SERVING FIVE BOSSES INCLUDING GREAT DANE

When Jim McLean retired as Dundee United manager in 1993 Stuart Hogg left Tannadice.

But he wasn’t out of football for long.

Aberdeen manager Willie Miller came calling following a recommendation from former Don and Hogg’s fellow Fifer Craig Robertson.

It was at Pittodrie that he got the chance to work at a club full-time as opposed to balancing his coaching alongside architecture.

Miller’s successor as manager, Roy Aitken, offered him a full-time position and he served under Aitken, Alex Miller, Paul Hegarty and Ebbe Skovdahl.

Hogg has always been open-minded about new ideas that could benefit his athletes.

At Aberdeen he organised talks on nutrition and got the players’ blood and body fats taken to try to ensure that they were in the best possible condition to perform.

Hogg said: “I’ve got to be open-minded, but I’ve also got to prove that the results are there to back up the thinking.”

Hogg has particularly fond memories of working under Ebbe Skovdahl, who died last year.

When the Dane arrived in the Granite City Hogg thought his time with the Dons was up.

That wasn’t the case and he added: “Once we proved that we were honest with him it was great working with Ebbe.

“If you don’t like the manager, you can’t work for him. You work for the club and they pay your wages, but you’ve got to be able to work with the manager. It was hard going to start with but once Ebbe got to know us he was fine.”

When Skovdahl left Aberdeen in December 2002 Hogg was also moved on as the Dons tried to cut costs.

He continued in athletics, but was out of football until midway through the 2016-17 when an old friend from his time with Dundee United called.

Peterhead manager Jim McInally was looking for a fitness coach and Hogg was tempted back into football.

He said: “Jim phoned me up and said he was looking for somebody who could do what I’d done at Dundee United.

“He asked if I could recommend someone and I said ‘are you angling for me to come back?’

“And he said ‘I’d bite your hand off if you came.’ The reason I went was because it was Jim.

“But I like the club, it’s a great wee club to work for.”