IT MAY WELL BE SHAUN’S SHOW
man Ron Gordon reckons can spark the faltering side back to life with an exciting brand of football after a woeful Premiership run which cost Jack Ross his job last week.
David Gray remained in caretaker charge for last night’s 1-0 win over Dundee but Hibs are hopeful of concluding a deal with Maloney before the end of the week.
That means he could take the dugout at Hampden – although he may decide to take a back seat and allow Gray to continue in charge for one more game.
The 38-year-old’s close friend and ex-Parkhead colleague Gary Caldwell has been identified as the man he wants to assist him in Leith. Caldwell has been working as a loans coach for Manchester City but is understood to be keen on a return to Easter Road where he spent two years as a player before moving to Celtic.
Chief executive Ben Kensell told fans on Tuesday he was hopeful the hunt for Jack Ross’ successor was “coming to a conclusion” after identifying a preferred candidate.
Talks are set to resume in the next 24 hours over the finer details and if Maloney agrees to take the reins it will be a huge coup for Hibs.
Kensell updated fans ahead of kick-off last night to say the club were following a clear vision to appoint a manager with an “attacking mentality”.
Neil Lennon, Derek McInnes and Alex Neil were earlier ruled out of the running while Record Sport revealed last week that interim boss David Gray would not be throwing his hat in the ring for the job and academy director Steve Kean was not a contender.
Kensell said: “We are undergoing an incredibly thorough and strategic approach as we recruit a new manager. As a club you must continuously plan for the future and have a clear plan in place for every eventuality due to the fast-moving and ever-changing nature of the sport. This has allowed us to stay in control of this rigorous process.
“We have a clear vision for the football club. We want to acquire a manager who has an attacking mentality and is progressive and hungry for the opportunity to build something special here at a big club in Hibs.
“Our process has been robust and there is clarity and a support plan for the manager we select that will help us achieve our long-term ambitions.
“We are coming to a conclusion and we will update supporters in the near future.”
Meanwhile, Gray piled praise on his players and said they’d laid the foundation for the new man coming in with last night’s win over Dundee.
He said: “I think it was fully deserved which is pleasing. A new manager will be quick to find out they are a great bunch of boys. I have worked with them and played with them and the effort and togetherness within the group is there for everyone to see and a new manager will inherit that.
“I would like to thank the players for their effort and how they have been every single day because it wasn’t a situation for everyone.
“It is too soon to tell how serious Chris Cadden and Kevin Nisbet’s knocks are. I am hoping it is more fatigue because they have both put in a lot of games. The good news is they walked off the pitch which is pleasing.”