EDDIE Howe admitted his spell at Burnley had been tough but insisted it had been a valuable learning experience.

Howe departed Cherries for the Clarets in January 2011 and led the Lancashire club to eighth and 13th-place finishes in the Championship.

Amersham-born Howe eventually returned to Cherries in October 2012 and steered the Dorset side to the Premier League within two and a half years.

Speaking ahead of his return to Turf Moor tomorrow, Howe told the Daily Echo: "I think it did shape me. I learned so much. They were really good experiences for me.

"It was a team in transition. We made a lot of changes. It's not easy to do that when you go into a new place and especially one with such rich history.

"I think a lot has been documented about my record there. We did okay. It wasn't the success we wanted but it wasn't all bad.

"The club had come out the Premier League and we were trying to rebuild the squad. I don't want to paint too gloomy a picture of it. It was tough but it wasn't too bad.

"My brief was to try to get back into the Premier League and we didn't achieve that so you can't call it a massive success but I don't think it was a massive failure either. It was caught in between."