So hard to say goodbye

‘I’m not the teary type but it’s with a heavy heart that I’ll leave. We built up a huge bond over the past two years’

EVER the consummate pr o , Al e x Nei l ’ s carefully- prepared script rarely deviated from the fact that, for the moment at least, he remains the property of Hamilton Accies.

Both inside and outside a solemn New Douglas Park, however, they were already resigned to the inevitable.

As players made their way to their cars after attending a hastily-convened meeting, stony faces and tears said more than the thoughtfully- chosen words their manager was prepared to say in public.

No matter how inevitable this parting of the ways may be, whatever the considerable recompense, it is deeply painful for all concerned.

Even for Neil, the man who has been given this remarkable, l i fe - changing opportunity, the prospect of taking his leave of the old place is deeply unsettling.

‘It was emotional. No question,’ Neil said of that morning’s meeting. ‘I’m not really the teary type if I’m being honest but it’s certainly with a heavy heart if I do happen to leave. It will be extremely difficult for me to do that.

‘We built up a huge bond over the past two years.

‘We managed to get promotion through the play-offs, which was probably the best way you could possibly do it.

‘We’ve set new heights for Hamilton Accies this season in terms of where

I was taking charge of an Under-20s game when I got the call

we are in the league and who we are competing with.

‘We beat Celtic at their own park... to be honest the list goes on and on.

‘The amount of scorelines this season that have been 5-1, 4-0 or 3-0. It’s not as if we’ve just been beating teams. We’ve really been playing some excellent stuff.

‘We have also given a lot of the players a real platform to go and show off their talents.

‘I’m thankful for everything the club has done for me. I’d just like to think I’ve repaid them.’

Neil needn’t dwell on that one for too long. Not two years in the post, his tenure in South Lanarkshire has been akin to a revolution.

Under Billy Reid, his estimable predecessor, Hamilton had enjoyed a return of the good old days.

The James Gang — McArthur and McCarthy — spearheaded Accies’ renaissance but their inevitable departures weakened the side to the point of relegation.

When Reid stepped aside, the club was drifting aimlessly in the First Division. Neil’s promotion to player- manager reignited the touchpaper.

If last season’s astonishing play-off victory at the expense of Hibernian took the Scottish game’s breath away, then their ceaseless trajectory this term has cast Neil as the next big thing in management.

Had Norwich not come calling, sooner or later, someone else would.

And yet, at the tender age of 33, Neil accepts that a cynical English audience will take some persuading as to the wisdom of entrusting promotion to him.

‘Of course, I’m not silly,’ he added. ‘I know people will be saying: “Who is this wee guy? Who does he think he is?”

‘That’s exactly how it will be approached but my job is to make sure, first and foremost, I get the respect of people as I’ve done here and throughout my career.

‘If you treat people properly, hopefully you’ll get that in return.’

Regardless of Hamilton’s current standing, there’s just no dressing up the disparity i n resources between the club Neil is leaving and the one he is joining.

Whereas crowds of 3,000 are the norm at New Douglas Park, even a second-tier Norwich can draw 25,000.

While Accies players are still paid in line with the working man, Norwich are capable of lavishing £25,000 a week on a goalscorer.

A challenge of the modern- day game, if ever there was one.

‘Money is money but, when you’re playing football, you’re not running about trying to score a goal thinking about it,’ Neil said.

‘You’re focused on the game, your team and wanting to win.

‘That’s why we’re in the game, to compete and see how good you and your team can be.

‘Money has never been my biggest motivator. It’s important because you want to provide for your family, but my biggest motivator is I want to do well.

‘I’m a competitive person and my teams have got that edge. They want to win and don’t give in and that’s what I’d always expect.

‘At the end of the day, it’s just a group of lads. That doesn’t really change.

‘Albeit, it’s at a higher level — but football is football.

‘When you’ve got the ball, you want to keep it and score goals and when you don’t, you want it back.

‘Regardless of what level you are at, the principles remain the same.’

Those deep-rooted values were very much in evidence when the call that changed his life came on Tuesday night.

‘We were sitting watching the Under-20s — they won 6-1 (against Dunfermline) — and as the fourth goal went in, Ronnie (MacDonald) got a phone call,’ Neil recalled.

‘As Ronnie does, he went out of the way to speak to whoever was calling.

‘He informed me that Norwich were on the phone and were looking to speak with me. It came as a huge surprise.

‘I was preparing myself for the half-time team talk and it was sprung upon me.

‘It was a big surprise. It’s hugely f l attering to hear anyone is interested in you.’

Privately, MacDonald and Neil would both have been expecting unrecognised numbers flashing on their phones at some juncture soon.

For anyone contemplating leaving little Hamilton for Norwich, it might always seem too soon. But Neil is as ready as he’ll ever be.

‘It’s going to be a difficult task if I

People will say: “Who is this wee guy?” but I’ll win respect

go down but, as a player, I never shirked anything. I lead from the front and I’ve been the same as a manager at Hamilton,’ Neil added.

‘That’s how I approach anything in life. All you can do is give it your best shot and nothing will change.

‘This has come earlier than I thought but the Hamilton job came earlier than I expected, as well.

‘I was 31 and still looking to play for another few years. I am on record saying I would rather it happened further down the line.

‘But, when opportunity presents itself, sometimes you just have to make the best of what it can be.

‘I’ve been here for a number of years now and i t’s given me everything I’ve got, really.

‘I’ve spent most of my working life here. I’m hugely thankful to the club for everything that’s been given to me.

‘Ronnie hit the nail on the head when he said Hamilton is a place of opportunity.

‘Whether it’s the manager, the sports scientist, the physio, whoever it is, they give young people the platform to express themselves.’