FORMER Scotland and Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has emerged as the bookies’ favourite to take over at Hibernian following this weekend’s tumultuous fallout between the Easter Road club and Neil Lennon.
Strachan has been out of work since stepping away from the Scotland job in October 2017. It is understood that he is leading the list of candidates to assume the role of manager after what has become an inevitable parting of the ways between Lennon and Hibernian.
It was understood last night that both Lennon and Hibernian were in consultation with their respective legal teams following the acrimonious conclusion to a turbulent day at the club’s East Mains training base on Friday afternoon after a team meeting called by Lennon sparked a furious fallout. The expectancy is that the former Northern Ireland internationalist will not return to the club.
Lennon and his assistant Garry Parker were both suspended in the aftermath of an angry squad meeting with Lennon and the Leith club tight-lipped about what exactly took place. Hibs released a statement last night confirming that coaches Eddie May and Grant Murray will take charge of this afternoon’s game against St Mirren but did not elaborate on the incident. It is understood that Murray and May were also in attendance at Friday’s meeting which resulted in the fallout.
A meeting between Lennon and chief executive Leeann Dempster was already scheduled to take place for Friday afternoon for a discussion about the final days of the transfer window. But what was supposed to be a conversation about transfer targets ended up in a heated dispute about the player meeting Lennon had had with the squad earlier in the day.
The 47-year-old had assembled the squad to discuss the midweek defeat to Motherwell. With the players given the day off on Thursday, Friday was the first opportunity for Lennon to vent his frustration at a recent run of form which has seen Hibs slip to eighth in the table with two defeats and three draws in their last five league games.
Hibs’ full statement last night read: “Hibernian FC can confirm that Eddie May, Head of Academy Coaching, and Grant Murray, Assistant Coach, will take charge of the first team for Sunday's Ladbrokes Premiership game against St Mirren. Eddie and Grant, who both have experience of first team management, have worked closely with the first team as part of the matchday coaching staff. The full focus of the Club is on the trip to Paisley."
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