Scott Allan fears 'unrecognisable' Hibs have lost fan bond as he sets Nick Montgomery a target

Scott Allan fears “unrecognisable” Hibs have lost the connection with their fans - and claims just throwing money at their problems won’t solve them.

The former Hibees midfielder is anticipating another big clear out of players this summer after a dismal season that has seen them miss out on the top six and ramped up pressure on boss Nick Montgomery. But he reckons the constant turnover in the squad is holding his old club back.

The Hibs hierarchy have launched a root and branch review into their footballing structure which is being led by Bill Foley’s Black Knight FC consortium following the American's 25 per cent buy-in to the club earlier this year. Allan, who had three spells in Leith and is currently on loan at Larne from Arbroath, reckons the biggest change needs to come on the pitch.

He said: “Watching Hibs, I find them quite unrecognisable in terms of their style of play, and what the fans demand at Hibs. I get the feeling there’s not a connection, at the moment, between the fans and the team.

“That happens when you go through poor results. But leading up to the split, Hibs were in a good place. They just needed to win at home to St Johnstone – Hibs have got to be winning that game. A defeat there leads on to more – and that was the story of Hibs’ season. They don’t just lose one game; it always leads to more problems.

“We’re now talking about a clear-out again in the summer. This seems to be every summer, every transfer window, now for Hibs. The turnover of players, you’re never going to get success with a team if you have constant turnover. When you’re in a changing room with players, you make friends. He’s gone. It’s very hard to create a team bond.”

Montgomery replaced sacked Lee Johnson in September and