There are some agents who do a good job looking after players but there are others who stifle and mollycoddle them.

Something interesting has happened over the last 10 years in the Premier League. Players who once would have been discarded as expensive and too old have become important parts of title-winning squads.

As football gets more globalised, it's probably more important than ever to have one or two players in your team who have grown up in the same streets or been to the same schools as the hard-core fans.

It is one of my pet hates when I see players who have agents who do everything for them. They don't know how to set up their own bank accounts, they don't know what they are spending their money on and they can't make their own decisions.

I've already promised that I want to end my career where I started it, as a way of thanking those who gave me the chance to make my name in football. I want to have a spell there before I retire, but one that's enjoyable for me and for them, too.

The Marines gave me a really strong sense of discipline and a work ethic that kicks in at my job.

It's never a matter of career decisions. I don't think in those terms. What matters is whether a role is interesting, if I will enjoy playing it, and if I'm confident I can do a good job.

When I did 'Clockers,' I didn't even think about having a career in acting, I just thought, 'Wow, this is cool. I get to do a little movie.'