Ross McCroire

“Ross knows the game and he is equally at home in various positions. He played right of a back three on Thursday and he has the athleticism to break out from there and snuff out the danger. We went three against three on Thursday because we have a lot of trust in him, Considine and McKenna.

“His athleticism gets him out of trouble, he has a football brain that gets him into position, his intelligence and power is relevant especially when he plays in midfield. When you line up in a team with four quick wingers ahead of you, Hayes, Kennedy, Wright, Hedges and Watkins, they are not the most responsible against the ball but what they do give you is that threat. I thought we had that common sense and responsibility behind them from McCrorie and Ferguson and it allowed the others to play.

“When we got into their final third, the speed and movement was nice to watch, we worked their keeper a few times, we were just a bit scruffy with that final pass.

“With Ross having that power and intelligence in there it allows us to play with one or two more attacking players at times.

“I love the boy. I think he is a dream both on and off the pitch. I like boys who are hungry, I like boys who are motivated. A lot of boys leave the Old Firm and think it is downhill from there and a lot of them because they think that, they don’t go on and do anything of note.

“He is different. He didn’t want to be in the shadows, he didn’t want to just become a Rangers squad player. He wanted to get out and get on with his career. I love that about him, and he deserves a lot of credit for that. I know Rangers see qualities in him but the fact that Ross was in such a hurry to get on and get out was testament to him. He will get his reward for that.

“Young boys between the ages of 20-23, you need to be playing games to fulfil your career. If you’re not playing games at that age, then you will not have the career that you are capable of.

“He is getting the opportunity to play games for us on a regular basis and he will only get better. It is good for other people to recognise that. I just love him in an Aberdeen shirt, I absolutely love him.

“I think he has been on every list we have ever had for recruiting young Scottish players. I hoped but I never knew with any certainty that we would get him. He wasn’t a priority for me, I needed a striker when we had four out.

“Thankfully thee board were supportive and saw the sense in the succession planning and getting an asset in the building.

“I am always a bit reluctant to force my players down an international managers throat but I do think he will be an international player, it is just a matter of time. Both him and his twin brother are very motivated and keen to make the most of their careers. Ross goes away with the U21’s with Ferguson, Campbell and McLennan. I am sure everybody can see what I can see in him and I am sure before long he will be there.

Attacking Threat

“Watkins is a drifter; he moves brilliantly and when Hedges and Wright were coming in it is difficult to deal with that speed. You have got Kennedy and Hayes offering that threat as well down the sides. When it works, and it will work at times this season, it can be all singing and dancing.

“It wasn’t quite that day because we were up against a good team and we were a wee bit scruffy. We were a wee bit fatigued with some of our decision making in the second half. When you have that attacking threat you have got to have that trust and dependability behind you and I thought Ross, Lewis, my three centre halves and Joe gave those attacking players a bit more allowance to play off the cuff.

Hibs Attacking Threat

“Doidge is always a threat, Boyle always does something to light the game up, Jonny had his hands full with him, but Boyle also had his hands full with him. The two of them ran up and down all day, they must have covered some distance and some speed.

Fresh Legs

“I made a hash of it; I should have got fresh legs on. On my third sub I should have made more subs, I had freshness on the bench behind me, I had boys running on empty, boys were cramping up and I got away with that one today.

“It is a wee reminder to myself that with five subs I have got to use it properly. For whatever reason I thought I had made a double sub and I still had one more stoppage. My players needed help and I recognised that, and I wasn’t able to help them. We got away with it because we were good enough and had good hearts, Joe didn’t really have anything to deal with. I know they are claiming for a penalty, but it is never a penalty.

“When you come to Easter Road, with the dangerous players that they have got, on the back of a tough period for us, with players running on empty you have got to be pleased with a clean sheet.

International Break

“I do think the international break has come at the wrong time. Our season has been stop start and I would really like that to be different. We need to deal with it. We will get a few days work in next week and crack on. We have got seven away on international duty so we will keep them topped up and hopefully we will be ready to continue where we left off.

The Last Few Weeks

“We have come through this period pretty well. There has been a real togetherness, there has been a strength about us as a club, a responsibility and acknowledgment of our punishment but also a strong sense of getting back to talking about football and what really matters. I have got a brilliant bunch of players and we work for a brilliant club. The best way to stop talking about the last few week is to talk about the performances.

“We work so hard at the club to keep people separated at the club. We have our keepers in different dressing rooms because we can’t have both going down at the same time. We all know with the track and trace system if one goes down you can take another two or three down with you.

“Every time I get an email from my medical team saying that everybody has passed, it is with a sigh of relief.

Europa League Draw

“There are some good teams in there, but we are seeded and hopefully we get a home tie. Anytime that we have been seeded we have won the game. It is not to say there is any certainty with that, but we are just delighted to be in the draw.”