Michael Weir: Jack Ross has shown strong leadership to get Hibs back on track

Hibs manager Jack Ross relays instructions to his players during the 2-0 win over Aberdeen at Easter Road on Saturday. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

It was a game they needed to win and the players went about it in the right fashion. They played with a real desire and hunger to win, and that's all you can ask.

Aberdeen are going through a wee bad spell so Hibs maybe got them at a good time, but they certainly took advantage of it.

With a wee bit more composure the game would have been over at half-time, but it was a really good result and a good response by the players.

It showed that, if he can keep everyone fit, then Jack Ross has got a really decent side in the making, one capable of beating most sides in the league.

He's had a few setbacks – the two semi-final defeats were hard hits – but the most important thing is the manager has always reacted to a bad result by making positive moves to change it. I like to see that in a manager.

He's spotted that something is not working, and he's done something about it. I just hope this time Hibs can push on from these changes.

He's brought new players to the club such as Jackson Irvine and Chris Cadden who have made a positive impact, and Jamie Murphy is also making a difference now that he's looking fitter. The formation is flexible and one he could tweak at any time which is always good.

But the manager has also been brave to make changes in terms of the players that he's left out. He's grabbed the bull by the horns and said, ‘if you don't want to be at the club and if you're not performing you won't be in the team’. That's good, strong leadership. It shows he's prepared to make difficult decisions.

Saturday was the first time they’ve really shown what they are about in a match of that nature, so it's still work in progress. He's still searching for the right personnel to deal with these big games on a more regular basis. I think he may well have fallen upon it. Hopefully that's put that to bed and he can go on and build a side that can deal with these type of games on a consistent basis going forward.

Darren McGregor been a big plus for him. His leadership and experience has helped. The manager will be happy with what he's seeing at the moment and the players who are out the team have got to show they are willing to get back in the team. There are going to be situations with injuries and suspensions – it's part of the game. He's going to need the full squad so those players just have to be ready for when they are needed to be used.

But at the moment, I don't see much need to change it. The players who have stepped up and won the last three games deserve to stay in the team. You can do no more as a player than go in and perform. Any player who is out the team then just has to be ready for their chance and take it when it comes along.

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