Hibernian supporters last night voiced their scepticism after the club announced that Rod Petrie would take a back seat in the search for the new manager.
The Easter Road chairman was the focus of fans’ ire following the defeat by Dunfermline Athletic on Saturday, with an impromptu rally calling for him to stand down at the club.
It was Colin Calderwood who was somewhat inevitably relieved of his duties on Sunday evening following a dismal run of form, but fans have spoken of a need for change at board level too.
The club will hold their annual general meeting today, an event which could well prove to be a stormy affair.
However, the club have moved to assuage some of their supporters’ discontent by releasing a statement indicating that Hibs’ executive director Scott Lindsay and managing director Fife Hyland will lead the search for the club’s fifth manager in four years, rather than Petrie.
The statement read: “The recruitment process for the new manager began this morning and is being led by executive director Scott Lindsay and managing director Fife Hyland. The board is now focused on speaking with shareholders at the annual general meeting. No further comment will be made on the recruitment process until after the agm.”
However, the club’s fanbase remain unconvinced by talk of Petrie, who has been blamed by a section of the support for a string of failed appointments, handing over the process to Lindsay and Hyland.
“Supporters have been saying in the last few days that Mr Petrie needs to take a look at himself and that he’s had his chance in picking Hibs managers in the last few years,” said Mike Riley, the chairman of the Hibs Supporters’ Association. “Whether he’s listened to that or not I don’t know, but the next question would be whether Scott Lindsay or Fife Hyland will be any better? I still think Rod will have the final say and the other two will perhaps just do the ground work.”
Riley was similarly sceptical of the prospect of Jim Jefferies filling the post. The former Hearts manager has been mooted as a potential replacement for Calderwood, with his former Tynecastle assistant Billy Brown having taking over on a caretaker basis until a permanent manager is appointed.
“I don’t think Jim Jefferies would come to Easter Road for love nor money. But the fans I’ve spoken to are mixed about it,” said Riley. “Some believe he is just what we need and some say they would not mind him coming in. But, because of his connections with Hearts, others say that we should just shut the doors on the club if he’s given the job.”
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