Toughest job in the world? Caretaker for a derby game

The same could not be said across the city. Mowbray encountered six Heart of Midlothian adversaries in his two seasons of derby confrontations: Craig Levein, John Robertson, George Burley, John McGlynn, Graham Rix and Valdas Ivanauskas. Now the boot is most definitely on the other foot. Mark Venus, Mowbray’s assistant, will be the man who goes head to head with Ivanauskas tomorrow in the long-awaited first Bank of Scotland Premierleague meeting between the capital’s rivals.

Just like the Edinburgh Festival, it is the performers from the fringe who now hog the spotlight. Exactly a year ago, McGlynn was thrust into the starring role when Burley was sacked by Vladmir Romanov. Seven days later, the caretaker coach watched his Hearts side lose 2-1. McGlynn won three other matches before retreating into the shadows when Rix arrived.

Venus would not have begun this week thinking he would be the man making the calls in the Hibernian technical area but the former Wolverhampton Wanderers player now has the task whether he likes it or not.

“Tony Mowbray has been fairly successful so the players may feel uncomfortable,” McGlynn reflected. “There’s two ways you lose your manager. Either you are doing well and he gets a bigger or better job, or you are doing badly and he leaves that way. When the team is doing badly the players can actually get a lift if somebody else comes in but that isn’t always the case when you lose the manager when you’ve been doing fairly well.”

Kevin Thomson, the Hibernian captain, revealed there were tears in the dressing-room when Mowbray announced his decision to the players on Thursday to move to West Brom and Venus knows he goes into this derby at a disadvantage because his team have been robbed of their focus.

“It’s come as a shock to the players. There’s no point in trying to pretend otherwise,” Venus said. “I don’t think anybody expected it but by Sunday they will be fine. It’s a great game to come into. It’s a big match and I’m sure there will be big crowd who’ll do their best to get behind the team. But the fact remains that this has happened for the right reasons — because Hibs have been doing well. It’s far better to lose a manager because he has done something good as it means the players have been part of a successful team.

“They have all contributed to the manager’s success and have got him where he is because of their performances week in, week out. It’s much worse when a manager leaves because he has been doing badly, and in that case it’s even more important to get someone in quickly.”

Venus will be assisted in the dugout by John Park, the club’s youth academy director, who was responsible for spotting and developing most of the conveyor belt of talent at Easter Road in recent season, such Thomson, Scott Brown, Steven Whittaker, Garry O’Connor and Derek Riordan.

“I’m looking after the team on Sunday but I’d like to make clear that it won’t just be me,” Venus said. “There are other members of staff at this club, guys that put in a lot of unseen work that will be playing a big part too. I don’t mind figure-heading that just now as the best interests of Hibernian FC are what I have at heart.”

Park expects the players to respond to Mowbray’s spirit even if the manager is not there in body. “I’m sure the players will take on his game intelligence and put that into practice when Sunday comes around,” he said. “He has done a fantastic job at the club and has really left an indelible mark. His man-management skills, his leadership and his organisational skills were really second to none.

“He’s changed the way that a lot of us look at the game in terms of analysing teams and players. You can see the effect he’s had with the sort of football that’s been played over the last couple of years and the supporters have started rolling up to games again. There’s no getting away from the fact that he’ll be a sad loss and it would be great if we could get a result for him this weekend.”

In contrast, Hearts go into this meeting on a high after four victories in their last five matches. Christophe Berra recognises the uncertainty that is growing across the city.

“We’ve been in that situation many a time and we’ve dealt with it,” the defender said.

“I think Hibernian are big enough and professional enough to do the same. It is a bit unsettling but their main objective is to go out and beat us no matter who is in charge.

Some 50 miles along the M8, Glasgow is virtually a stranger to the caretaker coach when it comes to its own derby. Only once in recent memory has someone given a team talk in an Old Firm dressing-room who was not the manager and that was in October 1993 when Frank Connor stood in after the departure of Liam Brady from Celtic and defeated Rangers at Ibrox.

Brian O’Neil’s last-minute header provided the winning goal and the former Scotland player — who retired last week through injury at the age of 34 — can recall the events as if they were yesterday.

“Frank actually had three games in charge of Celtic as a caretaker and won them all,” O’Neil explained. “We took over for a Uefa Cup tie with Sporting Lisbon, then beat Dundee before going to Ibrox. Lou Macari was appointed manager by the Celtic board on the Friday evening but it was Frank who had worked with us on tactics all week in training, so he gave the team talk and Lou only sat down in the dugout later.

“We came from behind after Ally McCoist had scored for Rangers. John Collins equalised with a great shot and then I headed in the winner from a corner. Frank was actually the best type of caretaker to have because he could get a laugh out of us in training. The whole place had been low in the lead up to Liam leaving. Frank lifted the mood but you would never cross him.

“I was only in the side then to play in an emergency role at centre-half because my old team-mate, Tony Mowbray, had to step aside from playing for a while because his wife was dying from cancer. When he returned to the dressing-room, Tony became a great influence and he got everyone’s respect.

“That is obviously what he did at Hibernian and it will make it tough for the players. However, they should accept that he is going because someone wanted him and that reflects on what they have done. They play great football and really I am surprised that a bigger team than West Brom has not come for him because I think he will be a top manager one day.”

MOWBRAY SIGNS

TONY MOWBRAY was yesterday, as expected, appointed as the new manager of West Bromwich Albion, but he will not take up his post at The Hawthorns until Wednesday.

A statement on the Hibernian website said: “The club would like to thank Tony Mowbray for all that he has done during his time at Easter Road and wish him and his family every success in the future.”

Taken from timesonline.co.uk