SWPL-winning Hibs boss, Grant Scott, reveals a feeling around club he's never experienced
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Yeah, honestly, it's not, nothing I've experienced before. And I think there's a lot of people deserve a lot of credit. You know, the leaders in the company, in the business, in the football club, all sides of it, I think.
00:15Look, on the pitch, success definitely helps drive cohesion and buy-in and all the rest. But in a strange way, with all of us working out of the same building day to day, the academy, under 18s, Darren's team, Dave Gray's team, ourselves, there's a lot of crossover, a lot of communication, bumping into each other in Corridor.
00:45We all know who's doing what, you know, I think I've just never experienced anything like it. And I think it's, you know, so commendable from everyone, from the owners, from Ian Gordon when he's in, from Malky, Philippa and Finance at Easter Road and all the staff that work up there, the commercial teams, Murray's.
01:06I could, I'll have missed names out and I could add names in. It's probably as close as I've ever seen to something that's functioning across the different areas as well as it is. I've never seen anything like it.
01:21Good stuff. I mean, so, looking forward then, I suppose, I know you've touched on it a wee bit, but is there as much, I know you've obviously spoke about getting better and wanting to improve and all that, but is there as much as well trying to enjoy these days as well, as I suppose, to take that wee bit of time out and actually savour it after, kind of, I think, the expression that's been getting used around, sort of, David Gray's team is putting the head in the fridge for a few days.
01:48Is it certainly that type of mentality as well? Because I can imagine how draining it must be as well, in a good way, when you have, you know, you've got these big ambitions.
02:00Yeah, it is. Look, it's tiring. There's a lot of people involved in it and, yeah, I'd encourage all of them to take some time out. It's quite hard sometimes to switch off. I'm still kind of waiting for my own kind of crash at this point that I feel is coming.
02:18But right now, as I say, listen, forgetting football for a second, just home life and stuff, I've got a lot of things going on, but, so I've not had a lot of time to draw breath, but I'm almost waiting for that moment to get two days to myself and it all kind of sink in and then that adrenaline to leave you and the fatigue kind of wash over you and stuff like that.
02:42But, yeah, look, there's a lot of work to be done, so we'll have to be sensible about it as well and without, your mind doesn't immediately turn on to next season, but, you know, you've already got things running through your mind.
02:55And maybe getting a holiday at some point in June will be the time where you get a chance to properly switch off, but phone in hand, you're never far away from it, you know, so, yeah, we'll see.
03:08But I think because you can't predict what's coming next, I think it's massively important that successes like this are celebrated properly.
03:15As I say, I've enjoyed it to a point, I don't know if I've enjoyed it fully, I don't know if I ever will, because the practical nature of what you're doing kicks in,
03:25but the best moments I had on Sunday were when I looked at the players celebrating in the changing room,
03:33they sang their hearts out all the way from Ibrox to Easter Road and I turned and looked up the bus a few times
03:39and those were the bits that kind of got me and almost got me a bit more emotional than the actual events on the pitch and stuff,
03:47because they're the people that you grow fond of, you work with every single day, they've dug in, they've ran through, you know,
03:58brick walls really for each other, for me, for the staff, for the club, and they deserve their moments,
04:04and I'll have mine privately and quietly, but yeah, you're right, we need to enjoy these moments and really celebrate them,
04:12because, I mean, 18 years since the women's team had done it before, won the league last time, rather,
04:18and yeah, it's a long time to wait, a lot of excellent players and excellent managers have been in charge of Hibs
04:25and not quite managed to get it over the line, so I think, yeah, I think the players deserve to celebrate it immensely.
04:32Do you remember what the SWPL was like in 2007 when they won it? Can you, just for the people that may be tuning in
04:39that don't pay that close attention, I mean, it was amateur, wasn't it, 2007, it was completely?
04:45Well, as old as I look, John, I wasn't in the league at that point, so...
04:49I hope you'd remember it, though.
04:51But yeah, look, I think...
04:52You'll have to remember it. If I can, you can.
04:53I think there was, yeah, I mean, look, amateur status, you know, women's teams were still wearing the cast-offs
05:00for the guys' teams, playing in strips 10 sizes too big, turning up to pitches, having to line your own pitch,
05:08or travelling everywhere in your cars, you know, training a couple of times a week after working, you know,
05:15eight, nine, ten-hour shifts, or having night shifts and squeezing and training before that,
05:19or, yeah, all of those things that players had to go through, and every team was the same.
05:26You know, it was just an amateur status, and everyone was in the same boat.
05:32So, yeah, the change to now is unbelievable.
