Ex Hibernian and Rangers defender Steven Whittaker on his move into coaching, hopes for the future of Ayr United and working with Scott Brown.
have worked themselves into a right old lather about a certain game in Govan in recent days, a former Celtic captain and one-time Rangers defender have had their minds elsewhere.
They were wise to work the public holiday. A meeting with their big-spending, high-flying, promotion-chasing opponents has not been easy at anythis term. However, Ayr have the misfortune to be first up after their rivals’ loss to the second tier leaders. They can, then, expect to be on the receiving end of a backlash to that result. They will need to be at their very best to avoid a mauling.
“As I got to the later stages of my career back at Hibs, I really enjoyed the role of a senior player and trying to help the younger lads who were coming through, giving them a bit of guidance on the pitch. I think my managers, Paul Heckingbottom and then Jack Ross, leaned on me a bit too. “It was a joy to go in and train under him. Don’t get me wrong, he kept us on our toes and made sure we did our jobs right. If we didn’t he would make sure we knew. There was no cutting corners with him. But if you worked hard you got your rewards. He did everything in good humour too, in a positive
Still, teaming up with Brown once again and becoming the ex-midfielder’s assistant when he took over at English League One club Fleetwood in 2022 came about completely by chance. Whittaker knows his colleague is every bit as ambitious as a manager as he was as a player. “Scott was a leader and a winner on the pitch and that is the same now he is a manager,” he said. “He still has that drive about him.
“I worked down south at Norwich under Chris Hughton and Alex Neil and they were both successful in their own way. Then I came back up and worked under Neil Lennon and Paul Heckingbottom at Hibs and they were great managers as well. “The middle of the league can be quite deceiving. If you lose a game you think, ‘Oh no, we’re near the bottom!’ If you win a game you think, ‘We’ve got a chance of getting into the play-offs!’ The final spot is achievable for three, four, five teams. But we are trying not to get too high or too low.
“But do you know what I was most impressed with? It was their attitude. I was only there from Sunday to Thursday so it was a short camp. But they were very easy to coach and give advice to, even in that space of time.
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