MKHIBEE
24-03-2022, 12:34 PM
Inside the canteen there’s a buzz. The Cheltenham Festival has captured the imagination of the players. It’s midfielder Joe Newell (https://theathletic.com/player/scottish-premiership/hibernian-fc/joe-newell-QgO6O056S4HecW6E/)’s birthday and he’s brought in the cakes. Training ground staff quickly tuck in but most of the players stick to “recovery” food.
Maloney knows nutrition is key but he’s not too strict with the rules. Tomato ketchup and light mayonnaise are available. The players are trusted not to over-indulge. They, too, know the make-up of a good meal and are reminded by the “performance plate” picture on the wall that hangs over the buffet and explains the percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats that are required on light and hard training days.
For Maloney, it’s disrupting. At times, the average age of his squad (available players) has been just 21 years old, but he’s focused on “finding solutions” rather than making excuses.
There’s a belief that with a strong end to the season, clever recruitment in the summer and a less crowded treatment room in 2022-23, Hibs can get motoring. The challenge then is to get closer to Rangers and Celtic and then try to outperform neighbours, Hearts, and Aberdeen, all five of whom have bigger budgets available to strengthen the playing squad.
Armed with a coffee and notepad, Maloney walks towards the Black Box Room where he clocks up in excess of 20 hours per week on video analysis.
Outside is a mission statement with a 10-point plan aimed at making every employee that little bit better around the building. In the middle are the words: “The club that dares to do things differently.”
Giving a young manager his first opportunity in the hotseat is a calculated gamble by those in charge. Maloney was on holiday with his wife and newborn son, Jude, when the call from CEO Ben Kensell came. He soon found himself discussing the role further with Kensell and owner Ron Gordon. Within a week he was the manager.
The desire to appoint a young and progressive coach was brave and now Maloney, with his elite mentality after working for more than three years with Belgium, the No 1 international team in the world, and a successful playing career at Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic and Hull City, wants to repay that faith.
Head analyst Stevie Gormal is waiting with his laptop in the Black Box Room. It’s dark — hence the name — but a light shines onto a big screen in front of us.
Today, the manager wants to review the last game, check out the forthcoming opponents and look closely at individual performances. The finer details shall not be revealed for obvious reasons.
Maloney is meticulous in his planning and, for over an hour, he dissects key moments from the Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Motherwell that has lifted the mood at the training ground.
A picture of the supporters celebrating in the away end at Fir Park has already been shared between the coaching team. It shows the wild scenes that followed the victory as green mist from a flare makes its way out of the stadium.
An Edinburgh derby with rivals Hearts awaits in the semi-final and the winners will play Rangers or Celtic at Hampden Park. The stakes couldn’t be higher and Maloney knows a victory will give this club the lift-off they’re looking for.
“I’d love to be able to get Hibs into Europe,” he says, pausing to tell Gormal which clips to save for later. “We haven’t got the biggest budget so we have to find our own way. That’s inspiring and exciting.
“When I saw all those fans at Motherwell, it was amazing and a genuine source of inspiration that, if we get this right, we can make a lot of people happy.”
Maloney’s mood quickly switches. Agitated at what he’s viewing, he stands up, scratches the back of his head and asks for another clip to be saved. He’s not happy with a passage of play. Defenders aren’t tight enough to their opponents and there’s a gap in a dangerous area that could be exposed.
As the footage continues, another similar scenario is revealed. “Save that please,” Maloney again asks. “We can’t be having that.”
These shortcomings will be presented to the team before training the next morning.
The lamb koftas are a big hit with the players but there’s fish, chicken, jacket potatoes and lots of fruit and vegetables available, too.
Across the room, Paul McGinn (https://theathletic.com/player/scottish-premiership/hibernian-fc/paul-mcginn-XDrahIvwrh38TFDT/) discovers that I’ve arrived from Birmingham where his brother, John, the Aston Villa (https://theathletic.com/team/aston-villa/) midfielder, lives.
“Who’s better looking then?” he asks, laughing. Like John, he, too, is the life and soul of the place, and one of many players Hibs could do with having back as their threadbare squad battles on in search of fourth place.
Not much has been made of the rotten injury luck on the green side of the Scottish capital. A week ago, 11 first-team players were out. Striker Kevin Nisbet won’t be seen again this season as he’s ruptured an ACL. McGinn and Hanlon need time to recover, as do midfielders Jake Doyle-Hayes (https://theathletic.com/player/scottish-premiership/hibernian-fc/jake-doyle-hayes-6muDeSyv9bPDPP3q/) and Kyle Magennis (https://theathletic.com/player/scottish-premiership/hibernian-fc/kyle-magennis-fBXc4WPR0sroqbuk/). Harry Clarke (https://theathletic.com/player/scottish-premiership/hibernian-fc/harry-clarke-wUiwjj50ZRpsBvvJ/), signed on loan from Arsenal (https://theathletic.com/team/arsenal/) in January, hasn’t played a minute and on top of that Hibs lost the best player in Scotland (https://theathletic.com/team/scotland/) outside of Celtic and Rangers (https://theathletic.com/team/rangers-fc/) when Martin Boyle signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Faisaly for £3 million.
