Hibernian

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Emotional but unforgettable was the overriding feeling from Hibernian's Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon in their Easter Road farewells.

The defensive duo, products of the Hibs academy, have amassed over 1,000 games between them and played their final home fixture for Leith club in Wednesday's win over Motherwell.

The pair were part of the 2016 Scottish Cup-winning side, with 36-year-old Stevenson also claiming a League Cup winners' medal nine years prior.

"This guy beside me is the ultimate Hibs player for me," Hanlon, 34, said of Stevenson. "He has done it all. For what he has done for the club every single day, he can't be topped."

Speaking of Hanlon, Stevenson added: "I’m not just saying this because he is here, but he has given a lot to this club. He was the best player on the park [on Wednesday] and he has made my job a lot easier over the years."

Left-back Stevenson says a lap of honour round Easter Road following the full-time whistle was an experience he will never forget.

Hanlon echoed that view by saying: "I'm really proud of those scenes at the end with the fans and my family. It will live with me forever."

Watch the best of the action as Hibs begin life after Nick Montgomery with a comfortable win over Motherwell. (Available to UK users only)

Hibernian began life after Nick Montgomery with an emphatic Scottish Premiership victory over Motherwell.

The Easter Road club, searching for a fifth permanent manager in under three years, ensured club greats Paul Hanlon and Lewis Stevenson a winning farewell in their final home match, and climb above their visitors into eighth place.

A quickfire double in the final five minutes of the first half ignited the contest, Myziane Maolida rolling home a penalty and Martin Boyle volleying into the bottom-left corner.

Boyle blasted Hibs' third beyond Liam Kelly early in the second period, leaving Motherwell labouring in vain to plot a route back.

Were you at the game or following from home? Who should Hibs be eyeing up to replace Montgomery? And should their be a u-turn for Hanlon and Stevenson to be part of the new gaffer's plans?

Let us know here.

Interim Hibernian boss David Gray told BBC Radio Scotland: "Tonight was all about Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon and it was a truly fitting way to send them off.

"[Their future] is 100% up to the new manager. The players have shown tonight they are more than capable of playing at this level but that is not a question for me to answer."

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As usual, while the performances of those around him fluctuate, Myziane Maolida was Hibs' most influential presence. Never rushed; always a menace.

His close control, running power and finishing acumen are a precious cocktail. How Hibs would love to bring the Hertha Berlin loanee back on a permanent basis next term.

Paul Hanlon was a commanding presence in defence on his last home match, making two important blocks and nearly planting a late header beyond Liam Kelly.

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By Jamie Lyall, BBC Sport SCotland

The fog hanging over Easter Road seemed an apt metaphor for the malaise engulfing Hibernian. The club has lurched from one calamitous footballing decision to the next, heaping pressure upon those making the calls. Newly appointed sporting director Malky Mackay peered through the haar from the West Stand and must understand the vast scale of his task in hiring yet another manager, and sculpting a new team for him to coach.

Gray has stepped in for a remarkable fourth time, and oversaw a positive performance. Fluid football, ruthless finishing, and, unusually for Hibs, a largely unflustered defence. You wonder what Montgomery makes of it all.

The ovation from the home fans spoke to the vast contributions of Hanlon and Stevenson as Gray substituted both titans in the dying embers. A combined haul of over 1100 outings, through the horrors and the glory, relegation and a hoodoo-smashing Scottish Cup triumph, and an unerring commitment to the club. Stevenson is the only Hibs player to win both national cups. Hanlon has long skippered the team he grew up adoring. Unassuming and probably underappreciated, both deserved a grander farewell stage than a bottom-six fixture at a half-empty ground against the backdrop of more administrative turmoil.

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St Johnstone: Mitov, Wright, McGowan, Gordon, Keltjens, Phillips, MacPherson, Carey, Sidibeh, Clark, May.

Substitutes: Richards, Considine, Jaiyesimi, Kucheriavyi, Olufunwa, M Smith, Kimpioka, Franczak, C Smith.

Ross County: Laidlaw, Nightingale, Baldwin, Leak, Efete, Randall, King, Harmon, Dhanda, Murray, White.

Substitutes: Wickens, Brown, Callachan, Sims, Loturi, Henderson, Khela, Brophy, Reid.

David Gray, interim Hibernian boss for the fourth time in three years, gives departing club icons Paul Hanlon and Lewis Stevenson the opportunity to start their final home match.

With over 1100 first-team outings and multiple trophies between them, the pair will aim to shore up a porous defence against free-scoring Motherwell this evening.

Nectarios Triantis and Josh Campbell come into midfield. Emiliano Marcondes, Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Jordan Obita drop to the bench.

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Hibernian: Wollacott, Cadden, Bushiri, Hanlon, Stevenson, Triantis, Newell, Campbell, Boyle, Vente, Maolida.

