By Lewis Wiltshire

Mowbray is new Hibs boss

In the 1980s, with Boro in liquidation and Rioch keeping the club ticking over with a playing staff of 14, Mowbray was his 21-year-old captain.

Their relationship was so strong Rioch once said that, if he ever flew to the moon, he wanted Mowbray as co-pilot.

That comment stuck and the 'Fly me to the Moon' fanzine lives on.

Rioch, a former Scotland captain, watched with interest on Monday as Mowbray broke into management himself at Hibernian.

"It's hard to believe for me that Tony Mowbray is 40 years of age - I knew him as a 21-year-old and my how time flies!" Rioch told BBC Sport.

"But, in choosing Tony as their manager, Hibs have made a wise and fantastic choice."

Rioch enjoyed an amazing adventure with his young crop at Boro - the club was saved from extinction and players like Mowbray, Gary Pallister and Bernie Slaven went on to enjoy successful careers.

He took on the mantle of organising and leading a team whose average age was 19 Bruce Rioch

Now three of them are managers in their own right, with Mowbray joining Alan Kernaghan of Clyde and Brian Laws of Scunthorpe.

But Rioch says it was his young captain from back then who was most likely to get his own club.

"He was just a born and natural leader - very respected by all the players.

"We gave him the captaincy and he took on the mantle of organising and leading a team whose average age was 19."

Rioch spoke of how Mowbray would sit down with players barely younger than himself and advise them on their games and of how, after every home game at Ayresome Park, he left the players' lounge to drive home the veteran kitman, Ken Smith.

During his career, Mowbray played under Rioch at Boro, Liam Brady, Lou Macari and Tommy Burns at Celtic, and George Burley at Ipswich.

He will doubtless incorporate traits of all of those in his managerial style. So what sort of boss will he be?

"He's a calm person, not a rash person," said Rioch.

"He's a good communicator with players and his ability to sit and talk with players, to explain situations to them, will stand him in good stead.

Hibs should get into Europe - they can at least finish third in the table with a bit of success Bruce Rioch

"He's joining Hibs when there's an abundance of talented young players.

"I look at the Scotland Under-21 squad and there's six or seven players in there that come from Hibs, so he's got a good nucleus of young players to work with and they will enjoy working with him."

But in a league where either Celtic or Rangers will start every season knowing they are in a two-horse race for the title, what would represent success for the manager of Hibernian?

Rioch said: "You look at the clubs and really Aberdeen should be doing better, Hearts have done okay, Dundermline under Jimmy Calderwood have done well.

"But Hibs should get into Europe - they can at least finish third in the table with a bit of success and they can win a cup.

"Yes, Celtic and Rangers are dominant up there and should win the league, but this is a great opportunity for Tony to take a football club with a lot of young players and develop it.

"He's an extremely good man and one of my favourites of all time. I heard the interview with the Hibs chairman and he said everyone he spoke to described Tony as a good leader, organiser, coach and a good person.

"That summed him up - but he's even better than that."