The walk to the Cameron House Hotel library became known as the green mile. It’s the room where Hibs boss Alex McLeish would break the most dreadful news.
I was invited on such a walk on the morning of the 2001 Scottish Cup Final and I knew what was coming, I could read him like a book. Sombre, slowly strolling towards that library knowing I was about to be condemned to watching the biggest game of my career against Celtic from the stands.
To this day I can recall the silence after Big Eck told me he was going for experience on the bench – I was the easy option to miss out. Ian Murray spoke this week about the mixed emotions of having to share a room with me. Two 19-year-olds, Ian had been on his own walk that morning and was on cloud nine. He was playing from the start and there was me, inconsolable and in floods of tears.
