Norwich City’s interim boss Alan Irvine is open to one last managerial hurrah before he calls time on career

Alan Irvine admits he is glad not to be just starting out in the mad world of football management.

Norwich City's experienced interim boss completes his short-term brief when he takes charge of today's Championship home game against Barnsley.

Irvine agreed to take the reins for two matches, following Alex Neil's surprise dismissal on the eve of last weekend's Blackburn draw, but the Scot insists he does not envy younger coaches at the start of their careers.

'I told Alex months ago I am glad I am my age and not his because I don't have to do this for much longer. It is getting harder and harder,' he said. 'It is becoming more and more ridiculous. I speak to a lot of my peers and they feel the same. It is becoming a more difficult job by the season.

'I actually spoke to him on the Saturday night (after Blackburn). I had a good chat with him for quite a few miles driving back up to the north-west.

'We all come into this side of it knowing that there is a possibility you will lose your job at some point. The norm is managerial jobs do not last that long these days. You just accept if a decision is made you move on and Alex will undoubtedly get a good job fairly soon and he will do a good job wherever he goes.'

Irvine has again pledged not to apply for the post to replace Neil on a permanent basis at Carrow Road, but is willing to extend his interim role.

'For whatever period of time, I will follow the club's lead. Let's try and beat Barnsley and take it from there,' he said. 'If the club wanted to speak to me about the job I would offer them the courtesy of listening to what they had to say. It is not something I have thought will happen. I have never applied for a job for me in my life. I don't expect that is the route the club is likely to go down. I never, ever said I wouldn't go back into management and I wouldn't be saying that now. If I wasn't here and something came up I would consider it.

'I do enjoy coaching. That is my passion. The reason I wanted to be a manager in the first place is because I wanted to be the guy putting my ideas and views across all the time on training pitch.

'That is the real positive of the job, there are other aspects that I am not so keen on. It is great fun working with the players on a daily basis.'