HIBERNIAN manager Alex McLeish and the club's new chairman, Tom O'Malley, talked yesterday of their desire for the team to battle back from the first division.
O'Malley said he would be meeting the club's owner, Sir Tom Farmer, very soon to discuss among other things, financial matters.
He said he had ''put his integrity on the line'' since becoming chairman and although he said money would be available to McLeish for players, he said it was too early to say how much.
McLeish said he would ''throwing down the gauntlet'' to the players who would be remaining at the club next season to prove their worth after the debacle of relegation. He conceded every player had his price, but made it clear it would take ''a lot of money'' to take the best players away from Easter Road.
As former club chairman Lex Gold announced a month ago, the club's youth policy will be reviewed, and McLeish believes the new scheme, supervised by former Hearts and Partick Thistle player, Donald Park, could bring some good young talent to Easter Road.
He said the youth system he inherited from former manager Jim Duffy had been ''disorganised'' and suffered because of a total lack of communication.
Although the new system is in its early stages, McLeish said he hoped it would provide a conveyor belt of talent for the Easter Road club. With that in mind, he has appointed John Park, who has worked with Motherwell, as the club's new youth co-ordinator.
He believed that Billy McNeill's experience with Celtic and Scotland still had a part to play at the club, as had that of former team captain Pat Stanton, who would be brought in as a figurehead to help in the youth set-up.
He said he had spoken to a number of first-team players like Willie Miller, Darren Dods, Bryan Gunn, Justin Skinner, and Brian Welsh, all of whom he wanted to stay to help in their fight back from the first division.
One player whose future at Easter Road is uncertain is Grant Brebner, one of the best young finds in the Scottish game this season. Brebner, who Hibs took on loan from Manchester United, is set to be the centre of interest by a number of clubs over the next few weeks.
The Scotland Under-21 internationalist, who will miss the Easter Road side's game against Kilmarnock on Saturday because of a hamstring injury, is likely to be allowed to leave the Old Trafford club in the close season.
McLeish said yesterday that he was still in negotiations with the player, and had talked to United manager Alex Ferguson about what would be needed to take the player away from Manchester.
''There is interest from other clubs in Grant, which is understandable. If he makes a decision to come to Scotland then we want him to come to Hibs,'' said McLeish.
''The supporters love the player and the player loves the club. The first division is a stumbling block and Grant has made it clear that he wants some time to think about his future.''
McLeish said the players had picked themselves up following the disappointment of relegation and said he believed his team had been ''mugged'' against Dundee United.
As for the upcoming game against Kilmarnock, McLeish said that as well as Brebner, Hibs would be missing Justin Skinner who had a leg injury.
He has added young Kenny Miller, whom he described as a good prospect for the future, to his squad for the match which has more meaning for Kilmarnock, who are still challenging for a European spot.
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