Hibs midfielder Joe Newell: We got battered by fans - but we deserved it

Midfielder is eager to pick up where he left off

Having turned around his form last season, Joe Newell is eager to pick up where he left off

A year is a long time in politics, but it might be even longer in football.

This time 12 months ago, Joe Newell was lining up for Hibs against Stirling Albion at Forthbank in the Betfred Cup group stages – but even allowing for an unusual position and a new club, he struggled to make an impact.

The midfielder is candid about his early form following his move to Scotland last summer.

“I just knew I wasn’t playing as well as I should be playing,” he said ahead of Hibs’ 2020/21 Scottish Premiership opener against Kilmarnock at Easter Road.

"I was frustrated with myself, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. It was just a slow couple of months to start with.”

The 27-year-old wasn't alone in finding it hard-going in a new league, with expectant supporters to impress. Many of the players recruited by former head coach Paul Heckingbottom were on the receiving end of negativity from the terraces as the team toiled in the early part of the campaign.

"We got battered, but we weren’t good enough so we couldn't really argue with it,” Newell states.

"Hecky signed all of us from down south and I don’t think any of us started playing well so it was no surprise getting abuse.

"It hasn’t worked out for the lads who have gone back down to England but the majority of us are settled here now.

"I’ve been here for a year and I feel a lot better, more at home, more comfortable. I think I’m playing a lot better than I did when I first arrived.”

The former Rotherham United midfielder rediscovered his form under Jack Ross, when the former Sunderland manager succeeded Heckingbottom in early November last year.

Was it a case of winning the fans over, after an inauspicious start to life in green and white?

“Maybe. But personally, I knew I was playing better than I had been. I was enjoying it. And I was playing regularly in my preferred position.

"Since the gaffer has come in there has been a lot more positivity and we have been doing better and hopefully we can take that into this season."

Having been a new face this time last year, Newell has seen three new recruits in the past few weeks with Alex Gogic, Kevin Nisbet, and Drey Wright all arriving to bolster the playing squad.

As a result, he is well-placed to assess how the trio are settling in to life at the club, following his own return to the training ground after recovering from injury.

“I wasn’t training with the rest of the group when it was non-contact. By the time I came in it was back to normal.

“From what I‘ve seen in pre-season games and training I think we have a strong squad, better than last season.

"The new signings look very good and the young lads training with us have looked good too. Pre-season has been very good in my eyes."

The lack of competitive action north of the Border has also given Newell time to watch some of the English matches on television, and get a feel for playing competitive games behind closed doors.

“It hasn’t actually been great viewing, to be honest with you. You can’t really replicate the atmosphere, can you? But it’s better than nothing.

“I spoke to a couple of mates who played in the Cardiff-Fulham game and it looked a lot like the friendlies we’ve played so far: once you are out there playing, you are focused on the game and it doesn’t really affect you.

"It is going to be different on Saturday but I would rather be playing behind closed doors than not playing at all.

"All the lads have played in reserve games and closed-doors friendlies so it’s not completely alien.

Many players and managers have spoken about the importance of having fans in the stadium, and Newell believes the lack of atmosphere could have an impact on the outcome of games.

"It will be strange when normally there would be thousands of people there and you are playing for three points and league positions. Not that we will need reminding, but it will be strange.

“Without the atmosphere it won’t give the home side the advantage it usually does, but that will balance out when we play away.

"It is going to be strange, but at least we are back.”