Top line summary:

  • Great experience at Asian Cup marred by 'silly mistake' 
  • Kept in regular touch with all that was going on at Hibs including watching matches when he could
  • Looked after Lewis Miller in aftermath of Asian Cup exit; backed him to bounce back
  • Hopeful of returning to favoured right-wing position with new attacking signings

How was your first major tournament experience - as a player?

"It was everything that I hoped it would be. Not being part of the World Cup squad as a player was completely different, but pulling on that jersey and giving as much as I could to be there, I'd earned the right to be there and played the majority of the games. Thankfully I scored a few goals but at the end of the camp, it wasn't to be. A silly mistake at the end of the day has cost us. We had a good chance of getting to the semi-final - and maybe winning it."

Did you keep in touch with all that was going on back home at Hibs?

"I was always keeping in touch. A lot of boys came in and some left. I've seen it all before - I've left and come back to new players. I've been thrown straight into a game without knowing the majority of the players. It's normal to be and should be normal to everyone else. We just need to be together collectively. We need to give our all and hopefully turn the corner."

Did you watch any of the games while you were away?

"I watched all the games I could. I couldn't watch the Forfar game - Hibs TV weren't showing it! And I was flying back during the St Mirren game. I've watched the game review with the lads in the meeting room and dissected that down..."

Was it frustrating watching it all but not being able to help?

"It's obviously not ideal because you're part of that team - this is my team. But without being selfish, my full focus was trying to perform for the national team. Now that I'm back, that's at the back of my mind. I'm raring to go."

How difficult is it to adjust from country to club?

"The flights got sent to us straight away, we knew exactly when we'd be home. I just tried to get back ASAP. The majority of the boys flew out at 1am after the game. The attention turns that quickly and that was the same for me and Lewis [Miller]. We wanted to link up with the boys and get on to the preparations for facing Celtic."

Is it best to get straight back into it?

"It is a great opportunity for us. It might sit differently with a lot of people but we know what we have to do. We have to go on a run, we have to do something. I'm back with the family and the kids - it's been great for me. I loved the opportunity that was given to me but my attention has turned quickly."

How's Lewis Miller doing (after his errors led to South Korea beating Australia)?

"I tried to help as much as possible. It wasn't great after the game. Social media can be horrible at times but people are entitled to their own opinion. Sometimes it can go a bit heavy. It was a mistake that wasn't intended. Passions are flying in the game and he thought he could win the challenge. It didn't work out but there will be plenty more opportunities for him. This is probably the best thing for him, getting into a game like this. He's normally performed really well against Celtic. Hopefully he can do that again.

Was he reading social media?

“Obviously after the game, the messages came rolling in. It’s hard. I wasn’t really getting direct messages like that. I just gave him a bit of encouragement to stay off it for a bit and keep his head down, maybe phone the family and get some support from other people and the manager here.

“We’ve all come back and given him a big cuddle and he’s raring to go. It’s at the back of his mind at the moment and he can’t wait to get the Hibs shirt back on.

Can you take heart from the performance and result last time here against Celtic?

“We need to get back to that structurally. We need to be compact and solid, we need to nullify their threats, which will be hard at times, and we need to win our individual battles and be ruthless when the chances come.

“We had a good chance against them last time which I should have buried and we’d have walked away with all three points. Hopefully we can turn the corner and be on our game.

“I felt we tracked their runners and we were compact and the communication was good. David Marshall made some great saves and you need that defensive structure there. We’ll need him a lot again this time.

Tell us about the post-match debrief...

“A lot like you imagine! It wasn’t pretty. I couldn’t really have much of a say because I didn’t participate in the game; I was kind of just a spectator.

“Tempers flared a little bit but that’s good, you have to have those conversations and get them out, and as soon as you step out of this building it is time to go again. I’ve been in a lot of meetings like that down the years and you just have to take it on the chin.

“You have to nullify the mistakes we made. The performance was unacceptable, the players who played all pretty much took that on the chin and they know. [The Celtic game] is another opportunity to rectify it.

“You watch the video and you listen and there’s a few comments at the end, it’s an open floor. Sometimes it can go great, sometimes it can turn, but that’s football. We have to turn the corner. We have to go out and prepare for the game. That’s exactly what we have done."

It will be seen as a failure if the club doesn't make Europe, are games running out?

“First and foremost we need to get back on track, we need to get points on the board. We need to catch the teams above us, it doesn’t matter who we are playing. We have to give our all and win games of football to reach the goals we set at the start of the season.

“The fans are disappointed at the moment, they feel we have a good team here and we’re underperforming which is not good enough for the standards of this club. We need to turn a corner and get back to the standards we know we are capable of."

Have there been any conversations about your role, given the attacking signings?

“Hopefully I will be back out in my normal wide position. I like to stand players up, I like to be creative and make runs in behind. Ideally, with the signings we have made, we can get Dylan Vente back up top and back in form and scoring goals like we know he is capable of doing and us wide players can give him chances and get close to him and not leave him on his own. We need to start doing that and do it quickly.”