God help us ........
......... to get back amongst
the honours
Fans confident that Sauzee is the man to do it
by John Campbell
FROM THE
MINUTE HE CAME INTO THE ROOM until the press conference announcing
his appointment was over, Franck Sauzee held the undivided attention
of every newsman, TV and Radio men and photographers who came anywhere
near him. He is a man who deserved the utmost respect from all
who conversed with him on the subject of football because his
knowledge and experience of the game far outweighed that of anyone
else present and all would be prepared to concede that fact if pressed
to do so.
Settling down to
face the assembled media, Franck looked slightly uncomfortable 'suited
up' for the occasion and you got the feeling he would rather have been
wearing what his new assistant Donald Park had on - a Club tracksuit!
Once the business of the day got started however, Franck soon forgot
his attire and there was a real sparkle in his eye as he talked about
his new appointment and football in general.
Franck holds court (sns)
Introduced in glowing terms by both
Chairman Malcolm McPherson and Chief Executive Rod Petrie, Sauzee
launched straight into expressing his feelings at being offered the
post as Manager of Hibernian Football Club.
"I am both happy and proud to accept
this job. Having been in France when the changes took place
earlier in the week, I was happy to return when asked and I can say I
have no fears about taking on this job. I joined Hibs three
years ago and have seen many improvements and hope to continue that
trend as I do my very best for Hibernian."
Sauzee, who had been back in his home
country for treatment on his Achilles injury, admitted he had been
shocked to hear of Alex McLeish's departure but had agreed to Chief
Executive Rod Petrie's request that he return to Edinburgh.
"I got a plane as quickly as I
could. Once I knew of the job offer I had to consider my playing
career and I can tell you today that I have, as you would say, hung up
my boots. I do not think it is possible to do both jobs of
player and manager so I will stop playing. This has nothing to
do with my Achilles which was getting better. It is, as I say,
about not doing both jobs."
Sauzee was anxious to record that he
had thoroughly enjoyed his time as a player at Easter Road and that
having to take the decision to retire was not something which did not
affect him. "I have been
very happy as a player at Easter Road and retiring from playing makes
me feel very sad. I consider my time with Hibs as the best time
of my career as I arrived here when I was 33 and I wanted to play on
as long as possible and Hibs gave me the passion to do that. I
cannot praise Alex McLeish highly enough for the part he played in my
playing career at Easter Road. He gave me responsibility for my
own career and I want to thank him for that trust and wish him all the
best in his new job." I
confess to having a lump in my throat listening to Franck speak about
the Club I support with such great affection and as I cast my eye
around the assembled hacks I swear one or two were visibly moved by
the man's obvious sincerity. Franck's eyes were glistening a
little also and so it was almost a relief to move the conversation on!
The new gaffer
had only arrived back in Edinburgh at 10.30 last night and his first
task was to speak briefly to Rod Petrie, arranging a meeting for the
next morning. Sauzee then told us of his next port of call.
"I went
to the home of Alex McLeish and we had a long talk during which he
offered me lots of helpful advice. You have to know that Alex is
a fantastic man who did very well for Hibernian and everyone should
remember that. OK, he's now at Rangers but that's football.
It is his job. He spoke to me about the job offer and I was
happy to listen to him because he has been a big influence in my
career. I have played under some great Managers including Michel
Platini, Arsene Wenger, Gerard Houllier, Jean Tigana and of course
Alex McLeish. Not one of them is better than the other for me. I
have learned much from them all."
It became
obvious as he spoke that he regards Arsene Wenger as a good role model
to have right now and confessed that he would not hesitate to follow
McLeish's example of calling Fergie for advice by establishing contact
with Wenger. He will, though, maintain contact with McLeish also
because their relationship went beyond that of simply Manager and
Player as they spent many hours talking about football in general.
Sauzee has clear ideas of his own which he wants to put into practice
but wisely he was keeping them to himself for the moment.
His passion for
Hibs, their fans, the City and the game of football comes flowing out
of him and infects you with its enthusiasm. He regards the
players as the most important component and feels that he has a lot of
people upon whom he can rely to deliver the goods.
"I will, of
course, be focusing on matters on the pitch with the Under 21's and
the Professional players getting my attention and so it is good to
know that Donald Park will be there by my side. It was a big
condition on my part that I had Donald appointed as my assistant and I
am delighted this has happened."
As to how his
Hibs side will play, Sauzee rather alarmingly confessed that he has
little time for considering the style of play his team should adopt!
Thankfully he then went on to explain why he thinks that way and
restored the smile to my face (a smile which I had been having great
difficulty keeping under control, sitting there as a Hibs fan and
hanging onto every single word the man uttered!).
"Style to
me is not that important. I want my players to have the correct
mentality as much of a football match is played in the head.
From my experience as a player I will be asking my team to be happy on
the pitch and to give 100%. They will make mistakes, we all do,
but I don't mind as long as they learn from that and be positive about
everything they do."
Clearly
the new Manager will talk his players into believing in themselves and
the power of positive thought can go a long way. My personal
belief is that much of last season's success was down to belief as
much as it was down to good football.
Asked what he
would do if things didn't work out, Sauzee was refreshingly realistic.
"My
contract is until the end of next season but I know that just because
I had a certain skill as a player it does not guarantee I will have
that skill as a Manager so if things are not working out I will go to
the Chairman and Mr. Petrie and tell them they must find a new Manager
because the Club is the most important thing here, not Franck Sauzee.
As a player I know when I have had a good game and when I've had a bad
game and I am honest to myself in recognising the difference. I
will be the same as a Manager because I love
Hibs and
I love the fans and so I will not let them be hurt. Lets be
honest, I could turn out to be the worst Manager you have ever seen in
Scotland but if that proves to be so I will pass the Club over to
someone who can do well for Hibs"
Once again the
lump returned because believe me, this guy is the most sincere I have
ever encountered in the game and I feel great comfort in knowing that
my Club is in his hands.
It's a love affair (sns)
Predictably he
was asked how he will behave with the players now that he's made the
move into Management.
"I don't
mind if they call me Franck or they call me gaffer. That is not
important to me. We must respect each other and that respect
will be earned on the park. I will tell you one thing I will not
be wearing this suit when I am Managing the team! I will wear my
tracksuit! Seriously, it is important that the players understand that
I will no longer be playing but I will be there with them
from the
dug out. I
want to stress the fact that we are a team and we must all help each
other. For example Ulises is being questioned but we should all
be making him feel he belongs and that he is welcome. I trust
him and know that he has the quality to play for Hibs but we must all
help him and everyone else at the Club."
So how will the
likes of David Zitelli be dealt with, given their huge friendship off
the park? Would Franck find it difficult to drop him if he
wasn't performing well?
"No, not at all
but I can tell you David sets himself very high standards and he has
played at a high level in Europe. I will not treat him
differently from any other players and I will be honest with them all.
Maybe I will expect even more from him if anything! As a team we
will always look for positive results and that means from everyone,
not just a few individuals."
As the
conference wound up and Franck was captured for yet another TV
interview I grabbed a quick word with Chairman Malcolm McPherson and
confirmed to him that the decision was universally popular and that I
was sure they had the right man. There is little doubt in my
mind that the Board deserve enormous credit for the way they have
handled a very difficult seven days and I congratulate them on their
professionalism.
The final words
though must go to Franck and Donald. Every congratulations lads
- the whole Hibs community is right behind you, as you will see when
you arrive in Dunfermline tomorrow! How can we go wrong when we
have God on our side???!
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