Raith boss Ray McKinnon has done coaching badges with Hibs manager Alan Stubbs, enjoyed a few nights out with him and considers him an all-round “good lad”.
However, McKinnon admits he has never known his managerial opposite number blame the state of the pitch and officials like he did after the Hibees lost 1-0 at Stark’s Park on Wednesday night in the first leg of the Premiership play-off quarter-final.
The fact that he did illustrates just how much pressure everyone at the Edinburgh club is under to win promotion and the Raith boss hopes his underdogs can capitalise at Easter Road tomorrow.
McKinnon said: “I did all my badges with Stubbsy, my Pro Licence, and had a few nights out with him. He’s a good lad.
“So for me, that’s pressure. I’ve never seen Stubbsy like that and I know him really well and get on great with him.
“That is pressure, blaming everything apart from not getting a result.
“I accept that and when he woke this morning he probably thought twice about blaming this and blaming that.
“It was the same for us. I thought the referee didn’t give us some decisions – it’s part and parcel of football.
“There’s pressure attached to what he’s doing and how he handles it is important to him.
“There’s no pressure on me. I had a cup of tea with me on the bench and cruised through that game.
“I can just see there’s pressure on them. I can see their bench, it was animated and they were calling for everything, chasing everything, chasing down the fourth official.
“There’s pressure there and if he’s blaming the park and things like that then that, for me, is deflecting and it tells me there’s pressure, it’s as simple as that.”
The Edinburgh side’s tendency to lose out on the big occasion has led to pundits coining a phrase when others do the same saying that they have “Hibsed it”.
However, McKinnon insists that is something he wouldn’t use in a team talk.
He added: “To be honest, I’ve never used that because I actually don’t believe in it.
“I think it’s something people have created. From the outside, people can say they’re weak, blah-blah-blah, talk about doing ‘a Hibs’.
“I just think pressure is pressure. And there is pressure on that club. That’s just a fact.
“They are a massive, massive club with a great squad, an expensive squad assembled – and they need to be playing Premiership football.
“Our pressure is, ‘can we progress to the next round?’. If we can do that, what a bonus that is, the club will make a few quid from the extra home gate.
“I don’t feel that pressure at all. I can say that honestly. I think I was quite calm on the bench last night. I think!”
Having established a slender advantage on Wednesday night, McKinnon is now looking for his players to go to Easter Road and to increase the pressure even more by silencing the home fans.
He added: “I think there’s no doubt about it, they’re going to come out on Saturday with all guns blazing, aren’t they?
“We have to concentrate on keeping them quiet from the outset. If we do that, there is no doubt that the fans will get nervous.
“So will their players, so will their management team.
“Then we reach a period where decision making becomes crucial.
“How they handle it is going to be a test for them. So we just need to make sure we’re right in the game – and this group of players will definitely make that happen.
“These players are so committed to getting something and making this a really, really good season.”
