Joe Newell didn’t think too much had changed for him at Hibs since being named club captain.
Until he suffered a defeat, that is. All of a sudden, after an opening Premiership loss at St Mirren, it struck him that HE was shouldering most of the responsibility. And incredibly his gaffer David Gray read his skipper’s mind. From his own experience with the armband, the Easter Road boss knew Newell would be suffering and called him for a pep talk.
That’s the pressure of being a figurehead at Hibs. But the 31-year-old Englishman isn’t shying away from the role, despite a ropey start to the new campaign. Newell has been through a lot in his five years in Leith. But when he looks at the club’s current infrastructure and weighs up the quality of the squad he’s leading, he’s convinced they’ve never been in better shape.
Newell, who penned a new contract on taking over as captain in the summer, said: “I’ve enjoyed the captaincy, it has been good. There haven’t been any surprises, just more people asking me for favours!
“But it’s a huge honour, having that extra responsibility. I feel that way even more after a defeat. I actually had a good discussion with the gaffer after St Mirren.
“No one likes losing but after that St Mirren game and the way it happened (a 3-0 loss), I remember feeling really down. It hit me a little bit more, if I’m being honest, just because I was the captain.
“The gaffer rang me the next day and it was as if he knew how I was going to be feeling. We had a little chat because he knew I’d be feeling it more.
“And I was. But I suppose that’s something I’ll get used to. The gaffer has been there. He told me I’ll have some amazing moments but some low moments as well.
“And as captain he knew I’d feel it a little bit more. It was a nice touch from him. But he’s got emotional intelligence and you have to be a good human being to notice that.”
In their first three league games Hibs have taken just a single point – in last week’s 2-2 draw at home to Dundee. Gray is trying to integrate a raft of new players after a summer of change at Easter Road.
Newell admits that in previous years he probably LIED about being optimistic when it came to the team’s prospects. But this time he’s adamant they’re on the right path.
He said: “It’s something I’m massively enthusiastic about. A couple of times over the last few years people have probably sat here – myself included – and told a little white lie by saying we’re on the right track.
“When we were probably thinking: ‘I’m not sure how this is going to go…’ Admittedly, we haven’t had the start we wanted this season but it’s far from the end of the world.
“And the belief I’ve got now in this club and squad is night and day compared to what it has been here previously. We’re in a really confident place this season.
“With the squad we’ve got and the people in charge, there are little aspects to it that maybe the fans or media aren’t seeing yet. There are lots of details in there that make me full of confidence.”
And that’s why Newell plans to be at Easter Road for the rest of his career. His new deal means he’s committed to the Hibees’ cause until 2027 at least.
And the midfielder, who arrived from Rotherham in 2019, doesn’t see himself at any other club. As he prepared for today’s Premiership clash with Kilmarnock, he said: “The contract I’ve just signed will see me settled here.
“Barcelona might still come in for me, who knows? But especially with this leadership role I have now, I’m really settled at Hibs.
“Early on in your career you just want to do well for yourself, even though I gave everything at whatever club I was at.
“You’re playing for your career, your family and financial security. Whereas now I’m at an age – and with the captaincy – where the club probably comes before me as an individual.
“So I’d like to see myself stay here for the long-term. Or as long as they’ll have me!”