Hello and welcome to my new BBC Sport column, Going Direct.

From tactics to man-management, I’m going to be tackling a different aspect of the modern game every week, and comparing old-school ideas to new trends.

There’s only one place to start, and that’s with the rise of set-pieces, which is probably the story of the season so far.

I was seen as a dinosaur for my focus on dead-ball situations and long-throws with Stoke City when we were promoted to the Premier League in 2008, but I wouldn’t say I feel vindicated by the way they are now in fashion – because I knew back then how important they were.

My job, whoever I was manager of, was to get results. Yes, I was pragmatic, but I was also purposeful. I worked on my basic beliefs of being effective in a way that would help my club win games.

The most important areas of the pitch are both ends, and not in the middle. By hook or by crook, you must keep the ball out at one end and put it into the net at the other.

Attacking set-plays, and also defensive ones, are becoming more prevalent this season, with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side leading the way, but this is not a new concept.

Way before Arteta’s time, there were young coaches and managers fully aware of the benefits, which clubs today are reaping the rewards from.