Substitutes: Johnson, Levitt, Doyle-Hayes, Amos, Le Fondre, Marcondes, Tavares, Obita, Moriah-Welsh.

Motherwell: Kelly, O'Donnell, McGinn, Casey, Blaney, Gent, Miller, Halliday, Spittal, Nicholson, Bair.

Substitutes: Oxborough, Mugabi, Paton, Zdravkowski, Butcher, Vale, Shaw, Devine, Ebiye.

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Recently-appointed Hibs sporting director Malky Mackay has been speaking to club media in his first interview since taking the role.

Here are the key points:

• On some fans being unhappy with his appointment due to discriminatory language in text messages he sent as Cardiff manager, he says he "understands everyone has points of view" and he would like people to "judge me on the person I am". Mackay apologised at the time and admitted the messages were "disrespectful of other cultures".

• His role is about "high performance" and ensuring different areas of the club are "performing efficiently".

• Mentions sports science, analysis, recruitment and academy as some of the departments he'll be overseeing.

• Wants to make their scouting and talent identification as "robust as possible".

• Expects to have a "close relationship" with the incoming head coach.

• Been drawn to sporting director role in recent years. Points to role at SFA and said position at Ross County was almost “sporting director and manager”.

• Highlights structure of Brentford and Brighton and their success, compared to more “historical” clubs who are now languishing in English League One.

• Striving for “success” and a “period of calmness”, says he will “support and back” next head coach.

• Wants head coach to “coach with ease”, be “a student of the game” and “a people catcher”.

• Audit of first team squad might “take a number of transfer windows”.

• Brian McDermott will “move over to focus on recruitment”.

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Hibs' managerial upheaval in recent years has become "hard to watch", says former Easter Road midfielder David Wotherspoon.

The Leith club are searching for their sixth permanent boss in just over four years following Nick Montgomery's dismissal on Monday.

"It's hard to watch sometimes because I feel like there was a few years there where they had a bit of stability and a bit of direction," the Canada international told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Whereas when I was there, it was like a revolving door of players. There was just players coming in, players going out, managers coming in, managers going out. There's just not that stability.

"But it's down to the people that were making the decisions there, I guess."

Wotherspoon - who played for Hibs between 2009 and 2013 - believes Wednesday's home game with Motherwell should be used to celebrate the contributions of Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon.

The veteran who will wave goodbye to Easter Road as they get set to depart the club after playing more than 1,100 games for Hibs between them.

"More importantly, it's Paul Hanlon and Lewis Stevenson's last games at home.

"They've been massive servants for the club and I think the fans will really enjoy that moment to say goodbye to their heroes because they've certainly made their mark and they’re icons at that club now because they’ve done it all for 20 years.

"They've been through the bad times and been through the good times and they’re certainly people to look up to for young kids trying to inspire to be professional footballers."

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Former Hibernian captain Ian Murray refused to be drawn on the early links to the Easter Road vacancy on Tuesday night.

The Raith Rovers manager has emerged as a potential candidate to replace Nick Montgomery, 12 years after he left the club as a player.

The 43-year-old guided the Stark's Park side to second in the Scottish Championship this season and is in the midst of the Premiership promotion play-offs.

But Murray, who enjoyed two spells at Hibs, insists his "full focus" is on leading the Kirkcaldy club back to the Scottish Premiership for the first time since 1997.

"It's always unfortunate when someone loses their job," he told BBC Scotland before Rovers' narrow play-off semi-final first leg win against Partick Thistle.

"I know Nick, I played with him and roomed with him for Scotland Under-21s so my first thought is it's very unfortunate for him and his staff.

"On my side of it, I'm fully focused on trying to get Raith Rovers into the Premiership."

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• Hibernian are winless in four league meetings with Motherwell (D2 L2) since a 3-2 victory in January 2023.

• Both sides have scored in each of the last five league matches between Hibernian (eight goals) and Motherwell (10 goals), with Hibs the last side to keep a clean sheet in this fixture in October 2022 (1-0 win).

• Hibernian have won their final home league game in both of the last two seasons, beating St. Johnstone 4-0 in 2021-22 and Celtic 4-2 last term.

• Including the curtailed 2019-20 season, Motherwell have only won their final away league game in one of the last nine seasons (D3 L5), a 1-0 win at Partick Thistle in 2017-18.

• Motherwell’s Stuart Kettlewell has only lost one of his nine Scottish Premiership games as a manager against Hibernian (W3 D5), a 0-3 defeat with Ross County while in joint-charge with Steven Ferguson in February 2020.

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Former Hibs midfielder Michael Stewart believes the problems at Easter Road lie at boardroom level after Nick Montgomery was sacked as manager on Tuesday.

Montgomery is the fifth Hibs boss to depart in the last five years, following Paul Heckingbottom, Jack Ross, Shaun Maloney and Lee Johnson.

Bournemouth owner Bill Foley's Black Knight group acquired a 25% stake in the Edinburgh club earlier this season and are helping to carry out a full review of the club's football structure.

