Hibs boss Terry Butcher has played down the altercation with striker Ross Caldwell at the end of the game against Ross County on Saturday after the youngster was substituted despite only having been on the pitch for just over ten minutes.
As he left the field, Butcher attempted to explain his decision; however Caldwell ignored him and walked straight down the tunnel. Butcher then grabbed hold of the player who shrugged him off.
After the game, Butcher spoke about the incident and confirmed that action will be taken against Caldwell but that he remains a key player for the club.
He said: “He wasn’t happy and there were a few words exchanged in the dressing room, but he’s a good player, we like him and I like him a lot. He looked absolutely out on his feet and he ran about but probably couldn’t get his second wind and we thought we would have to make a substitution and James Collins seemed to grow in confidence all the time and he looked fit and strong and I thought that we need to get somebody on the right hand side of midfield because they were putting a lot of crosses in and Tom (Taiwo) was set to go on and it’s disappointing when that happens but we will address it internally and move on, but I must stress that Ross is a key player for us and one that we like.
“I didn’t like what he did there and there will be action taken. I very rarely substitute a substitute and I don’t like doing it, but he looked knackered while James Collins seemed to find reservoirs of energy from somewhere. We think he is a good player and we will talk about it on Monday.”
Afterwards, supporters reacted angrily on Fans’ forum Hibs-Net, with the vast majority backing the manager’s handling of the situation.
Caldwell later tweeted: “So many people think they know everything, would shock some to know the truth but all entitled to an opinion even if it’s wrong.”
The tweet was believed to relate to criticism he received from Hibs’ fans after the game who questioned his attitude as he was leaving the ground.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
