Hibs board urged to minimise risk in manager search as pundit would be 'astonished' if club icon is overlooked
Former midfielder puts forward a name as hunt for David Gray’s successor gets underway
Hibs sporting director Malky MacKay has been urged to take the ‘less risky’ approach to finding a new gaffer by pundit Michael Stewart - who thinks Neil Lennon would be a safe pair of hands.
The Easter Road board are tasked with finding David Gray’s replacement after his two-year stint as manager came to an end last week. Despite his dismissal, Stewart believes the Hibs legend helped bring stability to the club and therefore, MacKay and co don’t have to be thinking too far outside the box to find his successor.
Lennon remains a popular figure in Leith after helping Hibs return to the top flight during his two-and-a-half year spell as gaffer. Now at Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic, the club icon is among the bookies favourites for a Hibees return. Other Scottish-based candidates include Stenhousemuir boss Marvin Bartley and St Johnstone gaffer Simo Valakari.
Why has Stewart urged MacKay to go for a ‘less risky’ option?
The success of former Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou has driven an incentive for other Scottish clubs to find a hidden gem of their own since his Fir Park revolution. However, Stewart doesn’t think that is necessary at Hibs. Speaking on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club podcast, he explained: “David Gray brought a stability to Hibs. Clearly over the last couple of months, it was drifting in the wrong direction - but there's now no guarantee things are going to work out.
“Hibs and Malky McKay have got such a huge decision to make here. Somebody's got to come in and get a grip of this squad and just calm things down. Sometimes, when looking for a manager, it feels like you're in a position where you want to throw the dice and take a bit more of a gamble - and there's other times you feel like you have to be a wee bit more conservative in your appointment. To me, this feels like one of those moments, because I think the club is still in a good place overall. If they were to get somebody in who is perhaps a bit less risky, then I think they could potentially reap the rewards of that.”
Lennon suggested as safe pair of hands
While Stewart accepts Lennon is currently fully invested on matters at East End Park, he reckons he would be a more than capable candidate to take the reins at Easter Road. He continued: “Obviously, there’s Neil Lennon. I'm loathed to suggest him because I'd love to see him help Dunfermline get back into the top flight. I think they're a really ambitious club.
“But I'd be astonished if Hibs weren't thinking about him, personally. But then you've got, the dynamic between Malky MacKay and Neil Lennon - two strong characters, two leaders. How would that dynamic work? I would be astonished if he's not in the thinking of the club.”
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