Hibs’ academy director Eddie May insisted that the managerial post at the club is the third biggest job in Scottish football and he says that it is a privilege to take charge on a caretaker basis.
Chief Executive Leeann Dempster suggested that an appointment could take until the end of November which would mean that the former midfielder would be in the dugout along with Grant Murray and Steven Whittaker for games against St Johnstone in Perth and Motherwell at Easter Road.
He said: “This is the third biggest job in Scottish football, in my own opinion. Rangers and Celtic are both on a different level because of the finances, but Hibs are the third biggest club in Scotland and hopefully we go and show that in the next weeks, months and years ahead.
“We’ve done fantastically well over the past few years and the Scottish Cup win in 2016 did enormous things for the club.
“On top of that, Neil (Lennon) came in and was very successful, getting us into Europe. We want to be in Europe every single year. To do that, you need to win games of football.
“Unfortunately, we’ve not done that and that’s why Paul (Heckingbottom) left this week.
“These are huge games coming up but let’s not be kidded, Hibs are more than capable of winning those four games.
“We’re a big club and we will go into every game feeling we should be able to win. We can’t go anywhere feeling sorry for ourselves.
“It’s all about trying to get Hibs winning games of football. We have drawn too many games, that’s why the club made the decision, we just didn’t get enough wins on the board.
“Hibs have got to be competing at the top and trying to get into Europe, and, unfortunately, we are not in that position at the moment, but we are only eight points off third place.
“We have this game against St Johnstone first and then we are playing Motherwell, so it could be cut to two. That’s what we’ll try to do.”
May does not expect to be given the job on a full-time basis given the quality and experience of likely candidates and he insists that whoever is appointed will get his backing from day one.
He added: “It’s a privilege to be in this position and I’m happy to do it but there will be other candidates, better than Eddie May, who can go and succeed as the Hibs manager and I’m very respectful of that.
“I’m an employee of the football club. I’m a Hibs supporter and I’ll do my damnedest to make sure the club is going in the right direction.
“Then I will welcome, with open arms, the new man coming in, just as I have with all the other managers here. I’ve got a role here at the football club, which I do and I enjoy.
“If I won four games in a row? If I won ten in a row? It would be completely different. But I think there’s a process in place and I’m sure the club will get the right man to lead us forward.
“Leeann says it will be until the end of November and hopefully we get the right person in.
“I’m quite happy to do it for ten weeks, 12 weeks, until the end of the season, whatever it takes, because I’m an employee of the football club and it’s a privilege to do this job, which is a very good job.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
