Lee Johnson has held his hands up for his part in Hibs' League Cup flop that started the season - but reckons clinching European football can end the campaign on a high.
Johnson is targeting continental group stage football in the next year. However, he says being dumped out the two domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle was the biggest regret of his first 12 months in Leith. The Easter Road boss celebrated a year in the job yesterday and hopes to mark it with a statement victory over Rangers in Leith on Sunday. That would boost their hopes of securing a Euro spot next season.
Asked where he sees the club being a year from now he said: “I’d really like to get into the European group stages and have an impact on that next season. Looking back now, I think maybe the club knew they wanted me a little bit earlier than they gave me the job. Dave (Gray) oversaw the last few games and it might have been ideal to get that new manager in tenure that little bit before.
“Then you could have a bit of an earlier look and summer prep. Maybe I could have been in the door a couple of weeks earlier and maybe that could have set us up better. However I feel like this is a good, historic club that should be competing on European nights more often than they have been over the last 10 years.
“Group stages are important because of the finances that brings. We know the club is investing. We have a fantastic family investing with the club’s best interests at heart. They want to do it in the right way as well, which I like and I have bought into that. So there’s a carrot there to go and be successful.
“The cups were disappointing this season. You always feel for Hibs you have a chance in the cups, you win a couple of games and you are in the semis.
"Do I think I got that wrong? I could go back to my team selection in that first half at Falkirk…bad decision.
“I probably tried to treat it like a pre-season game and give everyone a shot and we were 1-0 down at half-time. I changed the team, we pummelled them the second half, but that was probably the reason we didn’t get through in the Viaplay.
“Would that have been different had I started earlier? Well you know a bit more about the individuals, don’t you? Those were trial games, in my mind. That was a lesson for me, and that’s probably the biggest lesson in that year so far.
“I know we had a difficult game against Hearts, we want to beat our local rivals in a game at Easter Road. So probably my regrets are the cups in terms of me getting that first one wrong and not winning the game against Hearts.
“However going into next season I feel I’m much sharper in terms of the way it works and the dynamics in Scotland. Obviously, we hope we’re not in the early rounds this year because we are in Europe.”
Johnson insists his squad is in a far better shape now than when he replaced Shaun Maloney 12 months ago. And he insists it will be a clean slate for every player new and old - including Harry McKirdy.
He said: “I don’t want the season to finish. Physically the squad is peaking and I know that sounds like madness with three games left of the season. But when good players like Kevin Nisbet, and I’m using him as an example, that is strong. It is a powerful place to be for a club like us.
“So I am excited about next season because everything I do know now is going into next season. Every player starts with a clean slate physically, including Martin Boyle and the players like Elie Youan.
“There are a lot of lads there, like Rocky Bushirii, who get to start on a same level as everybody else. Harry McKirdy is another one. It has been very bitty for him this season, in terms of injuries, form, fitness, all the bits and bobs, but he can wipe the slate clean and next season is a proper start.”
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