Next Hibs manager: Fear of a Terry Butcher repeat contributed to Shaun Maloney decision, says Ron Gordon

Ron Gordon has admitted that a creeping fear of another Terry Butcher-style situation unfolding at Hibs played a part in the decision to sack Shaun Maloney after just four months.

The 39-year-old was relieved of his duties on Tuesday morning with Hibs having won just one league game in 13 since the turn of the year.

Hibs are now searching for a permanent successor to Maloney but are unlikely to make an appointment before the end of the current campaign.

First-team coach David Gray will resume his caretaker-manager duties until the end of the season, assisted by Eddie May and goalkeeping coach Jon Busch.

Executive chairman Gordon spoke to the media on Wednesday to elaborate on the decision to sack Maloney and admitted that the possibility of Hibs finding themselves in a similar situation to 2014 – when, under Butcher’s leadership, the team was demoted to the Scottish Championship after losing the relegation play-off against Hamilton – had played a part in the decision to go in a different managerial direction.

Gordon said: "That's always a fear, right? Yes. We don't visualise it that way, but it's always a possibility.

"I don't anticipate us being there but the board thought it was a good time to make the change and position us differently for the next five games, which are important.

"Those are critical games, so we need to perform – somebody brought up the Terry Butcher situation from before my time. We were looking to win one game to avoid relegation and didn't get around to doing that.

Ron Gordon, inset, has admitted that fear of a repeat of the Terry Butcher situation contributed to the decision to sack Shaun Maloney

"It's a very competitive league this year. In the middle, anybody can win any game, which to some degree is exciting for the game in general. Every game is meaningful and competitive.”

Meanwhile, the US-based supremo has admitted he is learning all the time as he attempts to steer the Capital club through a rocky period following the decision to part company with the former Belgium No.2.

Gordon is currently stateside but keeping a close eye on events in the Capital as he deals with the fallout from sacking a second manager in just over four months.

“There are some lessons to be learned, to be honest with you, big lessons,” he said.

“I know it has been a couple of years that I have been here, and I am learning as well. I want to be a really, really good chairman and steward for the club.

“Looking for a manager in December is not the best time of the year to be looking.

“When we committed to Shaun we were all-in, because we truly believed this was going to be an exciting development.

“Perhaps with hindsight we could have given ourselves a little more time; a broader scope to look a little more deeply would have been a good thing.

“That’s one of the reasons we made the decision to make the change – it gives us a substantial window to explore possibilities in terms of a new appointment and to vet the candidates.”