Hughes: I'm not green with envy

JOHN Hughes has watched Walter Smith splash out more than £5 million in a week ahead of tomorrow's SPL clash between Hibs and Rangers, a sum which dwarfs the paltry £75,000 he has spent in transfer fees in seven years as a manager.

But today the Hibs boss insisted he wasn't in the slightest envious of the Ibrox chief. adamant he is happy with his lot as battles to compete with both sides of the Old Firm with only a fraction of their spending power.

Despite that and at a time when Hibs have invested heavily on building a new East Stand while also widening and relaying the Easter Road pitch, Hughes has managed to bring new faces in Edwin de Graaf, Michael Hart and David Stephens to Edinburgh.

All three were, of course, free agents, and Hughes accepts that, for the forseeable future that's likely to be the route he'll have to follow, a path Smith himself has had to tread in recent years before the capture over the past week of James Beattie from Stoke City and Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic along with on-loan Manchester City star Vladimir Weiss.

Hughes said: "We cannot sign a Craig Bellamy or a 4 million player, we are not at that stage yet. Right at this moment we do not have the financial stuff that Rangers or Celtic have, that's evident with what they have done over the last couple of weeks, or possibly even Hearts.

"But I think we are the blueprint for other football clubs of how to run your business. I am happy, comfortable, working away with what I have, trying to make them better players.

"Every time I get on the training pitch I am inspired by what I am seeing, the quality I am seeing, the young players coming through." However, like every other manager, Hughes is anxious to see his squad improve, admitting that at the moment Hibs are something of "a mixed bag," capable of playing expansive, goal-scoring football but at times appearing a touch fragile.

He said: "As a coach the first part of your job is to work with what you have, to make them better individually, We've seen the emergence of David Wotherspoon and Paul Hanlon and you look for the enxt one to come through.

"Everything evolves, you keep trying to make things better, week by week, month by month, year by year. I'm no different to any other manager, if something pops up and you can afford it then you go for it.

"I have been in it for seven years and spent about 75,000, of which 50,000 was on Alan Gow. It would be nice to go and buy someone but - and you'd have to ask the chairman - I don't think we are quite there at the moment."