Graeme Souness learnt the hardest lesson of his career at Anfield - and has come through the other side a better man and manager.
It was a glorious moment for Souness to win the Worthington Cup and marks the complete turnaround in his managerial fortunes since those dark days at Liverpool.
Souness has mellowed and has better anger control than he had 10 years ago while in charge at Anfield. Naturally that has a lot to do with his heart bypass operation, but it has also helped him as a manager.
I spent a lot of time with my former Liverpool team-mate just before Christmas and he has changed as a person dramatically from his playing days and his early managerial years. These days he lets the waves of emotions rush over him when before he could let all the pressures, sresses and strains affect him too much.
We all learn from our experiences and Souness has definitely improved after the most testing job of his life at Anfield - which is why I am convinced he has all of the qualities needed to keep Blackburn in the Premiership.
Souness excelled in his first managerial job at Glasgow Rangers, where he ran the club from top to bottom. He was player/manager and did everything else besides, turning Rangers into a huge success.
He became used to running the club completely and then tried to impose the same sort of management after taking over at Anfield.
Even Souness would probably admit that he was too hasty then. Liverpool was a different club and situation and he tried to change it overnight because he wanted success just as quickly, but sometimes it takes time and patience to get it right.
Everyone assumes that Souness is as fiery as a manager as he was when he was a player. But he is calmer and I've seen him answer tough questions in a reasoned manner, when in the past he would have exploded and torn the journalist's head off.
What people are too quick to forget is that after leaving Liverpool he did do a great job at Southampton and in Turkey with Galatasaray so it was never a surprise when he revived Blackburn. Leading them to promotion was a tremendous achievement and even if they finish fourth from bottom this season he will have done brilliantly after winning the Worthington Cup as well.
It has been a hard season but Souey has revived the club, got the best out of players and also lured Andy Cole to Ewood Park, which was a terrific transfer coup.
The way in which he has handled Keith Gillespie is a case in point. Souness did not feel Gillespie was doing himself justice so he sent him out on loan, banished him to the reserves and has shown him that he needed to work hard to get back into the team.
Gillespie owes a great debt to Souness for reviving his career and he, in turn, was a key factor in Blackburn's Worthington Cup success.
Winning that trophy will give Blackburn a great lift for the rest of the season - and they have given the much-maligned competition a huge boost.