Success of Edinburgh clubs means no more easy pickings

IT SAYS everything about the wealth of young talent blossoming in the capital and their ability not only to entertain but also to claim notable scalps, that the Old Firm and the Premiership are again beginning to sit up and take notice.

As the turn of the year approaches, both Hearts and Hibs are challenging the perennial dominance of the Parkhead and Ibrox clubs, but their success is also threatening stability in the ranks. Unlike previous years, while plenty of players are being courted, there is not the same grasping desperation to move on. Names such as Craig Gordon, Andy Webster and Derek Riordan have been regular headline fodder for newspapers speculating about their future. Everyone and, most probably, their auntie has been asked whether they should stay or go; whether they want to stay or would prefer to go.

Now more names are being added to the January sales shopping list. Like Riordan, Gary Caldwell is out of contract in the coming year and it has been reported that Celtic boss Gordon Strachan is among his admirers. The same man has also been linked with other Hibs players, Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown.

"It's not always an easy decision, though," says Gordon Smith, agent and media pundit. "There are a lot of things to be factored into it. You can look at James McFadden, who did move but is now a fringe player at Everton. Yes, he's on good money but I don't think any move should ever be dictated purely by money. First and foremost it has to be a football decision.

"I was involved when Kenny Miller left Hibs for Rangers and I have to say money was never discussed until the decision to go had already been made. He just decided he was going to a bigger club, where there was more chance of silverware, more chance of European football and more chance of international recognition."

Those factors are not as pertinent to his successors in the green and white at Easter Road. Hibs, like Hearts, are now well-represented at international level. Flying high this season and in with a wonderful shout of silverware and qualification to next season's European competitions, the weighing up of the pros and cons of signing for a Premiership team struggling to survive and with little or no chance of ever getting a whiff of a trophy, and doomed to be watching the big European games on television next term, seem to tip the scales in favour of staying put.

And with so many new faces in the league this season and the normal pecking order being made a mockery of, there is not even the same desire to move simply for the sake of freshening things up and testing themselves against new opposition.

For these Hibs and Hearts players, every week is proving a new challenge, every success a new adventure. The learning process is a fun and, currently, fulfilling one.

"The decision always has to be the player's because what happens if you suggest they stay and wait for the next big offer and there isn't another big offer," adds Smith. "What happens if they get a bad injury, lose form or simply don't develop as expected? Remember, you can be considered a promising player at 21 but if you are still playing the same way at 23 then your stock is not so high."

Sometimes the decision is not the player's to take. If the right offer is lodged then he can be quickly shooed out the door. In the past the likes of Hibs and Hearts had little option but to snatch at any £1m offer that came their way. Banks demanded it. But, in that sense too, times have changed.

The common belief is that Hibs would have happily cashed in on Riordan in the summer and the player may happily have taken his leave had the right club come knocking but now they are in such a lofty league position, there may be more reticence.

"You have to look at how much money you could make if a player stays and helps you to a certain position or increases your chances of winning a trophy of qualifying for Europe and then weigh that up against the kind of cash you could make from them in a transfer. If the former is more then I doubt Hibs would be in a hurry to part with any of their players, even those, like Riordan and Caldwell, who are both out of contract next year and could then possibly leave for nothing."

The striker is tied to the club until October so holding on to him to the end of the season may be the more financially astute move. By then, if things progress in a similar vein, he could be part of a trophy-winning team, or a team which has grabbed the attention of more than one or two suitors.

"I think if he stays and can help Hibs maintain their current form and learn from the way they play their football, the style and the enjoyment they get from it, then I think there will be an even bigger batch of teams after him in the summer," says Smith.

"But that's the thing. None of these players can know for sure. That's why it has to be their decision, but the good thing is that neither Hibs or Hearts seem in a hurry to sell their best men and those under contract are likely to be staying put. As for the others, we'll all just have to wait and see."

Taken from the Scotsman