Failure to halt slump sees John Hughes forced out at Hibs

Hughes arrived at the club's East Mains training ground to be told his 15-month tenure was over. Directors had held a meeting on Sunday night to thrash out his future before facing supporters and took a final decision yesterday morning, hours before the club's AGM at Easter Road last night.

Hibs lost 2-0 to St Johnstone on Saturday, leaving them languishing in tenth spot in the SPL and without a win since opening day of the season. Hughes had hoped to be given more time to turn the club's fortunes around, but under growing pressure from supporters to wield the axe, the club announced they were parting company with the 45-year-old former club captain "by mutual consent".

Assistant Brian Rice has also departed, leaving reserve team coach Gareth Evans, goalkeeping coach Scott Thomson and youth coach Alistair Stevenson in temporary charge of the first team.

Hughes declined to comment to journalists last night, but in a statement issued by Hibs, he said: "I have relished every minute of my time at Hibernian, the club I have always supported and which will always have a special place in my heart. I am proud of what we achieved last season, and I wish the board, players and supporters every success."

As the search for a new manager started - with Jimmy Calderwood, Derek McInnes, Derek Adams, Michael O'Neill and former Hibs manager Tony Mowbray among the early contenders - details emerged that Hughes had grown frustrated in recent months at off-field indiscipline among a faction of his squad. A source close to Hughes revealed that the manager had been particularly upset to learn that several of his players had been out in an Edinburgh city centre nightclub on Saturday, hours after leaving the field to jeers from angry Hibs fans after the humbling defeat in Perth.

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He is also believed to have been angered by senior players walking off the training ground without his coaching team's consent in recent weeks, and of one player refusing to sit on the substitutes' bench at Celtic Park when he was told he was not in the starting XI.

In a turbulent final month Hughes was also forced to deny claims that there had been a punch-up in the Hibs dressing room immediately after their Co-operative Insurance Cup defeat to Kilmarnock, insisting there had only been raised voices. Club vice-captain Ian Murray admitted that there were rifts within the squad, but insisted Hughes commanded respect and had not "lost the dressing room".

Murray told The Scotsman: "There are guys who aren't playing who don't like the manager - it's as simple as that, but that happens at every club, and if you are playing you like him. It depends who you ask, some will say they didn't like him, some will say they did. But I don't think he lost the dressing room."

Murray also sympathised with Hughes' frustration at players going out to what he viewed as excess, especially after high-profile defeats like Saturday, but said it was impossible to order them to stay in. "It's hard for a manager because he can't track someone 24/7 so if they want to go out, they will go out," said the 29-year-old defender. "The only way to stop them going out is to drop them and we don't have a big enough squad to do that."

After opening the SPL season with a win at Motherwell, Hibs' form plummeted alarmingly, and without a win at Easter Road since 6 March, their home record came under intense scrutiny when his side let 1-0 leads to draw with Inverness and Hamilton in successive weeks last month.

But Murray believes a lot of the pressure was unwarranted and hopes to see a period of stability at the club after four managers in five years. "It's crazy because Mixu (Paatelainen] was only given about 18 months, John has been there 15 months," he said. "We are getting towards the Real Madrid situation where they change managers every year. It's just silly.

"For some reason our home record really stared to grate on people. But we never talked about it at all in the dressing room."

However, poor results came thick and fast for Hibs in the past month, and while they showed improved spirit in a 2-1 loss at Celtic Park, they were abject against St Johnstone, and the board decided that a change of manager was needed. Hughes' final record in all competitions reads: played 54, won 19, drawn 12, lost 23.

Chairman Rod Petrie explained: "John has been a hard-working and dedicated manager of Hibernian. As a former captain, and as a fan, he recognises that a fresh face and a new approach is the best option for the club at this time.