OWNER Ron Gordon is scheduled to jet in to Scotland this week as Hibernian step up their search for a new manager.
Gordon’s son Ian and chief executive Ben Kensell have been holding preliminary talks with potential contenders since the sacking of Shaun Maloney a fortnight ago.
Maloney was in charge for just four months and 19 games but patience ran out following a miserable record of just one win in 13 league matches since the turn of the year.
With back-to-back Edinburgh derby defeats to Hearts ending the team’s hopes of a top-six finish and a Scottish Cup final berth, the former Celtic and Scotland forward was axed.
A host of names have been linked with the vacant post since, with Manchester United legend Roy Keane, Carlo Ancelotti’s former right-hand man Paul Clement, ex-PSV and Derby County manager Phillip Cocu and one-time Rangers defender Henning Berg all mentioned.
David Gray has been put in caretaker charge of the Easter Road side for the remainder of the season and is still expected to see out the final three matches of the campaign in the dugout.
However, it is expected Gordon’s arrival from his home in the United States will allow for the candidates to be whittled down to a short-list for interview as the process progresses.
Meanwhile, Gray has admitted there is no quick fix to Hibs’ goal-scoring woes.
The Easter Road outfit enjoyed 18 shots at goal in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat away to Livingston - but managed to get none on target.
With Kevin Nisbet and Christian Doidge currently unavailable because of injury, and with Martin Boyle having been sold - and not replaced - in January, Hibs are without the source of 46 goals for last season.
They have managed just 32 league goals this term and a paltry eight in their last 15 top-flight outings.
The strike duo of James Scott and Elias Melkersen at Almondvale at the weekend have not scored a single league goal for the club.
Gray said: “It’s something we need to be better at - everyone.
“It’s not as if we don’t work on finishing in training. A lot of it is confidence as well.
“You need to be practising it all the time and when you do train you need to train at a level and with a desire to be as good as you can all the time.
“And then you hope that comes off in games.
“It doesn’t just happen overnight, it does take time.”
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