Hibs: Nish is told to forget refs and focus on game

Published on Friday 18 September 2009 09:54

JOHN HUGHES today urged Colin Nish to focus on football and not referees after the striker hit out at the decision to send him off against Hamilton.

The Hibs manager admitted he sympathised with the striker after he was shown a second yellow in injury time by David Somers last weekend – meaning he is suspended for tomorrow's clash with St Johnstone.

But Hughes insisted there's no point in Nish allowing his frustrations at the whistler to boil over and he would do himself more justice by simply knuckling down. He said: "Nishy just has to go and get on with it and just play the game. Anything you get out of the game, you have to earn. He has to play the game in a manner in which he feels he can be at his best.

"I do sympathise with him. I don't think the second one merited a yellow card and you sometimes wonder if the referees are now looking for things that are not really there.

"When arms are up they seem to be very quick to get the cards out. Being an ex-player, I think that you'll always try to grab hold of something or a shirt to get your bearings, it's a natural reaction.

"If you jump, that is going to happen, and I think you have to understand that. It all goes back to whether you have played the game, you know all the cons and the tricks. If you could encourage ex-footballers to go and referee then we would have a head start.

"Referees get one or two things wrong, I get one or two things wrong, but we all just have to keep working hard and get on with it."

Hughes is looking for improvement when Hibs face a league and cup double header with St Johnstone in the course of the next week.

He believes his side are not far away from becoming successful but only if they put in the spade work to get there.

"At the end of the day, football owes you nothing, you only get out of the game what you put into it and anything you do get, you have work hard for.

"If I can instil that in the players then this team might be capable of getting us where we want to go. We're not far away, there's not too much wrong here. I've seen a lot of good things here in the time I've been at the club as well.

"It is starting to get through and they are starting to reach those standards. We had one disappointment at Hamilton but it's my job to fix that and throw the gauntlet down to the players and see who steps up to the plate."

Hughes is hoping the club's solid financial results, which were announced earlier this week, will allow him to further strengthen his squad over the coming months.

He added another player this month, bringing in Liam Miller, and is keen to continue the building work.

"You have to take your hat off to the board of directors and the chairman for the way they go about their business.

"I am desperate to bring success to the club on the pitch for all those reasons. I just tell them what I think needs done and they go away and try to work their magic. They have been absolutely fantastic when you look at the players I have been able to bring in and long may that continue."