Michael Stewart slams Hibs over next manager approach as he claims crisis is 'self inflicted'

Bemused Michael Stewart can't believe what he's seeing at Hibs - but says it's been coming ever since they sacked Jack Ross.

The Easter Road club are in a state of turmoil having sacked their second manager of the season in Shaun Maloney earlier this month.

He was brought in to replace Ross in December but lasted just three months before Ron Gordon pulled the trigger after failing to make the top six.

The hunt begins for their new boss and Record Sport understands they have met with at least ten potential candidates.

Former Real Madrid and Chelsea assistant Paul Clement is one of those and a high-profile list including Roy Keane and Phillip Cocu have been linked.

Stewart though isn't sure a big name is what Hibs need - and reckons they should try to replicate the "stability" they had under Ross.

And the pundit, who played for both Hibs and Edinburgh rivals Hearts, insists the first mistake in their current downward spiral was sacking Ross in the first place.

Asked to discuss their approach to finding a new manager on BBC's Open All Mics, he said: "Nothing's been said officially but there's no smoke without fire with some of the names that have been linked.

"There's got to be some form of contact with some of them and it appears they're going for big names, glitz and glamour.

"Is that exactly what Hibs need? I'm not 100 per cent sure.

"I can't stress enough how poor a decision it was to get rid of Jack Ross. They had stability.

"I know that there were a section of the supporters that didn't take to Jack, bizarrely as I'm concerned. He got them to third for the first time in 16 years, getting them into semi-finals and finals.

"It was disappointing that they never won anything but there was a clear strategy and