John Hughes has revealed that he spoke with Peter Grant prior to succeeding his former Celtic teammate as Dunfermline manager.
And the new Pars gaffer has hailed Grant for ‘laying the foundations’ for success at East End Park.
Hughes took the reins in Fife last Friday and, while he was not at the helm for Saturday’s 2-1 win at Inverness, his presence was undoubtedly felt.
Now officially overseeing training, Hughes met the assembled media for the first time on Tuesday — and was quick to credit the work done by his predecessor.
Grant left the club after 156 days, with Dunfermline mired in a scrap for Championship survival.
But ‘Yogi’ reckons that only tells half the story.
“Peter Grant, although it never worked out, has left a right good foundation for me,” said Hughes.
“I’ve been in touch with Peter. He’s a gentleman and is always the first guy who texts when you win.
“And he was the first guy to say, ‘my advice is to have a look and assess things yourself, then you know where I am’.
“There are some good boys here. They want success and it’s up to them to take it, own it and lead it; go and deliver it.
“To make that happen you have to be the best professional and live your life like a true professional 24/7. That’s the values I’m trying to set at the club.”
‘They are absolutely fantastic’
As well as being heartened by the pool of players he has inherited, Hughes was keen to lavish praise on the existing coaching staff of Steven Whittaker and Greg Shields.
Both men will continue in the dugout alongside Hughes, with the 57-year-old insisting both possess a work ethic and knowledge that will prove invaluable.
The former Hibs boss is not expected to add to the staff.
“I’ve been in the coaching game 18 years, and they [Shields and Whittaker] are doing things that I’m not good at,” lauded Hughes. “It’s about bringing that all together.
“We’re a good team and as long as we’re going in one direction, that’s the main thing.
“I’ll have the final say, but you need to use their knowledge of the players and what needs done.”
Hughes added: “All credit goes to Shields and Whitts for the win in Inverness. They are absolutely fantastic. These two guys are in first thing in the morning and still here last thing at night. So that win is for them.”
‘A sleeping giant’
Hughes’ 40-minute tour-de-force was impactful and repeatedly emphasised a desire to bring dig, diligence and lofty standards to East End Park.
If any player brings the mood down at training then ‘they’ll be getting a size nine-and-a-half’, laughed Hughes, pointing at his right foot.
“If they play with the same energy that I talk, we’ll be some team,” he quipped.
🔥 Just Dom Thomas things, as the Pars grab their 1⃣st win of the season!#cinchChamp | @officialdafc pic.twitter.com/k5TAxnIFEn
— SPFL (@spfl) November 15, 2021
He is far from ignorant of the position the club finds itself in — still bottom of the Championship — but Hughes is a man ‘with a dream’.
“This club is a sleeping giant and somebody is going to take it there [to the top-flight],” continued Hughes. “And I want it to be me.
“I’ve no embarrassment being a 57-year-old man saying it starts with a dream. We all want it but are you prepared to do the work to get there?
“If we get this right, then all the kids from the local schools are not going on the bus to support Celtic and Rangers — they’ll be coming to watch their local team.
“Why? Because there’s a real pride in the team. That’s maybe further down the line, but it’s something we have to get to.
“But we’re not getting carried way. We are where we are for a reason, and it’s my job to find it.”
‘Naivety’
With a contract running until 2023, Hughes is also determined to prove he has not become solely a short-term firefighter following a brief stint with Ross County.
He salvaged the Highlanders’ Premiership status following his appointment last December.
And Hughes added: “It was a little bit of a surprise [to leave].
“Even when I went in, he [Roy MacGregor] were talking to Malky [Mackay] and I can only wish him all the best. But it was a little bit of a surprise, given the job I had done.
“You’re saying to yourself, ‘that was maybe a wee bit naive of me, going up there and doing what you did’.
“So, I wanted another opportunity.”
