Mixu Appointment Means I'll Support Hearts and Hibs

Jan 19 2008 By Gary Ralston

Clydesdale Bank Premier League Edinburgh Derby Day Special Hearts V Hibs Today, Tynecastle, 12.30, Live On Setanta

ANTTI NIEMI knew Mixu Paatelainen was tailor-made for management when he raved as much about victory over Albion Rovers as anything he ever achieved with Finland.

Fulham keeper Niemi has enough on his plate this afternoon as he contemplates facing up to Premiership leaders Arsenal at Craven Cottage.

As if the prospect of staring down Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo isn't daunting enough he has been torn by divided loyalties all week as his best friend in football bids to put one over on the club that still commands a huge place in his heart.

Niemi, 35, has known for more than a decade it was only a case of when not if Paatelainen made his mark in football management.

Now it's happening at Easter Road and while the keeper isn't about to burst into a chorus of Sunshine on Leith he admits he's beginning to see his former rivals in a different light.

He said: "As a friend of Mixu's I hope Hibs go on to do well, I really do, but don't put me in the position of asking which side I want to win at Tynecastle.

"I love Hearts because I had a great three years there but I honestly hope and wish Mixu does a great job. I'll be praying at night he gets good results because I know the competitive nature of football.

"Isn't there any chance I can become a bit of a fan of both clubs? I guess that's impossible.

"Honestly, I can't answer the question but I do know Mixu has always been destined for a career in management and has never made any secret about his ambitions.

"He and I were room-mates when I started to become a regular with Finland in 1995 and we clicked straight away.

"He loved speaking about the game - tactics, formations, everything. I'm just a stupid big goalkeeper and sometimes I'd say, 'Please, Mixu, give it a rest,' but he has always been so enthusiastic, studying and asking questions.

He has great experience in different clubs and countries but even I asked if he was sure what he was doing when he told me he was taking over at Cowdenbeath a couple of years ago.

"He insisted he had to learn his trade and the ideas were exactly the same no matter the level.

He told me he'd hopefully get a better job later in his career and would appreciate it all the more and that was a fantastic attitude.

"It was a great learning experience at Cowdenbeath. He was pretty much doing the bloody laundry and lining the pitch but he really enjoyed it.

"I spoke with him many times after games in the Third Division and he was as excited about those victories as anything he ever achieved with the national team."

Paatelainen, with Ajax star Jari Litmanen, blazed a trail in the late eighties and early nineties for Finnish football that has since been followed by countrymen such as Sami Hyypia, Mikael Forssell, Jonatan Johansson and Jussi Jaaskelainen, as well as Niemi.

The former Rangers No.1 now believes Paatelainen, who won 70 caps for his country, can set standards for Finnish bosses of the future, whose success abroad has previously been limited and patchy.

Harri Kampmann did not succeed at Motherwell although Martti Kuusela, who has replaced Paatelainen as boss of TPS Turku, enjoyed success in Belgium, Greece and Cyprus and led Honved to the Hungarian title.

Niemi has long been impressed by Paatelainen's thirst for knowledge and winning mentality forged from his experiences at clubs such as Dundee United, Aberdeen, Bolton and Wolves. He added: "Mixu does nothing unless he gives it 100 per cent and can't even stand to lose at cards. Steadily, Finnish football is getting better but there were times in the past when players would be happy to go to France or Turkey and escape with a single-goal defeat.

"Mixu's attitude was the exact opposite and he would fume with frustration if we lost. He would always believe Finland was absolutely guaranteed to win, no matter the opposition.

"He was always questioning team-mates and coaches. We were fortunate at Finland to work with guys such as Richard Moller Nielsen and Roy Hodgson and Mixu was always challenging them because he was keen to learn.

"He won't stop doing that at Hibs and while any young manager might feel confident about calling Richard or Roy for advice the big difference is they'll answer for certain when they hear it's Mixu on the other line.

"Let's get it straight, I know from my time in Scotland no one can challenge Rangers and Celtic over the season because of their sheer size.

"However, if he's given time I believe Mixu can make Hibs one of the pack fighting for third place and European football alongside the likes of Aberdeen, Dundee United and Motherwell.

"I've spoken to him this week and he's up for the challenge."

Paatelainen inherited a pretty dispirited squad with only one win under their belt in 12 games before he arrived last week and immediately inspired them to a 3-0 win against Inverness in the Scottish Cup.

Niemi admits his pal is a hard taskmaster but will never lose sight of the need for players to relax off the park if they are to give their best on it.

He added: "Training must be pretty serious but Mixu is not so long retired from playing that he has forgotten the importance of also having fun.

"After games with the national team, if we were sitting around the hotel bored, Mixu was always the man who made sure everyone came downstairs and enjoyed a glass of wine together if the time was right. You never argued with him."

No Edinburgh derby can be previewed without asking Niemi's recollections of the time Paatelainen stuck three past him in a 6-2 win for Hibs at Easter Road in October 2000.

Not surprisingly, his memory of events from that fateful day for the Jambos is still hazy.

He added: "I'm sorry but I only remember our 5-1 victory over Hibs almost two years later. That 6-2 game was obviously horrible but I got my own back in that last Edinburgh derby I played."

Taken from the Daily Record