Easter Road boss looking to create a happy family

DADDY’S home. And he’s not going to let you out to play unless you work hard, don’t answer back — and keep your room tidy.

Okay, that’s maybe a slight exaggeration of Paul Heckingbottom’s approach to man management.

But the new Hibs boss, with just a couple of training sessions under his belt, is serious when he discusses the bond already forming with his new players.

‘It sounds daft but you feel for them like they’re your kids,’ said the former Barnsley and Leeds boss.

‘You end up reprimanding them for the same thing you tell your kids off for. The same behaviours, 100 per cent.

‘Praising them for the same things, feeling proud of them, disappointed with them. That’s how it is and it’s a big part of how I do the job.

‘What I love about the job is the Saturdays, I love the games, I love the players.

‘You become attached to the players. I knew how that would be anyway. I’ve been coaching for a long time before and, if you want to improve people, you have to know the people, and if you know people you start caring for them.

‘I wouldn’t be as effective if I was distant. I may change. You might ask me if I’m still doing it in ten, 20 years’ time and I might have more coaches around me to fill those roles — but not now.’

Heckingbottom is in the unenviable position of arriving after the departure of a head coach who was popular with supporters, with Neil Lennon’s personality and achievements making him a hard act to follow.

‘I’m not going to try to emulate anyone, I’m not going to be like Neil because Neil did great here,’ he said.

‘You want to carry on that success, of course, but you can’t pretend to be anyone else. You’d get found out. People would be picking holes in you. You’ve got to be genuine, who you are. I’ll 100-per-cent do that.

‘The fans want to win games but they also want someone who they know is trying their best for them and representing the club properly.

‘That’s what the fans want, they want an attachment to players, management, people who work for the club, they want to know they are giving everything.’

A former Manchester United kid who had to go down the leagues to carve out a playing career, Heckingbottom isn’t quite the stereotypical bluff Yorkshireman of cartoon caricature.

He’s educated, having attained a degree in sports coaching and gone back for a Masters, and clearly quite analytical about the game.

At his heart, though, he’s got characteristics that he hopes will make him a good fit in Scotland.

‘I was South Yorkshire, Barnsley,’ he explained. ‘And, as a kid growing up, boys’ football took precedent then, not the academies, it was totally different.

‘If we ever played a team from the North East or Merseyside we’d kick the smoke out of each other, it was so competitive.

‘But everybody loved it, the players and the parents, there was just that edge.

‘And it’s similar when you played Scottish teams. If we ever had pre-season games against Scottish teams, they weren’t friendlies.

‘So I think there’s a cultural similarity there between Yorkshire and Scotland; that’s not to say everyone is like that but you could feel it definitely.

‘And working with Scottish managers, yeah, you can identify with people like that, 100 per cent.’

‘I started off at Man Utd — you can’t get a bigger club than that. What I took from that was the humility, the hard work, the drive of the top players. It helped me massively in my career.

‘I had to drop down and I went to another great club after that in Sunderland but couldn’t break in to the team. But my career really started when I went on loan from Sunderland.

‘My first league football, Scarborough, League Two and that was it. I felt like a footballer then and then I started playing like one. Got a couple of good moves but it’s hard to let go.