Dempster rules out SFA position to focus on Hibs
The woman who has been central to turning around the fortunes of the Leith club, overseeing their first Scottish Cup win in 114 years and their return to the Premiership, Dempster had been widely touted as the ideal person to replace Stewart Regan, who left the high-profile post at the start of the month.
She admitted that the attention had been flattering but said she felt she had more to achieve in the capital.
“It’s a big challenge for whoever goes in there, and that’s not something I wouldn’t be up for, but I’m enjoying life here.
“It’s absolutely true that the job is one of the best, if not the best football job in Scotland, and any normal person who is linked with it wouldn’t be telling the truth if they said they never stopped and blinked for a second. But that’s effectively what it was, I stopped and blinked and then reflected on the work happening here.
“It was lovely, because people put your name forward and say great things about you. That’s nice to hear because it meansyou’rebeingrecognised for doing some good work. But I see my time in Scotland firmly Neil Lennon will welcome Paul Hanlon and Darren Mcgregor back into the ranks for tomorrow’s league fixture but he says that there is still a void between his squad and the one his Pittodrie counterpart Derek Mcinnes has at his disposal.
Currently sitting two places above the Leith side, Aberdeen are the only one of their main challengers to have gleaned maximum points from head to heads with the Premiership newcomers this term. at Hibernian. I don’t really see myself working in Scotland at another organisation in football outside this club.”
A driving force at the club since she moved there from Motherwell three and a half years ago, she said trading the way she worked to fit in at the SFA was not a lure but she insisted there is scope to improve the way the governing body operates and bolster the national game.
“Working within an environment like the SFA and the SPFL is very much a collaborative thing. Working at a club, particularly if you’re a chief executive, you’re very much there to make decisions That is something that irks the Hibernian players and staff and is something they hope to address at Easter Road, but Lennon says he has to be realistic about what his men are up against, even if he does back them to come out on top.
Asked if the eight-point gap reflected the difference between the squads, Lennon said: “Yes. I think the depth they have, they have been building this for three or four years. They have had a bit of investment, they haven’t spent millions, but he has got good players in and they do have strength in depth, a little bit more than us, and our challenge, if we can, is to get to that level on a consistent basis.
LEEANN DEMPSTER and lead. But there are opportunities to improve the game in Scotland and, with
“They’ve got goals from midfield, they have goals from wide areas, goals from strikers. Particularly at home they are a very formidable side.”
Away from home they are still a daunting prospect. Their record of eight wins, two draws and three defeats is exactly the same as their home return. “You can see the consistency Derek has brought there,” added Lennon, above. “They had a good win last week, they had a good win the previous week, they’re a formidable opponent at this level.”
Mcinnes’ men have won their last four games, rattling in 14 goals. But the fact they the events of the last couple of weeks, I think we’re at a stage now where we’ve got a chance to look towards the future and for both organisations [SFA and SPFL] to formalise a bigger strategy for the game and understand what each does best. We need to get into a situation where they are working as closely and as collaboratively as they possibly can. It’s probably a staging point for us and a good opportunity.
“There are absolutely opportunities for the SPFL and the Sfatoworktogetheronbigger projects – that might be sharing obvious things, like commercial or communications – rather than each just pushing have given away five at the other end will offer their Leith hosts encouragement.
Fresh from a weekend off, Lennon knows his men went into that mini break with some solid momentum. But despite fearing that rhythm may have been disrupted, he says the break was necessary after a tough run. “We had five games in 13 days which was heavy, I thought it was relatively unfair, but it’s just the way the fixtures fell. In that we had Hearts away, Celtic away and Rangers away, Dundee as well, really tough games. So to win three out of four was really pleasing. It’s been bright and we’re looking forward to what towards its own ends. Lots of people have negative things to say about the game in Scotland, but all I see is positivity. I see great people working in the game, money coming towards the game, clubs improving their facilities and infrastructure, and good young players.
“But I do think it’s time that every club needs to have the opportunity to get involved in the game.
“It ought not to be the same clubs all the time, it ought not to be the same people all the time. We need to try to broaden that out. Equally, I think that when people come in we have to empower them, in a positive way.”
“Lots of people have negative things to say about the game in Scotland, but all I see is positivity. I see great people working in the game”
Aberdeen a level above but one we can definitely achieve, insists Lennon
should be a cracking game against an excellent side.”
His men have a desire to prove they are a better side than the one that succumbed to the same opposition, so meekly, in December.
“I don’t think it will linger but I think there will be an incentive there,” he said of that 4-1 loss. “Aberdeen have beaten us the last three times we have played. To be fair there was fatigue the last time but you have to give credit to them, they were excellent.
“That was probably the best performance against us of any team this season. They were very good. So it’s going to be a tough game, but one we are relishing.”