type of job.”
“I was the youngest manager in the UK at that point and very wet behind the ears. I’ll never forget the experiences I had there, but – certainly as a coach – I’ve grown.
“You go from being a player to being in charge of a group of young men and I found that hard at the start.
“The game has come along. It used to be a case, at that level, of training a couple of times a week and hoping it worked on a Saturday. Now, with the increase in technology, I feel you’re better-equipped to do the job.
“The important thing for me is the environment and the team spirit -from being in the USA, in Scotland and in Kashmir in particular, that’s one thing I’m good at.”
Robertson’s mission to instil confidence within Peterhead
Robertson said this week instilling confidence within the Peterhead playing squad again was going to be important, given the predicament they find themselves in at the bottom of League One.
The recruitment issues he faced at Elgin all those years ago are something ex-Blue Toon manager Jim McInally was only too familiar with.
Peterhead lost a host of key players this summer and replacing them all in one go proved a near-insurmountable challenge, but McInally was also seasoned enough to know the geographical obstacles of bringing players to Balmoor.
It is something Robertson is also aware of.
“There’s players coming from all over and a lot of teams in the league are like that,” he added. “We’ve just got to deal with what we have at the moment.
“I’ve got plans moving forward as to how we’d like to do it, but there’s also things I’d like to do with the club within the community, within the north-east of Scotland.
“The main focus is the next few weeks. We’ve got a free weekend next week, which will give us a bit of time to do things.
“There’s a lot of things and I’ve got of ideas as to how we can be more cohesive as a club and a group.
“But that’s way down the line – there’s immediate stuff to deal with.”
David Robertson: From warzone in Kashmir to warm welcome at Peterhead
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