Michael Weir: Football projects take time and Jack Ross deserves credit for turning Hibs around

Since Jack Ross arrived at Hibs he’s tried to change things, he’s brought his own players in, and he’s built two or three different teams.

Jack Ross deserves credit for turning things around at Hibs

He shakes it up when things aren’t working and he’s always found a solution to get the team up and running again.

It is not easy, especially given the situation football is in at the moment in terms of bringing players in from abroad, and the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t hepled.

But all things considered, Hibs are on track for Europe and it would be unrealistic to expect Ross to do much more than that.

There have certainly been disappointments along the way – the two cup semi-finals at Hampden, for instance – but that happens at any club.

It is vital to get the right personnel in to the club and certainly from when he walked into the club to where Hibs are now, I think the team is much better prepared, and much better equipped to deal with the challenges that are in front of them.

He deserves credit for the way he has turned it round and got the club going again but it’s important to remember that when you’re trying to build things you’re always going to get disappointments along the way.

Everybody wants immediate success but sometimes it needs to be short-term pain for long-term gain. I’ve always felt any football club should be built like that; you don’t get anywhere by sacking managers every 18 months or two years, they need to be given time to build the club they want to build.

Hibs are definitely on the right road – I think there will be more challenges ahead and potentially more disappointment but getting into Europe is always one of the primary targets and it would be a great success for the club given the season they’ve had.

I still think there’s a lot to come from Hibs but I’ve always viewed it as a two or three-year plan. It’s important to have stability and give someone the chance to do that, and Jack Ross deserves that chance, whether it takes three years or even longer, so there’s stability rather than just a short fix.

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