Bolton manager Owen Coyle admitted he let his head rule his heart when he left Burnley for the Reebok Stadium.
Coyle became a hero to Clarets supporters when he guided the club to the Premier League, but they were stunned earlier this year when he walked out to rejoin Bolton, where he spent two years of his playing career.
The former Republic of Ireland international returns to Turf Moor for the first time on Tuesday night when Bolton face Burnley in the Carling Cup, and he is sure to receive a hostile welcome.
But Coyle insists he would not have left if he had made the decision with his heart.
He said: “If it was down to emotion, and emotion alone, I would never have left Burnley.
“But I had to look at the bigger picture and I made a footballing decision because of the infrastructure and everything else at Bolton.
“I’d been here as a player and I knew everything that goes with that as well, and that was how it was made.
“Was it emotional leaving? Absolutely. Will it be emotional tomorrow night? Of course it will. I wouldn’t be evasive or try to get away from that.
“But regardless of how I’m treated tomorrow night or the reception that I get, nothing will ever take away from the feeling I have for Burnley Football Club. It goes without saying.”