How Hibs can bridge gap to Old Firm as Lee Johnson speaks on dugout ban and calming down the CEO

“I am quite calm,” Lee Johnson says, before a smile creeps across the Hibs manager’s face. “I’m more worried about Ben Kensell, who will be sat next to me!”

He is speaking of his SFA-imposed touchline ban that will see him take in Saturday’s home game with Motherwell from the directors’ box at Easter Road. He admits to frustration at being stuck in the stand as a result of accumulating four yellow cards, most recently against Celtic on March 18, since taking the reins at Hibs but insists he will try to look for the plus points of being banished from the dugout.

"I'm gutted that I'm in the stand but there are positives to it – it’s good to get that bird’s eye view every now and then, but I don't want to make a habit of it,” he says. “I feel it is a bit unjust, if I'm honest, but I'm trying to stay focused. I have a brilliant staff down in the technical area and I'm allowed to be wired up and give information. I am trying to get my head around looking forward to it from a different aspect.”

He might also keep a close eye on the the chief executive’s blood pressure. Kensell became embroiled in a heated confrontation after the last match against Celtic but Johnson has plans for dealing with him.

Lee Johnson, left, will have to communicate with assistant Jamie McAllister from the stand during Saturday's game

“I think he is a bit scatty up there, I might need a psychologist in between us to calm us down. But I will be fine! I always watch any game that is not the first team from a higher vantage point – even, where possible, training games. You’ll see me climbing the scaffolding to try to get a higher view. But match day is difficult. It happened a couple of times down in England and, I’ll be honest, I didn't enjoy it.”

So messrs McAllister, Owen, and Gray will be tasked with leading the team from the technical area, but with the voice of Johnson constantly in their ear. Given how difficult he admits he was when he had surgery and had to miss one or two games earlier this season, thoughts are with his coaching staff who may well have earache come 4.55pm on Saturday.

That game against Celtic seems like quite a while ago now thanks to the international break, and Johnson is eager to get back to domestic football, declaring himself ‘excited’ about the resumption of league games.

Just don’t expect him to make wholesale changes to his team despite some stand-out performers in that 3-1 defeat in Glasgow. The likes of Jake Doyle-Hayes and Lewis Miller performed well as they made rare starts after seasons impacted by injury and while Johnson never gives too much away in terms of his selection thoughts, it would be fair to say he poured a substantial amount of cold water on the idea he could make changes based on the Parkhead performance.

Johnson incurred his fourth booking of the season at Celtic Park

"I think I just know my players now. I know everything about them – all their strengths and weaknesses, whether they can play different positions, different levels, and that’s quite a nice feeling. When you first come in you are not 100 per cent sure, but you might have a view that Josh Campbell could play a little bit higher, for example. Against Celtic we had Lewis Miller come in and he is a brilliant one v one defender and that was why he got the nod over Chris Cadden in that game.

"Lewis is a player we are trying to develop as well and it is a case of trying to understand your players’ strengths and weaknesses as much as possible and then trying to understand the oppositions as well. I feel quite comfortable now in terms of knowing mentally, physically, technically and tactically what they can do.”

Barring Martin Boyle, Rocky Bushiri – who is closing in on a return – Kyle Magennis, and Aiden McGeady Johnson has a full squad to pick from, as Hibs pursue a place in the top six and, whisper it quietly, possibly third? Regardless, he is keen to close the gap on the big two but fears it may need drastic measures to break up the duopoly in the Scottish game.

“As a player, I didn’t feel the gap was that big but it’s not just a gap in individuals, it's probably a gap in individuals fitting the game plan and philosophy of play as well, but I do believe at any one time you have to give yourselves the best opportunity. That’s why I was disappointed with the VAR calls at Celtic because it felt like the type of day that we were on point and they were maybe off it. I felt there was a genuine opportunity for a point at least,” he says wistfully.

The likes of Jake Doyle-Hayes, Kevin Nisbet, and Harry McKirdy are all back fit and available to boost Hibs' pursuit of a European finish

"I suppose the dreamer in me says we can [compete] but the realist in me knows how difficult it will be to infiltrate that. The starting point is to make sure you are more competitive in individual games and I do think we are showing signs of that.

"It’s been done in the past, there are shocks – Leicester, for example, when they won the Premier League. It can happen. We have to strive for better and challenge and not just expect that to happen year on year. If some sheikh takes over one of the clubs, there is always that potential isn’t there? Historically the Old Firm have whipped away the best players from the rest, which is always a clever tactic because not only are you enhancing yourself you're decreasing the quality of the opponents.

"Who knows? This is football, it’s crazy and there are a lot of billionaires in the world that could throw money at things if they wanted to. That could happen but I think in terms of the budget differentiation something drastic would have to change.”