Colin Calderwood: 'Appointing Adams as exciting as beating Rangers 3-0'

• Calderwood is delighted with the new appointment

Calderwood eschewed the normal practice of installing a familiar No 2 by pursuing the Ross County manager, at one time thought to be a candidate for the manager's job at Easter Road, on the strength of his growing reputation within the game. The pair have no personal history but immediately hit it off after discussions began following Calderwood's arrival as successor to John Hughes last month.

The former Nottingham Forest manager admitted the name of Adams was one he had only pencilled into his list of possibilities because of fears the 35-year-old would not be tempted from his role as manager in the Highlands.

However, he believes the former Aberdeen and Livingston midfielder - who sprang to his attention with County's run to last season's Scottish Cup final, which took them past Hibs in the last eight - will prove a tremendous addition to his backroom team. "The appointment of my assistant is as exciting as the result was on Wednesday night," said Calderwood of Adams, who starts in the role this morning. "It's a terrific appointment, born out of a bit of homework and a few phone calls between certain people. As I gathered the list of people in my head and on a sheet of paper, it was a name I didn't expect to be there, and there were so many times I thought it just wouldn't happen.

"I wrote down a list of candidates that I would like and ticked them off and crossed them off and that was the one that was probably written in pencil, just because of the job he was doing at Ross County and him being a manager. But it progressed and in the meetings we had we went from zero to 100 in next to no time, in terms of me thinking he would be the perfect addition to the coaching staff. I didn't know him at all before, so it's one on reputation, but also a feeling you get when you meet him in the first instance. That's why it has probably moved so quickly.

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"What I think I've seen is a very ambitious man and thought-provoking whenever I've spoken to him, and I know he'll add to the excellence we've got here in Alistair Stevenson and Gareth Evans, who have been a terrific help to me so far. I think we'll very quickly find a way that the group will work well together. I've always thought the backroom staff, which includes the physios, the chief scout, the masseurs, the kit people, they've got to be as much a team and together, and enjoy coming to work as the players.I think this addition really makes us a powerful unit."

Meanwhile, Calderwood, who has hinted that striker Derek Riordan could be recalled for the visit of Motherwell tomorrow, despite missing the win over Rangers because of his red card against Hearts on Sunday, has heaped praise on his skipper for Ibrox, Ian Murray.

The 29-year-old was making his first SPL start of the season following a hip injury and anchored Hibs' terrific display from a defensive midfield beat before being replaced on the hour mark following a caution. "Ian Murray was a big factor on Wednesday night in what we did," said Calderwood. "His influence can't be under-estimated."

Having earned his first win as Hibs manager in the most spectacular of styles, Calderwood now knows his team cannot afford to bask in their midweek glory. "You do enjoy it because it was a terrific night for us but very quickly, with the way the schedule is, we're into the weekend," he said. "It would be nice to sit next week thinking back to two victories and that's what we've got to focus on, getting that next win and getting another clean sheet. We also want to produce something in front of our own fans that lifts them. As much as there was a fantastic away support there on Wednesday night there's only so many friends and phone calls they will make. So, we've got to get to a wider audience.

"The best place to do that was obviously last Sunday, because that would have given them a great lift in the city, and we want to compensate them for last week and really get started. It's no use having a nice day and then nothing for two or three games after that. We've got to accumulate points."