Sam Allardyce admits that nerves will hit him as he prepares to lead England into battle for the first time, but is relying on his players to settle him in Slovakia.
Allardyce will fulfil a life's ambition by managing the England in Sunday's World Cup qualifier at Trnava's City Arena and he revealed he’s likely to be affected by a touch of anxiety as he makes his final preparations.
But the 61-years-old with 25 years of touchline experience in the bank expects to be ready for action as soon as the whistle blows and the team take over.
"I think there'll be nerves, yeah," he said on the eve of his first competitive game as international as boss.
"I think in every new job you get you're nervous. But you're hoping the players will do the talking for you, that when they walk over that white line they'll deliver what we all want and that's the victory.
"I'll be very nervous in the early part, the build-up, but once the game starts that leaves me and the focus on the match comes in.
“I don't hear the crowd around me; I just see how team is doing and what I need to communicate."
Allardyce removed some of the speculation and intrigue around his first game in charge by naming his starting XI a full 48 hours early.
There were no major shocks, with every one of the team part of Roy Hodgson's unsuccessful Euro 2016 squad and eight of the side that crashed out to Iceland retained.
Dele Alli was perhaps most unfortunate to miss the cut, a victim of captain Wayne Rooney's selection in his preferred number 10 role. Rooney (above) will become England's most capped outfield player, making his 116th appearance against Slovakia.
Allardyce did not name names but did suggest he had wrestled with the composition of his side.
"There was deliberation on everybody," he said.
"That's the exciting thing for me, the quality of players this week, the energy of the players, the camaraderie. It's been very good for me to see.
"So the selection process was quite a difficult one."
Manchester City's John Stones is an eye-catching selection at the heart of defence, where he replaces Chris Smalling.
He has long been seen as a future mainstay of the England side but did not manage a minute in France and is set for only his second competitive start.
Allerdyce was given the job after Hodgson stepped down in the wake of the Euro 2016 last 16 humiliation by Iceland.
