|
ECK OF
A SHOCK
Speed of departure is
quite stunning
by Pat Stanton
THE EVENTS OF THE LAST 72 HOURS have left me quite breathless
and like all Hibs supporters I am still trying to come to
terms with the thought that Alex McLeish and his Assistant
Andy Watson will be in the Rangers camp for tonight's crucial
League game at Ibrox.
If we're
honest with ourselves, however, we'll all admit that it was
inevitable Alex would leave some day as he'd been linked with
the Scotland job recently and then there were the regular
mentions of Manchester United but I don't think anyone
expected him to end up at Ibrox or for his departure to be so
swift and unexpected. He's joined a massive Club and
he's going to find he's in a totally different world with
enormous pressures and expectations from both his employers
and the fans.
Will this be an enduring partnership? (sns)
Initially he'll be working with Dick Advocaat's support but
I'm not sure how long he will be prepared to tolerate that as
he is very much his own man. With Advocaat still on the
premises Alex might find it difficult to do the job the way he
wants too. Then, of course, there's Jan Wouters and Bert
van Lingen. What will their role be with Alex and Andy
there now, I wonder?
Personally I don't hold Alex at fault for moving.
Football Management is unlike any other job in that the most
likely thing to happen to you is that you will eventually be
sacked and not many Managers get the opportunity to move to
bigger Clubs. He will perceive this as the biggest
challenge he has ever faced and as an ambitious young Manager
it is difficult to fault him for feeling that way. As
fans we hold loyalty in high regard and some have described
McLeish as a Judas but I'm afraid I don't see it that way.
Loyalty is for people like you and I - the fans. For
Players, Managers, Coaches etc., football is really just a job
and they will go where they can get the best deal. Sad,
but true.
Fans
feel let down because Alex had always given the impression he
was at Easter Road for the long term. Indeed, he had
even made comments along the lines of
"I'll
stay as long as you want me too"
and
"money is not my God"
but in truth if he had been offered a job of this magnitude
and turned it down he would never have been offered that size
of opportunity again. Now his 'loyalty' is towards
Rangers and he will be doing his utmost to ensure they can
catch and overtake Celtic. Whether he'll do that with
the players currently on the books at Ibrox, or bring in
others remains to be seen but he is known to be keen on our
own Ulrik Laursen. One good thing is that Alex himself
recently declared Ulrik to be worth £4m so when he phones Rod
he won't need to ask the price will he!!. There are of
course players at Ibrox who know Alex only too well and it
would be interesting to hear what Russell Latapy and Kenny
Miller think of their new gaffer!
Inevitably, thoughts will be turning to a replacement for Alex
and already I've heard all sorts of names being bandied about.
Franck Sauzee seems to be leading the pack as far as the fans
are concerned but Franck, great player that he is, doesn't yet
have any managerial experience. He could, though, be
appointed along with an experienced Manager to give both him
and Hibs the chance to establish whether Management suits him.
Mind you it has to be said that Franck recently said he wants
to keep playing once his injury clears and so he himself may
not be ready to take the job. Other names I've heard
mentioned are Craig Brown, Ian McCall and Tommy Burns but I
wonder about Jim Jefferies' assistant Billy Brown who's a
Wallyford born Hibs supporter and who played his part in the
successes Jim had at Tynecastle.
Given
the current position of the Club and the very difficult series
of fixtures that are coming up it is important that the
players buckle down and work hard but remember that they will
be as stunned as you and I. They will be fearful for
their futures as each and every one of them has to prove to
the new Manager that they are good enough to play for Hibs.
Players are resilient though and they know their job so
they'll just get on with it. Alex has gone, that's a
fact they cannot change or influence. Hibs will go to
Ibrox with Donald Park looking after selection and they'll be
doing their best to bring back the points. I recall
going to Celtic Park once, just after Bob Shankley had
resigned, and we beat them with Tam McNiven who was the
Physio, in charge of the team!
Against
Rangers I would be looking for the model professionals, such
as John O'Neil, to organise the guys on the park and I am
certain he is more than able for that task. It's very
important that we start to pick up points and although it will
be a daunting task at Ibrox it is not beyond the players we
have at the Club. I don't want to tempt providence but I
do feel that if you can get in amongst Rangers you can cause
them problems and if De La Cruz and Orman can learn not to
play in each others space then we can get in behind them and
make sure the strikers get a chance to have a go at goals.
John O'Neil - the model professional (sns)
Last
Saturday at Easter Road I felt that Alen Orman, whom I rate
very highly, was getting beyond De La Cruz and so every time
Ulises tried to go past his man he was running into an area
already occupied by Alen and his marker. Really, what should
happen is that when Orman goes into that area, Ulises should
cut inside and not outside. It will come, I am sure but
they maybe need it pointed out to them! Donald Park has
been around the game a good while and he'll know what to say
in the dressing room before the boys go out to face Rangers.
Traumatic times then but Hibs will stabilise again very
quickly because the players know their job and its important
they don't let all this activity off the park distract them.
Whoever the new Manager is he will need maximum support from
everyone connected with the Club and whilst he may not be able
to provide the undying loyalty we all crave - he'll get that
support because most importantly of all we want Hibs to be
back challenging for honours.
Until
next time
Pat |
