Hibernian

With several players out of contract in the summer, clubs up and down the country are considering who they want to be involved next season.

For Hibs, that includes veteran trio David Marshall, Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon, plus the loan deals of Emiliano Marcondes and Myziane Maolida are set to expire.

Who would you like to keep, and who would you be happy to wave goodbye to? Click here to have your say.

Bournemouth owner Bill Foley, who recently took a 25% stake in Hibernian, has been linked with adding Standard Liege to the portfolio of clubs his Black Knight group is involved with - which also includes Lorient in France and Auckland in New Zealand. (Scotsman, external)

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip here.

Hibs have told manager Nick Montgomery "results need to improve" after the club's bottom-half league finish was confirmed.

Do you think the Englishman is the right man to take Hibs through the summer and beyond? Have your say here.

Image source, SNS

Everyone involved at Hibernian could be in for a "difficult summer" if the Leith club fail to end the season positively, says former Easter Road midfielder Kevin Thomson.

Criticism has come the way of Nick Montgomery, whose side will play their post-split football in the bottom six after what has been a disappointing season.

Ex-Hibs man Thomson feels the team have “underperformed” but are capable of restoring a "feelgood factor" with a positive end to the campaign.

"They've been well backed, they pay good money, they've got a big budget, they've got a brilliant training facility, the stadium and pitch looks great," Thomson said on the Scottish Football Podcast.

"But the harsh reality is the team's probably underperformed. There's no getting away from that, whether that's individually, collectively, whether some of the big hitters have not hit the heights they should be hitting.

"I think when you watch Hibs you can see Montgomery's got a style, which I like. He's had subtle changes and he's probably had bits he would like to have changed and maybe not then had the personnel.

"That's not making an excuse for him. He's probably started to get that social media stick, which is a frustration and you cannot change it.

"If they don't compete and go and beat the teams in the bottom six and finish in seventh place with some good results and some feelgood factor, it'll be a difficult summer for everybody involved."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland

Where do we start with Hibs? Just when it looked like a top-six spot was in the bag... it’s gone!

The team have no one to blame other than themselves. In recent weeks defeat to St Johnstone and draws with Ross County and Motherwell have been extremely costly.

Not only in league positioning and the prize money that comes with a top-six finish. There will now be no further Edinburgh derbies this season and no Rangers arriving at Easter Road, although the club had said they would be reducing the allocation for Old Firm away fans.

But the opportunity to grasp a European spot may be the most costly. Even an early-round qualifier in the Europa Conference League can bring in significant funds and there is always the chance to land a plum tie like this season when Aston Villa came to the capital.

Some big calls are required between now and the end of the season.

Do the board stick with Nick Montgomery? How many of these players can say they deserve to be at Easter Road next season? What happens with recruitment and is the current process working?

These questions and many more are on the lips of Hibs fans and they want answers.

There have been many improvements in the infrastructure at the club in recent years and for that they deserve praise. But the one area the fans care most about is on the pitch.

It’s plain to see that this season has been a huge step backwards. The board have an opportunity to put things right. How they do that will be interesting to see.

Former Hibernian striker Jason Cummings scored a late goal to clinch the Indian title for Mohun Bagan - his fourth league championship in four different countries. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

Image source, SNS

Hibs will end their Scottish Premiership season with a trip to West Lothian to face Livingston.

They start their bottom six fixtures with visits to St Johnstone and Ross County, before hosting Aberdeen and Motherwell.

Hibs' post-split fixtures (All times BST)

• St Johnstone (A) - Saturday, 27 April 15:00

• Ross County (A) - Saturday, 4 May 15:00

• Aberdeen (H) - Sunday, 12 May 15:00

• Motherwell (H) - Wednesday, 15 May 19:45

• Livingston (A) - Sunday, 19 May 15:00

Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

Hibs’ fate as a bottom-six club this season was sealed with a late Motherwell equaliser at Fir Park on Saturday.

Hibs only had to see out the last 20 seconds or so to scrape into the top half of the table when it mattered, but the same old failings that have seen us throw away so many points from winning positions this season came back to haunt us again.

The fallout from this result will put the club under pressure to either publicly back Nick Montgomery, or replace him.

It’s hard to make a case for the beleaguered boss. On virtually any measure you care to select, he’s not improved the team since arriving just four matches into the season.

Only eight league wins from 28 matches under Montgomery tells the story of a season that promised much but failed to deliver.

The club must now decide whether to stick or twist – there’s no doubt Hibs need stability, but it’s also true a marked improvement is required.

And so the question that needs to be answered is: is Nick Montgomery the man to take Hibs forward?

From what we’ve seen this season, I can’t say confidently there’s enough evidence to suggest that he is.

Matty Fairnie can be found on the Longbangers podcast, external

Ex-Hibernian striker Tam McManus says more fingers should be "pointed in the direction of the boardroom" after another "totally unacceptable" season. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.

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A club of Hibs' size missing out on the top six signals a "poor season", according to former Scotland defender Richard Foster.

Shane Blaney's last-gasp equaliser for Motherwell confirmed a bottom-half finish for Nick Montgomery's side after Dundee picked up a point at Pittodrie.

