Paul Hanlon addresses Hibs departure reversal chances

If a new manager came and asked you to stay, would that be an easy decision for you?

"I just think it's too early to be answering these questions. There's been a decision made at this club and that's as far as I know. I think it's all about three men losing their jobs that we could have and should have done better for. I think that's the main talking point and we're bitterly disappointed that's the case. We need to pick ourselves up for two games."

To put it another way, last night you knew that your Hibs career was over, whereas now is there a chance that it isn't?

"I still feel like it is [over]. I'm still gearing towards Wednesday night being my last game at Easter Road, trying to savour it as much as possible. At the minute I'm not anticipating any changes and I've not had any conversations in that way. I'm going to try and savour it as much as I can with my family and friends.

You've seen a lot of managers come and go here, does it still sting?

"Yeah it definitely still stings, 100 per cent. I've kind of focused on not being here next season so the chances of being able to impress a new manager aren't there. But you still get a guilt. That's what you feel like. You look back and think about whether you could have done more, certain things happening in games that you think could swing either way. You know what football is like, it's fine margins. We just look at it as a squad and think we could have and should have done more. It's really disappointing as a full group."

You spoke in the broadcast press conference about togetherness being key to success here, why hasn't that been the case this year?

"I'm saying that's the way it should be but putting that in place is difficult. It's easy to say 'togetherness' and 'character' and all these buzzwords that people like to throw about but implementing it day-to-day is difficult. I think we just need to get to a stage where everyone in the building is pulling in the same direction and making sure that this club, most importantly, is successful because the fans deserve it and we've been through enough heartache over the last few years, a lot of turmoil and ups and downs.

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"They've been the constant and we need to get to a stage where they are proud of coming back to Easter Road and watching the players, got that real connection between us."

What do you want to see as a fan from the new manager?

“I don’t think it’s just from the new manager, it’s from the club in general. Listen, you want to feel like you’re part of a squad and club that’s striving to be the best, but doing it together, I think that’s what Hibs fans appreciate the most. I touched on it earlier, it feels like when a lot of teams in this league are successful they do it that way, they are together, they push in the same direction. It doesn’t have to be fancy or anything like that, it’s just honest hard work together and that’s the recipe for success in Scottish football."

Do all the tributes make you uncomfortable?

“Nah, it has been incredible, it has blown me away in terms of the messages and all the reaction we have got. I just hadn’t taken time to sit back and prepare myself for what it would be like, I thought they’d announce it and I would still get ready for my last game, whereas my phone just blew up and it properly hit me then. It really hit me the end was coming and obviously disappointment, but that flipped to trying to enjoy it as much as I can the last few weeks.

Was there still hope of staying up until the announcement?

“Nah, there was a conversation with the manager a wee while ago that steered me in that direction, so I kind of knew it was coming. I was prepared in that sense, but I wasn’t prepared for the reaction I got afterwards."

Have you been hurt by how it's ended?

“Nah, listen, you want to be successful at any time in your career, regardless of whether you are staying or moving on. This season we haven’t been, there’s no getting away from that. That hurts, it hurts as a player who supports Hibs. It hurts a lot, you want to be part of a successful Hibs team. I think we have got the quality to have a better season than we’re having. That aspect of it definitely hurts.

What will it be like no longer having Hibs in your life, professionally?

“I still hope to bring my boys back, they’ll be raised as Hibs fans, there’s no getting away from that. I have obviously had to think about it, it’s coming quickly that I’ll be moving on and try something new. And listen, there’s part of that that’s exciting as well, it’s something different. I’ve been here a number of years, the car is on autopilot, it knows where to go every single morning. There’s that new challenge of settling into a new dressing room. I have always been a constant with new guys coming in here, now I am going to be the new guy and try to establish myself in a new dressing room. So it’s a challenge, it’s the next stage, I still think I have plenty to offer playing-wise, so we’ll see what the next chapter is.”

Have you had any offers?

“There’s been a few offers, a few phone calls and a bit of interest. But I’ve told everyone the same thing; that I want to finish my Hibs career first. I’ll have a couple of weeks’ window before I go on holiday where I’ll have as many conversations as I can and see what it looks like. Hopefully, I’ll go on holiday knowing what I’m doing – but that might be a bit ambitious!”

What will it be like playing against Hibs?

“If that happens… Listen, I’m a Hibs fan but I’m also a professional football player who’s going to give 100 per cent for whoever it is. As you get older as well, you do savour every single moment on the pitch – coming on and scoring against St Johnstone, wee moments where you think, 'How many more of these am I going to get?’ If there’s a game against Hibs, I’ll give it my all to win, but it would definitely be nice to play at Easter Road again.”

Have you ever played against a Hibs team, maybe back at Hutchison Vale?

“I don’t even know if we did back at Hutchie Vale. We’ve played a few bounce games against each other out on pitch one, so that’s probably all I can go on.”

Would a 14-year-old Paul Hanlon look at what you've done and say 'I've lived the dream'?

“100 per cent. As a 14-year-old, or even younger, I dreamt about playing for Hibs, winning the Scottish Cup, scoring against Hearts – that was me as a wee Hibs fan. I’ve managed to do all that and more, racking up the appearances that I have done. There’s disappointment that I’m leaving, disappointing it’s coming to an end because I feel I have a bit to offer.

"But, at the end of the day, I’ve got to be proud. I’ve done my family proud in terms of being Hibs fans. It’ll be emotional leaving, the last game will be difficult but when it’s all said and done I’ll look back with a lot of pride.”

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Has not playing as much this season give you a renewed hunger to show you can still play every week at this level?

"Yeah, I think so. I think there was a different side to me this year. There was a different fight on. Obviously, at Hibs you're always fighting for your position - even when I was playing for a number of years there's always a battle, big expectations. Being left out, being the one who is chasing rather than holding the position has been a difficult one. I've tried my best to prove that I should still be playing, there's times I've been in, times I've been out. I've tried to make it as hard as possible for the management team to leave me out, and be as fit as possible when I'm in the team."