New Ross County boss says bring it on
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New Ross County manager John Hughes has issued a rallying cry to his Staggies squad.
The former Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hibernian and Raith Rovers boss takes over in Dingwall with County four points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership table.
That gap could get wider tonight as the Staggies travel to Celtic – although they will have fond memories there of the last time they were at Parkhead three-and-a-half weeks ago.
Hughes is certainly not baulking at the challenge in front of him though, instead seemingly relishing it.
“You wouldn’t believe the desire I’ve got in me to try and bring success and prove one or two people wrong as a manager, as a coach and for my team, because people are writing us off,” Hughes told County’s social media channels after his appointment was confirmed on Monday.
“Great, bring it on, it’s a siege mentality. For me as a player, I would have been rubbing my hands at that.
“There’s no bigger motivation than that, and it’s just about bringing it together. Talk is cheap, you have to do it for each other on the pitch.
“Again, I’m not patronising – you’re looking at one of the best set-ups in Scotland when you come up to Ross County.
“It’s absolutely spotless and everybody cares, so when you’re in a position to do something that you love, don’t take it for granted, because eventually you’ll go ‘oh, it’s not there’.
“When you’re there, appreciate it, and give everything you’ve got to make sure you’re here long term and bring success to the club.”
It is Hughes’ first role since a brief spell at Raith three years ago, but he has been staying active in the game as a pundit as well as serving as a tutor on Scottish FA coaching courses.
He took training at the Global Energy Stadium for the first time on Monday, and the message he sent to his players was a simple one – work hard for each other.
“The most important thing is to show courage,” Hughes said.
“You can feel sorry for yourself, but I’ve asked them to show a really strong mental character, do their talking on the pitch and give me everything that they’ve got.
“I was trying to ignite them and say ‘this is what I want’, and to do that I have to make it simple for them.
“I can’t put too much into their heads, they should know what I’m after and everything they do should be for the team.
“It’s not going to be easy, I haven’t got a magic wand, so this is all hands on deck. Everybody needs to have a real togetherness, one for all and all for one.”
