I have no doubts that Terry Butcher is the right man for Hibernian.
But what I am not quite so sure about is whether the Easter Road outfit is the right club for him. Don't get me wrong, if he goes there and makes a success of it, Hibs can be a huge club in Scottish terms, but I thought it would have taken a something bigger - and by that I mean a big club in England - to tempt him to give up his high life in the Highlands and everything he and his team have built up there.
However, Terry's move to Edinburgh now looks to be a foregone conclusion and, assuming a few key things are in place, I can only see him having a positive impact. The Easter Road club's fortunes have improved in the last couple of years after a couple of dismal seasons, but previous managers John Collins, Mixu Paatelainen, Colin Calderwood and Pat Fenlon have all lasted less than two years. Hibs haven't got a great squad, but they have got a good squad, and Terry should be able to get every ounce out of them. I don't think any of those other managers have been able to do that.
That is a slight on the players, rather than the managers. I am not saying there are huge problems in that dressing room, or that Pat Fenlon wasn't motivating them properly. But maybe it just takes a certain type of person or management team to get them operating to the best of their abilities. You can go as far back as the so-called mutiny under Collins to find stories which weren't healthy for the football club. When Butcher walks in there I can guarantee you he will have the character and authority to take control of the dressing room.
I have told the story before but it's worth repeating: I worked with him when I was a player at Dundee United and he was youth coach and he used to come up and help the women in the kitchen do the dishes after lunch and I couldn't believe how humble he was for someone who had achieved so much in the game. Other times I would come in and he was cleaning my boots. I had to tell him off for it.
We have had a few run-ins since - he took issue with a few things that I said in the media when he was assistant manager of Scotland - but his experiences have served him well as a manager. When he is on the training field, his players listen.
It is non-negotiable that Maurice Malpas joins him. When Terry and Maurice go together, it works; when they go apart it doesn't. Terry went to Sydney FC and Brentford on his own and it didn't really work out for him, while Maurice went to Swindon and it turned out the same way. Maurice is a great coach, Terry is a great motivator, and what a balance there is between them.
Steve Marsella, Terry's chief scout in the Highlands, is also likely to go with him to Edinburgh. He is the man who knows all the names that no-one else does, a goalkeeping coach who just happens to be a recruitment guy as well. He found the likes of Owain Tudur Jones, Ross Draper, David Raven, so he will be a big part of things, as he has been in Inverness.
Perhaps the most important relationship of all will be the one between Butcher and Rod Petrie - and it is vital that the chairman allows him the space to manage.
I know from speaking to others who have worked with Petrie that he wants to be involved every day - and that involvement can mean something like bringing in trialists out of the blue. I am not sure that was something Terry had to deal with at Inverness. I don't think he can allow that to happen, nor will he.
As for Inverness, how do you replace the most successful manager you have ever had? While managing up there is a great job, succeeding him will be such a tough task because Terry has set such a high bar. He has a real presence, a big enough personality to attract players north. Highland football may never be the same without him.
until yesterday, Aberdeen had been having a fantastic time of things. Derek McInnes, my old colleague from Dundee United, might feel vindicated in having played it all down.
Well, sorry Derek, I'm going to put the pressure on. With the draw his side have got, they should be winning the League Cup and finishing second in the league.
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