Exclusive:How Hibs boss celebrated historic Hampden win over Hearts - and why he couldn't join in club anthem sing-along
‘They deserved to celebrate’ - manager on letting players cut loose
Dinner, a movie and a phone full of text messages. Not quite the boozy sing-along he virtually ordered his Hibs players to enjoy as reward for a remarkable Hampden first. But exactly how Marink Reedijk wanted to celebrate Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final win over Hearts.
“Do I have to say with beer and with music?” he asked, with a laugh, when asked how he’d marked the occasion, referencing the viral clip of his post-victory dressing room address to the squad. While he may have let the first team off the leash, the Dutch manager’s own reaction to a historic result – the first time Hibs have ever beaten Hearts at the national stadium – was decidedly more low key.
Messages from Holland after Hampden scenes
“No, no, I just went home, came home, my girlfriend was there and we had some dinner together and we watched a movie and that's it,” he said, adding: “I think for me it was, I celebrated in the perfect way the game, in the moment when Sunshine on Leith came on. I was enjoying it because that's the moment. And then after that for me, the next game is already in my mind.
“One of the things I heard is that it’s been a long time since a Hibs team came back from 1-0 down. Those little things are really important to take into account because that is in the group, it's also with the fans. The first time we beat Hearts at Hampden, it's also a thing and everybody can be proud of that - and I think that's also what you saw after.
“Even in Holland they saw this because I got a lot of messages from people that were like: ‘Wow, so cool, what happened there, that was amazing.’ They were all asking me how it was.
“And normally we don’t see this kind of thing from Scottish football in Holland. So that tells you a lot about the intensity, the emotion brought to the full – and it was just simply amazing.
“Obviously we had pride in what we did in a difficult match. That is why they deserved to celebrate.”
Extra shifts and hard graft for players
Hibs have been working extra hours to turn things around since Reedijk’s arrival during the most recent international break. Working to a very different schedule that involves reporting to HTC the day after a game, then taking just a single day off before embarking on four straight days of training, players have been asked to show real commitment.
With a Sunday-to-Saturday schedule this week, the gaffer understood the need to give players at least one day off. And the importance of them actually being rewarded for all their hard graft.
“This is one thing, look, if you work hard, you also can celebrate if you reach something - and reaching a final is a special thing,” Reedijk explained. “Now, you didn't win anything yet, so we need to make sure that we also take that into account.
“But it's also important after such hard work over the last few weeks, where it didn't fall in our way in certain matches, but they kept on fighting, kept on going. Especially if you see that everything and what we spoke about comes back into the game against Hearts, where it's about good football in the first half and then get another level of taking the game over the line.
“I think that was really good to see, so you can also celebrate this. The day afterwards was off for the guys and this is then a moment also to settle down for them.
“But then the moment they came back yesterday is the moment to focus again on Aberdeen. Because at the end of the day you have to celebrate your wins, but also you need them to be able to focus to the next game.”
Reedijk spoke in the aftermath of the Edinburgh derby victory about how emotional he found the whole Sunshine on Leith sing-along with supporters. It was precisely the experience he’d been looking forward to since taking the Hibs job, with the former SK Beveren coach having told The Evening News about his attempts to learn the words.
Admitting that he hadn’t joined in with the choir of supporters, players and staff on Sunday, he explained: “I've listened in the car like three, four times in a row and then the only thing was for me that the real words, sometimes there is a Scottish part which I don't understand yet. So for me it's more important to understand what they sing about.
“But no I wasn’t singing along. I was just enjoying it. If I start to sing, I don't want the people next to me to have ear problems.
“So I tried to absorb everything there because I also realised at that moment it was special. Also, I took a step back from the beginning when it started just to observe the whole audience and that everybody was involved because that's important.
“So everybody from the staff was here as well. We do things together in good and in bad times.”