'Just call me Neymar!' Hibs defender brings Brazilian flavour to attack as Socceroos star revels in new look

There’s always a method in the madness, where Lewis Miller is concerned. Just as there is usually a quick-witted answer to any question.

Ask the Hibs defender how he happened to go from the right side of a back three to popping up on the left wing in yesterday’s 4-0 thumping of Dundee at Easter Road, for instance, and the Socceroos star instantly points to his new blonde dye job and declares: “I dyed my hair, I look like Neymar now. So I just thought I was left winger!”

In all seriousness, Miller loping forward to play a one-two with left wingback Jordan Obita and drive into the danger zone – before delivering an inch-perfect cutback with his ‘wrong’ foot for Kieron Bowie’s finish – wasn’t just some whim. Hibs had exploited space in behind the Dundee wingbacks all day; Miller simply decided to take advantage of the gap.

“I won it at halfway, gave it to Jordan and I kind of just saw there was so much space on the left side,” he said, adding: “No one was really covering for Dundee.

“So I just occupied the space and got into a good area. Then obviously Kieron taking up a great position in the box, give him the ball - and what I finish that was. I'll take that for an assist.”

Miller’s willingness to gamble on a forward run has never been in doubt. But, even in his overlapping right back days, he might have drawn the line at swapping flanks.

The further Hibs have gone on this 17-game unbeaten run in the league, equalling a club record set way back in 1948, when the Famous Five were building their reputations on the way to a league title, the more confident individual players have become. They’re taking risks – and backing themselves to make the gambles pay off.

That is undoubtedly the collective approach they’ll take to the post-split fixtures against five opponents who have all earned themselves places in the top half of the Scottish Premiership. The fact that David Gray’s men are yet to beat St Mirren this season looks like an oddity in a campaign where they’ve recorded wins over both Old Firm clubs, Aberdeen and Dundee United.

‘We’ve beaten Celtic AND Rangers - so we must be confident heading into split’

Admitting that this record against the strongest teams in the country will breed confidence in the group, Miller said: “Yeah, of course, we've had some great results against big teams, and obviously, the gaffer said it before, we're in a position where the teams are chasing us now for third place. And we haven't been in that position in a very long time.

“So now it's just a matter of keeping a level head and just going at it. And like I said, we've beaten Celtic, we've beaten Rangers as well, so that's going to fill us with a lot of confidence.

“Obviously, we're not going to be complacent at all, because the teams in the top six are very competitive, and they're there for a reason. So it's just a matter of maintaining that momentum and keep going.

“Everyone deserves to be where they are. The top three teams in form include Aberdeen and Dundee United, who are right behind us, right? So the second you put your foot off the pedal, then you're going to get caught. We’ve got to keep focused and keep doing what we're doing.

“It's just a great feeling being on this run. You look at the games, and we just look so solid at the back.

“We have this belief in our team that we're just never going to concede. And the camaraderie that we have at the back, the communication between Rocky Bushiri, Jack Iredale, myself, the sixes kind of filling in, we're such a unit.

“Winning's a habit I think and obviously we've kind of stuck to that mentality now. There is just this belief, and we just don't really seem like we're going to drop off. As long as we can keep this up then we're going to be very positive in the split.”

Rocky Bushiri bagging the opener yesterday felt almost inevitable, with the central defender marking his 100th appearance in typically eye-catching fashion. None of his team-mates were surprised to see the big man seize the day with a flashing volley.

“Did it come off his knee?” asked Miller, with just a hint of cheek, the Socceroos star adding: “I didn't see it, but he's been on fire, hasn't he? He's unbelievable.

“He's very loud, and very direct, he tries to be very dominant. I kind of just let it go in one ear out through the other! But no, he's good, so it's good to have a dominant figure who's just always on it, telling us what to do. And like I said, he's great to have in the changing room.”

Green highlight next design tweak as Miller embraces do or dye approach

Bushiri is undoubtedly helping Miller adapt to a new-ish role in a back three, with the former Central Coast Mariners player having played at wingback and fullback earlier in the season. The switch of position, and the understanding he’s developed with right wingback Chris Cadden, is contributing to the most enjoyable period of Miller’s career.

“Yeah, it's definitely up there,” said the 24-year-old. “Obviously, I've kind of been a full-back, wing-back, now I'm playing the right side of back three.

“Obviously I'm enjoying it, and I'm adapting to it, because it does allow me to get forward at times, which you can see in the games. I think just me and Cadds are on the same wavelength. It just feels like we've been playing for years, and we understand it.

“Obviously, because I've played wing-back before, I understand if he goes, I'll have to cover. When I go, he covers. We're just on the same wavelength, and like I said, it's very, very positive.”

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Asked if he’d like to see the spine of this team retained to have a proper crack at next season, Miller – technically out of contract this summer but likely to have an extension clause triggered during the close season - said: “Whatever happens in the future we'll figure out. But obviously the club's in a very good spot at the moment. I'm sure they'll try and lock down as many players as they can, but we've got so much quality, so we don't really know what's going to happen at the end of the season.”

Few Hibs fans will complain about the Aussie sticking around for another year, at least. Especially if he continues to catch the eye for all the right reasons. On that, he might just have something else planned for the barnet over the closing weeks …

“Hopefully, yeah,” he said, adding: “I might put a green stripe in it, or something like that!”

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