Colin Calderwood 'right man for Hibs job'

After being officially unveiled by club chairman Rod Petrie, the former Newcastle assistant manager met his squad for the first time this morning and will be in the dugout for this weekend's trip to Pittodrie to take on Aberdeen.

The 36-times capped Scot is a former boss of Northampton Town and Nottingham Forest and, although he has never managed a side north of the Border, comes to Hibs with a wealth of experience, having also worked alongside Chris Hughton as No.?2 at St James' Park for almost the last two years.

Calderwood will have just a few days to familiarise himself with the players and begin to put his stamp on the side before their trip north to face Mark McGhee's side.

With so little time to get to know his squad's characteristics and capabilities, Calderwood admits that he will gratefully accept input from caretaker managers Alistair Stevenson and Gareth Evans.

However, the former defender is clearly his own man and insisted that it will be his team who runs out at Pittodrie.

He said: "I have always taken judgement and advice from everyone that I work with and it will be no different here - but it will be my team.

"I have to make the decisions, that is why I have been brought here as manager. I will rely on Alistair and Gareth a lot in the next few days and I'm looking forward to working with them and getting to know everyone at the club.

"I think that they will have a huge input this week. I think that it will probably be an awkward week because it will all be about getting to know the players, putting a face to a name and after that I can see it all moving quite quickly.

"I've had a look at the training facilities and I think they're fantastic, what a terrific environment to be working in, we can certainly have no complaints there and it was certainly another incentive for me to come here.

"Being able to go to work in an environment like that allows you to work well and learn."

Calderwood admitted that the last few days had been hectic, having first heard of Hibs' interest on Friday.

He then had to put any thoughts of a possible move to the back of his mind to take his seat in the dugout at St James' Park for Newcastle's 2-2 draw with Wigan, before turning his attention back to Hibs on Sunday and travelling up the road to sign the deal yesterday. He continued: "The ultimate desire to be a number one again was the thing that really swung it for me but you have got to add to that the fact that you are making a move into the top league in Scotland and have a chance of playing European football every season.

"I think that the level of football that I am coming into is new to me, completely fresh. The opportunity to manage a Championship or League One club might have been there but I found a club that wanted me and Hibs have found a person that really wanted to come here too."

Calderwood conceded that it had been a wrench, both emotionally and in a footballing sense, to leave a side who are just back in the Premiership.

But he fully believes that he has made the right move for his personal life and his management career and he added: "Newcastle are in the top league, it's watched all over the world, but you have got to go about your business and for me that is managing and coaching.

"In terms of moving myself forward, I think that this is the right move."

Hibs chairman Rod Petrie was delighted to get his man, revealing that the club had received more than 100 applications for the post since parting company with John Hughes a fortnight ago.

The Easter Road chief believes Calderwood can get Hibs firing on all cylinders again and steer them straight into the race for a European place this season.

Sitting beside his new manager, Petrie said: "There was interest from the four corners of the globe. Whether that's surprising, heartening and pleasing that when the dust settled and we had a vacancy and we turned our thoughts to who the next manager would be, we had an awful lot of interest. At the last count we had 105 names in for the job.

"It was an exhaustive process, very thorough. It withstands scrutiny and we have got ourselves a very good manager at the end of it. You've all heard him speak and heard his passion. It's clear he's a winner.

"When you meet him you feel the passion he's got and you see the level he's played and managed at. He's managed progressively through the league and he was involved with Newcastle at the highest level of English football.

"He got three promotions in six years and you don't achieve that without knowing how to win more than you lose. But when you speak to people about Colin Calderwood they tell you what a quality guy he is. He's absolutely the right man for the job.

"When you look at the infrastructure, the stadium is completed and the training centre is excellent. Now we are trying to get a winning team on the park and progress. We finished fourth last season and played in Europe.

"The challenge for clubs in Scotland is to make progress in Europe and be successful as we can be. But first and foremost, Colin Calderwood is here to get us winning and challenging at the top of the table and hopefully getting back into Europe."

Petrie refused to be drawn on how much compensation - if anything - had to be paid to Newcastle to secure Calderwood's services, adding only: "I think it's an attractive appointment. Colin brings a freshness to the game in Scotland and he's very experienced. He's been in the dugout 300 times as a manager and achieved with big clubs.

"We've brought someone with vigour and vitality and quality in his playing and managerial career.

"It's a coup to get someone who's been involved with a club of the calibre of Newcastle United. I must say again how grateful I am to them for the way they understood Colin's ambition and released him from his contract. Was there money changed hands? Again, I was very grateful to Newcastle for the way they handled it because he was under contract."

While clearly pleased to be unveiling his new manager, Petrie took time to praise both Alistair Stevenson and Gareth Evans for the role they have played in recent weeks and insisted that their positions at the club are safe.

The pair helped record Hibs' first home win in over seven months last weekend and Petrie continued: "Alistair and Gareth were both fulfilling roles that are not manager and assistant and those roles are still there. Colin is keen to speak to them and he's looking for continuity."

PROUD SCOT WHO MADE HIS NAME SOUTH OF THE BORDER

BORN in Stranraer in January 1965, Colin Calderwood began his playing career with Mansfield Town, before embarking on spells with Swindon Town, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Notts County.

Swindon manager Lou Macari signed him from Mansfield in the 1985/1986 pre-season and, at the age of 21, Calderwood was installed as the club captain. Although that season started badly, it ended with the Town breaking the League points record as they won the Fourth Division title. Calderwood's performance in Swindon Town's defence won him a Player of the Year award.

It was at Tottenham Hotspur he gained many of his 36 Scotland caps, representing his country at Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup as a regular under Scotland manager Craig Brown. He scored one goal, a late strike which proved to be the clincher against stubborn San Marino in Serravalle after another player who would go on to be Hibs manager, John Collins, had broken the deadlock with a superb solo effort.

As a manager, he took Northampton to promotion from League Two and Nottingham Forest to the Championship but after just four wins in the 2008/09 football season, Forest terminated Calderwood's contract with immediate effect on Boxing Day 2008 after his team was defeated by Doncaster Rovers 4-2.

On January 26, 2009, Calderwood was appointed first-team coach at Newcastle United, working with his former Tottenham colleague, Chris Hughton.

Due to the St James Parkers' relegation from the Premier League at the end of season 2008-09 it was expected that Calderwood would leave the club. He was retained, however, working with Hughton as an assis- tant manager and they led the Toon Army back to the top flight last season.