Johnson insists he has no fear of big rivals
Hibs manager vows to draw on experience as Killie player
LEE JOHNSON insists his Hibernian team will play with no fear when they go into big fixtures against Rangers, Celtic and Hearts next season.
The Easter Road manager explained how he came up against the Old Firm during his playing days at Kilmarnock in the 2011/12 campaign.
In that season, Killie defeated Rangers at Ibrox and Celtic at Hampden in the League Cup final, and he made it clear that he viewed the matches as any other game.
And that’s the message he’ll be portraying to his Hibs players ahead of the 2022/23 season. Johnson told Sky Sports: “The players need clarity and if they have that it enables them to bring out the best version of themselves in the match.
“I was lucky to play in the big games up here and I managed to beat Celtic with Kilmarnock and Rangers away. I don’t have that feeling of fear going into the games.
“You want to get that across to the players as well. I’m sure they will, there’s lots of experienced guys in the squad like David Marshall who you wouldn’t expect to be fazed.
“It’s the younger players that are the risk but often they have no fear because they’ve not experienced a big loss.”
Reflecting on the fixtures themselves, Johnson was understandably excited.
As well as the prospect of facing Rangers and Celtic in Scotland, the Englishman also knows all about the importance of the Edinburgh derby having played for the Tynecastle side during a short spell in his career.
He added: “I’m looking forward to it. When the fixtures come out there’s that
buzz and it becomes real. Straight away you look for the big games you want to experience.
“You want to get off to a good start, it’s a new regime and playing style and we will be looking to hit the ground running. You couldn’t get a better first home league game. It’s a really big derby and I was lucky enough to play in it.
“It was one of the main reasons I wanted to come up.
“My managerial derbies so far haven’t been exceptional. I missed the Bristol derby, I never got Sunderland v Newcastle. Oldham v Rochdale is probably the best so far. So this one is going to be a big game.
“The other day I bumped into two window cleaners very early in the morning on a walk. One was a Hearts fan and the other
a Hibs fan. I got a fair bit of stick off the Hearts fan. It’s all good natured and we had a good chat for about half an hour about the intricacies of the clubs and where they are at the moment.
“It’s part of my history and of course I wouldn’t change it. But for me it’s really important to try and do my very best
for Hibs. What a great way to showcase what we are about by performing really well in that second game.”
Meanwhile, Hibernian have issued a statement “fully condemning the actions” of Ryan Porteous after the defender was ordered to pay a woman compensation for hitting her with a tumbler during a night out.
The 23-year-old defender pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable and reckless conduct after throwing the plastic glass into the air and causing “a small cut” to the head of Siobhan Brett outside a Miners Club in the Midlothian town of Dalkeith in February this year.
Porteous, who has played more than 130 games for Hibs and has featured in Scotland squads over the past three years, was fined £320 and
ordered to pay his victim £200 compensation after appearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday.
The Easter Road club moved quickly to acknowledge the “severity” of the incident in which their star defender was culpable. They have punished Porteous internally with the “maximum possible fine”.
“Hibernian FC fully condemns the actions of
Ryan Porteous,” said a statement on Hibs’ website. It added: “Hibernian FC fully understands the severity of this incident, as does Ryan, and he has been handed the maximum possible fine, alongside receiving punishment at Court.
“This will now remain a private matter and Hibernian FC will make no further comment.”
I managed to beat Celtic with Kilmarnock and Rangers away. I don’t have that feeling of fear