Billy Brown is well aware that he is in for some stick on Monday when he takes his seat in the home dug-out at Easter Road when Hearts are the visitors. Brown is closely associated with the Tynecastle club after working in Gorgie as assistant to Jim Jefferies before he crossed the city to work with Colin Calderwood after being sacked by the Tynecastle club in August. Brown is now number two to Pat Fenlon and knows the visiting support will have a few things to say regarding his his presence in the Hibs dugout.
He said: "I do expect a reaction. I hope it is a good one. Obviously I am going to get stick from certain quarters. But I worked tirelessly at Hearts during both periods and I am working tirelessly at Hibs, so I just hope that whatever stick I get is humorous. The atmosphere has changed since I was a wee lad, though. Hearts and Hibs supporters used to stand together and watch games, it doesn't happen now. There has been a division and the rivalry is tinged with a wee bit more bitterness for some reason or other." Ironically, Brown's last defeat in a derby game was one of Hibs' greatest wins over their city rivals. In October 2000, Hibs thrashed Hearts 6-2 at Easter Road, a month before Jefferies and Brown moved to take over at then Premier League club Bradford City. Brown said: "I haven't lost a derby in 11 years - mind you I was away for eight of them. The 6-2 defeat by Hibs was the last derby Jim and I took part in. That was particularly sore because it was a big score but winning derbies is great because you realise you have pleased a lot of people." Brown knows most of the players at the cash-strapped Gorgie club who are still chasing wages for December after November's money was paid late. He takes no pleasure at seeing how his former charges have been treated. He said: "I am sad about that. I don't like that. I had a great time at Hearts and there are a lot of good people there. Maybe people want me to say it was a terrible place but it wasn't, it was a good place to work. So the position the club are in at the moment doesn't make me happy at all. I don't know if I'm glad to be away - it wasn't my decision to leave - but I do know that I'm at a big club here and having been involved with the two clubs, it is a great privilege. But I'm now at an equally big club and I am absolutely delighted to be here and I have a burning ambition to do well ."
Source: FOOTYMAD
