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According to his mum on the radio this am. "His dad played for Hibernian and the whole family are big Hibs fans."

 

Good luck to the young man - we all have our troubles in life.

 

I only mention this because he was touted as either a bear or a jambo. I always thought he was hertz because he talks posh like Gorgie folk, 'ken?

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Hibs-daft Andy Murray reveals he could have been Rangers ace

 

HIBS-DAFT Andy Murray has revealed how he could have been starring for Rangers had he not taken the tennis world by storm.

 

Britain's No.1, widely tipped to win a Grand Slam event in the near future, has become instantly recognisable all over the globe, with the highlight of his career so far reaching the final of the US Open last year, only to be beaten by Roger Federer.

 

Today, however, the 21-year-old disclosed for the first time how he could have been making a name for himself alongside the likes of Barry Ferguson, Kris Boyd and Pedro Mendes.

 

Like his older brother Jamie, Andy has always been an avid Hibs fan thanks to their grandfather Roy Erskine, who played for the Easter Road club in the 1950s. But while Jamie, pictured below right, admitted there was no future for him in that sport despite his love of the game, Andy could have been pulling on a light blue shirt had it not been for tennis.

 

Currently playing in the Barclays Dubai Championships, the Dunblane youngster said: "I played for Gairdoch, which was a feeder club for Rangers. I was asked to do some training with Rangers but by then I was pretty committed towards my tennis – and I think I might have made the right decision."

 

Despite his brush with the Ibrox club, both Murray brothers have followed Hibs since the age of seven, with everyone on mum Judy's side of the family staunch fans of the Easter Road outfit.

 

Jamie said: "When we went to watch Hibs my favourite player was Michael O'Neill, but the guy we both loved to watch had to be Russell Latapy, a magical player and a real entertainer.

 

"Andy's favourite player, though, was another tricky wee midfielder, Mickey Weir.

 

"We went to most home games when we were seven or eight and quite a few of the away games where they were close enough to home. I can remember our dad taking me to Ibrox and I started crying because it was too loud – but in my defence I was only eight at the time."

 

Links between Hibs and the Murrays were strengthened after Andy burst onto the scene at Wimbledon in 2005 to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in Scotland, the award presented to him by then Easter Road boss Tony Mowbray.

 

Andy said: "It was really cool receiving the award from the Hibs manager and I was given a couple of signed shirts by the club at the same time.

 

"We gave Tony tickets to Wimbledon a couple of years ago and he came along with his wife – he's a really, really nice guy and was a great manager for Hibs."

 

The Murrays' busy tennis schedule, which sees them live a jet-set life, does, of course, strictly limit their chances of watching their footballing heroes in action, preparing, travelling and playing in tournaments all round the world, leaving very little time to relax.

 

But they do try to keep in touch via the internet, Andy revealing: "I tried to watch the derbies against Hearts online. The connection I had wasn't the best, but it was good to be able to see the game although, obviously, I'd have liked a better outcome."

 

As such, the brothers are only too well aware of the problems currently afflicting Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen and his players, sharing the concerns of the majority of supporters who've watched the Easter Road side slide into the bottom half of the SPL table.

 

Jamie, who became the first British male winner of a Wimbledon title since Jeremy Bates in 1987 when he took the mixed-doubles title alongside Jelena Jankovic in 2007, said: "I'm so negative watching Hibs because every time the opposition gets into our half I'm automatically thinking 'goal', and that's not a good thing. That's football, though, and things will change, hopefully soon."

 

Despite their hectic schedule, football is never far from the brothers' thoughts with, they revealed, the world's top tennis players just as avid supporters of their teams as they are of Hibs, the close connections between the sports allowing them to rub shoulders with some of the game's best-known players.

 

Andy said: "Rafael Nadal is a huge Real Madrid supporter which seems a bit strange when you consider his uncle (Angel Miguel Nadal] was something of a legend at Barcelona.

 

"Most of the Spanish guys seem to support Real, though. The president came to watch Nadal at the Wimbledon final last year and a lot of the players came to watch him at the Madrid Masters event in October. Jamie got to meet Raul a couple of years ago while my mum and I met David Beckham. As for Federer, I think he supports his local team, Basle."

 

While their tennis careers obviously take precedent, Jamie revealed the brothers enjoy nothing more than a kick-about when time permits. He said: "I love to play football and even now we will get involved in five-a-side matches at our training centre, at least when we can get enough bodies. But, if I'm honest, there was never a career in it for me."

 

It's tennis, though, which naturally preoccupies the brothers who have put the British game firmly on the world map with Andy ranked world No.4 and recovering from the dis-appointment of losing to Fernando Verdasco in the Australian Open despite starting as the favourites for the title.

 

Andy in particular is firmly in the spotlight, with constant speculation as to when, rather than if, he will win a major, something Jamie believes he has simply taken in his stride.

 

Admitting there's more pressure on his brother's shoulders, he said: "I think it is something the media will always big up, a lot of people finally believe that in Andy we have a player who is capable of really winning the Majors, who has beaten all the top players in the last six or seven months and has won some big tournaments in doing so.

 

"It is normal that the Press have increased the spotlight on him but I think Andy does not mind that at all – he puts pressure on himself to perform well and do his best and that is what really counts."

 

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/hibs-daft-andy-murray-reveals-he-could-have-been-rangers-ace-1-1193476

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Was on the radio yesterday that he was on his way to Ibrox but told his dad to turn the car around as he wanted to concentrate on Tennis.

 

Have seen him do some silky skills with the tennis ball so obviously had a bit of talent.

 

TBH id rather have him at centre half than McCulloch next season :D

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