Lee Johnson has say on Hibs captain and leaders as he comments on Ryan Porteous and Darren McGregor

Lee Johnson hasn’t yet made his mind up about a Hibs skipper – and the Easter Road boss may take a rolling captaincy approach during the upcoming Premier Sports Cup group games.
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Speaking at the club’s summer training camp in the Algarve, Johnson gave his thoughts on the armband, with current club captain Paul Hanlon with the rest of the squad in Portugal to continue his rehab following surgery earlier in the summer.

The centre-back didn’t play in either of the pre-season friendlies, with the manager hinting that he may opt for rotation as the season starts.

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“I’ve not decided [on a captain] yet, but I don’t have to decide that yet. I might vary it a little through the cup games then in the league campaign I will set it as a rule.”

Hibs mic’d up Ryan Porteous during the 2-0 victory over Hartlepool United to give fans a taste of his leadership skills as he helped Jack Brydon and other younger players through the game.

The 23-year-old was touted as a future captain by former manager Shaun Maloney but Johnson insists he wants leaders across the park.

“Aren’t they dead in terms of old-school leaders? Are they there anymore, genuinely? You’d probably say Ryan is the closest to an old-school leader, Darren McGregor is a great lad as well,” Johnson continued.

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“You look at those type guys, even your 30-year-olds maybe aren’t cut from the same cloth.

Ryan Porteous puts in the hard yards during a training session in the AlgarveRyan Porteous puts in the hard yards during a training session in the Algarve
Ryan Porteous puts in the hard yards during a training session in the Algarve

“It used to be that you earned respect, it’s now about, ‘listen, you must respect me’ no matter what. That’s a delicate balance, I think, in terms of the leadership stuff.

“I think society has changed and my take is to try and promote the individuals’ leadership qualities. You can’t all be like wacko who goes and heads the door before he goes out."

Johnson stressed the importance of squad members playing to their strengths – even if it wasn’t conventional on-field attributes.

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“Some people are really good at one-on-one conversations, so if you’re good at that, then bring that along.

“If you’re the best at putting nights together for the wives or stuff like that then just bring your bit to add value to the leadership side of the club.

“We try to promote that as much as possible.”

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