Hibs Q&A: Would McInnes be keen? Black Knights involved in manager search? David Gray chances & much more

The Edinburgh Evening News' Hibs correspondent John Greechan recently answered your questions on Nick Montgomery's dismissal, Malky Mackay's appointment as Sporting Director and what comes next at Easter Road

Edinburgh Evening News’ Hibs correspondent John Greechan answered your burning questions this week following a turbulent week at Easter Road.

There’s been a lot to unpack for Hibs in these recent days and our correspondent John Greechan took the time to answer your questions earlier this week.

After the sacking of Nick Montgomery, the appointment of Malky Mackay as Sporting Director, and the club’s last win at Easter Road before the Scottish Premiership season ends, here is the full roundup of John’s response to your burning questions.

Q: It seems like a season to forget for Hibs in all honesty. What is the main thing you think needs to change in order to see significant progress next season?

A: Right, let's get this started. A season to forget? That's putting it mildly. Moving forward, the first priority obviously - apart from appointing a manager - is culling a squad of 44 players. Some already gone/going. But Hibs need to cut that in half.

Q: Who is your top pick or the names in your shortlist to replace Montgomery?

Personally? I'd give it to Derek McInnes. Don't try to overthink things. Get Del in the door and let him do what he does. As a not-so-secret Raith Rovers fan, I'm hoping Ian Murray doesn't jump ship. But he's actually a very experienced manager by now. I'm not in the position of putting a fiver on anyone yet. Depends on what Bill Foley and his Black Knight group say — and how much influence they have.

Q: What was the mood like at Easter Road [on Wednesday]? Considering what has happened recently and it being the last home game of the season.

A: Oh mate, it was actually brilliant. I felt a bit for Nick Montgomery, who always wanted to be at ER to hear Sunshine on Leith being belted out. It's the best football anthem in the world, bar none. And I think some of the newer players got a glimpse of what Hibs CAN be if they get things right. 

Q: Given the fact that David Gray, (as caretaker manager) has produced more wins than Nick Montgomery, would you like to see Hibs offer him the position? Do Hibs need to make changes to the board members and structure? Is it about time that Hibs signed more players on contract rather than bringing in players on loan?

A: Maybe, yes and yes! On David Gray, he's got a really good reputation in Scottish coaching circles. When it comes to training and drawing up a game plan, he's tops. But that's only, what, 10 per cent of the job? The board has just been changed, with Bill Foley and one of his Black Knight representatives taking up positions. But the influence of Ian Gordon is something of an elephant in the room, when it comes to the football side of things. And, yeah, loan deals are always tricky. You can never be quite sure what you're getting. The problem for Hibs is that they have a lot of unwanted players still under contract. Could be a hectic summer.

Q: Do they have a current timescale to get new management team in as Malky Mackay doesn't start until 1st June? That doesn't leave a lot of time to reshape squad for the new season, putting pressure on the new man already.

A: Yeah, I found that weird. Be honest, Malky is already working away for Hibs, even if the contract doesn't start for a couple of weeks. You make a great point about the time scale — I think pre-season is due to start in less than seven weeks. In an ideal world, you'd have a manager in by Monday and let him get on with the gig immediately. But football is rarely like that.

Q: How much involvement will Bournemouth/Black Knights have in managerial appointment, or is it all Mackay?

A: Best question so far. One I've been trying to get a handle on, myself. Foley's £6 million bought him a 25 per cent stake and two seats on the board. The Gordon family make it very clear, at every turn, that they're still calling the shots. But you'd like to think that, given Foley's success in building stable sporting organisations, directors will listen to what he and his team have to say. Malky taking the lead on the search is interesting. In a way, that's very convenient for the board. If the next appointment goes wrong, they can just blame the sporting director .

Q: Rumours that Élie Youan wants away. Would make sense to sell. Great football ability but mystifies with his decisions. Would make money on him.

A: He's an enigma, eh? Any players uncertain about whether they want to stay may have their minds made up, one way or another, by the ID of the new gaffer. Élie's performances have dropped off a cliff a bit, and now he's injured. A lot of talent. Maybe the new man gets the best out of him?

Q: Does having Malky Mackay as Director of Football effectively rule out guys like McInnes and Robinson? Are we now looking at younger coaches willing to share the responsibility who are happier not having as much control?

A: Fantastic question. If you're even half as old as me, you'll remember when every mention of a Director of Football or Sporting Director had to be prefaced with the description "European-style" because it was considered somehow alien to Scottish football. And you're right in pointing out that McInnes and Robinson seem more like actual gaffers. I'm not going to say old-fashioned or old-school, because that too often sounds like an insult. But they are heavily involved in every aspect of the football department. Bottom line? If a candidate fancies the gig, he'll tolerate a sporting director having the odd opinion - and gently try to direct the 'man upstairs' towards important restructuring work needed in the academy.

Q: Do you think there's any chance McInnes would leave Killie for Hibs just now? They have Europe next season as well.

A: One, I think Hibs would probably like him. That's just me putting things together from various conversations. And I'm no Bletchley Park code breaker, so I could be reading the signs wrong. If we look at the situation logically. McInnes is in a good position. If he just keeps doing what he's doing at Killie, he'll be first choice for the Scotland job whenever Steve Clarke steps aside. The potential downside of failing at Hibs is high for someone like Derek. Why would he risk reputational damage to sort out the mess left behind by a series of short-term predecessors?

Q: How do you feel that Malky Mackay will galvanise the support, bearing in mind his homophobic, anti-semitic, racist and misogynistic opinions?

A: Good question. I think the club's defence on this is pretty simple. Show Racism the Red Card, generally acknowledge to be pretty decent judges on this matter, spoke about Malky when he took the performance director's job at the Scottish FA. It was their view that, as he'd undergone counselling and worked with some anti-racism groups, he'd shown genuine remorse for awful, awful comments. They were disgusting. People can change. But not everybody has to forgive and forget. That's the price he'll always pay.

Q: Do you think the changes with Mackay and McDermott will help Hibs recover some of our footballing identity? There's been a gradual disconnect between fans and club these past couple of years. Performances key of course, but also the merry go round of loan players, lack of genuine chances for youth to progress. And that's before any style of play.

A: Thanks for those. Covering a lot of ground there. I always find it fascinating when clubs talk about their footballing identity. Is it a style of play, a philosophy of promoting youth, a vibe? Totally agree that there's been a disconnect between team and fans. My 15yo son is a season ticket holder, as was my late father, so I get plenty of instant feedback after every game! Part of that is down to things unconnected to football, like keeping the big gates locked until an hour before kick-off, the whole match day experience for anyone not in the corporate seats. Fans can easily feel like they don't matter, especially when the team don't perform. One thing Montgomery did was return the tradition of applauding supporters after ever game. But it'll take more than that to change the mood. 

Q: Has the penny dropped that having unqualified people running football operations doesn't work well? The last three years have been reminiscent of Romanov-era Hearts, but with less money and success.

A: Why, whoever COULD you be talking about? Look, every owner likes to have a say in how things are run. I don't think Hibs have quite reached the Mad Vlad stage — I covered a lot of that insanity at the time - at any point in the last three decades, anyway. But good managers know how to manage up, as well as down. They're well versed in the art of nodding along with suggestions, then doing their own thing. The reality of recruitment is that you never know where the next big signing is coming from. Malky and the new boss could spend six weeks chasing Player A only for it to fall through, then receive a phone call from an agent — or a director — telling them that Player A-plus is suddenly available. But you raise an excellent point. Football folk do NOT like inexperienced outsiders chipping in with expert opinion