Lee Johnson claims Celtic and Rangers fear factor has 'brainwashed' players as he plots Hibs psychology shift

Lee Johnson claims “brainwashed” Scots players are born fearing the Old Firm but he’s determined Hibs’ next generation will break the chains.

The Easter Road gaffer revealed he consulted psychologists in the wake of the humiliating 6-1 hammering from Celtic at the weekend. And the Englishman is convinced his squad were beaten well before the first whistle.

Despite short spells at Hearts and Kilmarnock as a player, it was a shock to the 41-year-old. But after Hibs’ youth teams completed a clean sweep against Rangers over the weekend, winning at five age groups up to under-18s, Johnson is intent on bringing about a change in mindset in the future. He said: “We had a ‘full stop meeting’ and I wasn’t happy; it was a negative meeting in terms of my delivery. There were not many positives from it. I’m just not willing to accept that we can’t get closer. Now I look back on it, I think we were beaten before we went into the game.

“It was an absolute shock to me. I thought about it, I spoke to a couple of psychologists, and I realised that these guys have probably been beaten by these teams year on year since they were eight-years-old.

“You practically come out of the womb and you’re told Celtic and Rangers are amazing. I was told Motherwell haven’t beaten Rangers in the league in 20 years or something – crazy.

“I’m not used to that sort of thing, I’ve never experienced that before. I thought about the players who have been in Scotland for a long time and this brainwashing. A few actions happened in the first 10 minutes or so and that was it. It was as if they collectively said: ‘Oh right, here we go. They’re playing well today and we’re not’.”

Johnson has confessed Hibs capitulated so badly at Parkhead that they could have