Lee Johnson exclusive: Hibernian manager says he is taking fan pressure in his stride after Edinburgh derby defeat | Football News

Hibernian manager Lee Johnson insists he is taking pressure from his own supporters in his stride – telling the disgruntled fans to “keep the faith” in the team.

Johnson’s Hibs side were beaten 3-0 by Edinburgh rivals Hearts in the derby last weekend for their ninth defeat in 11 matches, which ramped up the pressure on the 41-year-old coach.

Hibernian’s next challenge is a league visit to Motherwell on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, with Johnson unmoved by the criticism.

“You have to take it in your stride, you continue to focus on performances and building up individual players,” he told Sky Sports News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

“I make every decision at a football club like I’m going to be there forever, because that’s what you have to do to make the best choices.

“At the same time, this is a great football club, to be manager of a great football club is a privilege – and what comes with that privilege is the pressure of people taking, outside noise, social media, media itself and that’s understandable.

“All I want is for our fanbase to enjoy watching their team, to believe that we can be successful – which I fully believe we can both this season and moving forward over the next two or three seasons.

“We’re doing everything we can and I just ask people to keep the faith and trust in the process – that has actually been quite short in terms of football succession plan and progression.”

Hibernian’s poor form leaves them in eighth place, four points above the relegation play-off spot, but two points away from the top six.

But the ignominy of losing to local rivals Hearts – who moved eight points clear of Johnson’s Hibs – led to speculation that Johnson would be relieved of his duties.

But the Hibs boss remains adamant that both the players and the hierarchy are behind him and his coaching staff as they look to turn around their poor league form.

Asked about what that speculation is like, Johnson replied: “I’ve been through it. Any manager with 150 games has been through that once or twice, some have had it 500 times

“The top managers, throughout history, have always had spells like that and have had to come through it.

“The communication lines are clear: the players and the board are behind the management and we all want this to work. You get the next opportunity to prove that, which is our next game on Sunday against Motherwell.”

Boyd: Johnson not solely responsible for Hibs’ slump

Sky Sports’ Kris Boyd:

“The pressure is building, there’s no doubt that it’s there. He’s having to deal with it every single day now because it’s virtually impossible in Scotland to lose nine out of your 11 games and Hibs have found a way to do it.

“I don’t look at Lee Johnson and think that he’s solely responsible for this form.

“There’s the recruitment within the football club. In the last few games, it’s been seven of the starting 11 that got Jack Ross the sack three managers ago. It’s Jack Ross, Sean Maloney and now Lee Johnson at this moment in time.

“They’re going to have to improve. There’s something at Hibs. Great stadium, great infrastructure, everything around the football club points towards a top one in Scotland. But ultimately, recruitment has been nowhere near good enough.

“The turnover of players in the last two transfer windows has involved 22 players – it can’t continue. The squad is bloated which means wages are high. And for me, Hibs are going to have to get a few bodies out and then, if they can, add some quality to it.

“There’s been a lot of players there who have been there for a long period of time – and it’s not working.”