Boss talked about his problems and told me his door is always open ..that made me want to come & play for him
NEW BOY IS UNDERSTOOD Depression-hit Swanson and Lennon find a common cause at Easter Road
DANNY SWANSON knew Hibs was the right club for him when manager Neil Lennon opened up to the new signing on his own mental health problems.
Like the Northern Irishman, the diehard Hibee, who was unveiled to the media yesterday after making the switch from St Johnstone, has battled depression in the past and spent time at the Priory in 2011 when a Dundee United player.
And after previously being snubbed by an unnamed English League One club due his battle with the disorder the 30-year-old admits being told by former Celtic manager Lennon his “door is always open” was a huge boost.
Swanson said: “Neil was very good when I was speaking to the club. The thing that really struck me came after the meeting when he took me away from my agent and spoke about mental health which is a massive thing for me.
“I’ve had a manager say to me before he wouldn’t come near me because I’ve had depression.
“For Neil to say, ‘My door is always open’ and tell me about his problems was massive. It takes a lot to do that and I really respect him for that.
“You never know if us having things in common like that will be a good thing or a bad thing because I’ve still got to produce the goods on the pitch. That’s what it comes down.
“But to have it in the back of my head that if I’m having a bad time I can go and speak to him is a really big thing.
“I was surprised he brought it up even though he’s been quite open about that publicly. That’s also a good thing.
“He’s not embarrassed and he shouldn’t be but I still didn’t expect it. I came away thinking, ‘I’d like to play for him’.
“It didn’t change my perception of Neil because Darren McGregor has spoken a lot about him. Darren’s never had a bad word to say about him. But it wouldn’t have mattered who was in charge. I always wanted to play here.”
Lennon revealed he suffered a bout of depression during Hibs’ Championship-winning season and Swanson admits the 45-year-old’s attitude is in stark contract to what he experienced another time.
He added: “I was going down south to speak to Coventry and one other team. I was really excited about the other club because they’re a big club.
“We were in the meeting with Coventry manager Steven Pressley when my agent took a call and left the room.
“He came back in and when Steven left he said, ‘The other deal’s off ’ but wouldn’t tell me why until we got back up the road. He said, ‘It’s because you were in the Priory for mental health reasons’.
“I was upset at the time. It’s a worry if there are people like that in the game but I wouldn’t want to play for someone like that anyway. It was a blessing in disguise.”
Swanson grew up idolising Russell Latapy at Hibs and hopes his style of play will get the supporters off their seats.
He added: “I came to every home game. I used to go on my dad’s bus to away games but didn’t make every one.
“Me and Darren McGregor used to sneak in together at times to the East Stand.
“Russell Latapy was my favourite player and I’ve still to see a better player at Easter Road than him, maybe Paul Gascoigne.
“I like him because he plays football the way I like to play it, although he’s a little bit better than me so let’s not make comparisons.
“In my eyes he was one of the best. He was two-footed and I like to play with both feet, create things and score goals. Hopefully I can do that as much as he did.”
Swanson revealed Latapy and former striker Dirk Lehmann even visited him in hospital when he underwent heart surgery as a 13-year-old.
He added: “I didn’t think they were coming in for me. I stuck the strip on and they were brilliant.
“They came and sat for a long time, they didn’t just turn up for the sake of it. It was a good time for me after such a horrific point in my
life.”