I thought Rod Petrie was going to sack me at Hibs but he just laughed and fined me instead - Tam McManus

Our man pays tribute to the former Hibs chief who sadly passed away at the age of 69 earlier this week

I had been hauled into Rod Petrie’s office for the second Monday in a row.

I genuinely thought my Hibs career was over. I remember him just sitting down and just staring at me.

I thought I am going to get binned here, he’s going to sack me! Rod then just started laughing and said: “I’m fining you a week’s wages.

“Don’t worry I’ll take it out of next month’s wages because I don’t want you struggling for the rest of the month.”

I had just scored for Hibs at Tannadice and I had done my infamous pole dance celebration behind the goal.

Everyone knows the story. The week before, several of the Hibs squad, including yours truly, had been on a night out and had ended up in a pole dancing establishment.

It ended up splattered over the news pages of the Sunday Mail. I had become the fall guy with the: “No touching, Thomas” quote.

So we all got hauled into Rod’s office one-by-one. I was fined and given a stern warning.

I was also told that if anything like that happened again or if I brought the club into dispute again and then I’d be out the door.

Then, obviously, a week later, I scored a penalty at Tannadice and slid down the pole as my celebration.

Rod did have a sense of humour. He understood that it was quite funny, to be fair.

So as I left his office for the second time, with another wage packet slightly lighter, he said: “Thomas, please do me a favour and stay in this weekend.”

Don’t get me wrong. it wasn’t the first time I’d been in his office and it wouldn’t be the last.

In fairness, Rod fined me for several misdemeanours throughout the years but nothing ever came of it.

There was other stuff where he’d just come in and say, listen, just give it a rest!

I probably signed about 15 years worth of contracts under Rod at Hibs.

In fairness, he also tried to claw a lot back in wages. To be fair to him, he did get a few quid back!

He was a really tough negotiator when it came to contracts and bonuses. It was like getting blood out of the stone.

When I left Hibs, I was probably one of the highest. I was only 22 or 23 but because I’d signed so many deals. I was probably one of the highest paid players at the club at that time.

Tony Mowbray came in and I don’t think he fancied me and certainly my wages were also a problem. I had to go upstairs to negotiate a settlement with Rod.

He joked: “All I do is give you money and now you want squared-up to leave!”

I bumped into him a few times after I left Hibs and I always got on well with Rod.

He had a real dry sense of humour.

I’m in a group chat with Alex McLeish, John O’Neil and John ‘Yogi’ Hughes. It was Big Alex on Thursday night who posted the sad news that Rod had passed away. I was really gutted.

Probably, from my first to my last day at Hibs, Rod was there. I know it hadn’t been well a few years ago but I think he got a lot of unwarranted stick at times when he was at Hibs.

It’s a sad day for every Hibs supporter. Rod always had Hibs at heart and he tried to do his best for the club.