Relegation warning for Sauzee

THE Easter Road panic button remains unpressed. Hibs were humiliated by Ayr United in Wednesday night’s CIS Cup semi-final, and have now won just once - against Stranraer in the Scottish Cup - in the 13 games since Franck Sauzee took over as manager.

But patience remains the watchword, as it has done since Alex McLeish headed westward and the board turned to the former Marseille player to succeed him.

Chairman Malcolm McPherson, managing director Rod Petrie and their colleagues have refused to indulge in the sort of short-termism which, they imply, has dogged football.

They have been aided in their resolution by the attitude of the club’s supporters, who wanted Sauzee as manager and know the problems on the field began some time before his reign began.

Just as crucially, they have also been helped by the fact that there is a team in the SPL with an even worse league record.

If, however, St Johnstone start winning, and narrow the 11-point gap between themselves and Hibs, the mood at the latter club could become decidedly jumpy.

"The level of concern would heighten considerably if St Johnstone started winning," McPherson said yesterday.

"Because then you would be talking about a cataclysmic event for us - relegation. We lost £2million when we were relegated last time."

Another such loss would clearly force a reassessment of staffing levels at the club. Even now, failure to reach the CIS Cup final may have already reduced the options available to Sauzee as he seeks to strengthen his squad.

A precise figure is impossible to obtain, but at a rough estimate Hibs would have been around £250,000 better off if they had prevailed over their First Division opponents and gone on to meet Rangers in the final.

Club sponsors Carlsberg, for instance, are believed to have a clause in their contract which provides for an additional lump-sum pay-out should Hibs reach a cup final.

What is more, the nationwide exposure which comes with getting to a final would increase attendances at Hibs games and probably cause greater demand for season tickets.

As a lifelong supporter of the club, McPherson is well aware of how painful the current lack of success is for the fans and for Sauzee.

He insists, however, that those fans share his conviction that Sauzee was - and is - the correct choice to succeed McLeish as manager.

"It’s wonderful testimony to the support," he said of the fans’ willingness to keep the faith in the man they idolised as a player just a few months ago.

"They are loyal, and despite us going through a rough few months, there is no feeling that people have run out of patience.

"Franck has the support of everybody connected to the club. We are confident we’ve got the right man for the job."

McPherson shies away from too much overt comment about football matters, but was willing to single out John O’Neil for his wholehearted contribution on Wednesday night.

"O’Neil ran himself into the ground," was the chairman’s verdict, though yesterday the player offered a more critical assessment of the lacklustre display against Ayr.

"Franck had some very harsh words to say, and rightly so," the club captain stated. "I thought we were a disgrace, every one of us.

"We had a great opportunity to make another final, and I’m gutted. I can only apologise to the Hibs fans.

"The simple fact is that we are out, and now our only priority is to win as many matches as we can."

They will almost certainly be required to win just one or two to secure their SPL status for next season.

St Johnstone are currently winning only one in every ninth match, and so would need an abrupt reversal of their own fortunes to get close to overhauling Hibs.

Defeating the Edinburgh club in their two remaining fixtures would be a great help to Billy Stark’s side, but the omens are not good for them.

Hibs have so far won 4-0 at Easter Road back in September, then came back from McDiarmid Park with a point from a goalless draw just before Christmas.

The teams next meet in Edinburgh on Saturday, 2 March, by which time Hibs will have visited Motherwell this weekend and hosted Dunfermline next.

In drawing against Celtic last Saturday, Sauzee’s side showed they can dig in and get something for their efforts.

They are altogether less self-confident when they are favourites to win a match, as was shown all too painfully against Ayr.

But the manager will either have to find a way to give them more self-confidence, or start making drastic changes to the first-team line-up.

He has made his anger plain. He has stated on several occasions that the players are under-performing badly. He must now act on his convictions, as far as he can given the run of injuries which has reduced the size of his squad.

To be blunt, Sauzee needs to make an example of someone. He cannot replace everyone overnight, but he can try to coax better performances out of some of the players by dropping one or two he regards as the most conspicuous under-achievers.

Even at clubs with enlightened boards, the pressure for symbolic actions often becomes unbearable.

Sauzee has been let down by his players, and should have no qualms about treating them with equal disdain.

Taken from the Scotsman