My Sporting Hero: Lewis Stevenson on John McGinn
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nutmegfc.co.ukWelcome to a new episode of the My Sporting Hero podcast, part of Nutmeg FC. The home of brilliant football stories – made in Scotland.So far this month, Nutmeg FC subscribers have enjoyed....* Nick Harris’ brilliant analysis of the possible American takeover of Rangers* An exclusive column from our tactics guy Adam Clery about Ryan Christie at Bournemouth* The Motherwell v St Mirren Slow Match Report from the brilliant Daniel GrayOnly paid subscribers to Nutmeg FC get every piece we produce straight to their inbox.This time on My Sporting Hero, our guest is Lewis Stevenson.A product of Hibernian FC’s youth academy, Lewis, doubling as a left-back and a midfielder, made more league appearances for the club than any other player. He is the only Hibs player to have won both the League Cup and – in that famous 2016 final victory over Rangers – Scottish Cup. He was man of the match in the 2007 League Cup final demolition of Kilmarnock.Now in the twilight of his playing career, Kirkcaldy-born Lewis plays for Championship side Raith Rovers.Lewis played alongside numerous talents during his time at Easter Road, and he chose as his sporting hero ex-teammate and Scotland and Aston Villa midfield superman John McGinn.It was the evolution of John that impressed me. I remember watching him playing for St Mirren in a game against Celtic. John had a skinhead and he was giving Victor Wanyama, who was the top player in the league at the time, a really hard time. I thought to myself, “Who is that guy?” I always took a shine to the way John played and when he came to Hibs, I couldn’t believe how good he was.However, what was most important for me was what a great guy he was. He wears his heart on his sleeve, but off the pitch he would do anything for you. Some people never get to meet the heroes, but I’ve been lucky in that I’ve got to meet John McGinn. Sometimes you see these sporting heroes, and they’re almost like film stars, so it’s hard to relate to them. But that’s not the case with John. Any youngster could look up to him.He’s got a great family behind him and I think that’s been part of his success. His mum and dad were really supportive. I played with John’s older brother Stephen, and I knew of the other brother Paul, and I think the rivalry he had with his brothers pushed him on. I speak highly of John, but I can speak equally as highly of his family. People see him running about on the football pitch but they don’t realise the hard work and the support he’s had behind the scenes. I remember a game against St Mirren, and Stephen had John in his back pocket that night! Neil Lennon said to him, “Super John McGinn? You’re not even the best player in your own ******* house!”I always thought John was a really good player, but the way his career went compared to other boys in the Hibs team is testament to him. He’s probably had some sticky moments in his career but he’s come through the other side with flying colours. Even in training, John wanted to be in the winning team. We used to play young versus old, and John was in the young team at the time and the old boys had their number and you could tell how much it hurt him. If the old boys won the game, they would let you know about it, and John played those games like it was a World Cup final. I think watching him now, that’s the attitude he’s kept. He’s playing with some of the best players in the world, he’s playing against some of the best players in the world, and he gives his best and he holds his own.Maybe scouts looking at him thought his play didn’t look natural, so maybe that’s why it took him a wee bit longer to get that move. But what an amazing bit of business it was for Aston Villa to sign him. He’ll be an absolute legend there. He went there when they were in the Championship, and was an integral part of getting them up. He’s kicked on, and he’s got the captaincy. He’s played Europa League and now Champions League; it’s unbelievable. For me to sit on a Saturday night and watch a guy on Match of the Day who I played with – there’s nobody rooting for him more than me and my family.At Hibs, I could give him the ball from left-back in our own third and he would shuffle past people, switch the ball, and be on the end of a cross – he could do absolutely everything. It was a good Hibs team back then, with players like Dylan McGeouch, Fraser Fyvie and Scott Allan, but it’s just the way John’s been able to kick on. There are a lot of people who go and do well, and you think “that’s brilliant”, but you’re proper rooting for John. With the national team and everything, everyone gets behind him, and wants him to do well. It helps that he’s such a supportive guy. Sometimes you think, “Oh, he must have forgotten about me by now” and then he’ll pop up with a message asking how I’m getting on. After Hibs played at Aston Villa he came to our hotel and had a coffee with us, and he gave my son a signed top; it’s little touches like that which mean a lot to people.No matter what he does at Aston Villa, I think it will be hard to get close to the feeling of winning the Scottish Cup with Hibs. We had a great camaraderie, and with the various nationalities at Aston Villa, the changing room will be different to what he was used to up here. And when things aren’t going well, he’s the kind of guy that can give you a lift. It doesn’t look like he’s changed a bit. When people try and change and be somebody they are not, people can see right through it. So, you’re best to be your own person and for him it’s working perfectly.We needed somebody to step up for Scotland, and it was John. Even when the team’s not doing well, he shoulders that burden. There’s been so many Scotland games where he’s popped up with a goal. You hear things like, “Oh, maybe this is the end of John McGinn at Aston Villa,” and then he steps up a few weeks later and he’s the main man again, and he’s played in loads of different positions at Villa. He’s had to adapt his game. He’s probably not as physical as he once was; he’s probably more tactical now.I always remember he would be the one who could settle a game in those crazy moments. As a full-back, I’d love the way he could just do something to get us out of trouble. He has an unbelievable talent, and I think he doesn’t get the praise he deserves for his actual ability because he can do a lot of things with a football, and he had one of the highest top speeds at Hibs. It’s just pure power and you wouldn’t want to get in the way when he’s running. He could still play for another four or five years at the top level and I hope I’ll be sitting watching him on TV after I’ve hung up my boots.He does not look out of place in the Premier League one bit. He’ll take things in from coaches and he’ll learn things. He studies the game and knows everything about every league in Britain, and about opposition teams. He’ll know inside out what they’re going to do and what their weaknesses might be.He comes across as this jovial figure, but he’s got that steely determination that all the best players in the world have. When we played against Rangers and Celtic, John thought we could go toe-to-toe with them. He might not have been the captain, but he was the driving force that made us believe that. Being mentally strong is probably even more important than being physically strong at his level.Nutmeg FC | Substack
