LEE JOHNSON insists his Hibs team will play with no fear when they go into big fixtures against Rangers, Celtic and Hearts next season.
The Easter Road gaffer explained how he came up against the Old Firm during his playing days at Kilmarnock in the 2011/12 campaign.
In that season, Killie defeated Rangers at Ibrox AND Celtic at Hampden in the League Cup final.
He made it clear that he viewed the matches as any other game.
And that's the message he'll be portraying to his Hibs players ahead of the 2022/23 season.
He told Sky Sports: "The players need clarity and if they have that it enables them to bring out the best version of themselves in the match.
“I was lucky to play in the big games up here and I managed to beat Celtic with Kilmarnock and Rangers away. I don’t have that feeling of fear going into the games.
“You want to get that across to the players as well. I’m sure they will, there’s lots of experiences guys in the squad like David Marshall who you wouldn’t expect to be fazed.
🟢Will the "exceptional" Aiden McGeady be a Hibs player for the new season? Easter Road boss Lee Johnson has his say on that and his plans to get his players challenging against the top teams ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/IzhYzbOdMF
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) June 17, 2022
“It’s the younger players that are the risk but often they have no fear because they’ve not experienced a big loss.”
Reflecting on the fixture themselves, Johnson was understandably excited.
As well as the prospect of facing Rangers and Celtic in Scotland, Johnson will also know all about the importance of the Edinburgh derby having played for the Jambos during a short spell in his career.
He added: “I’m looking forward to it. When the fixtures come out there’s that buzz and it becomes real. Straight away you look for the big games you want to experience.
“You want to get off to a good start, it’s a new regime and playing style and we will be looking to hit the ground running.
“You couldn’t get a better first home league game. It’s a really big derby and I was lucky enough to play in it.
“It was one of the main reasons I wanted to come up.
“My managerial derbies so far haven’t been exceptional. I missed the Bristol derby, I never got Sunderland v Newcastle. Oldham v Rochdale is probably the best so far.
“So this one is going to be a big game. It’s not about me it’s about the fans and getting off to a really good start and no better way than to win that game against your rivals.
“The other day I bumped into two window cleaners very early in the morning on a walk. One was a Hearts fan and the other a Hibs fan.
“I got a fair bit of stick off the Hearts fan. It’s all good natured and we had a good chat for about half an hour about the intricacies of the clubs and where they are at the moment.
“It’s part of my history and of course I wouldn’t change it. But for me it’s really important to try and do my very best for Hibs.
“What a great way to showcase what we are about by performing really well in that second game.”
Hibs have been strongly linked with signing Aiden McGeady following his departure from Sunderland.
Johnson was full of praise for the ex-Celtic attacker, but remained tip-lipped on a potential deal being struck.
He said: "I have got a strong relationship with Aiden, he is a fantastic player with unbelievable feet. He gets to the corner of the box then often there’s an assist or a shot at goal.
“He is 36 so whether it’s us or anyone else he has nothing to prove but a lot to prove as well. He is a maverick, he is a challenging but inspiring character to have in your squad and whoever gets Aiden McGeady for a year or two will have an exceptional player and person.”
