Hull City manager Steve Bruce has admitted that he was "fortunate" to keep his job following his side's relegation from the Premier League last season.
The Tigers finished the season in 18th place after taking just one point from their final four games.
"I am fortunate because I am sure most managers would have paid the penalty after relegation. That is how football is nowadays," Bruce told the Daily Mail.
"I had a chat with the owner Assem Allam and of course I wanted to know if he still wanted me to carry on. But there was another question too — whether I had the enthusiasm to fight in the Championship again against all the big clubs there.
"In the end, I thought to myself, why not if the owner still wants me to carry on, which he does. He is a very good man. I enjoy working for him so I am going to try and take him back to the Premier League. We've won promotion together before and reached an FA Cup final but this will be like starting all over again."
Hull City will begin their Championship campaign at home against Huddersfield Town.
