BB’s arrival has helped Hibs stop rot

Hibs midfielder David Wotherspoon today revealed how assistant manager Billy Brown has helped to raise his game and instil much-needed confidence at Easter Road.

Brown arrived as Colin Calderwood’s No. 2 a month ago and his presence has coincided with Hibs’ run of one defeat in five games. Wotherspoon has been used sparingly during that sequence of results and admits to having felt downbeat about his first-team prospects. However, he insists he is now in a more positive frame of mind after Brown helped him alter his perspective.

“I just got a bit frustrated with the game, just started getting myself down about nothing really,” said the Scotland under-21 star Wotherspoon, who has returned from international duty with a spring in his step after starting both Euro qualifiers against Luxembourg and Austria.

“Billy [Brown] picked up on it as soon as he came in. He said, ‘You don’t need to be so hard on yourself – you need to be confident in yourself and believe.’ I think I’ve relaxed since he’s said that and been more confident and able to go out to training and just enjoy it.”

Boss Calderwood mirrored his player’s views, saying Brown’s belief in the Hibs squad has brought a buoyancy to his players. “Billy has come in and reinforced what we thought of the group of players – he has been very positive about them. That’s lifted everyone,” said Calderwood.

“He has been Billy Brown. He is what he is. His years of experience on the sidelines have definitely been a factor. Being him and his personality, I think everyone from the players to the staff feel as if Billy has been there a lot longer already.

“That goes back to his character and his personality.”