Hibernian: Where did it go wrong for Lee Johnson & who might replace him as manager?
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'We will turn it around' - Johnson's last interview as Hibs boss
"I think Lee Johnson is in trouble". Fewer than 24 hours after Sportsound pundit Michael Stewart uttered those words, Johnson's Hibs tenure was brought to an abrupt end.
The feckless 3-2 Scottish Premiership defeat by Livingston on Saturday proved the final straw for the Englishman's rollercoaster 15-month reign.
It's still early days in the 2023-24 season, but with the Leith side rooted bottom of the table with zero points from three games, the Hibs board have decided enough is enough.
Twenty goals have been shipped in nine games. There's been a defeat to Andorran minnows Inter Club d'Escaldes, a 5-0 spanking from Aston Villa, and consecutive Premiership losses to St Mirren, Motherwell and Livingston.
"They're conceding goals for fun, there's no identity," Stewart added.
Less Jekyll-ing and more Hyde-ing
There was a Jekyll and Hyde nature to Hibs' first few games of the season.
The mortifying loss in Andorra was followed by an emphatic 6-1 comeback victory in that Europa Conference League qualifier. Defeats by St Mirren and Motherwell then bookended an impressive 3-1 first-leg win over Luzern, which ended in a 5-3 aggregate triumph.
A Viaplay Cup quarter-final place was then sealed with a hard-fought victory over second-tier Raith Rovers.
But in the last week, there's been less Jekyll-ing and more Hyde-ing. An expected drubbing against Premier League Villa in their European tie came before Saturday's third straight league loss to Livingston.
Before the weekend, the West Lothian visitors had played 827 minutes of league action on the road without scoring. By the close of play on Saturday, they had scored three at Easter Road.
"I can't see any reason why we should be keeping him on," Hibs fan Stephen Murray said on Sportsound in the wake of the Livingston loss. "Everything seems to be going against Hibs, we're not doing the basics.
"Johnson got a pass for the Villa defeat, but on Saturday there was no excuse. The performance was horrendous, awful. We don't seem to be learning. I don't think he knows his best XI."
Highlights: Hibernian 0-5 Aston Villa
Johnson's 'face never really fitted'
Johnson had dug himself out of tricky situations before at Hibs. You don't have to look too far back to remind yourself of that.
Last season's January clash with Aberdeen was billed as a contest that could have ended either Johnson or Jim Goodwin's tenures after both managers endured rough runs of form.
In the end, Johnson came out on top with a 6-0 victory and Goodwin walked. The Hibs boss then went on earn a respectable fifth-placed finish.
Again, the 42-year-old backed himself to climb out of another hole, speaking post-match on Saturday of how it's a new-look team and hoping for the time to turn things around. But the pressure has told as a second-leg trip to Villa Park looms on Thursday.
Former Scotland striker Steven Thompson believes Johnson's "face never really fitted" at Easter Road and a lack of consistency has cost him.
"It's no surprise to me, when the supporters turn the way they have done it's hard to see a way back," Thompson told BBC Sportsound.
"He's not had a period where he has found consistency. Two, three games he might win but then he'd go on a losing streak. He never managed to get the supporters behind him. He needed success on the pitch and clearly it was not happening.
"Up front, Hibs will cause teams problems they have pace and good players. But he has not managed to sort out the defence. He has brought in quite a lot of players and been backed - and it hasn't worked out."
Lennon & Robinson in frame to take Hibs' 'attractive job'?
Having churned through eight managers in 10 years, who will Hibs turn to next? Might a return be in the offing for Neil Lennon?
The former Celtic boss took Hibs to the Championship title and a fourth-place Premiership finish during his two-and-a-half year tenure before leaving in January 2019.
Willie Miller believes Lennon, 52, would be a "fabulous choice," while fellow Sportsound pundit Stephen Craigan said: "There is talk of Lennon, for me it has to be someone who knows Scottish football.
"If [St Mirren manager] Stephen Robinson wasn't in the frame then the hierarchy at Easter Road aren't doing their jobs properly.
"It's an attractive job. When you think about the stadium, facilities, the fanbase. It is crying out for success, as in pushing for the top three and cup finals. It's all there if someone can come in and get it moving forward."
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