"I think Garry Monk has done a good job at Swansea. He's come in as a young manager which isn't easy to do and he's played with the players.
"I was player-manager of the Irish team and I was player-manager of West Brom. As long as you establish the ground rules, it's okay.
"Particularly with the West Brom lads, because I didn't know them well, I established that I'm going to play, I'm going to do my best, I expect you to do your best but if I'm not playing very well, I still have the authority to be the boss.
"All I expect is you to do your best and I will do my best. That's all you ask of any player. And on the pitch, I have the right to criticise you or not criticise you.
"But I was also playing with them so I had to do my stuff. You have to win the respect. But you definitely lay down the ground rules. So you come in at half-time and you do your team-talk and all that.
John gives instructions to the Ireland squad in 1974 (AP Photo/Rider)
"I was lucky because I had a good relationship with the Irish lads and the West Brom lads.
"I trained with the lads as well but you don't mess about in training. I used to concentrate a lot on five-a-sides and doing it in the proper way, so I'd be playing with the lads as well.
"It's very hard to describe it but you have a personal relationship and you have a professional relationship. For example, I found it very difficult when I went to West Brom because when you got a good win when I was at Leeds, you'd have a couple of drinks with the lads. I couldn't go out with the lads. I couldn't mix socially with the lads because you can't do it.
"If you go out and a have a few drinks everybody becomes too familiar and you lose whatever authority you have. So I had to sacrifice that which I didn't mind because that was the job.
"When I went to West Brom first, people said 'are you mad? It's too hard'. Then when I went back as manager the second time, they were saying 'the problem is you're not on the pitch'. Because you hear managers say 'when you go past the white line, you can't do anything about it'. Well I was on the pitch, so I could do something about it, which was an advantage.
"And I got on very well with the players and I respected them and they respected me - and as a player. But I never had a close relationship with them on a personal or social level."
John was speaking to Off The Ball
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