Tom McNiven, former Hibs physio, trainer, and caretaker manager, dies at 87

Tributes have been paid to former Hibs physio, trainer, and caretaker manager Tom McNiven, who has died at the age of 87.

A keen sprinter and former player with junior outfit Stonehouse Violet, he joined Third Lanark as trainer in the late 1950 at the tender age of 24 after studying at Tom McClurg Anderson’s Scottish School of Physiotherapy.

McNiven had agreed to join Morton ahead of the 1963/64 season but was approached by Hibs, and the Cappielow side reluctantly let him make the move to Edinburgh where he replaced Eddie Turnbull, who had given up the same role at Easter Road to take charge at Queen’s Park.

Easily recognisable by his white bunnet when he ran onto the pitch to tend to stricken players, McNiven was soon co-opted by Scotland. He remained with Hibs until the early 1970s but left when Turnbull, back at his former club as manager, refused to permit him to serve as national team physio on a part-time basis.

A colourised black and white image of Tom McNiven at Easter Road ahead of the 1981/82 season

McNiven returned in 1980 following Turnbull’s departure and once again linked up with Scotland at the 1982 World Cup. Despite them not seeing eye-to-eye, McNiven’s contribution to the squad was highlighted by the legendary forward in his autobiography Having a Ball.

"It was largely due to him that we had so few problems with muscular injuries in my time at Easter Road. He would conduct warm-ups that lasted for 40 minutes, and he emphasised to the players the need to remain supple at all times. ‘Have you ever seen a cat after it has been out chasing mice? Or maybe a lion on the television? They are always stretching, always trying to relax their muscles. That’s why you never see a cat with cramp’. It was a good way of explaining the principle.”

An important member of the Hibs backroom team across his two spells, he took temporary charge of the team in 1969 following the resignation of Bob Shankly, and recorded three wins out of three: a 5-1 victory over Partick Thistle, a 2-1 win at Celtic, and a 3-1 win success against Raith Rovers.

Not just a physio and trainer, he was a close confidant of the players. ‘If Tom saw you burning down the Main Stand, he wouldn’t tell the manager,’ Pat Stanton offered in Pat Stanton's Hibernian Dream Team. McNiven was the only person with Hibs connections to acknowledge Stanton’s departure from Easter Road in 1976.

Tom McNiven with his trademark white bunnet tends to an injured John Blackley during a match at Easter Road

Former players recall McNiven’s love for humour – such as convincing them his athletics medals were from serving in the Korean War – but equally his innovation in the field of physiotherapy and standing as a trainer who was considerably ahead of his time.

John Brownlie credits McNiven with playing a key role in his return from a broken leg; not just treating the injury but providing support and encouragement at a difficult time. Jimmy O’Rourke believes McNiven’s circumduction exercise – designed to strengthen the ankles – extended his playing career.

McNiven was awarded a testimonial dinner by Hibs in 1985 – the year after a heart attack effectively ended his time as physio – with Sir Alex Ferguson, Jim McLean, Graeme Souness, Gordon Strachan, and Jock Wallace among those to contribute to the organisation, an indication of McNiven’s place in the pantheon of Scottish football.

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