"It's literally non-stop and that side of it is the one bit that has blown me away. It is what it is, no problem. I'm enjoying it."
That was then and this is now. So how is Damien Duff feeling exactly 12 months on, with a season of SSE Airtricity League management and an FAI Cup final both under his belt?
It's the tenor of the questions he was fielding on Wednesday afternoon as the former Republic of Ireland wing wizard stood between the pillars and under the dome of Dublin's City Hall for the launch of the 2023 League of Ireland campaign.
"First game I was a nervous wreck," he recalled of Shels' 2022 opening night against St Pat's when the hotseat was burning vociferously given the enormous spotlight on him from all and sundry considering his stature within the game.
"Probably like to think I hid it well. RTÉ under the lights. Second round I was markedly better, third round I was markedly better, fourth... cup final now... I'm a million times better. That's me saying it. Some people might disagree."
Getting a first-hand look at players whether from his own squad or from the opposition has also been a boon in terms of immersing himself in the league and deepening his reservoir of knowledge beyond the confines of scouting tools like Wyscout.
The full-on nature of the job means management takes over the lives of people who dare to dip their toes into it. Has the experience so far changed him fundamentally as a person?
RTÉ Sport put that question to him and the 43-year-old's response suggested the last year has helped him prove something to himself.
"You can do anything you really want in life. It would have been something that I always would have thought I couldn't do and I wouldn't be up to it and I have done it and I've grown as a person on and off the pitch I'd like to think," he replied.
"And it's absolutely out of the comfort zone. Probably a lot of people in life just go along, pottering along, whereas I did something I was scared of and I'm thoroughly grateful for it."
The reward last season was a solid seventh place finish for Shels as they returned to the Premier Division after promotion from the second tier as well as a first FAI Cup final since 2011.
'Usually a 27, 28, 29-year-old with a lot of experience in the league that has a bit of quality costs €1,200 a week. I ain't got that'
That latter Aviva Stadium showpiece may have ended with a crushing defeat to Derry City but Duff saw plenty of progression across that campaign.
"The one bit that I stand over and gives me most hope is that the 10 teams last year, who made the biggest improvement over the course of 36 games and 4-5 cup games, without doubt I think it was us from game one to game 36 and including the cup," he said.
"So that's my greatest hope that we've a squad of players that have worked with me over a year and they've improved no end. That's what I'll rely on for our success."
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Duff had revamped the newly-promoted Shels squad radically when he first took over, with more than a dozen new arrivals and a similar number going the other way. The tweaks have continued over the winter months with the likes of Paddy Barrett and Matty Smith - who spent the latter half of 2022 on loan at Tolka Park - joining the club ahead of 2023.
Beyond another anticipated addition this week, no more incomings are expected.
But there's a definite youthful streak to the selection. Barrett and Smith are the only 25-and-overs among the new signings, with Tyreke Wilson, Kyle Robinson, Andrew Quinn, Evan Caffrey and Conor Kearns all keeping the average age low.
While Duff's past experience coaching at youth level is conducive to working with younger talents, part of the recruitment process is a case of cutting one's cloth accordingly based on a budget that is dwarfed by the bigger fish in the division.
"Usually a 27, 28, 29-year-old with a lot of experience in the league that has a bit of quality costs €1,200 a week. I ain't got that," he told RTÉ Sport.
"So I might be able to get one of them, two of them, three of them but a lot of the teams above can just keep forking out. I can't. So your 20, 21-year-old, it's not that I want loads of kids in that don't answer back.
"A big reason that Paddy's in is because he's a personality and a presence which is something that we've lacked before. Your title winners with medals and experience cost too much money.
'I think there's a marked difference in the quality of everything. I think we're a much better team'
"But at the same time, young kids, they've improved no end, they're exciting and hopefully one day they'll be the lads at 26-27 that are demanding huge wages and got plenty of medals under their belt."
Duff is quietly confident that the squad, which retained key names like Sean Boyd, Jack Moylan and JJ Lunney, can make a step forward after they kick-off their campaign next Friday night against Drogheda United.
"Without doubt, even comparing it to the squad going into the first game last season, the starting line-up - no disrespect - but it's light and day," he said, adding that the manner of the cup final defeat was a good "wake-up call".
"Even the lads who have been with us a year know how we work, know the intensity we work at, so I think there's a marked difference in the quality of everything. I think we're a much better team.
"But talk is cheap. It's about doing it, delivering it on matchdays and match nights, Fridays under the lights."
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