Ron Gordon told Hibs legend David Gray would make excellent boss as first team star insists players are behind him

Ron Gordon may regret his Shaun Maloney “gamble” but Joe Newell reckons the safest bet for the Hibs chairman would be to give Leith legend David Gray the gig on a permanent basis.

Gordon went all in on rookie boss Maloney when he handed the former Celtic ace his first job in management back in December.

It was a bold move by the American tycoon, who was hoping Maloney could replicate some of the swashbuckling action he’d helped Roberto Martinez’s star-studded Belgium side produce.

But the risk-reward balance never came close to tipping in his favour and Gordon was forced to tear up his coupon after just 120 days, with Hibs’ dreams of the top six and Europe left in tatters after Maloney mustered a meagre six wins from his 19 games in charge.

The search is now on for the club’s third boss of a wretched campaign, with Gordon promising to lead the hunt for a proven gaffer with a track record of success.

Get all the latest Sports news sent straight to your Inbox every day by signing up to our newsletter.

We cover every morsel of information regarding your favourite club in the form of articles, videos and podcasts.

The newsletter will arrive every day at 12pm, giving you a round up of the best stories we've covered that in the last 24 hours.

To sign up, simply enter your email address into the link here.

And if you aren't already, make sure you join the conversation over on our Facebook groups and Record Sport Instagram.

But Newell believes the answer could be sitting right under the chairman’s nose.

Former skipper Gray – the man who delivered the club’s greatest moment with his 2016 Scottish Cup winner – has stepped into the breach for the second time this year by taking caretaker command. And he helped steady the ship