After Hibs release
2 Steven Whittaker spent a decade at Hibs, enjoying two spells at Easter Road, and says the club has been a massive part of his career. Right, joy for Whittaker after scoring against Partick Thistle in the Premiership in 2017 and, below, celebrating with the Hibs team after their CIS Insurance Cup success at Hampden in 2007. Below left, Whittaker gets his hands on the Scottish Cup after winning the trophy with Rangers in 2009. yet but I need to weigh up the best opportunities of playing, first and foremost, and then, alongside that, depending on the stature of the club, I might look at the coaching aspect as well.”
When he hangs up his boots he says there are many examples of quality management he can tap into from his own career, dating all the way back to his early days at Hibs, coming through the ranks with the likes of Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown, among many, many more.
Brown is still as hungry as Whittaker to keep his playing days going, possibly driven by the fact that injuries forced their pal Thomson into retirement at 31. “Yeah, it is a common statement from retired players, they tell you to play as long as you can, because you will miss it when it is over,” added Whittaker.
He believes there is merit in adding his kind of experience to a playing squad. “Well, I’m hoping so!” said the former Rangers and Norwich player.
“I think the older you get the more you focus on everyone else’s game as well as your own. You understand the game a little bit more.
“The experiences you’ve had in certain situations, mean you can help other players and that is something I certainly did at Hibs, during the past three years.
“I enjoyed helping them with their game as well as, obviously, trying to do my bit as well.”
It was also a case of giving something back. In his early days at Easter Road there was a plethora of seasoned stars who could advise and lead by example. And even when Whittaker and his fellow starlets took over the team, there was still space for the experience of players like Gary Smith and Stephen Glass.
“It is good to have older pros and a mix of different characters throughout your squad,” said Whittaker. “We had guys helping us when we came through at Hibs and it wasn’t just Gary and Stephen. When I was still trying to break into the team, there were guys like Franck Sauzee and Russell
Latapy and Matthias Jack and people like that. Paul Fenwick was another and Mixu Paatelainen and those were the characters who looked after all the young boys coming through and made sure we knew what kind of effort had to be put in to be a success.
“It was great to have those figures to look up to. Then, when we were good enough to get in the first team we still had guys like Gary and Stephen around to help steer us and make sure the motivation and energy was channelled in the right direction.”
Still going in the right direction, Whittaker may not know the next destination yet but he knows he isn’t ready to finish the journey.