John Collins: Hibs would be wrong to mothball youth academy
- Published
John Collins worked with a host of homegrown players during his Hibs tenure
Hibernian's youth academy needs to be "fixed" but not mothballed, says former player and manager John Collins.
A review of the Scottish Premiership side's academy structure lead to it being shelved, with owner Ronald Gordon saying the club's "limited resources" will now be focused on the first team.
Hibs are in talks with players and staff over wage cuts and job losses.
"It doesn't need to be closed down, that is the wrong thing," Collins told BBC Scotland Sportsound.
"The lifeblood of clubs like Hibs is their academy. I understand they're struggling, there's no money coming in, but I don't think it's the right place to cut."
Collins began his playing career with five seasons at Easter Road, and the 2007 League Cup success was the highlight of his 14-month spell as boss.
Having managed youth academy graduates such as Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, Steven Whittaker and Steven Fletcher in the first team, Collins feels the system has "not produced" in the last decade.
"You had [Paul] Hanlon, [Lewis] Stevenson emerging more than 10 years ago. Since that time, [Ryan] Porteous is the only regular who has played for Hibs," he added.
"So it has not worked and needs to be fixed. To close it down is worrying."