Hibs boss Jack Ross opens up on struggles of management and his chats with former Hearts colleague John Robertson

The ‘Hammer of Hibs’ in countless capital clashes, news of his bereavement and subsequent struggles, were greeted with sympathy throughout Scottish football, including Leith, and his Hibs counterpart Jack Ross is pleased that the game has evolved to such an extent that those going through personal trauma are able to get the support they need.

“When I worked with PFA Scotland, I dipped my toe in the water and started the process of looking at players’ wellbeing. That was around the time Gary Speed passed away and I think there was a growing awareness and recognition of the qualities you now need as a leader or manager in any industry. You have to be like a psychologist or a confidante and it does add to the burden.

“That awareness and the education surrounding mental health has increased dramatically and that is a good thing, especially in the modern world we live in, given that how readily opinion is offered and the way it is offered can have a profound impact on how much people can be criticised or abused, which is not too strong a term. That has changed considerably even since the days when I played. With social media and clickbait I think it is undoubtedly a challenging time to work in the public eye.”

Tasked with getting the best out of players, the onus is on managers to protect players and lighten any psychological burden but, stresses Ross, this week has shown that managers sometimes need support too.

“John Robertson spoke about that earlier in the season and I spoke to him after that. I know him quite well from my time at Hearts, where he was very good to me. He is a good guy and he spoke about how much managers have to deal with. And he was basically saying ‘who helps managers?’”

That was last month, when he admitted he had considered walking away due to the impact the additional difficulties caused by Covid were having on his mental health.

Describing it as “the hardest year to manage”, Robertson said “my concern is my players’ health and wellbeing. It’s been difficult.

“As a manager, you deal with a lot — fallouts with their partners, financial problems, their cars breaking down. A million and one things.

“Add all that together and throw in a pandemic that is claiming lives and it’s very difficult.”

Isolated from his family only made the situation even more stressful, he revealed at that time. And Ross can relate.

“As a manager you might be carrying your own troubles, stresses or worries but then you also have to help others who might be struggling and that is an extra burden,” explained the Hibs boss.

“That side of things has become a bigger part of the job. It has always been there but I think we are probably more aware of it and players are more open about it.

“It is a welcome progression that we have got to this stage. Knowing John [taking a break] would not have been an easy thing to do because he very much loves his football and whatever challenges he is facing they are obviously bad enough for him to take that decision. For that he deserves our compassion and it is good that the club have allowed him to step back and we can acknowledge that there is sometimes a need for this to happen.”

It all comes down to treating footballers and managers as human beings rather than commodities.

“I don’t think that is that radical and it is not softness. People who work with me know that I am quite demanding but I very much look at them as human beings first. That goes for my staff as well.”

The area of psychology has always interested Ross, who is regarded as a very good man-manager but a lot of that comes down to treating his players with humanity. Something he is pleased to have seen Inverness do with Robbo.

“We all go through tough times and as we get older you experience it with your own family so you understand that things go on that people would never necessarily know about. Sometimes you put a face on and go to work but sometimes that is difficult.

“If it is too difficult then it is best to remove yourself and, as a manager, you sometimes have to make that decision for the player if you see it is affecting them.”

Like Robertson, he says this season has been a test as Kevin Nisbet dealt with his dad’s illness and subsequent passing, Scott Allan struggled with his health troubles and, more recently Martin Boyle’s father suffered a stroke.

“This season we have had players dealing with really tough times and in the conversations I had with them it was made clear that if they wanted to remove themselves then I would have had absolutely no issue. In fact, with Martin we obviously did take him out of the starting line up [against Rangers] and that came from the conversations that him and I were having every day.

“I think it is just a case of making sure they trust you and know that if they choose to take a step back then they are not devaluing themselves in your eyes in any way.”

That has happened at Inverness and while Ross is saddened that the demand arose, he is pleased that years after he helped PFA Scotland heighten awareness, there is greater support and compassion for players and managers when they need it.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.