Glass hails Mowbray's influence after agreeing new deal

STEPHEN Glass, who has signed a two-year contract with Hibernian which will keep him at Easter Road until he's 32, admitted yesterday it took him only a minute or two to accept manager Tony Mowbray's offer of a new deal.

The former Aberdeen and Newcastle United player, 29, who can play at left-back or in midfield, proved there are exceptions to the modern rule of footballers besotted by mammon when he declined to bargain over the small print.
Making clear his respect for Mowbray, Glass said: "We don't bulls**t each other. When he asked me to stay I wasn't going to say 'I don't know', just to squeeze a couple of hundred more quid out of it.

"The manager asked me if I wanted to stay and I was happy to do that. There wasn't any need for a big splash. It's not like I'm one of the young guns. I'm happy here, I like playing here, I like the group of lads that are here and I like the manager. I saw no reason to look elsewhere. It was straightforward.

"I didn't need my agent to come up and do anything. It was two minutes. It was a case of 'Do you want to stay?' 'Yes, I do'. It's probably the easiest contract I've signed. In one conversation I had agreed a new deal.

"I've enjoyed my football here for the last couple of years, especially since the manager has come in. I think you can see everyone enjoys playing for him."

Glass hopes to bring his experience to bear in pursuit of three points against Hearts at Easter Road tomorrow. If the lingering disappointment of the Scottish Cup loss against their city rivals has yet to fade, Glass believes Hibs are perfectly capable of making amends this weekend.

"It's in our memory what happened in the semi-final," he admitted. "It wasn't a good day for us, but the league game is different. It's an opportunity for us to get a win and hopefully push us up to where we want to be in the league. They've not won here for a wee while and we want to keep that going."

Hibs defeated their old foes 2-0 the last time the pair met at Easter Road in October. "We played well when we got the ball and everything seemed to come together that day," Glass recalled. "When our team goes well, we have a good chance to win, regardless of the opposition."

Explaining why he wanted to retain Glass - who may not be an automatic choice next season - Mowbray reasoned: "We've got a lot of young players signed up and it's important to have the right sort of personalities in the dressing room to add their experience and knowledge, whether that be on the field or off. His performance level this year warrants the offer of a new contract. He's fully aware the competition for places will be tough."

Taken from the Scotsman