The 36-year-old was thrown in at the deep end by chairman Steve Gibson last summer and had to learn on the job very quickly as he attempted to guide the club through a season of transition.

His enjoyment is gradually starting to increase, however, as he puts together his vision for the future.

Asked about the transition from player to manager, he told a BBC Tees fans' forum: "Playing was easier, although it is still one of the hardest things in the world to step over the white line and put your body on the line every week and perform in front of thousands of people.

"But the difference is that once you have finished, all you need to worry about is yourself. You worry about how you played and you worry if the team has won or lost.

"As the manager, you worry about the 11 players who played, five substitutes, all your staff, 30,000 supporters and everybody phoning in and millions watching on the television.

"The difference is extreme, but I must admit, the longer I'm doing it, the more I am enjoying the challenge and the more I have a clear picture of what I want to do and how we want to get there.

"I get a bit more sleep each month that goes by and the players are starting to believe what we are about.

"I am relishing the challenge of managing. I don't think anything could ever beat being a player, but it's a close second."

Southgate freely admits his task has been eased by the backing of famously supportive chairman Gibson, who provided him with £23million with which to reshape his squad this summer.

Southgate said: "The pressure is what you put on yourself. I am obviously very fortunate that, historically, we are a stable club.

"The great thing for me about the chairman is that he has realistic expectations and if we lose a game, of course he is not happy, but he doesn't go overboard about a couple of defeats.

"In the same way, we don't go overboard with a couple of good performances.

"The pressure to achieve is your own motivation to want to take the club as far as you possibly can."

Gibson has challenged Southgate to add to the Carling Cup he won as captain in 2004 and bring European football back to the Riverside Stadium, and that is an ambition with which he is comfortable.

He said: "We have got to be realistic, the two cups are our chance of winning something.

"We all loved the European experience - the players are no different to the supporters - it was something to look forward to, something out of the ordinary.

"Yes, we want to get back there as quickly as we possibly can, but you will be judged as a team by what you do in the league."