Ian Gordon's Hibs confessions better late than never but I'm not sure it's changed perceptions - Tam McManus
It's better late than never, I suppose. Ian Gordon deserves a bit of credit for coming out and facing the music – or at least the cameras – even if he should have done it long before now.
Gordon has held his hands up and admitted there’s been mistakes made at Hibs – and lots of them. I found it quite refreshing, to be honest. The Hibs fans deserved answers to the questions they have been asking in recent years and it’s no use hiding in the shadows. The lack of information coming out of the club let a lot of rumours run riot on the wild west social media.
But at least Gordon has addressed some of the issues and it does sound like there’s at last a willingness to learn from the past. He’s had to take a lot of criticism – some of it from this column – but it seems he’s taken it on the chin. Gordon admitted it was a knee-jerk reaction to sack Jack Ross a few years ago. That should be lesson No.1.
Ross had Hibs third in the league and in the League Cup Final. He hit a sticky patch and there was a section of the support who wanted rid. But there are times you need to hold firm and back the manager, rather than just jumping to the mob’s demands.
Hibs found out the hard way as the decision to appoint a rookie in Shaun Maloney backfired and then Lee Johnson and Nick Montgomery didn’t work. I’m glad there was also an admission the recruitment policy had gone haywire and it is being addressed.
There was a feeling when Gordon was handed a role it was just his dad Ron giving him a gig and he had no clue about football. I’m not sure that image has changed much, even after his interview this week.
It could be he suspects all that himself – but the good thing is he had Malky Mackay in position now to guide the club, rather than