Hibs: Mark Brown grateful for distraction of SPL clash

Mark BROWN today admitted he and his Easter Road team-mates will regard today's SPL clash with Kilmarnock almost as much as a welcome distraction to the unrelenting speculation over who might be Hibs new manager as the chance to secure three precious points.

The list of potential candidates to succeed John Hughes has been growing on an almost daily basis with the search for his successor about to enter a third week with still no hint from the Easter Road board, who have taken their customary vow of silence, as to when they'll be ready to unveil the new boss.

But while insisting the playing staff don't allow themselves to become embroiled in speculation to the same extent as their supporters, the goalkeeper admitted that, like the fans, they are anxious to learn who will be taking charge.

In the meantime, though, the former Rangers, Motherwell, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Celtic and Kilmarnock star insisted it was business as usual with coaches Gareth Evans and Alistair Stevenson having taken up the reins temporarily.

Agreeing there had been "a bit of upheaval" in the fortnight since a 2-0 defeat by St Johnstone sealed Hughes' fate, Brown said of the manager's departure less than 48 hours later: "It's always a bit of a shock but results had not been what we wanted them to be.

"It was unfortunate because the boys really liked Yogi and Chipper (Brian Rice, Hughes' assistant] but at the end of the day the decision has been made and it was out of our hands."

The latest stage of Scotland's European Championship qualifying campaign put the SPL programme into cold storage for a fortnight, giving everyone at Easter Road plenty of time to contemplate Hughes' exit and the reasons behind it but, Brown insisted, the players were now totally focused on the future, starting with today's crucial match with a side which knocked them out of the Co-operative Insurance Cup only a few weeks ago.

He said: "Perhaps it helped not having a game as it gave the board a little bit of time to try to make the decision they are going to have to make. The boys have all responded well in training and are really looking forward to getting back out on the pitch and away from all the speculation as to who the next manager might be.

"There have been so many names mentioned but we don't pay too much attention to speculation, that's more for the fans than the players. Our job is to get on with things on the training pitch, to concentrate on playing games.

"We've had someone new every day but whoever it might be you have to try to impress him and try to get in the team.I'd imagine the club will probably want to get it settled sooner rather than later then we can start working with him on trying to move up the table."

Although he insisted he'd rather keep private what Hughes had to say to the players as he took his leave of them, Brown, who was signed by the former manager at the start of the year, admitted to a real sense of disappointment.

He said: "He wanted us to go and express ourselves, he liked football to be played and gave us a licence do do so.

"In the short time I worked with him you couldn't help but be impressed by his enthusiasm. We had those eight or nine days in Holland pre-season when we were with him quite a lot and you could see how much he loved being about the football club.

"He wanted the players to get better, it was great working under him. Things haven't really changed in training this week, it's been much the same as before but Gareth has tinkered a little bit.

"He's worked with John Collins and Mixu Paatelainen and has perhaps taken little bits and pieces from them although every coach has his own ideas.

"However, as for the plans this weekend, both he and Alistair have been keeping their cards very close to their chests."

Just one win in ten matches, extending a miserable run of results stretching back far into last season allied to a dismal home record in recent months, brought Hughes' dream job to an end although Brown argued circumstances could have been very much different.

He said: "I actually think our home form has been okay. We drew against Inverness when we missed a penalty, we had chances against Hamilton and when we played Rangers Edwin de Graaf had a great chance to make it 1-0 on the hour mark which could have made it an entirely different game.

"We've been doing okay without getting the results our performances have merited at times, we have to keep doing the things we've been doing but when we get chances we have to hope to take them. Killie today, they impressed me with the way they knocked the ball around at Rugby Park a few weeks ago but this is a chance to get three points and to move up the table a bit."