Hibs new Director of Football Brian McDermott says that he wants to involve himself in every aspect of the club because he loves a challenge.
McDermott brings with him a wealth of experience at every level, having played the game in his early days before moving into coaching, management, scouting and recruitment at various top-level clubs including Reading, Leeds, Arsenal and Celtic.
Speaking after his appointment McDermott outlined his reasons for why he joined the Club – highlighting the staff and the fanbase as two major factors.
He said: “This club is a community club, I really like that aspect of Hibs. After meeting the Manager, the Board and the Chief Executive I just gravitated towards the Club, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.
“The broader thing for me is about people. Football clubs are all about people and there are good people at this football club.
“I came here yesterday and got a brilliant welcome from everyone and I was really looked after.
“If you look at Hibs, you get 15,000, 20,000 coming through the door to watch our games. There is a big fanbase here and it’s exciting.
“There are big clubs in this league, big rivalries, and it’s competitive. This is a really exciting project, a real challenge but I am looking forward to every moment.”
“Everyone will have an opinion on what success looks like, for me – I want to be there for everyone. I like to involve myself in every part of the football club because I love it. I love a challenge, I love finding new players – that is a challenge I really relish.
“The recruitment side is important, we need to recruit the best players we can for what the Manager wants – I will be very involved with the current recruitment staff that we have already.
“I’ve scouted in this country many, many times. I was at Arsenal for a long time looking at players from all over the world, including Scotland.
“I worked with Celtic and helped them sign a lot of the players that are currently playing for them today. I know this market well, I understand football in this country and I did it quietly.
“At Reading, when I was a scout, we didn’t have the biggest budget but we found players. We found experienced players and the right players. For me, it’s all about finding the right mixture of players that can make a difference.
“There are some really good things going on at the moment at Hibs and I just want to add to that and help the Club in every way I can.”
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.
