Lee Johnson reveals gran's Hibs advice as he puts his stamp on Easter Road squad

Lee Johnson is reading out a message which praises his Hibs dug out debut before it adds: ‘You need to get Tavares pressing the centre-halves’.

In any other situation it would be token coach speak between two footballing brains after he’d overseen his first game in charge - a 2-0 friendly win over Hartlepool in Portugal. But the text Johnson is reading to us during a lengthy sit down in the Algarve isn’t from a member of his staff, a friend in the game or even his dad Gary currently manager of Torquay United.

This constructive critique has arrived from his 83-year-old Scottish gran Jannette. Johnson is big on family. Whether it’s his own ancestry or the new Hibee clan he is forming in his fifth job in management, and when it comes to advice, he’s never too big to ignore any. Especially from his Lennoxtown-born gran.

He laughs: “She is relentless. She watched the Hartlepool game on YouTube the other day and was sending me tactical points by text.

"She always makes me chuckle. She wrote: ‘All players were excellent, definitely showed your style of play and a dominant performance. You need to get Tavares pressing the centre-halves. Never thought they would catch him though, very quick; midfielders and defenders trying to score. Very hot so make sure the boys have got their fluids.’

"She's not wrong, is she?

"I try to teach her all the tactical stuff. She'll come up for the Hearts game, my family will come up, my dad will come up and he's a good character.

"Most of my family are down south. I've got a couple in Dundee, my godmother's in Glasgow.

"My grandad was Irish so it's a nice link, but it doesn't really mean anything unless you win football matches, does it?

"When you talk like I do, and you've got my accent, you