Top line summary

  • Understands why club made statement on review and his positions.
  • Accepts he's made mistakes but still believes he can turn it around.
  • Shrugged off 'five games to save his job' speculation.
  • Feels Hibs mentality issues predate his arrival and will take time to change.

How have the last two weeks been after the Motherwell game?

"I thought we did everything possible to win the game [at Motherwell] apart from finishing it off. With the nature of the game it felt like a defeat. It was a real tough few games after that, self-reflecting and looking over the season in how we ended up going into that last game being where I feel we should have been. There was a lot of frustration in that first week and myself and the players feeling like we let each other down and let the fans down. In the second week we did a lot of good work because we have these five games and we’ll look to finish the season off strongly."

What has gone wrong this season?

"We drew too many games and lost 12 points from winning positions, that tells you that was something that really let us down. In quite a few of those games were were 2-0 in front then conceded goals to lose two points. When you lose 12 points from winning positions that tells you that is something that has affected us. On top of that, we also had a lot of decisions that went against us and cost us points as well. We had international football that hit the club hard in an important time in January, February when there were a lot of games. We lost a bit of ground in the position we put ourselves in on a good run before Christmas."

Those detailed discussions with the board, can you tell us anything about what was said?

"The discussions with myself and Ian [Gordon], Ben [Kensell], Brian [McDermott] and the board - they’ve been regular through the season, the detailed discussion is 'how did we miss out on the top six?' That goes right back to before I came to the club in the pre-season, the recruitment the previous summer and from the time I took over.  There were detailed discussions within that but really that was just looking over the season and looking where we could have done better as a club. In January we made a big impact but we had to wait towards the end of January-start of February before we got those players in. Looking back we could have been a bit more prepared for that window but also sometimes you do have to be patient. Myziane was not available at the start of the window and he is currently our top goal scorer. The discussions were, take the emotion out of it and the noise, and look at from the tart of the season to where we ended up missing out by 20 seconds in a draw from a game we completely dominated."

The club's statement on the review and your position, do you understand why the communicated it the way they did?

"At times it's going to be emotional, and that was an emotional time because there was a lot of noise around the club. There's always a lot of noise around a club like Hibs because there's big expectation and pressure from the fans who demand certain standards. When I came into the role, one of the targets was to get into the top six. I accept responsibility for that, as a manager I know we should have done better. We were 20 seconds' difference from the top six but even if we'd got there I would still have looked at this season as not enough points, too many points dropped from winning positions, so it wouldn't have changed the review that we did. A lot of the stats and metrics in my time at the club have been really positive but ultimately results paper over a lot of those good stats because it's about the result at the end of the day."

Have you been surprised by the level of backlash towards you?

“Look, it’s a big club with big expectations. I understood the pressure when I came here. I had played under pressure and you are under pressure as a manager. But I’ve never waivered in my belief over where I can take this team. The stats, the metrics, everything around the season, there are a lot of positives. Ultimately, people will always reflect on the negative – and that was us missing the top six. I’ve got no doubt over where I can take the club. Some fans have doubt, but I’ve also had support from fans, because they understand it’s a process, we have to be patient, and building something takes a bit of time. We made some big changes in January that impacted positively on the squad. I understand the fans’ frustration. I love the fans here, love their passion. We all want to win every game, so we’re on the same page. But you can never guarantee things going against you. I understand that. I apologise to the fans. And the players apologise for not making the top six. But we now have to move forward."

Does the wording of the statement and its timing increase pressure on you?

“Not really. You can look at a statement and read it in different ways. I think it was emotional from the club, everyone was disappointed, and they wanted to apologise to the fans – because we, as a club, didn’t meet their expectation and get into the top six. But it’s easy for people to criticise when they don’t know exactly what is going on internally, don’t know the full picture. You have to accept that. But there are a lot of positives moving forward. It’s just about sticking with the belief – and having the patience now. I’ve got no doubt that I’m the man to lead this club forward. I’m really excited for the future, even while I’m hurting and disappointed now.

Do you feel you still have the support of the board?

“Yeah, I’ve got a really good relationship with the board, good communication with them. We speak about recruitment and where the squad is at the moment. We need to consolidate the squad, bringing in quality over quantity. We’re working really hard to get the recruitment right for next season."

Do you have five games to save your job?

"That statement was released and there was a lot of emotion in that first week. As a manager you are always under pressure and don’t see why I am any different than anyone else. Ultimately I’ve had a lot of support from the board throughout my time at the club and a lot of support and understanding in the situation I inherited also, and understanding about the squad with the fact we had a lot of contracted players that haven’t contributed to the team this season and may never contribute. Some may come back and contribute. There are a lot of factors that I can’t control but what I and the players could have controlled was winning the games where we were ahead and we didn’t concede late goals. I think there is also an element of fear from the players in the club that gone maybe gone on for a couple of years and that is something we have to work really hard moving forward to make sure we can get ahead of that."

Do you feel you deserve more time?

"For sure. I think any manager deserves time to put their own team together in terms of a transfer window. We do have some players out of contract so there are opportunities  to bring some players but it’s about quality over quantity. When I came to the club a lot of discussions were about taking over mid-season and this is where the club is at. Moving forward you know as a manager you have the opportunity to bring your own players in and build on they way you want to play. There has been a lot of noise throughout the season about the investment from the Black Knight group and those are things that are always going to be for the future not an overnight thing. That is something that I think will be really positive moving forward as of next season."

Has it been missed amongst this that you made a life-changing decision to come here from Australia?

"I am a loyal guy and I am all in. I spent 15 years at one club, 12 years at another. I had a lot of success at both but I also had a lot of failure as a player and as a coach. You learn a lot from difficult times but I know what success looks like. I came into a club that was bottom of the league and there was a lot of frustration and a lot of failure. That is something that takes time, I committed, my family moved over with me. I’m from Leeds but have a proud Scottish heritage myself. The opportunity to come to Hibs was for the challenge, I left a team of champions in on country and came to a team that was bottom of the league so that is the challenge I took up. Did I think it was going to be easy, no? Did I think it was a really challenge, yeah? I took on that challenged and tired to bring a new culture, a new way off playing. I understand everyone wants to see stuff right away but I also know it takes time to build a winning culture and build your own team. You also have difficult period and it’s about resilient. You have to be resilient, stay focussed on the task in hand and stick to what you belief in and I’ll always do that and I believe I’m the man to bring success back to Hibs."

You mentioned that 'fear' earlier, how difficult is it to change that given you feel it has predated your arrival?

"I think that’s something that takes time to change. There is a stigma around the club. The things that we spoke about and I was told about before I came to the club. Everyone knows ‘Hibsed it’ and the sayings that go with it.

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"That’s been around long before I came to the club. And it does take time to change. I think moving forward, I would definitely like to bring somebody into help with that. Because it’s a real mental thing, as well. But it’s the fans, as well, that fear of failure. I think it’s something that has been around the club and isn’t easy to change. I have to work really hard to get results that change fans from some of that doubt and fear to supporters who believe. I’m working hard to do that."

Would that be someone to help the players psychologically?

“A lot of clubs have that member of staff. I’m not a psychologist, I’m an ex-player and coach who has had a lot of success and failure. To be able to have a good staff group where you can cater for all that stuff. I did bring in guest speakers throughout the season who were really powerful and did help. But, when you review everything, the staff, the players, and dig really deep, there are things I could have improved or had help with. When you’re in the thick of it and you’re still chasing targets, things go pretty quickly. You have to reflect. I’ve definitely made mistakes, like everybody. You learn from them. And that makes you a better person."