Here we go again… another new manager required for the hot seat at Easter Road. Speculation has already began as to the who’s but let’s face it. We’re a hard to please bunch so getting a unanimous “aye” from everyone is going to be virtually impossible.
Ron Gordon spoke yesterday to assorted media and fan groups and having admitted the Shaun Maloney experiment had failed confirmed he’d be seeking a more experienced Manager this time around.
So far the names being banded around are pretty bland and uninspiring. If you take a look on our fans forums you’ll judge for yourself the wide range of names being wildly thrown into the mix and whilst some, like Hearts supporting Shelley Kerr, are clearly ridiculous others such as former Reading manager Veljko Paunović are intriguing. Between the two spectrums of course are the usual suspects whenever a Scottish club requires a new figurehead.
Derek McInnes, Paul Lambert, James McPake or Steve Kean would all be viewed as underwhelming appointments by a vast majority of supporters. Dave Martindale and Malky Mackay have also been mentioned in dispatches however, whilst both have done well at their current clubs, they carry baggage from indiscretions in the past that wouldn’t be acceptable to large sections of the fan base.
Chairman Gordon will no doubt cast his eyes wide and afar for what he feels is the right man for the club and by installing David Gray as interim boss until the end of the season has bought himself time to undertake full due diligence on any proposed candidate.
Every Hibs fan would love to see that special brand of attacking football, any fan of any club worldwide would, but the first objective is to reunite the support and give us genuine hope for the future. It has to be a long term appointment rather than having us jump on this very same merry go round in another 6 or 7 months time.
Given the disconnect at the present time between Club and supporters it’s a crucial appointment for our American owner and whilst appreciative of his off field improvements he finds himself at a crossroad where he can’t afford to take the wrong turning. It’s imperative the right man is leading the playing side when we’re improving on the corporate one.
The chairman is astute, you don’t become successful in his field if you’re not so he must be prepared to spend a considerable time in Edinburgh when the time arrives to employ the new man. Distrust in underlings such as his son Ian and CEO Ben Kensall is rife amongst the rank and file, Ron should let them do the groundwork and whittle down the applicants but the final decision most definitely should be his and his alone.