Malky Mackay has been appointed as sporting director and will oversee the search for a new head coach, but Stewart says there is no quick fix, highlighting poor recruitment over a long period of time.

“It’s quite clear isn’t it," Stewart said on Sportsound when asked what has gone wrong. "It’s the people making the decisions, because they keep making the wrong ones.

"There are people in important positions that are either not qualified to do that or simply aren’t very good at making big decisions. That’s been borne out by the results, by the turnover of managers, by the downward trajectory the club have been on since Jack Ross and Leanne Dempster before him left the club.

"In the process they’ve been spending more and more money than ever before. The difficulty for Malky Mackay is that there is no quick fix to this unless the Black Knight group are willing to come up with a couple of million quid to write off some of the dross that’s been brought in.

"It’s going to be a situation of flushing it out over time. This is the culmination of two or three years of gross mismanagement at the highest level of the club. I feel sorry for Montgomery but the situation just swallowed him up.”

'Sir David Gray', as many Hibs fans like to call their former captain, has once again been thrown to the fore in their hour of need.

The 36-year-old Edinburgh native, who famously led the side to a Scottish Cup final triumph, has become caretaker manager for a fourth spell following Tuesday's sacking of Nick Montgomery.

Will the former right-back throw his hat into the ring for the role permanently this time?

After all, Gray has a 40% win record from his combined 10 games in charge - better than the four previous permanent managers apart from Jack Ross.

However, he only has two more games - on Wednesday at home to Motherwell and on Sunday away to Livingston - to prove his worth and little preparation time to galvanise a squad that looked demoralised as they lost 4-0 at home to Aberdeen on Sunday.

Motherwell certainly will not make it easy either, considering Hibs have yet to beat them in three meetings this season. The first of two consecutive draws came in January at Easter Road, where the Steelmen have lost only once in six visits.

Indeed, the visitors' form is a mirror image of Hibs'. Stuart Kettlewell's side have only lost once in six outings, winning their last two, while Hibs have won only once in six, losing the last two.

There is no doubt that Gray has his work cut out.

Read the rest of the midweek Premiership picks here.

Hibernian fans group Block Seven ultras has called the club's appointment of Malky Mackay to the role of sporting director a disgrace because of the text messages he sent while at Cardiff. (The Herald), external

Nick Montgomery was warned about the dressing room informants and the poor transfer strategy at Hibs but he couldn't resist trying taking the job. (Daily Record), external

Hibs director of football Brian McDermott will be given a more specific recruitment role with the arrival of Mackay at Easter Road. (The Scotsman), external

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has tipped Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes - the favourite for the Hibs vacancy - to land a job at the highest level in the future. (The Herald), external

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

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Hibernian caretaker boss David Gray is not expecting any major changes to a squad that was missing goalkeeper David Marshall, Elie Youan, Will Fish (back) and Lewis Miller (hamstring) at the weekend.

Jack Vale returns from suspension for Motherwell while Jon Obika is back in training after a hamstring injury. Callum Slattery (knee) and Adam Montgomery (hamstring) remain out.

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Paul Hanlon says David Gray has all the qualities to be a "top, top manager", after the 2016 Scottish Cup hero was placed in interim charge following Nick Montgomery's sacking.

This is Gray's fourth stint as Hibs caretaker boss in the last two and a half years, following a stellar playing career at Easter Road, and Hanlon backed him to take the role permanently in future.

"This is his fourth stint as the interim manager so he’s had a real good schooling already," Hanlon said. "The way he is as a person, I think his characteristics fit that of a successful manager or someone who could be a successful manager.

"In terms of what he’s done at this club and the way the fans love him, I think he’s got every potential to be a top, top manager."

Asked if he thought Gray was ready to permanently succeed Montgomery as Hibs head coach, Hanlon said: "It’s hard to tell, he’s not had a lot of games under his belt.

"All I can tell is the way I see him day to day, the way he takes training, the decisions he’s made in the past, the way he conducts himself, and I think that’s what a Hibs manager should look like."

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Hibs' owners believe Malky Mackay will be "a huge asset" to the club after appointing him as sporting director.

The former Scotland defender will be responsible for Hibs' "entire footballing operation", and will lead the search for a new head coach after the departure of Nick Montgomery.

Mackay was sacked as Ross County manager in November with the Dingwall club 11th in the Scottish Premiership.

He has previously worked as the Scottish FA's performance director, as well as managing Watford, Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic.

“We’d like to welcome Malky and believe he will be a huge asset to our club and the football department," the Gordon family said in a statement.

"As the board conducted the football review, it became clear to everyone that not only did we need someone with experience of the Scottish game, but also a person who could help drive us forward both strategically and operationally.

“Early in the recruitment process Malky discussed his strategic vision for Hibs and the necessary framework to deliver success. Everyone at the club looks forward to working with him.”