CELTIC midfielder Kris Commons has lifted the lid on a season of individual anguish and has vowed to continue next season the way he left off in 2011/12.
It was a campaign that was dogged by injury and loss of form for the Scotland internationalist, who only began to reach the heights he scaled last term as the season petered out.
And the 26-year-old has admitted that when things are not going well on the park, personal demons and doubts can cause havoc with a player's confidence and self-belief, leading to a vicious circle of loss of form and scathing criticism.
There were rumours early on in the season that Commons had had a 'rammy' with Neil Lennon – Celtic's PR chiefs enjoyed that one when the player ran out to face the cameras at training one day heavily bandaged – but Commons couldn't have been more effusive about the faith his manager has retained in him.
Lennon has insisted in SportTimes that Commons will be going nowhere this summer, and certainly the player is determined to repay his manager next term.
"When I was getting the chance to play I wasn't confident and at the start of the season I was in a bit of a hole," Commons said.
"Through hard work and the gaffer putting an arm around me every now and again it has paid dividends, and I ended the season close to getting back to where I need to be.
"The manager used to tell me that I analysed things too much. I am always thinking about my touch, about scoring goals, about passing and he just wants me to take the shackles off, relax and go out and play and enjoy my football.
"But when someone tells you that, you think about what you need to do to enjoy it – and it is good passes, getting goals and setting goals up. When you aren't quite doing that you can't help but analyse it and I do that far too much. But the faith of the manager is paying dividends now.
"Confidence is the be-all and end-all of being a footballer. When you are low on confidence you don't score goals, don't want the ball, you don't make the runs and the last thing you want is to be seeing the goalkeeper one-on-one.
"You are on the pitch and you think you have to try and make things happen. You aren't seeing the passes and you start thinking about the game far too much.
"Whereas last year when I was doing well and scoring goals, you don't think about passes or your touch, it just comes naturally. But through hard work, being in the gym and doing things on the training park, it comes back slowly but surely.
"I felt as though I was getting back to that."
The first goal of Commons' season came in April in the Old Firm game when Celtic beat Rangers 3-0 at Parkhead and he was delighted to hit the back of the net in such a high-profile game.
Ultimately, there is an argument to suggest that the match itself meant very little since the league title was long in the bag and Rangers had the look of a beaten team before they had even stepped foot on the park.
For a player who has toiled for form all season, however, the well-crafted goal carried a significant weight.
"I have hit the woodwork and missed penalties and had injuries, it was the icing on the cake to score that goal and have my family there," he said. It was nice. I have had calf injuries, groin injuries and hamstring injuries and it has made me so frustrated. "
Given that he finished the campaign in the kind of form that Celtic saw from him in his first few months at the club, Commons understandably was not too keen to see the passports and sun cream coming out.
The squad got their chance to enjoy the title celebrations but players not involved in Euro 2012 are due to begin pre-season training on July 2.
Lennon told his squad that they are entitled to some down time after the mental and physical demands of the season, however, the club have also stressed the importance of staying in some sort of shape given the vital Champions League qualifiers.
Commons has never been involved at that level and is determined to play a part as Celtic try to win a ticket to the coveted group stage.
"I have my eye on the Champions League which will come round so quickly," he said. The qualifiers are the golden ticket and if we can get into the group stage it will be brilliant for the club and the fans and for people like me who have never played in the competition. That is my full focus right now.
"I want to get my foot straight back in the door and crack on. It is a great club and it is a real privilege to play here. We have a few weeks off but I am already itching to get back."
While there have already been departures from the Hoops squad this summer, Commons is hopeful the nucleus of the team will remain.
There has already been plenty of speculation about some of the first-team regulars at the club, such as leading SPL goalscorer Gary Hooper, but given the relative youth of Lennon's squad, keeping them together could lead to a period of sustained success.
Commons believes much of that is due to the tight-knit nature of the camaraderie within the Hoops dressing room.
"We are all good friends," he explained. "We have a bit to eat and play golf and spend a bit of time together away from football, and when you have that you respect one another a bit more and you get to know what people need on and off the park.
"For us it is building and building and when we are playing in the big games we trust each other."
Next season, it might all be about whether or not Commons can retain the level of form that allows him to trust himself.