Maloney knows nutrition is key but he’s not too strict with the rules. Tomato ketchup and light mayonnaise are available. The players are trusted not to over-indulge. They, too, know the make-up of a good meal and are reminded by the “performance plate” picture on the wall that hangs over the buffet and explains the percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats that are required on light and hard training days.
For Maloney, it’s disrupting. At times, the average age of his squad (available players) has been just 21 years old, but he’s focused on “finding solutions” rather than making excuses.
There’s a belief that with a strong end to the season, clever recruitment in the summer and a less crowded treatment room in 2022-23, Hibs can get motoring. The challenge then is to get closer to Rangers and Celtic and then try to outperform neighbours, Hearts, and Aberdeen, all five of whom have bigger budgets available to strengthen the playing squad.
Armed with a coffee and notepad, Maloney walks towards the Black Box Room where he clocks up in excess of 20 hours per week on video analysis.
Outside is a mission statement with a 10-point plan aimed at making every employee that little bit better around the building. In the middle are the words: “The club that dares to do things differently.”
Giving a young manager his first opportunity in the hotseat is a calculated gamble by those in charge. Maloney was on holiday with his wife and newborn son, Jude, when the call from CEO Ben Kensell came. He soon found himself discussing the role further with Kensell and owner Ron Gordon. Within a week he was the manager.
The desire to appoint a young and progressive coach was brave and now Maloney, with his elite mentality after working for more than three years with Belgium, the No 1 international team in the world, and a successful playing career at Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic and Hull City, wants to repay that faith.
Head analyst Stevie Gormal is waiting with his laptop in the Black Box Room. It’s dark — hence the name — but a light shines onto a big screen in front of us.
Today, the manager wants to review the last game, check out the forthcoming opponents and look closely at individual performances. The finer details shall not be revealed for obvious reasons.
Maloney is meticulous in his planning and, for over an hour, he dissects key moments from the Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Motherwell that has lifted the mood at the training ground.
A picture of the supporters celebrating in the away end at Fir Park has already been shared between the coaching team. It shows the wild scenes that followed the victory as green mist from a flare makes its way out of the stadium.
An Edinburgh derby with rivals Hearts awaits in the semi-final and the winners will play Rangers or Celtic at Hampden Park. The stakes couldn’t be higher and Maloney knows a victory will give this club the lift-off they’re looking for.
“I’d love to be able to get Hibs into Europe,” he says, pausing to tell Gormal which clips to save for later. “We haven’t got the biggest budget so we have to find our own way. That’s inspiring and exciting.
“When I saw all those fans at Motherwell, it was amazing and a genuine source of inspiration that, if we get this right, we can make a lot of people happy.”
Maloney’s mood quickly switches. Agitated at what he’s viewing, he stands up, scratches the back of his head and asks for another clip to be saved. He’s not happy with a passage of play. Defenders aren’t tight enough to their opponents and there’s a gap in a dangerous area that could be exposed.
As the footage continues, another similar scenario is revealed. “Save that please,” Maloney again asks. “We can’t be having that.”
These shortcomings will be presented to the team before training the next morning.
The lamb koftas are a big hit with the players but there’s fish, chicken, jacket potatoes and lots of fruit and vegetables available, too.
Across the room, Paul McGinn (https://theathletic.com/player/scottish-premiership/hibernian-fc/paul-mcginn-XDrahIvwrh38TFDT/) discovers that I’ve arrived from Birmingham where his brother, John, the Aston Villa (https://theathletic.com/team/aston-villa/) midfielder, lives.
“Who’s better looking then?” he asks, laughing. Like John, he, too, is the life and soul of the place, and one of many players Hibs could do with having back as their threadbare squad battles on in search of fourth place.
Not much has been made of the rotten injury luck on the green side of the Scottish capital. A week ago, 11 first-team players were out. Striker Kevin Nisbet won’t be seen again this season as he’s ruptured an ACL. McGinn and Hanlon need time to recover, as do midfielders Jake Doyle-Hayes (https://theathletic.com/player/scottish-premiership/hibernian-fc/jake-doyle-hayes-6muDeSyv9bPDPP3q/) and Kyle Magennis (https://theathletic.com/player/scottish-premiership/hibernian-fc/kyle-magennis-fBXc4WPR0sroqbuk/). Harry Clarke (https://theathletic.com/player/scottish-premiership/hibernian-fc/harry-clarke-wUiwjj50ZRpsBvvJ/), signed on loan from Arsenal (https://theathletic.com/team/arsenal/) in January, hasn’t played a minute and on top of that Hibs lost the best player in Scotland (https://theathletic.com/team/scotland/) outside of Celtic and Rangers (https://theathletic.com/team/rangers-fc/) when Martin Boyle signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Faisaly for £3 million.