Jack Ross tells Hibs players it won't just be matches that will form opinions

Jack Ross knows just how important training is at Hibs. Pic: SNS

New Hibs boss Jack Ross has warned his players his eyes will be on them every minute of the day as he assesses the squad he inherited from Paul Heckingbottom before the January transfer window opens.

The Easter Road outfit will play nine matches between now and then – starting with today’s home game against Motherwell – giving Ross plenty of time to decide what changes, if any, he feels he needs to make for the second half of the season.

However, as hectic as that schedule might be, Ross insisted it will also give plenty of opportunities to impress.

But, he revealed, his judgments won’t be based purely on what he sees on matchdays, saying: “There will bea high number of games in a relatively short period, so you would expect to use more players than if you were playing Saturday to Saturday.

“The judgment will be made in games, but there will be others who find game-time limited, for whatever reason, and judgments will be made in training as well.

“Most manager have their own ways and their own type of players they enjoy working with and that period between now and the end of the year will give me time to figure out the players who buy into it and who can handle it. From what I have seen so far, it has been all positive in that respect.”

Although Hibs have amassed just 12 point so far, Ross believes they could easily have been in a far more comfortable position, one he hopes they can enjoy in a short space of time.

Far from being a stranger to taking over at clubs with problems to address, the former Alloa, St Mirren and Sunderland manager said: “It has been every single time as a manager.

“I suppose that gives you faith that you can generate some positivity and the very crude way of doing that is to win games. There is no better solution and nothing makes people feel better than winning.

“All the bits that lead you to winning happens here (at East Mains) on a daily basis, but purely and simply the thing we have to do is win games as soon as possible.”

Under Heckingbottom Hibs developed a worrying trait of surrendering losing positions, guilty of conceding late goals in the process, something Ross is well aware of having crammed a lot of video footage into a short space of time since becoming a contender to succeed the Yorkshireman.

He said: “I have tried to come in here with no preconceived ideas, really clear-headed and determined to judge everyone as I find them.

“The one thing here is a really good group in terms of the personality dynamics. It’s not like you are coming into a group that is unhappy or problematic in any way. That’s my initial impression.

“I don’t think this is a squad that’s been a million miles off having more points on the board. There are things we can improve on and maybe there is that pattern of losing those late goals. There can be reasons for that, it’s just about understanding.

“We have looked at a lot of information and stats. It’s just about building up a picture. You don’t really understand a squad until you are right in amongst them but genuinely there are a lot of really positive things going at this club. I’ve not just been parachuted into a situation that is negative.”