"To see how devastated the Hibs players were on the pitch - to a man they were sat down, head between their legs, obviously incredibly disappointed because it's been a poor season from Hibs," Foster told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I know there's been a bit of change. You mentioned all those guys coming in in January. That's sometimes not always a good thing. It takes time for players to gel and get to know each other.

"But in terms of the size of the club, the facilities they have got, the budget - Hibs are a team that the fans will expect them to be at least top six. Hibs will be expecting to be challenging for the European spots.

"They will not be accepting of a team who just dribble into the top six. For a team who have not even made the top six, I think they've had a real poor season.

Former Scotland international and Hibs fan Pat Nevin hopes the Easter Road club stick by under-pressure head coach Nick Montgomery.

The Englishman has faced tough questions in recent weeks, with doubts intensifying from some quarters of the Hibs support after they missed out on the top six courtesy of a last-gasp Motherwell equaliser on Saturday.

"Do you know what's amazing in football? How much difference a couple of seconds make," Nevin told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Had that 94th minute equaliser not gone in, Hibs would have been in a real position where they could have been in the top six.

"It takes a little while to get players in and players out that you want and then to settle into the game as well.

"I am one of these people, I'm not quick to shout for manager's heads. It's just I know how tough a job it is. I know that the very, very best ones are generally the ones that are not there for nine months. They're the ones that are there for two, three, four, five years and are given an opportunity to build something.

"So in my mind, he's still okay, he's done enough. I know every Hibernian fan won’t feel exactly the same about it and I would respect that, but you've got to give people opportunities and I certainly hope there's no knee-jerk reactions over the next wee while just because they're not in the top six."

Pat Nevin and Richard Foster join Liam McLeod to pick over the bones of another incredible weekend of Scottish football drama.

They look back on Ross County’s historic victory over Rangers and discuss what impact it could have at both ends of the table.

They also assess the jobs done by Tony Docherty and Nick Montgomery as Dundee secure their place in the top 6 at the expense of Hibs and Motherwell.

Listen to today's episode of the Scottish Football Podcast here.

On-loan defender Will Fish says the elation to devastation that Hibernian felt in a matter of seconds at Fir Park encapsulated a campaign that promised so much but which he admits has been a failure. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

We asked for your thoughts after Hibs' goalless draw against Motherwell consigned them to a bottom-six finish in the Scottish Premiership.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Bea: Absolutely terrible is how I describe Hibs at the moment. No fight and no guts. I hate to say it because I really wanted it to work but Montgomery is not the man to take us forward. I really question his decision making and his ability to motivate. Another poor season.

Alex: Simply not good enough and they got what they deserved, we've dropped 10 points in time added on this season.

Liam: Given the comparative budgets and quality of players, for Hibs to miss out on the top six behind sides like St Mirren, Dundee and Kilmarnock is absolutely unforgivable. The football side of the club has been totally mismanaged under the Gordons’ ownership. We are weak and the culture needs changed from top to bottom as this was wholly predictable.

Michael: Funnily enough I don’t blame Montgomery for this result, I thought we deserved to win and should’ve took our chances. Sloppy defending yet again. However only winning nine league games so far this season is abysmal. Not sure where the club goes from here. Dire times being a Hibee yet again!

Dougie: Huge clear out needed, starting with Rocky Bushiri, David Marshall and Will Fish. We cant keep sacking the manager, these players have to take responsibility. There's far too many loan players. Get quality players in on permanent deals, let them gel and give us what the hardworking fans deserve.

Ken: This may be controversial but I would rather see the Hibees build up confidence with a few wins in the bottom six than continue the suffering and lack of confidence against the top six. Europe was out of the question and there was nothing other than pride to play for so let’s build towards next season and the forthcoming transfer window.

Anon: Let’s be honest, this game isn’t the reason we’ve missed out on the top six; performances all season haven’t been good enough. We’ve dropped far too many points from good positions which says something about the teams mentality. Questions have to be asked as to whether Monty has shown he’s good enough for this job; at this point you’d have to say no.

Image source, SNS

Hibs defender Will Fish issued an apology to the club's supporters after Saturday's 1-1 draw away at Motherwell consigned them to a bottom-half league finish.

Shane Blaney's stoppage-time strike cancelled out Myziane Maolida's penalty to deny Hibs the three points they needed to go above Dundee, and Fish says it simply wasn't good enough.

"It's obviously really tough to take right now," he said. "The boys are devastated and we want to apologise to the fans first and foremost.

"We've let them down. We've let the club down. So now it's going to take some time to digest, it's a cruel game.

"We're all disappointed to be in the bottom six, and this club should never, never be there. It's down to us and we take responsibility for that.

"It's something that we have to take on the chin and try and make the best out of a bad situation."

Pressure has mounted on manager Nick Montgomery in recent weeks, but Fish believes Hibs will come good if the Englishman is given time.

"That's something that's never crossed anyone's minds," Fish said, when asked about the manager's position. "I think Nick is going to be a really good manager for this football club, and the good times will come.

"Hopefully he gets a summer window out the way and then next season is a fresh start. The coaching staff he's got behind him are really good. Hopefully he stays with us and progresses to next season with his ideas."

Were you at Fir Park on Sunday or following the match from home? What did you make of the game?

Give us your thoughts here.