LEAVING BEHIND HECK OF A MESS
Wretched recruitment has club facing major rebuild but Hibs board must share the blame
THERE may come a time when the whole Paul Heckingbottom affair is held up in seminars as an example of how not to handle a managerial changeover.
The Yorkshireman’s 264-day Hibernian tenure reached its inevitable conclusion yesterday afternoon. Without a 90-minute win in 13 games, without any evidence that form would change and without having spent wisely during the summer, no one could argue that an injustice had been perpetrated.
His dismissal, however, reflects badly on much more than merely one man’s coaching and leadership abilities. For chief executive Leeann Dempster, 2019 has been a dismal year so far. Rebuilding belief and trust within a disaffected fanbase will not be straightforward.
Certainly, the decision to go for Heckingbottom delivered only disappointment. His signature was placed on a three-and-a-half-year deal after Michael Appleton had walked away from negotiations late in the day, leaving a suspicion the former Barnsley and Leeds United manager wasn’t exactly first choice.
Would Appleton have fared better? That will never be known but it’s tough to imagine how it could have worked out much worse.
Heckingbottom did achieve an early uplift in results. But even that must be placed in some context. It was Hamilton, Dundee, St Johnstone, Motherwell and Livingston who were put to the sword. From the day of victory at Tynecastle on April 6, a descent began that accelerated deeper and deeper into gloom.
There was an obvious irony in the identity of the manager who delivered the coup de grace at Hampden. Neil Lennon’s Celtic were at their slick, swashbuckling best for spells of Saturday evening’s 5-2 hammering of Hibs in the Betfred Cup semi-final.
It was an exhibition of the direct, attacking drive Lennon (right) has demanded since being able to imprint more of his personality on the Parkhead squad.
Of course, the 48-year-old’s own exit from Leith back in January had been bizarre even by the standards of Scottish football’s chaotic carnival.
What’s interesting to recall is that Ron Gordon’s interest in acquiring a majority stake in the club was up and running by then. Sir Tom Farmer revealed they had a first meeting before Christmas last year.
Presumably, Gordon was very much keeping tabs on events at Easter Road prior to his takeover in July. If so, this America-based media mogul would have logged on to his Macbook and discovered that Lennon had ‘not been dismissed’ and had ‘not resigned’. Gordon would likely have rubbed his eyes before re-reading to let the message sink in.
Lennon had been suspended by Dempster five days previously, but the club statement confirmed neither he nor assistant Garry Parker had ‘been guilty of any misconduct or wrongdoing and no disciplinary process has been commenced’.
It was staggering stuff. A rip-roaring mess of a conscious uncoupling.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Gordon had made a mental note. Nor if he has been distinctly unimpressed by much that has followed since. That, however, is all akin to guesswork. Gordon hasn’t made a public address since the day he formally took the crown.
With his reputation untouched, Lennon had barely a month out of work before answering Celtic’s call to replace Brendan Rodgers, initially on an interim basis. The rest for him is history. Or at least the continuing creation of it through trophies.
In truth, there had been a bit of a shrug from Hibs supporters when Lennon initially departed. Form had unquestionably faded after the high of winning promotion and subsequent near-miss from finishing as Premiership runners-up. But there had been a sense of standards and ambition about so much of Lennon’s tenure. As when Alan Stubbs lifted the Scottish Cup in 2016, it seemed like a club striving to move upwards. All that energy has long since dissipated. It feels as though the clock has been turned backwards.
Given decent backing during the summer window, Heckingbottom looked largely to the English market with grim results. More than £300,000 was spent on bringing in striker Christian Doidge from Forest Green Rovers. His only two goals have come against Alloa and Morton in the Betfred Cup.
Tom James, Adam Jackson and Josh Vela all played against Celtic on Saturday, the latter lasting only until half-time. A midfield that also contains Stevie Mallan and Scott Allan has talent, but that department regularly looks short on legs and aggression.
Conceding leads — ‘Hibsing it’ — has become the norm again. No other top-flight team has thrown away more points from winning positions.
The only occasion on which they held on was the opening day of the season. And that was against a St Mirren side still under construction.
The following week took them to Ibrox, where alarm bells echoed loudly. While Rangers were slick in attack, Hibs showed a woeful inability to track runners in a tactical set-up that often left too many men ahead of the ball.
Sean Mackie’s 55th-minute dismissal obviously contributed to a 6-1 scoreline, but the hosts could easily have hit five in the first half.
Patience with Heckingbottom quickly, and understandably, began to evaporate in the stands. Calls for his dismissal were amplified after Hibs lost two late goals to draw with Ross County nine days ago. Then it required a last-gasp Martin Boyle goal to salvage a point against Livingston.
Heckingbottom had already slated his players as ‘weak’ and ‘soft’ after losing 3-0 to Motherwell in August. At half-time against Livvy, he accused them of not being 100-per-cent committed.
The writing was on the wall in 50-foot neon-green letters.
So now we have Hibs v Hearts in the managerial market, each seeking an appointment to lift them from their current plight. If anything, the rebuild needed at Easter Road is more substantial.
Gordon needs to show he means business in revitalising a club that has lost its way. And Dempster has to deliver the right appointment. Consigning Heckingbottom to history is only the start of proving hard lessons have been learned.