Parker warns Hibs flops they face axe after January sales

GARRY PARKER has warned Hibs’ hapless underachievers they have less than a month to convince Neil Lennon not to replace them in the transfer window.

The Easter Road assistant revealed their determination to hit the January sales to bolster a squad he rates not good enough to play the style of football Lennon demands.

Just how many players they bring in will depend on the board’s backing – and whether the current crop can raise their standards after a six-week slump saw them go seven games without a win.

They’ll be desperate to stop the rot today when Hibs visit BY EUAN McLEAN Hamilton – but if they can’t muster a win at the Hope stadium they’d better pray for their future prospects.

Parker said: “They’re playing for their futures.

“If you’re not performing you don’t play.

“And if we have to bring players in they’ll be under pressure. Like we are.

“We know what sort of players we need to bring in to play the type of football we want to play. At the moment we don’t have the players to play the pressing game like we had been last year and we need to get back to that.

“We may be talking about a few new players in January, we’ll speak to the board and hopefully get backed.

“In the meantime the guys here need to respond.”

Just last week Lennon said he was ditching the firebrand approach in favour of gentle encouragement to help his players get back to form.

But the management team’s patience snapped after a 3-0 loss to Kilmarnock and a 2-2 draw at home to St Mirren. Parker said: “Results and performances caused the patience to snap. If they are not doing what’s required time and again then you have to take the harder approach.

“Neil is definitely the scarier of the two of us.

“But recently it’s been getting to me, as you can tell!

“I’ve not slept for a couple of weeks because these results are doing my head in.

“We came in here, got out of the Championship, finished fourth last year – but we’ve gone backwards.”

With Florian Kamberi and Jamie Maclaren misfiring, Oli Shaw has been given his chance to shine and weighed in with a goal against St Mirren on Wednesday.

Now he could be given the nod again today against a Hamilton side who lost 6-0 to Hibs in their last meeting.

Shaw said: “This is the first real sticky patch we’ve had.

“It’s a new situation. I’d say this makes you tougher, you can only learn from your mistakes. Hamilton will be keen to rectify the mistakes they made at Easter Road so we know it will be tough.”