Ron Gordon on Hibs risk-taking and why next manager shortlist is giving him 'some comfort'

A high risk appointment, it appears that Hibs were developing buyers’ regret as early as three months into Shaun Maloney’s reign. But having sacked their second manager in the space of one chaotic season, the Easter Road outfit is seeking greater stability and continuity, according to the man at the top.

Back in March the club still had the chance of a top six finish and European qualification, they also still had a punt at silverware, having progressed beyond Cove Rangers (after extra time), Arbroath and 10-man Motherwell. But confidence was dwindling in the manager’s ability to deliver.

On Monday, two days after a Scottish Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Hearts ended hopes of silverware and European football, and just four months into a three-and-a-half year contract, they sacked him.

“We have been having conversations over the last month or so, looking at the trend of the club and where we were going as a football team,” explained owner and chairman Ron Gordon.

“You have to look at the body of work and I know that four months is not enough, but I think the board thought they didn’t see enough of where things were going and felt it was better to make a change and reset.

“Some people say it’s not enough time, some say we should have done it yesterday. There are valid arguments both ways. But the reality of it is that the consensus was very definitive.

“The board was very decisive in its view that we needed to make the change. That gave us the best possibility of turning things around and moving in the right direction for a variety of reasons.

“We have five important games coming up and we wanted to make sure we were in the best position to tackle that.

“By making the change we did it gives us the biggest window to