Calderwood prepared to stay on at Hibs if clubs fail to agree deal

COLIN Calderwood’s future could yet lie with Hibernian following chairman Rod Petrie’s strong backing for his in- demand manager on Tuesday. Calderwood has been the subject of bids for his services from both Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City and he has indicated he is keen to return south.

However, it has emerged as an unlikely but realistic possibility that Calderwood could stay at Hibs as the Easter Road manager.

Although Calderwood admitted it would take only Petrie’s consent to see him investigate job offers from both Forest and Birmingham, the manager was present at the Easter Road club’s training centre at East Mains yesterday. A spokesman for the club described it as “business as usual” following Tuesday night’s friendly defeat to Livingston, after which Calderwood admitted there was “some interest” on his part to return south, if a compensation fee for his services could be agreed.

Such a deal appeared to be no nearer being struck yesterday, although both Forest and Birmingham remain committed to prising Calderwood away from Easter Road and installing him as assistant manager.

Despite suggestions to the contrary, Birmingham yesterday confirmed they still had an active interest in appointing Calderwood as No 2 to Chris Hughton. “Nothing has changed from our point of view,” said a spokesman for the St Andrew’s club. “We are keen to have him here. We are just waiting to find out whether Hibs are happy with the compensation we have offered. The ball is in Hibs’ court.” A spokesman for Forest also confirmed that “nothing had changed – Steve [McClaren] would like to bring him here”.

But the prospect of Calderwood remaining with Hibs remains a very realistic one, according to one well-placed source. It is understood that the manager is prepared to focus on the job in hand if Hibs do not want to let him go. “He wanted to be a manager and he is being a manager,” the source said. “He could very well stay on.”

Nevertheless, it is also clear that if either club ups their offer to an acceptable level of compensation, the position changes significantly again and Calderwood could still depart. But last night there was no indication that either club was ready to make such a move.

Meanwhile, while Hibs refuse to yield to both Forest and Birmingham’s desire to speak to Calderwood, it emerged yesterday that Petrie has been forced to back down on one front at least.

The unusually expansive statement on the present situation at the club, which was released by the Hibs chairman on Tuesday, had become 37 words shorter by yesterday, after Colin Gordon, Calderwood’s agent, requested that a paragraph relating to him be removed on the grounds that