Shaun Maloney reveals two big things he must do for Hibs to hit ground running next season

Shaun Maloney insists he knows exactly what is required to ensure Hibs hit the ground running next season.

It will take two things. Sound recruitment is the obvious one. So, a change of players. A change of “culture” is the other.

Fans have described it as ‘lack of effort’. Maloney himself describes it as “desire and intensity”. He reckons his players showed that against Hearts at Hampden on Saturday but recognises that there hasn’t been enough of it in other games.

“We have to bring the same performance level and intensity into every single game,” he said. “That has to be the culture that we set and are trying to set.

Hibs manager Shaun Maloney wants the same level of "desire and intensity" his team showed against Hearts at Hampden to be evident in every game

“Part of the problem this season is that not every performance level and desire and intensity has been at this level. So no matter what team we play in the next five games and next season, we have to bring the same level of performance. If we do and we add the right level of player, we will be a lot stronger next season.”

He says he has known since very early in his tenure that he needs better quality players in “certain areas”. For “certain areas”, read forwards.

The January sale of Martin Boyle and long-term injuries to Christian Doidge and Kevin Nisbet, depriving Hibs of the potent front three they had last season, would be difficult for any club to cope with.

The Hibs fans at Hampden on Saturday are expecting better

Of those still fit and available going into the last five games, wing back Chris Cadden, is top scorer with three goals. Creating and scoring goals is a problem.

Maloney’s decision on Saturday to put Ewan Henderson in a No10 role and start James Scott for the first time since September wasn’t just a tactical ploy to add physicality at the top end of the pitch. It was an acknowledgement that other combinations haven’t worked.

The Boyle transfer money is there to bring in replacements good enough to go straight into the team and score goals. But there is no margin for error.

“We’ve worked extremely hard, literally from the 1st of February, so that, come the summer, we look a very different team in certain areas,” Maloney explained. “Look, it was a big move for the player [Boyle] and we had to let him go in January, but obviously that brings finances and we have to use that wisely.

“Every penny we have is money from our support really, so you have to treat it with utmost respect. We have to get it right. We have to use the money wisely this summer and we need to be a lot different at the start of next season.”

He added: “I think the last three or four months, there has been signs of progress. There have been moments where it feels like that progress has stalled.

“I’ve known for quite a while the areas that we need to be better in to give us an opportunity to fight for top six, top four, Europe. I’ve known that from early on and worked extremely hard with the players we have – young players. But we all have to make sure that come this summer and pre-season, we are a lot stronger in certain areas, so that when we have performances like this [against Hearts at Hampden] we take advantage.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.