AT Easter Road this afternoon they will stage their own version of the Coen brothers' movie The Man Who Wasn't There.

Hibernian and Inverness Caledonian Thistle will meet to squabble over three points but the bigger story will revolve around the man Hibs want as their manager and Inverness do not want to lose as theirs.

Such has been the speculation surrounding Terry Butcher this week that the Englishman has apparently decided he will be better off staying away from the game lest his presence prove a distraction. Wherever Butcher elects to spend his Saturday afternoon hiding out, you can bet his ears will be burning with the number of times his name crops up in conversations around the stadium. It is not uncommon for a team to be unsettled by rumours about a manager either coming or going but it is rare for both sides to be affected at the same time.

Hibs have at least had some continuity this week with assistant Jimmy Nicholl and player-coach Alan Maybury taking training and preparing the team after Pat Fenlon's departure. In a show of remarkable foresight, or perhaps just caution, the Easter Road club decided as early as Monday that Nicholl would be the man to speak at yesterday's media conference then announced the following day that, regardless of what subsequently unfolded, the Northern Irishman would also lead the team today.

Nicholl, in fact, elected not to address the media, feeling it might be somewhat awkward given the delicate nature of the situation. Never one to dodge a question, he decided it would perhaps be more prudent not to face any at all. Hibs instead put forward Maybury and Lewis Stevenson, who at the age of 25 is preparing to work under his seventh manager at the club.

There was a noticeable sense of world-weariness about Stevenson yesterday, as if he was getting rather fed-up with the upheaval that seems to be holding back a club that ought to be doing a lot better. "I've been through this situation a few times before and it's not ideal," he said. "It doesn't get any easier. The last manager [Fenlon] was the longest serving we've had since Tony Mowbray and all the boys got on with him and everyone bought into the way he wanted to play. It was disappointing what happened but it's the seventh time it's happened since I've been here, so I understand football now.

"It probably gets harder to deal with now. When I was younger I was probably more blase and I just got on with it. To be honest, it's all I've known, I've gone from year to year with a new manager."

Footballers are often accused of existing in their own little bubble but news that Butcher was favourite to become their new manager had not gone unnoticed within the Hibs dressing room. Stevenson tried desperately not to say his name - as if, like in the movie Beetlejuice, he would appear if his name was said three times - but there was no hiding the fact that Owain Tudur-Jones, the former Inverness player who moved to Hibs in the summer, had been cornered for his opinions on the man who could soon be in charge.

"Without Jonesy saying anything we know he [Butcher] has done a great job at Inverness," Stevenson said. "We always hate playing his teams; they're well organised, work hard and I think they do play better football than they're given credit for. We won't know until someone's put in place but people are saying it's going to be him.

"Easter Road has been a place in the last few years where teams enjoy playing but it would be nice if it was a place teams didn't like. We've got everything in place - a great stadium, the fanbase, the training ground - it's maybe just the team people are saying is not in place."

There was no confirmation from either club or Butcher himself last night but footage of the Inverness manager apparently saying his goodbyes to the players would seem to suggest his appointment early next week is almost signed and sealed. With Butcher not at the match today, his assistant Maurice Malpas and coach Duncan Shearer are primed to take charge, although it is not yet certain whether both would then follow the manager to Edinburgh, That may well depend on the wishes of the club and also Butcher's successor, with a host of names, including John Robertson, Kenny Shiels, Barry Ferguson and Craig Levein all being mentioned locally as potential candidates.

With Butcher still not having officially departed, however, there was little chance of a glowing eulogy from any of his players after club officials warned talk surrounding the manager's future was strictly verboten. "Terry was the one who gave me my chance," said defender Graeme Shinnie. "I think I've made over 100 appearances under him. So he has been brilliant for me and has always been there for me, but the whole management team has been brilliant while here. That's all I can really say . . ."