Hibernian's decision to appoint Malky Mackay as their new sporting director didn't go down well with some supporters. 

But a former Scottish Cup winning manager reckons it is actually shrewd business from Hibs and Mackay can be a success in his role at Easter Road. 

Mackay's first task will be to oversee finding the perfect managerial candidate after Nick Montgomery was dismissed last week, and Alan Stubbs knows just how huge that decision is going to be.

“Hibs have a big summer ahead of them and the appointment of Malky Mackay is important," he revealed. 

"I know him very well and I think he could do a very good job there.

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“But he will need to engage with the fans and will need to get the fans on board. If he wants to take the club forward, he needs buy-in from the fans. I keep an eye out for Hibs results because of my time there, and there is a lot of disillusionment among the Hibs fans at the moment.

“They are not exactly sure of what direction the club is going in and the disillusion in terms of the recruitment. There are big discussions to be had this summer.”

Kilmarnock manager, Derek McInnes, is one of the frontrunners for the Hibs job after guiding the Ayrshire club into Europe this season whilst building a strong and competitive squad. 

It remains to be seen whether the ex-Aberdeen boss would entertain an approach, however it is certainly a route Stubbs hopes his old club go down.

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“I'm not surprised Derek McInnes is among the favourites," he told Stocklytics. 

"I don't know if he was interviewed and then overlooked last time round but I thought he would have had a good chance then.

"But you only have to look at the job he has done at Kilmarnock to see why he would be one of the front-runners. He has done a great job there - he has gone in and progressively improved the playing side. They are now realistically top four contenders."

In terms of alternatives, Stubbs has touted Stephen Robinson from St Mirren or Ayr United's Scott Brown as potential candidates. 

He continued: “Scott Brown is trying to find his feet again at Ayr, after what happened at Fleetwood and perhaps gain a bit more experience and get a more settled job right now in order to build his street cred in Scotland in terms of management.

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“Stephen Robinson has also done a very good job at St Mirren. He has been there a couple of years and he has improved it, so I would think he would be on the list.

“From a club size point of view, Hibs is obviously a much bigger club than St Mirren with a much bigger budget and the potential to bring in better quality players.

“So Malky’s first decision is going to be his biggest decision in terms of trying to find the right manager.

“What Hibs have missed out on and what they need is a manager who can engage with the fans. You only have to look down to England and the likes of Jurgen Klopp and how he engaged with the Liverpool fans.

“I think there's an element of that with Hibs because the fans want a manager they can really get behind and who they can see taking the club forward, and ultimately, they want a manager who can get the team playing really good football.

“The race for third should be up for grabs between Hibs, Aberdeen and Hearts but Hibs seem a good distance away from that right now, as do Aberdeen.”