Hibs Exclusive: Cult hero talks goals, gaffer's humility and risk of being 'too calm' in eye of storm
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Rocky Bushiri’s ability to keep his head when all about are losing theirs may not be his most obvious quality. If he sees himself as the serene stillness at the eye of the storm, he might also acknowledge that the tempest surrounding him is sometimes of his own making.
But the big man’s ability to regain equilibrium after even a gale-force blow to his inner zen had already made him a popular figure even before his late equalisers against Aberdeen and, on Sunday just past, Rangers at Easter Road. Having waited the thick end of three years to score a first goal for Hibs, the centre-half bagging two in the space of less than six weeks feels significant.
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Hide AdHis late strike against the Dons sparked a remarkable turnaround in team fortunes, with David Gray and all of his players agreeing that the 3-3 home draw with Jimmy Thelin’s men was a turning point in this season. Scoring in the 3-3 draw (a popular scoreline for Hibs at home, eh?) with Rangers, having already provided a sublime assist to get his team back in the game, helped keep the feelgood factor going by dint of extending an impressive unbeaten run.
So sure, Bushiri may have been at least partially culpable for the first goal as Rangers raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening 20 minutes at Easter Road. But the one guarantee? He was never going to get rattled by his error in judgement under a high ball, allowing Hamza Igamane to bag the first leg of his hat-trick.
“I am by nature someone who is really calm in my head,” said Bushiri, when asked about his recovery from that early slip-up, the 25-year-old admitting: “I'm sometimes a bit too calm.
“But I said to the boys, even after losing the second goal, I said: ‘Listen, stay in the game as long as possible. We will get one back, maybe from a set piece, so let’s just not concede any more until half-time.’
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Hide Ad“And then we scored to make it 2-1 through Martin Boyle. So, it's just about being positive and the leaders in the team to stand up when it matters, you know. And that was really important to me.
“Like showing calm to help set up our first goal for Boyley, instead of just hitting the ball. It's in those moments where you need to use your brain and not your emotions.
“But also when you concede the first goal. I know I can do better on that, but those balls are the hardest to deal with.
“And it's there where your character and your personality has to come out and say to the boys: ‘Like, really calm down. There is still a long game to go.’ We've seen that before against Aberdeen. And we also had games this season where we came from behind, like Ross County at home and still managed to get the result. So, yeah, we feel like staying calm and showing character is important.”
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Hide AdIt helps when someone like Bushiri starts chipping in with important goals, his latest an absolutely thumping header from a Nicky Cadden Corner, the Democratic Republic of Congo international revealing: “It’s something we work on, something we’ve worked on for weeks and weeks. Even when the manager was still assistant last season, putting in crosses for me to go and attack the ball. So, yeah, a very good goal, positive.
“I mean, as long as I can score and help and be there, that’s what matters. So, it's positive for myself as well. It felt great, amazing.”
If Bushiri was going to pick a moment to produce that kind of late drama, a live televised match against visitors who had just recorded a thumping win in the Old Firm game was certainly guaranteed to draw an audience. Yet the former Belgium youth player had a more local crowd in mind as he wheeled away in celebration.
“My family was over to visit and see me play, I've got my brothers and my cousins, six in total,” he revealed, adding: “So it was a busy house!
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Hide Ad“They were actually here for my goal against Aberdeen as well. So, I hope they come more and more. They bring me luck.
“It’s really nice to have my family over, you know, because I was on my own for Christmas and New Year. It’s great to have them over in the new year to spend time together. It's nice to be able to do something.”
It’s worth noting that Bushiri didn’t get a Hibs start for the best part of three months earlier in the season, with Gray finding no room for the defender in his back four. The switch to a back three opened up an opportunity.
Praising Gray for his measured response to that early-season crisis AND his willingness to address problem areas as the team shuffled along at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership, Bushiri said: “You know, he's the manager. He has to stay positive. He believes in something, yes, but he has changed.
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Hide Ad“He has the humility to change. We have changed system. Different players came in. Me, Jack Iredale, Jordan Smith in goals.
“So it means everyone is part of what we are doing. And now it pays off. We are still unbeaten in the past six games - and everyone has been part of that.
“The table is still very tight. It can go fast. Look, we were bottom and now we are within touch of the top six.
“But we stay humble. We continue to work hard, and we’ll will see where we end up.
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Hide Ad“Now we have a few home games as well. That’s very important because of the support we have at Easter Road.
“Now we have no travel, and we have a proper training week before the Motherwell game. It’s been intense for the players, a lot of fixtures in tough weather, different pitches.
“So it feels important that we got at least a point on the road against St Johnstone, and then another at home at Rangers. We'll take that.”
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Hide AdBushiri remains an entertaining player. Capable of greatness and, like all footballers, prone to misjudgements.
Has he achieved full cult hero status among Hibs fans? He’s certainly on the brink of becoming a totemic figure in the dressing room.
As we were chatting, Dwight Gayle walked past, broke into a grin and started singing: “Oh, Rocky Bushiri …” If he carries on inspiring that sort of affectionate banter from his team-mates, it’s surely only a matter of time before some joker gets T-shirts printed up. Rocky’s goal celebration from the Rangers game, overlaid with the ubiquitous Keep Calm and Carry On slogan, maybe?