MICHAEL Collins believes he can handle anything thrown at him as a head coach.

After a week that saw City knocked out of the Carabao Cup at Macclesfield and then Tyrell Robinson suspended by the club, Collins is learning fast in his role as new boss.

But he feels he can cope with the stresses and strains that come with the position.

Collins said: “You have to learn to deal with certain situations. It is completely different to playing.

“As a player, you only have to focus on yourself, whereas in this role, there is a lot you have to comprehend and plan for.

“There’s a lot of responsibility but I was well aware of that. It’s not as if I’ve come into it and all of a sudden I’m sat here thinking ‘what have I let myself in for?’

“I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. Any manager or head coach will tell you it’s not an easy job.

“But it’s something you have to thrive on, both the challenges and the fun times.”

Collins is hoping for a pick-me-up at Southend this afternoon ahead of back-to-back home games against Burton and Wycombe. But he is learning quickly the key of maintaining a balanced head.

He added: “After Shrewsbury, when you get three points, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. Then when you lose a game, it’s the worst.

“You have to balance your emotions but my experience as a player who’s had both highs and lows has readied me for it.

“At the moment, nothing has come along that’s knocked me out of my stride.

“You would like everything to run perfectly smooth. But that’s not the job we are in and it will never be like that.

“If you expect it to be like that, you’re in the wrong profession.

“So far there have been challenging aspects to it but nothing that’s caught me off guard or I feel I can’t handle.

“It’s a learning process for me and I’ve got the right people around me.”