Aitor Karanka was happy indeed to see Birmingham City secure their Championship safety from afar as he reflected on his time at the club which regrettably ended in sour circumstances.
Spaniard Karanka, who boasted plenty of previous experience in England's second tier with Middlesbrough - with whom he won promotion to the Premier League - and Nottingham Forest, was an exciting appointment last summer as Blues moved on from his compatriot Pep Clotet.
It began well. What appeared to be a fruitful transfer window was followed by a series of positive results, including the impressive opening day victory over play-off contenders Brentford.
Blues were comfortably in mid-table after successive victories at the end of October over Huddersfield and Preston, but a rotten run in which they managed just five wins in the following 27 matches led to them sliding down the table, indeed right on the brink of the relegation zone.
The club hierarchy decided to pull the trigger following the harrowing home defeat to Bristol City back in March and quickly moved to bring former midfielder Lee Bowyer in.
He oversaw a remarkable turnaround in a rapid space of time as Blues collected 17 points from a possible 30 at the end of the campaign and pulled themselves well clear of danger.
Karanka kept an eye on their progress following his departure and was left to ponder what might've been under his own stewardship.
"A lot," Karanka said, when asked by Marca - via Sport Witness - whether he was pleased that Blues had survived. "What hurts me the most in these 7-8 months at Birmingham is not being able to interact with people. I have been used to public pressure since my time as a player and I have missed it.
"I started with great enthusiasm, but it did not end as expected."
Indeed Karanka outlined his wish to have seen a full St Andrew's at any point in his tenure and revealed how chief executive Xuandong Ren wanted to bring him to the club three years earlier, when Blues would eventually instead turn to Steve Cotterill to replace the outgoing Harry Redknapp.
Still, he has no regrets at his decisions but believes that a lack of investment has led to Blues rather standing still in the last few seasons.
"The CEO loved me three years ago," Karanka added. "Then I felt that this was not the time. It was a shame.
"The situation we live in and the inertia of the club in recent years has led to the experience not being as satisfactory as I thought when I arrived.
"I hadn't coached for 19 months and it has helped me a lot. I have enjoyed and learned a lot. I had to create a template without much money and find answers to solve the problems that arose."