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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Tam McManus

I hope Roy Keane to Hibs chat is just that because snarling bosses like him have had their day – Tam McManus

Rumour has it that Roy Keane could be the new Hibs manager.

I wouldn't be brave enough to say this to his face but I hope it's just a bit of gossip rather than anything chairman Ron Gordon is considering.

A box office appointment it most certainly would be and he'd ruffle a few feathers inside the Easter Road dressing room but the Manchester United legend has had his day.

Keane would bring a few players into line and is a huge personality but he's a bit old school. His record as a boss isn't the best and players don't respond well to the fear factor these days.

As a player there was only one manager in my career who scared the life out of me.

Working under Jim Duffy at Dundee involved moments of real terror.

One morning we were having a bounce game and Jim was refereeing it, I scored and he chopped it off for offside.

I swore at him and he stopped the game and asked me what I said: "It was never effin offside."

He went mental and told me to get off the pitch and get back to the stadium. It was miles away.

The memory of me walking along the Kingsway in my training kit with cars all honking their horns remains fresh, some car windows were wound down and it wasn't compliments of the day which were forthcoming.

When I got back to Dens Park, Duff was waiting for me, he invited me into his office for a chat and let's just say those incontinence pants would have come in handy.

For the record, Duff is also one of the nicest men in football, just don't swear at him. Trust me.

Back to the present day and the problems at Hibs and a call for our clubs to try and be better.

Saturday's win at St Mirren was instantly forgettable with the exception being a very good finish from young Ewan Henderson.

It was three points which keeps Hibs safe for this season but the standard was dreadful in what was a very poor game.

(SNS Group)

I'm a fan of Scottish football, it's not my style to slaughter it, there are enough people down south to talk our game down so it's rare for me to comment negatively.

Our clubs, coaches and players have a responsibility to try and improve the product but the truth is that too many games which I've witnessed this season have been badly lacking in the required standard.

If you look like a side such as Motherwell then you can see what I'm talking about as they are something of a yardstick for the level of our provincial Scottish teams. They have been dreadful for large parts of this season yet they are in the top six.

What does that say about the standard of the Premiership? In general terms it's been a poor season and look at Motherwell at the weekend against ten man Rangers.

Even playing against a man less didn't spur the Fir Park side into a positive change as they continued to be second best and that is so telling.

Any team I played with who have faced the Old Firm who had a man sent off it would signal us to have a real go as it was a golden opportunity to try and get something but Motherwell never made a fist of it.

Outside the Old Firm we only have a good Hearts side and the rest just haven't been good enough.

For Hibs to fail to get into the top half of the table when the standard has been so mediocre is damning in itself.

It's absolutely shocking and that's why the owner pulled the trigger on Shaun Maloney.

Saturday was a welcome win for Hibs under caretaker David Gray and it's going to be interesting to see if he can go unbeaten in the final four games. If that was to happen then it would put pressure on the club to give him the job on a permanent basis, there would also be a clamour from the fans for him to get it.

The supporters like him, he's a club legend after scoring the winning goal in the Scottish Cup Final so he ticks a lot of boxes but would the chairman opt for another young and untested head coach? Possibly not but I wouldn't rule it out completely.

It would be another huge gamble.

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