Hibs: Marvin Bartley speaks on Stubbs v Lennon, Sunshine on Leith, and pride at playing for club

Livingston captain looked back fondly on his time at Easter Road

Marvin Bartley played more than 120 games for Hibs, helping them to Scottish Cup glory and the Championship title

Marvin Bartley has offered an insight into life under two very different managers at Hibs - Alan Stubbs and Neil Lennon. The midfield enforcer signed for the Easter Road side during Stubbs' tenure, and played under the current Celtic boss when he succeeded the Scottish Cup-winning manager in the summer of 2016.

Speaking about both managers on the While the Chief podcast, the current Livingston captain recalled life under former Everton coach Stubbs as Hibs adjusted to playing in the second tier of Scottish football.

"Stubbsy was good. He was different in terms of other managers I’ve had, he was maybe too friendly," Bartley said.

"He was such a nice guy, he always wanted that to come across. He didn’t have that nasty side to him but he went on and won the Scottish Cup, he’s a living legend, so who am I to say anything?

“He was brilliant for me, he played a part in bringing me up here so for that I’ll forever be thankful - he let me experience the things I experienced in my four years there."

Under Lennon, Hibs won the Scottish Championship and promotion, taking the top flight by storm on their return. Much of that was to do with the players in the team, and the Lurgan native's approach to the game.

“Lenny demanded brilliance. He demanded you be absolutely brilliant. Me and him had our run-ins but I respected him because he demanded that you gave your all," Bartley explained.

“He wasn’t doing it to be horrible, he does it because he wants to win. If he went through me about something I would think, ‘he’s going through me because he knows I can give more, and he wants more from me, and that’s fine’.

“He’s a man who wants to win, a passionate man. He wanted to win games.

“He could get fiery at times and call me a ‘big this’ or a ‘big that’. But if you went into his office with any problems he would close the door, put his arm around you and help you with anything. I’ve got maximum respect for him even though we argued a hundred times."

Sunshine on Leith

Aside from the aftermath of the Scottish Cup final, Bartley would have heard Sunshine on Leith echoing from the terraces on a few occasions during his time in green and white – especially after Edinburgh derby wins at Easter Road.

Asked to describe it from a player's point of view, the 33-year-old was left stumped.

“The further north you go in England, the more passionate the fans are and then when you go to Scotland, it’s just on a different level.

“Whatever I say can’t do justice to Sunshine on Leith. It’s mind-blowing. I can’t even explain what that song does," he enthused.

“You’d have to have played on the pitch to understand where I’m coming from. I imagine as fans it’s crazy but it’s an out-of-this-world experience [for players]. It’s mental, it really is."

Hibs pride

Asked about the open-top bus parade the day after the Scottish Cup final, Bartley admitted the magnitude of what the team had done didn’t hit him until the very last minute.

“It was probably the most nervous I’d been doing anything for Hibs. I got on the bus thinking, ‘I’m just a little d***head from Reading; just a normal guy who used to fit double glazing - what am I doing on this bus, how has my life gone from that, to this?’ And that’s when it actually hit me.“Just a mental, mental day but what an experience for any footballer. You’ve got John McGinn doing fantastically well in the Premier League but I don’t think there’ll be a player from Hibs that will experience anything again like that in their career.“I just had so much pride and honour in pulling on that shirt and playing for the club. Even if we’d somehow been relegated to League One, and I was still there playing, I still would have felt that pride.“I just went out to play football and do the best I possibly could. I’m just a normal guy who got lucky enough to play for a great club.”