Alan Stubbs makes Nick Montgomery Hibs patience plea as trigger happy board would have sacked him before Hampden heroics

Alan Stubbs led Hibs to their stunning Scottish Cup success in 2016 – but he admits he might not have even survived to Hampden under the current trigger happy Easter Road board.

The former Leith gaffer fell short in his big target of getting promotion back to the top flight eight years ago. But Stubbs delivered the ultimate glory when he ended the clubs’ 114-year wait for Scottish Cup glory. It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Hibs ever since and several managers have paid the price since American Ron Gordon and his family took ownership.

Nick Montgomery in the firing line now with the side in the bottom six and while Stubbs admitted the club are not getting a bang for their bucks, he hopes the current boss can get the backing he received. Hibs face Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday in the last eight on the road to Hampden and Stubbs said: “You’ve seen the turnaround of managers at the club and I think their wage bill is high as it’s every been.

“But they have stalled a little this season. Hibs have not hit the heights you’d expect and their position is not a reflection of their spending.

“I just feel their recruitment has been left short over the last couple of years. When you look at what they have got for their budget, they have underachieved.

“The club would be wanting to be pushing for top four, and this would have been one of the years they would have a chance with Aberdeen struggling. It was realistically up for grabs – but they are nowhere near it.

“The club has to have some sort of stability though. They can’t keep changing managers.

“If they think he’s the right guy – and they must have done when they appointed him – they need to give him a good run, unless things are drastically going wrong, which they don’t seem to