Life has come full circle for Colin Gordon
Swapping a life of lunches with Arsene Wenger and after-dinner cigars with Roy Hodgson for the National League Premier would appear an odd move to many.
To Colin Gordon, it was simply the next step in a journey,
Before becoming chief executive at Kidderminster Harriers, Gordon mixed with the biggest names in the business.
An agent with a catalogue of high-profile clients, he'd found success in an industry where so many fall flat on their face.
It's a life which might feel a long way away at Lincoln City's Sincil Bank stadium tomorrow, as Harriers seek a victory which might prolong their hopes of beating the drop.
But don't kid yourself into thinking these past few months have been a culture shock. Gordon said: "I don't think there is anyone better prepared for this.
"I've been sat on the other side, negotiating things with chairman, presidents of big clubs, Manchester United, Real Madrid you name it.
"I have dealt with them all for 20 years and know how a football club can and should be run. This is the opportunity to prove myself right."
Gordon is sat in a suite at Aggborough, reflecting on a few months which saw him swap the mystique and glamour of his previous job for the public rough and tumble of non-league football.
In many respects, this is a return to his roots. As a player, Gordon spent a season with Harriers in the early 1990s.
It came towards the end of a long if unremarkable career which included stops at Swindon, Reading and Birmingham to name a few.
As an agent, he fared better. His early work including the deal which saw Steve McManaman move from Liverpool to Real Madrid in 1998.
As business grew, David James, Theo Walcott and Steve McClaren were among his most high-profile clients.
Then, in April last year, he accepted a part-time role of Harriers football development director. Barely six months later, he was spending a six-figure club to save the club.
He said: "When you get a chance to look at this place, warts and all, you look and think, this can work. This was never ego, I have had 20,000 people booing me on a Saturday afternoon.
"It is a business opportunity and the business of football is all I know. This was a perfect fit at this stage of my career."
He pauses, smiles, then adds: "It may be I get it completely wrong, but up until now I think I have done quite well."
It's tough to disagree with the last statement. Over the past few months, Gordon and his board have succeeded in bringing the club's finances into far calmer waters.
A recent 'State of the Nation' address outlined an exciting philosophy for the future.
It stated the long-term ambition of becoming established in the Football League, along with developing a 'Kidderminster Way' of playing the game.
Such lofty ideals contrast sharply, however, with the short-term reality which, barring a miracle, will see Harriers relegated to the second tier of non-league football next month.
That's not to say Gordon will not attack the challenges ahead with trademark self-assuredness.
Whether the next weeks, months or years bring success or failure, it will be done on his terms.
His ambition is exciting, his enthusiasm infections, his views on the state of the game often brutal and uncompromising.
He continued: "If I could introduce you to 10 coaches who I think are worthy of the name then that is all I can do and I have met every single one of them, from Mourinho, to Wenger to Ferguson you name it.
"We are living in an unbelievable bubble, where we build people up to be something they are not. Football that is the emperor is completely naked.
"If I could take the average fan on the journey I have been on, Sky would be finished tomorrow, because no-one would bother with their subscriptions.
"There are not that many people out there that can carry out the philosophy we have, let alone at the top level. You come and ask how I can make it any different? That is my experience."
It was characteristic determination which saw Gordon reject the idea of putting the club into administration when it was, according to his words, "as good as dead" last December.
He said: "That would have been the easy way out. It would have been letting everyone in the community down and I think it is arrogant beyond belief.
"If we walked away from our responsibilities, we are putting people's jobs in jeopardy. That's not right. That is the arrogance of football."
Gordon, similarly, is determined to keep Harriers as a full-time operation next season despite the obvious risk at a level where many players are financially better off staying semi-pro.
He added: "We can afford to pay full-time players, so that is what we will do. It is not as though we are coming out of the Premier League and missing out on £100million.
"The drop for us is not as big as people think. There are a couple of less games, but the revenues we get from the league are not so big it will force us to go part-time.
"We don't want to bring through plumbers, or builders, or lorry drivers. We want to bring through professional footballers."
Gordon's is a message delivered with defiance but, he also believes, plenty of hope. After all, he's come too far and said too much to turn back now.
"It's always a long road but it should not frighten anyone. I think people are frightened of making bold statements for fear of embarassment, there is nothing to be embarrassed about.
"I think we have been lacking a little bit of unity and a little bit of guidance but we have that now. Everyone believes in the message. At the end of the day, it's our job to make people happy."
