HIBS boss Paul Heckingbottom has told his staff to get on their bikes in a bid to build a bond at Easter Road.
The 41-year-old insists he has made it a priority to create a camaraderie at every club he has coached and, to that end, he has introduced weekly spin classes for his backroom team at the Hibees.
Heckingbottom revealed that his assistant Robbie Stockdale and goalkeeping coach Alan Combe are already feeling the pace – but the Englishman is adamant it will prove worth the effort.
“The classes have been good,” he said. “Guys have taken to it and there are different faces in there each week. Some are pulling out, like Comber and Robbie last week. I think it’s been tough for them!
“But building that togetherness is something we’ve tried to do at previous clubs. With the facilities [at the Hibs Training Centre], this is a good way to get staff time together, definitely. That’s what you want.
“We have done team building in lots of different ways at other clubs and will be doing it in different ways again next year, but it has been good so far. As well as the fitness aspect, it is a case of getting all the staff together.
“It’s not just the first-team that need to be in it together, but the coaches, the academy, sport science, some of the interns.”
On who has impressed, Heckingbottom had a special mention for video analyst Calvin Charlton, smiling: “Little Calvin has come on a bit from his first day – when he nearly passed out!”
Heckingbottom, who enjoyed a blistering start to his Hibs career before succumbing to successive league defeats against Rangers and Kilmarnock in the last fortnight, believes a cohesive unit will be vital to his assault on the Premiership next term.
“You don’t want any barriers between departments,” Heckingbottom continued. “Everybody understands their role at the club, their value and their importance to us getting three points on a weekend.
Environment
“From Tam and Joyce [McCourt] in the kit room, all the way through to [head of football operations] George Craig in his office, everyone has a role to play to make sure things run smoothly and the environment is important.
“There is no hiding place for anyone to have a sulk or a moan. Everyone comes in knowing that if we all do our jobs then it will help us on the Saturday.”
