Hibs have made Galbraith smile again

Published on Wednesday 8 July 2009 09:51

DANNY GALBRAITH will be pushed to the limit with the rest of his team-mates during a gruelling pre-season – but the Hibs new boy insists he's relishing the thought of being put through his paces.

The midfielder, who signed a two-year contract after joining from Manchester United last week, has missed the build up to the league season for the last two years following serious injury.

This will be his first pre-season since he was 15 and while the majority of players dread the thought of returning for a workout after a few weeks off, Galbraith can't wait to get started.

The promising 18-year old, a versatile attacker who more often than not plays on the left wing, views his move to Easter Road as a fresh start and is looking forward to playing the passing game which manager John Hughes was famed for at previous club Falkirk. He said: "I can't wait for pre-season. It's maybe a time of year that a lot of players don't exactly look forward to but for me it couldn't come quickly enough.

"This will be my first pre-season since I was 15. The last one that I actually had was when I first arrived in Manchester and that was three years ago, I just can't wait to get started."

Galbraith, a product of the Hutchison Vale youth system who hails from Galashiels, believes that Hughes' brand of football will suit his attacking style and he continued: "Even back to playing with Hutchie Vale, that's all you are taught, that football should be played and your passing done on the floor.

"It's exactly the same at Man Utd and now I have come here it is the same again.

"Obviously I know what the gaffer did and how he liked his team to play when he was with Falkirk. To see a team who were struggling to stay in the league that year continue to play their football that way is exactly what you want to see. They stuck to their philosophy and their passing game and I think football played that way should be rewarded.

"Other teams might have survived just by harrying and playing the long ball and that may well have worked for them but if you can do it while continuing to play good football and to play the right way then that's even better.

"We've been back in pre-season training for three days and already every one of us knows that there's not going to be a choice other than to play that way. I don't think the fans will accept anything else either.

"They've been used to seeing that kind of game here in recent years and if you look at the players that they have brought through, they are all of a similar type and they can all play football too.

"I think that type of game will suit my style.

"I am quite an attack-minded player and I can play in a few different positions, from out on the wing or in midfield or playing off of the strikers. Hopefully I can get forward and be creative, I want to go out and work hard, that is the most important thing.

"There are no guaranteed places in the team for anyone, you have got to put a shift in – you certainly won't get anywhere at this club with the manager if you don't put the hard work and effort in. If I am doing that and showing him what I can do then hopefully I will get the chance to play regular football."

Following two years of injury hell at Old Trafford, Galbraith believes that he has been through a huge learning curve and that the experience has made him a better and more determined player to boot.

He has played for Scotland at 15s, 16s and 17s level and was a youth player at Hearts before joining the Red Devils. He was offered the chance to train with both Hearts and Hibs following his decision to return north, but, having seen the facilities on offer at the Easter Road side's East Mains training centre, he says the decision on which half of Edinburgh to opt for was an easy one.

"I've learned from it all though and I have just had to keep battling to get over it. I think I'm stronger now because of what happened. Being here at Hibs today has made me realise that all of the hard work really was worth it. I've had some terrible times and I think I was probably more unlucky than any other player who was at the club at that time.

"I wanted to move to Edinburgh and I went to both clubs to have a look around. As soon as I stepped into the training centre I knew I wanted to come here.

"Everything about the place was brilliant. I was just so surprised by the facilities. I am used to the best of facilities, having been at Man Utd previously and I came up to Scotland not really knowing what to expect. It's hard not to want to come and play your football at a place like this. Not only that, but all of the players and the staff have made me feel so at home since I arrived.

"I'm just so relieved to have everything resolved now and I think that this is the happiest I have been for the past three years. I am just delighted to be back out on the pitch again, especially with Hibs.

"There weren't any negatives to weigh up when I was given the option of coming here, everything was pointing in the one direction."

Galbraith is hopeful that he can help his new side to a European place next season and says that the biggest bonus they have in their favour is the new confidence levels which Yogi has brought, not only to the players, but to all of the staff at Hibs.

Galbraith continued: "I don't have any reason to think that we can't be up there challenging for a place in Europe.

"The club managed to finish in the top six last season and got some good results in their games after the split. This season with a new manager coming in and a new style he has given everyone a new confidence and a new lease of life, even those players who were maybe lacking in confidence a little bit.

"I think that everyone is on a fresh start now, not just me, even people who have been at the club for a while.

"I think that everyone is being positive right now and if we can do what the manager wants of us and if we can play to the best of our ability then we're in with a chance. You've got to aim as high as you can.

"There's no point in going out on a Saturday unless you expect to win. I don't see why we shouldn't expect to win every game that we play.

"It might not happen, but you have to have the right attitude otherwise you'll never get anywhere.

"It's not just me, I think that everyone, including the manager, is ambitious at this club."

I felt like I was jinxed and just wanted a fresh start

HIBS' new signing Danny Galbraith today admitted that he felt his Manchester United career was jinxed after suffering two years of injury problems.

The midfielder had to have surgery on knee, ankle and groin problems over the course of his last two seasons at Old Trafford and, having suffered problem after problem, he made the decision to move on to pastures new.

He's looking forward to a fresh start with Hibs and said of his time in Manchester: "I felt like I was jinxed down there. I am realistic and I know that to actually make it down there, you have got to make the most of your time and make an impression. I think a lot of my time was taken away from me and I'm not the type of person who would just stay at Man United just to have the comfort of that behind you. I want to do something with my career.

"For the last two years I haven't enjoyed it. I couldn't have been at a better club but if you're not playing then you're not going to be having a great time.

"I just wanted a fresh start and to put all of this behind me, to move on."

Galbraith joined Manchester United on his 16th birthday from Hearts, having started playing football as a youngster for Hutchison Vale.

It was a dream start for the young midfielder but he admitted that it quickly turned into a nightmare, adding: "My first year at United couldn't have gone much better for me really. I was just 16 years old, at that stage I was playing regularly in the reserves and I was involved in the Youth Cup, which is a massive thing to be part of that team, that's where you get noticed really. The manager would come in and see you before games when you were involved in something like that, there was a real emphasis placed on that competition.

"But after that first year I was really unlucky with injuries. I was basically out for two seasons. Sometimes, even now, it feels like I am making it up when I tell people about it. I had an ankle injury that I needed an operation on and then a knee operation that needed surgery and then probably because I rushed back too soon from them, my body wasn't quite ready. I was still developing really and maybe pushed myself a bit too hard, picking up a groin injury and playing through it because I had been out for too long. I ended up doing more harm than good and needed an operation on that too.

"I got back about February but by then I had spoken to my family and said that I felt I needed something different. I just had such a bad last two years there.

I felt like I had everything taken away from me because when you are out injured it is really out of your control. Every time, I used to think 'it can't be me again' but it was."