Former Reading boss McDermott appointed Hibernian Director of Football
McDermott will oversee football operations at Hibs
Written by Training Ground Guru — May 4, 2023
FORMER Reading and Leeds United manager Brian McDermott has been appointed Director of Football at Hibernian.
The 62-year-old made more than 300 appearances as a player and managed almost 500 games, including leading Reading to promotion to the Premier League.
He also has extensive experience in scouting and recruitment, having been Arsenal’s International Senior Scout for five years and Chief Scout at Reading for three years.
McDermott has also been a strong advocate on mental health in recent years. Hibs said McDermott had been appointed following “an extensive recruitment process” and would “have a strong focus across the recruitment of players and football operations such as scouting, analysis, sports science, and medicine.”
He will work closely with first-team manager Lee Johnson and Academy Manager Steve Kean.
Chief Executive Ben Kensell said: “We are delighted with the appointment of Brian McDermott after a long and extensive process. We are conscious that this appointment has taken some time, which is partly due to the sad passing of our late Chairman Ronald J Gordon, but we also wanted to make sure that we had the right steps in place and a thorough process, to make sure we’ve got the right person in the door.
“Brian joins us with substantial experience in the game and has worked across numerous different roles across a football club on the sporting side, which sets him up perfectly for this role. We also wanted someone that has a strong recruitment bias, and he has that in abundance having scouted across the world for some high-level clubs.
“Brian’s background, contacts, and experience will be vital as we continue to move the club forwards.”
McDermott added: “I’m delighted to join such a great, community-orientated club like Hibernian FC. I scouted Hibs games many times in the past and have always been taken by the fantastic atmosphere at Easter Road.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity. Having met the Chairman, the Board of Directors, Executives, Lee Johnson, all the staff, and understanding more around the culture of the football club and the objectives, I’m really excited about the challenge.”
