Malky Mackay named Hibs sporting director after Montgomery's exit

The former Ross County boss will now lead the search for the latest managerial appointment at Easter Road

Author: Anthony Brown, PAPublished 14th May 2024

Malky Mackay has been tasked with leading the search for Hibernian's new manager after being appointed as the club's sporting director on the same day boss Nick Montgomery was sacked.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, it was announced that the 52-year-old former Watford, Cardiff, Wigan and Ross County boss "will lead and oversee Hibernian FC's entire football operation, encompassing all departments from recruitment through to the academy. He will also lead on the appointment of the next head coach."

News of Mackay's surprise appointment emerged eight hours after Hibs revealed they had sacked Montgomery following just eight months in charge, with 36-year-old coach David Gray placed in interim charge for the fourth time in less than two and a half years.

The former Scottish Football Association performance director's first major job will be to help Hibs appoint a manager who can halt the regular churn of personnel at the club, with Jack Ross, Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and Montgomery all having been sacked since December 2021.

Mackay, whose career temporarily stalled when he was found to have sent inappropriate messages while in charge of Cardiff, was most recently at Ross County. The former Celtic and West Ham defender was sacked by the Staggies last November following two and a half years in charge.

"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," read a statement from the Gordon family, who own Hibs.

"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."

It remains to be seen how the appointment of Mackay will impact the role of Brian McDermott, who has been Hibs' director of football for the past year.

It has been suggested that the former Reading boss could be moved into a scouting position.

Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes, St Mirren's Stephen Robinson, ex-Hibs and Celtic manager Neil Lennon and caretaker Gray are among the early front-runners to replace Montgomery.

Defender Paul Hanlon - about to bring the curtain down on his own long Hibs career at the end of this season - believes caretaker Gray, idolised by supporters after scoring the winning goal in the 2016 Scottish Cup final, embodies "what a Hibs manager should look like".

"This is his fourth stint as interim manager so he's had a real good schooling already," said Hanlon.

"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 felt Gray was currently ready to become manager of Hibs, 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."

Gray - as he has done in each of his previous stints in charge - refused to indulge in talk about his own prospects of taking the reins on a permanent basis.

"That's not a question for me," he said, speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

"I've literally found out about the manager leaving four hours ago, and I've been put in this movie again, unfortunately.

"I'm so disappointed to be in this situation. And it's not the right time at all to talk about anything else."

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