Hibs’ Head Coach Neil Lennon has urged his players to be more vocal on the pitch toward team-mates, even if they are not playing well themselves.
He cited players he played with and managed at Celtic as an example of what is required although he suspected that this may be a generational thing where current players do not want to upset their friends.
Lennon will face his former club in the semi-final of the Betfred Scottish league Cup next month after qualifying by disposing of Livingston on Tuesday night but he is looking no further than Ross County this weekend.
Hibs go into that game in sixth place after a series of draws.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Dingwall, Lennon said: “You saw me play for 15-years. You saw Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher play. Now I don’t know of it’s a gererational thing or not or if the players are afraid of upsetting their pals, but for me, if you don’t have a go at somebody, it means you don’t care about them.
“You’re leaving them to it, rather than giving them a gee up when sometimes they need it.Now there’s maybe ways of putting it across, but some people aren’t as subtle as maybe my good self!
But that’s what I want from my team because it shows they care about each other. They’re not doing it to embarrass anyone. They’re doing it to say: ‘C’mon, you can do better here.
“When I was at Celtic there were plenty of guys who would do that. Mjallby would do it, Paul Lambert was quiet but Petrov could lose it, Sutton, Hartson, Henrik Larsson, they all had strong personalities. You can’t compare what I have got with them. As a manager I had Scott Brown who wasn’t shy in coming forward and barking out orders.
“Even if they are not having a good day themselves, it doesn’t matter, they lead by example.
“I have to remember that I’m not managing Celtic anymore where you have control of the game.
“I want these experienced professionals, who have won championships and know how to get it done in big games, to step up when the bad moments occur.”
“I’ve got plenty characters in there. It’s just when the going gets a bit rough, I want people to stand up.In the Scottish Cup semi-final last year, we were 2-0 down to Aberdeen and playing awful. Then we brought on Grant Holt, who is a character.He lifted the team by the scruff of the neck, but he’s 36 so maybe it is a generational thing.
“But you still need that bit of character and personality, no matter what the tactics or formation are, it’s about managing the game.
“Some of the players say: ‘Sometimes I don’t want to say anything, gaffer.’ But I encourage it.
“We cajole them every day. I tell them if you’re not happy with someone, have a go at them, otherwise, it will just keep happening again and again. If you shout at your team-mate, it might shock them. They’ll think ‘where did that come from? Maybe he’s right.’
“Or they’ll go the other way and sulk, which is what you don’t want.
“If they sense that something is not right I want them to be vocal rather than just turn their back and walk away.
“If they are not dealing with it then they are letting the game slide away from them.
“But if they do that, they won’t play. It’s not to humiliate or embarrass anyone, it’s to get more out of players.
“And I think every manager’s looking for the same thing.”
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.
