Stubbs aims to produce the goods for faithful fans
AS a breed of long- suffering sorts conditioned to treat j oy as merely a fleeting contrast to their enduring disappointment, t hi s must be a confusing time.
Can Hibs fans, not so much put through the wringer as dragged backwards into the darkest corners of medieval torture chambers in recent seasons, really dare to dream of some serious payback for all the misery?
Alan Stubbs would enjoy nothing better. To put it bluntly, he and his players feel as if they owe their supporters a big win, even a major trophy... or three.
Stubbs, refusing to ban talk of a domestic Treble while accepting that winning the Championship, League Cup and Scottish Cup represents an enormous challenge, genuinely appreciates how fans — even in the midst of mutinies against the board and the distraught anger of relegation — have backed him and his team since he arrived at Easter Road in the summer of 2014.
He hopes that securing a grand day out at Hampden for tens of thousands of those supporters, courtesy of reaching the League Cup Final, is just another step in a reconciliation process between club and support.
Stubbs, who admitted tonight’s league fixture at Morton is much more important than even Sunday’s Scottish Cup super- derby at Tynecastle, said of that March 13 date at the national stadium: ‘I think, regardless of whichever number it ends up being that we take through, we’ve got to make sure that we perform for them.
‘Because, yes, there have been things that have gone on in the past.
‘But I have to say that, from the day I walked in to where we are now, their support — personally, for me — has been fantastic.
‘For the players, the fans have really got behind them, even in the early days when there was still a little bi t of a ni mosity a nd disappointment from relegation. They’ve supported the players.
‘Time is a healer. And I’m hoping that they’re getting the rewards for some of the pain they’ve gone through.’
Still f l ying f r om Saturday’s semi-final win over St Johnstone at Tynecastle, dreaming of doing the same to the usual residents of the Gorgie venue this Sunday coming, Stubbs could hardly be happier with his lot at the moment.
‘If you don’t enjoy these type of weeks then I’m afraid you’re in the wrong game,’ he said.
‘You have to enjoy it when things go right for you because, more often than not, there will be times when things go wrong for you. It’s a crazy business.
‘You seem to beat yourself up for the losses and when you do have the wins, you move on very quickly. You don’t enjoy them as much as you should do.
‘That’s the sad type of people that we are. I wouldn’t want it any other way!
‘Tomorrow night’s more important than Sunday. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.
‘It was fantastic at the weekend. They deserve all the pats on the backs, the plaudits, but it’s gone.
‘It’s on the back burner now for six weeks. We move to tomorrow, we keep the momentum going, keep building.
‘Big clubs have big mentalities. It’s no coincidence that they can churn out results week in week out no matter what.
‘The players have come in with a right spring in their step, as you would expect.
‘They’re excited obviously with what’s ahead — but we have not won or achieved anything.
‘ Yes, we’ve given ourselves a platform and a chance to do it, but we’ve physically not done it yet.’
Insisting he wouldn’t stop any of his players from mentioning even the prospect of a rare Treble, Stubbs added: ‘I don’t mind talking about it.
‘I don’t see what the fuss is about, I really don’t. Some people play it down, some people talk it up. It is what it is.
‘I have said all along, you either like it or you lump it. I am quite happy to talk about it. I am not going to shy away from anything about it.
‘I will be honest. I have said all along we are in three competitions — and we are stil l in t hree competitions. We are certainly going to try to win them.’