STEVE Bruce says he owes Hull City a debt of gratitude after restoring his enthusiasm for football a year on from his darkest hour in management.
The Tigers boss takes his promotion-chasing side to Nottingham Forest this afternoon 12 months after he was sacked by Premier League strugglers Sunderland.
Bruce's "bitter" separation from the Stadium of Light brought about six months of unemployment, during which time he admits to having questioned his future in the game.
However, as the 51-year-old plots a return to the top flight with City, he says his short reign at the KC has already revitalised his outlook.
"I've been made to feel very, very welcome here," Bruce told the Mail.
"I thought long and hard about coming here for weeks because I questioned whether I could do the place justice, and if I still had the enthusiasm after being in the big league for 10 years.
"The more I thought about it, the more I thought 'Why not?' I've not regretted it for a second because I'm really enjoying putting a team together here and getting back into work.
"I enjoy working for the people who employ me, they treat me with the utmost respect and so do the supporters.
"In that sense I can't be any happier here and, fingers crossed, we can achieve what we all want here."
Sunderland's loss has so far proved to be City's gain as Bruce continues to oversee an impressive start to his KC Stadium reign.
Despite collecting just one point from home games with Burnley and Crystal Palace, the Tigers travel to Forest today well within reach of the Championship's automatic promotion places in sixth.
City's buoyancy is a far cry from the deflation felt by Bruce on November 30 last year, when his two-year reign at Sunderland was terminated with the Black Cats toiling at the foot of the Premier League.
"You learn from your experiences and it was a bitter experience, but hopefully it makes you better," said Bruce.
"You work all your life for an opportunity at a club like Sunderland. I felt it was unfair at the time and I still felt it was too soon.
"But what's done is done. It's been a strange year with everything that's happened but I've got a smile back on my face that's for sure.
"I've really enjoyed coming back to work again.
"I know it helps when you get off to a good start but I do believe the fans are enjoying what they're seeing. There'll be times when we don't play well, but they appreciate what we're trying to put in place."
Bruce will bring up six months in charge of the Tigers when they head to Watford a week from today but he is first aiming to cement City's place in the top six with a return to winning ways at Forest today.
According to Bruce, Sean O'Driscoll's side, beaten just four times in the league this term, will not be vanquished easily.
He added: "They're certainly one of the 10 to 12 teams I'd expect to sustain a challenge right up towards the last few weeks of the season. I see them as a competitor."
