RUSSELL LATAPY was the player who was also a 'playa'.
The Trinidadian enjoyed a night out in the way that the SPL likes a meeting; regularly and for as long as possible. When he turned up in a Glasgow bar yesterday morning to preview this Sunday's William Hill Scottish Cup final, the joke was that he had actually just emerged from a darkened corner where he had spent the night. "Your reputation never leaves you," he smiles, no doubt well accustomed to the gags about his fondness for the nocturnal lifestyle.
Latapy's wingman back in the day was fellow West Indian Dwight Yorke and tales of the pair's antics became the stuff of legend. It seemed to do little to diminish their contributions on the pitch, Yorke scoring regularly for Aston Villa and then Manchester United with Latapy similarly influential at Hibernian in a feted team featuring Franck Sauzee, Stevie Crawford, Mixu Paatelainen and others. Latapy's occasional indiscretions seemed to be tolerated by then manager Alex McLeish as long as the Trinidadian kept putting in match-winning performances.
Then came the session too far. Two nights before an Edinburgh derby towards the end of season 2000/01, Latapy and Yorke went out on the town, a raucous night concluding with Latapy facing a drink-driving charge. Drinking 48 hours before a match was forbidden at Hibs and so McLeish took the difficult decision to come down hard on the player, omitting him from the final league match of the season against Rangers and then the Scottish Cup final against Celtic the week after.
That final was meant to be Latapy's big farewell as his contract was expiring and he had turned down a new deal but he would be denied the chance to say his goodbyes at Hampden. Without his inspirational presence in midfield, Hibs lost the match 3-0. Even now, there is a lingering sense of regret about how things turned out.
"It was a strange period for me because that was the time I had a disagreement with Alex McLeish and I was asked to vacate the club," he recalled, making it sound a lot less messy than it probably was. "A lot of things happened on the night out and the club made a decision – through the manager – that I wouldn't play in the final. If we all look back on things we've done in our lives then there will always be a situation where we wish we did some things differently. That is life. We're not perfect.
"I've always respected the decisions made by those in a position of authority at clubs, but if I was asked if I regretted not playing in the Scottish Cup final then I'd say yes. It would be unfair for me to say I'd have made a difference. What I would say is that I've always done my best for every team I've played for and if I'd been selected on that day I'd have done my best."
Latapy and McLeish would later team up again at Rangers, the pair apparently able to see the funny side about the player's exit from Easter Road. "We've joked about it so many times and he'll say I cost him the Scottish Cup but I'd say it's the other way around!"
Twelve years after missing the last Celtic versus Hibs Scottish Cup final – he was on a plane to Portugal when the match kicked off – Latapy will be at Hampden on Sunday for the latest instalment. He still talks fondly about Hibs – occasionally referring to them as "we" – and hopes this may finally be the time they end their 111-year barren run in the competition.
"Hibs was my first Scottish club and I played there for approximately three-and-a-half seasons," he added. "I fell in love with the club and the city and went on to live in Scotland for 13 years. Some of the great friendships that I developed started at Easter Road. John Hughes is one. I am playing golf with him tomorrow and he is going to buy me lunch.
"As for the young players Hibs have in the squad right now, their focus will be solely on what the manager is asking them to do.
"What the players have done so far this season is impressive, especially after a very difficult semi-final against Falkirk when they had to come back from three goals down. I'm sure they will be confident that anything is possible.
"If Hibs win, it will be crazy. If the cup goes back to Easter Road then it will be well deserved. I will most definitely have a pint or two in the celebrations. I will be staying in Edinburgh on Sunday night to catch up with the boys and reminisce about old times."
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