Hibs' next manager hunt puts focus on board - and why new boss should be expected to win trophy
Every gaffer since Stubbs has been sacked or left under a cloud - so will next boss be a hit?
Life post-David Gray, Day One. Work has already begun on finding the next Hibs manager, even as supporters nurse their mixed emotions over the departure of club legend who fell foul of the dreaded third-season syndrome.
Some fans already have their favourite candidates. Others confess to only a vague concept of an idea when it comes to specifics.
Many also harbour serious doubts over whether the Easter Road leadership can be trusted to get the next big decision right. That is their prerogative, as supporters concerned about the next step at such a crucial crossroads for their club.
There is certainly plenty for all involved to consider. Let’s break it down.
What Hibs need
Someone who can deliver improvement. Immediately. This is not a learn-on-the-job situation, with Gray’s success over the first two seasons – there can be no debate on that point, surely - having raised the sights for the next man up.
Now, how the new gaffer achieves that upturn in performances and results? That’s where the devilish detail comes into play.
There is certainly a case for looking to import an exciting overseas talent with fresh ideas and an appetite to shake up Scottish football. Especially when that approach has worked so well for other clubs.
Of course, for every Jens Berthel Askou, there is a Wilfried Nancy. Or a Jimmy Thelin.
There is always the option of appointing a top-level training-ground coach who wants to become No. 1 in his own right, ripping up expectations and bringing an elite understanding of the game to the job. Solid logic. But a good coaching CV does not a manager make; Shaun Maloney lasted barely four months.
The argument for hiring someone with SPFL experience is also likely to be given a hearing. Which obviously reduces the list of potential candidates.
Hibs will not be short of interested applicants. Because this is a belting gig for the right man. Well paid, well resourced, a large and vocal support … and you get to live in or around Edinburgh. Never underestimate the lure of the capital.
You could make a convincing case for Neil Lennon, Marvin Bartley, John McGlynn or any number of ‘outsider’ candidates less familiar to a Scottish audience. And still get it wrong. Football, eh?
Over to the board, then …
The last Hibs manager not to be sacked/leave under a cloud was … Alan Stubbs. Just over a decade ago, then.
That’s just Scottish football, to be fair. Nobody sticks around for very long. And, since Stubbs, the seven men to have filled the role at Hibs have put together an average professional ‘life expectancy’ of around 16 months.
Since the Gordon family took ownership of the club in 2019, they’ve arguably only made one really good call – the appointment of Gray in 2024. And he was in the building, right under their noses.
After the too-hasty decision to get rid of Jack Ross, the next three men up before Gray – Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and Nick Montgomery – managed to last four months, 15 months and six months respectively. Gray brought stability, lasting longer than every one of his predecessors under the current club ownership.
As executive chairman, Ian Gordon has done a lot of great things for Hibs. And he gets the credit for appointing Gray in the first place – then sticking with him during that horrendous start to his time as manager.
But football is an unforgiving business. Not just for managers, but for those charged with appointing gaffers. Being the guy who signs the cheques and bankrolls the whole operation doesn’t remove the pressure on Gordon to get this huge call right.
Targets for the new man
Win a trophy. That’s a fairly simple and straightforward objective to begin with.
Hibs are two games from lifting silverware. The fact that those two games are a semi-final against Hearts and, if successful, a final against either Rangers or Aberdeen shouldn’t be considered an insurmountable obstacle.
Gray raised the bar by qualifying for European football in consecutive seasons, something Hibs hadn’t done in FIFTY years. He made a regular habit of beating the Old Firm, becoming the first Hibs gaffer in history to bag Ibrox wins in three straight seasons.
And, in his penultimate game at the helm, he delivered a return to Hampden by steering Hibs into the last four of the Premier Sports Cup. Teeing it up rather nicely for the new man, who will be expected to beat Hearts at the national stadium – and finish no lower than fourth in the table.
Are these players good enough to achieve success?
The new gaffer will find that he’s got at least a couple of gems in this squad, with Owen Elding and Josh Mulligan proof that the recruitment department at East Mains is capable of unearthing genuine talent. The return from injury of players like Nicky Cadden and Jordan Obita, along with the eventual availability of new signing Marko Ivezic, should also help.
But there are holes in this squad. Which is remarkable, for a club who made eight first-team signings in the summer.
If and when Jamie McGrath recovers from his latest niggle, and assuming he stays fit long enough to impact on the new man’s chances, there is a ready-made midfield trio there. Partner the Irishman with Mulligan and Miguel Chaiwa, in any combination, and you can’t go far wrong.
At the top end of the park, where games and trophies are so often won, Hibs have issues. They just lack a natural goal scorer able to put away all of those delicious chances still being created, even by a team in crisis.
Elding is a stand-out but sees himself as a No. 10. Nathan Lowe is, if you’ll pardon the pun, low on confidence. Martin Boyle has been up and down, while neither Thibault Klidje nor Ante Suto have convinced as starters.
The new man coming in after the transfer window has closed obviously changes the job description, at least initially. Finding someone who can get a tune out of this team is the first priority.