05:36I don't know that it makes the league any less difficult to win or not, in truth,
05:41because it wasn't at that level, but I think, yeah, I think when you see how far it's come now
05:47and you're playing, you know, playing your final game of the season at Ibrox on a magnificent pitch,
05:52surrounded by all that history, yeah, it's a massive step forward.
05:56Right, so do you get away then, like, I suppose, in early June, is it you're going away,
06:01or planning to anyway, trying to, do you just leave the phone in the, sort of, room or something like that
06:05when you're going away, or, yeah?
06:07Yeah, I mean, mostly, I'm going away, kind of, middle June for a week, get some heat,
06:12get some sunshine, relax for a bit.
06:14But, yeah, I'll have my moments.
06:18It's been busy the last few days.
06:19I'm actually not too bad, generally, at getting home and leaving my phone to the side
06:23and not thinking about it too much.
06:26So, I'll have my moments when I'm away, just going away and leaving it.
06:30But it's also critical time for us.
06:33You only believe the work that you do in the closed season as a manager.
06:38Nobody warns you of that.
06:39Nobody teaches you that, that you finish up and you think you've got six weeks off.
06:43But there's all of the conversations, the budgeting, the planning, the recruitment.
06:50Yeah, there's a lot of work that goes on, so you can't really switch off for a week at a time.
06:55Where has the trophy ended up?
06:58Do you know, I got asked this morning and I've no idea where it is.
07:01I think it went under lock and key on Sunday at the event at Easter Road.
07:08A number of people getting pictures with it and stuff, which was great.
07:11But I think it got locked away now, where it's gone from then or if it's still there.
07:17I'm not too sure, but yeah.
07:19Somebody was telling me, Dwight Gale wanted his photo with it.
07:22He did. I've seen it this morning.
07:23Yeah, he's got a couple of pictures on the pitch.
07:28Which is strange, right?
07:29A guy who, but this is one of the elements that people are not seeing.
07:33A guy who probably doesn't need to play this season.
07:36He's pretty much set for life.
07:38Well-rounded guy, but has loved his time at Hibs.
07:43Has sticks his head into the women's office on a weekly basis.
07:48Good luck for the weekend.
07:49Playing Rangers this weekend, good luck.
07:52Knows what we're doing, knows what it's all about.
07:56So good with the players.
07:58It congratulates you when you've gone in and won.
08:00And one of the first guys to come up to us when we went into the room on Sunday evening
08:05back at Easter Road.
08:07Straight across, congratulated everybody.
08:09Really bought into the club.
08:11Really, yeah, a proper football person.
08:14Just loving the success everyone's having.
08:17But yeah, he was there.
08:19Centre spot with his SWPL trophy.
08:22He sounds as if he's just going to rock up at Easter Road next season
08:25like a Stone Island in a green bucket hat,
08:27by the sounds of the way he's been speaking in the last week.
08:31And I suppose you must have had players like that as well,
08:34where it must be when a player maybe comes into a team
08:38and just takes you totally by surprise in terms of maybe that side of it.
08:42Maybe on the pitch you would expect a certain element of performance.
08:44But when they properly buy into the club when you maybe wouldn't have expected,
08:49I can imagine you'd probably take as much joy in that as any.
08:51Yeah, honestly you do.
08:53And it's my kind of reference to looking at the players on Sunday,
08:56celebrating and enjoying their time together.
08:59That's what they've been doing all season.
09:01And I think we've got the recruitment spot on last summer
09:06because the people brought into the club have really bought into who we are
09:13and the sort of culture and identity we're trying to create.
09:16But yeah, he's a special, he's a special man.
09:20What a guy, just a great guy to be around.
09:23His energy is incredible, positive nature.
09:26Yeah, so I'm looking for a Dwight Gale for the women's team for next summer.
09:32It's like David Gray's looking for a Dwight Gale.
09:34Look out for his team next summer.
09:37Gale, he told us last week he was going to become an agent.
09:40That's his next step.
09:41And I said, well, you need to find a veteran penalty box striker
09:43to bring your hips, somebody that can score goals in the Derby and that.
09:47First priority.
09:49Right, well, Grant, thanks very much for joining us
09:51and for reflecting on what's, I can imagine you've managed to squeeze
09:56an extra 28 minutes for us in your very busy 48 hours
09:59or whatever it's been since.
10:01No problem at all.
10:02Thank you so much for having me.
10:04It'll just be me and you, John, the next time.
10:06So the listeners, maybe we'll just hit the unsubscribe button
10:08and it's just back to me and you.
10:10This is as good as we're ever going to get, folks.