Hamilton manager Martin Canning is a man who knows a thing or two about taking abuse from fans. The only difference between him and Neil Lennon is that most of it comes from his own club’s supporters.
That’s why he has sympathy for his counterpart at Hibs, who Hamilton travel to face on Saturday, after Lennon aimed celebratory gestures in the direction of the Rangers support last weekend during his side’s victory at Ibrox.
While Canning himself has managed to keep his cool in the face of some pretty fierce personal abuse at times, he says he can understand why managers are tempted to bite back when under provocation.
“It just seems to be a part of modern-day football now that if you’re a manager, a coach or a player then you’re expected to take that level of abuse,” Canning said.
“Of course, it’s hard to bite your lip at times, and you can understand reacting to it, but in the job we’re in you probably can’t react over a certain point.
“It’s human nature. Remember managers are going to have good days and bad days like everyone else. It might be they’re having a bad week and then someone could say something that hits a nerve. You’re going to react, just like anyone else would in any walk of life.
“You might look back and think you shouldn’t have done that, but it’s just the emotion getting the better of you.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a football manager or work in an office, if someone says something when you are having a bad moment, then you might bite back and do something or say something you regret. That’s life in general.
“There’s always going to be a bit of banter back and forward. Providing it’s in jest and it’s done in a bantery way, it can be part of what makes football fun as well for everyone that goes to the games. But when it gets to a point that it crosses a line and becomes abusive as opposed to banter, then it becomes a bit of different.
“There’s been times I have been tempted [to bite back] but I’ve managed to control myself. I know what I am like on the touchline. It’s not a reflection of me from Monday to Friday.
“You see me shouting and bawling like a maniac on a Saturday but if you had a coffee with me on a Monday you’d think it was two completely different people.
“The guy you are slaughtering on the weekend turns out to be a nice guy doing the week. Football turns us all into complete maniacs.
“There are two sides to it and it’s fine if it’s done in jest, there’s nothing wrong if it’s banter.
“You just need to take it on the chin and get on with the job.”
Hamilton go into the clash with Hibs in fine fettle after a 3-0 win over Dundee last weekend. But Canning knows that his men will be up against it at Easter Road against a team which he feels have been built in their manager’s image.
“They’ve won the league last season and carried that momentum through,” he said.
“They work hard, they fight for everything and they’ve got the quality, so it’s a good mix.”
The scale of Hamilton’s task is laid bare when you consider that most people’s perennial tip for the drop will be coming up against a side widely considered good enough to challenge for the top three in the division.
“When you look at the quality and depth of their squad and the size of the support that they’ve got, then there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be challenging at the top end of the league,” Canning said.
“We’re going to one of the biggest clubs and the atmosphere will be good, but we believe we can take something.”
As a former Hibs player himself, Canning knows that playing for the club – or any bigger club in Scottish terms - carries with it an expectation that can weigh heavily on the shoulders.
But as he surveys the squad that has been assembled in Leith, he sees the types of characters that can handle that burden.
“It can [weigh you down], but Neil Lennon has a good belief in there now and a good mindset in the club, they look to be progressing in the right way,” he said.
“We spoke about it this morning that there is such an expectation on you at big clubs to go and perform. What brought it up was Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner both scoring for Ipswich last night. They are both good players, we played against them last year, but sometimes the bigger the club then the greater the pressure it puts on you.
“You’ve got to have players that can go and play at that level and deal with that, and Hibs have got that now.
“They have big-name players and have guys who have played at a high level, and I’m sure they can cope with the added pressure that playing for a big club brings.”
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