Paul is pretty unique in football because he always puts team first
For the last few weeks I’ve had a game of text tennis with Paul Heckingbottom.
My nose got the better of me as the speculation grew that he was in the frame for the Hibs job.
Now team- mates come and go but my old Norwich pal was a bit different – he is one of footbal l ’s great musketeers.
His motto was always all for one, one for all and without a doubt he’s a man who holds a unique standing as a player. I’ll tell you why I hold him in the highest regard.
Humble, forthright and honest. But there was a rare trait he possessed which separated him from most in the game. Paul genuinely wanted the team to do well whether he was playing or not.
It may seem an obvious statement to make but his approach isn’t the norm.
He would bounce into the dressing room after matches where he wasn’t involved and be delighted if we’d won, his joy would be sincere, it was all about the victory while others would still be in the players’ lounge pulling pins from the voodoo dolls.
He would be pleased for the team if we were doing well regardless of his own situation.
Paul wanted to play and be a part of the team but he also knew there was a better player in his position at the time and was never bitter about it.
He was in his mid-20s when we were at Carrow Road, he was a full-back with a terrific left foot but he only played around 15 times.
The default position if you find yourself out of the side is to hope the guy standing in your way had a stinker.
It’s a natural reaction and I confess I used to occasionally feel that way myself.
Strikers would hope the side won but the midfielders scored all the goals while defenders were privately wishing for a howler or two from the guy wearing the jersey they coveted most. It said everything about Paul that he bucked that trend.
He’s as clean- cut as they come, a great guy and someone who you can count on. Hibs have recruited well as they’ve brought in a manager who has the right values.
I’ve kept in contact with Hecky over the years and had a habit of running into him at various coaching courses. I was St George’s Park and we met and had a coffee, it was all football talk as we discussed various aspects of the game. He is a highly ambitious man, he wanted to get on that coaching ladder and he spoke about where he wanted to go.
He’s extremely studious, there was a spell where he went to university and earned a degree in sport which is another pointer towards someone who wants to learn more and it’s fair to say he was one of the more academic types that I shared a dressing room with.
Now he’s signed up for a crash course unlike any other. He’ll soon find out the intensity is immense in the Premiership.
Everything he says will be scrutinised, his actions will be magnified and pored over and it’s something he will soon discover for himself.
He’s no stranger to the madness as he would have sampled some of that during his spell in charge of Leeds but his role at Hibs will throw up something completely new.
I know he is relishing the challenge, he has his own views of how the game should be played and he’ll implement them in his own way.
He’ll be excited at this chapter in his career and seeing places he’s never experienced and he’s also a great addition to football in this country. There is a calmness and control in his make- up which will serve him well.
He talks sensibly and there won’t be any outrageous claims about what he believes he can achieve as it’s just not his style.
That selfless quality to put the club above all else will stand Hibs in good stead.
Welcome to Scottish football management Paul – one of the nicest guys I have ever met working within football ... even when he wasn’t getting a game.
Others would be in players’ lounge pulling pins from their voodoo dolls