Leither Hughes returns to Hibs by popular demand

FEW managers have been willed back to a club by such demand as John Hughes, whose return to Hibernian as manager has been as anticipated as his belated arrival as player.

Back when he was a robust centre-half Hughes, the son of a Leith dock worker, made a roundabout journey to sign for Hibs, via Newtongrange Star, Berwick Rangers, Swansea City, Falkirk and Celtic. It was always assumed he would land at Hibs as manager, but again the process by which he has ended up at Easter Road has not been straightforward. Just as Hughes will argue he was a better player for Hibs due to the years spent preparing for his debut in a green-and-white shirt, he arrives back in Leith a better manager for an apprenticeship served elsewhere. He is now ready, he believes, to engage with a job that is more than just a job to him.

Hughes has spent the last six years at Falkirk, re-joining the club as a coach and graduating to the role of sole manager when Owen Coyle was hired by St Johnstone. The recent high turnover of Hibs managers – Hughes is the fourth in four years – meant that his name became ever more heavily identified with the post. Each time it fell vacant, he seemed the obvious, popular choice.

Chairman Rod Petrie has stressed that Hughes' past association with the club counted for little when deciding on who should replace Mixu Paatelainen. The Finn's troubles perhaps actually made it seem less likely that a former member of the Easter Road parish might be recruited.

Petrie has a point. Even disregarding Hughes' ties to the club, he represents an ideal candidate, although, as ever in football, fate has played a part. Had Richie Foran made a better fist of converting a glorious chance to score on the last day of the league season then Falkirk might have made the drop to the First Division, rather than Inverness Caledonian Thistle. It is not certain whether Hibs could then have assessed Hughes' credentials without taking into account the fact he had just taken a team into the First Division. Paul Kane, the former Hibs midfielder, last week estimated that over 70 per cent of Hibs fans wanted Hughes in place. This figure would surely have been affected had he been implicated in such a recent failure.

Hughes, though, enjoyed a profitable last fortnight of the season. Not only did his team gain the win required in Inverness but they also performed with guile in the Scottish Cup final. Most declared Falkirk as honorary victors despite Rangers' Nacho Novo scoring the only goal of the game just 28 seconds after half-time.

Hughes' reputation was reinforced with these two performances. They certainly helped erase the memory of a defeat to St Mirren which looked like consigning Falkirk to the First Division. With their SPL lives on the line, Falkirk went out and offered a meek, cowardly performance. It was nothing like the sort of display we have come to expect from a John Hughes side.

But he leaves the club in fine shape ultimately and can reflect on a job well done. Falkirk, let no-one forget, have been good for Hughes as well.

He found a club willing to embrace his ideas about entertaining football, and also indulge his interest in the latest sports science techniques. Hibs, too, will be open to these ideas at the well-appointed East Mains training centre which offers Hughes scope to further explore his interest in modern training and nutrition methods.

Although he arrives at Hibs a long way from the finished article, Hughes represents less of a gamble than previous incumbents. Even Tony Mowbray drew gasps when he walked into the room on his appointment as manager, having previously not featured on the radar. He had only ever coached at Ipswich Town. John Collins, too, arrived with little obvious evidence of his abilities to manage. Paatelainen had more experience but at a level which did not equate with Hibs.

Hughes, however, ticks the boxes. Even though both parties wish to play-down his 'Hibs-mindedness', it must be acknowledged. The 44-year-old grew up in Leith, the youngest of six children. All of his family were Hibs-daft except a brother-in-law, who supported Rangers. "We still can't believe we let him slip through," he quipped in 2000.

Hughes attended the 'Hands Off Hibs' rally in 1990 and was even at the foot of Leith Walk a year later when the club paraded the League Cup through Edinburgh. But when he finally put pen to paper for Hibs in 1996 he did confess to having an initial, ill-judged affection for another club with similar colours.

"I started off supporting Celtic and going through on the bus with the Leith Celtic supporters' club," he admitted. "But when I was older, I moved to Hibs. My nephews are Hibs daft and they'll let me know if I'm not playing well."

Hughes has never forgotten his roots, and neither should the Hibs fans have to pretend he never played for the club. However, it is not the main reason he will sit before reporters tomorrow afternoon at Easter Road and explain his vision for the club's future.

Like Mowbray, Hughes is keen on self-improvement. It is not where you are from, it is where you are at. Nevertheless, his background always made it seem that he was destined to manage Hibs sooner or later. Fans just have to hope now is neither too soon, nor too late.

Eight tasks for 'Yogi' to become an Easter Road success story

• Play attractive football

John Hughes' opening gambit on the club's website was to promise to bring "innovation and an attractive style of passing football to the club". His record at Falkirk, viewed as one of the most aesthetically pleasing sides in the SPL, suggests he will be true to his word. Easter Road supporters enjoy their teams playing with a bit of style and panache, and Hughes is well versed in the club's traditions from his playing days in a Hibs shirt.

• Overhaul squad

Mixu Paatelainen brought in nearly 20 players, some of whom have already left, others who look destined for the exit door under the new manager. Hughes will have a fair idea of the relative merits of his new squad, having seen them at close quarters from the opposition dugout. He has the bonus of being able to call on an exciting crop of emerging youngsters from the league and cup double winning under-19 team, and also has Moroccan pair Merouane Zemmama and Abdessalam Benjelloun due to return from loan spells. Both, on their best form, can be major contributors to Hibs' fortunes. On the negative side, Rob Jones and Steven Fletcher look likely to be sold during the summer.

• Use transfer funds wisely

Mixu Paatelainen had already revealed that next season's transfer budget is tight, and Hughes will need to call on all his skill and intuition in the transfer market to ensure that his signings are going to contribute significantly to the team. He will also be looking for a new captain if Rob Jones leaves, although Ian Murray would appear to be a ready-made successor.

• Steer clear of fishy excuses

The "brown trout" statement made by Mixu Paatelainen in wake of Hibs' Scottish Cup exit to Hearts, where he accused the Tynecastle captain Christophe Berra of theatrically contributing to a red card for Steven Fletcher, was not one of the Finn's finer moments. After the example set by Tony Mowbray, Hibs supporters will be expecting their manager to act with dignity in victory and defeat. Hughes has proved a popular and honest figure with the media at Falkirk and should uphold the club's reputation.

• Find a reliable goalkeeper

The gaffes that continue to haunt Hibs goalkeepers will certainly not have escaped the new manager's attention. Hughes dealt shrewdly when bringing in keepers to Falkirk, notably Kasper Schmeichel, and unless Grzegorz Szamotulski stays, the manager may bring in his own man to replace the erratic Yves Makalambay.

• Embrace club's youth policy

Hughes got a close look at Hibs' emerging pack of young players when they beat Falkirk in the semi-final of the Scottish Youth Cup. He showed at his previous club if they are good enough, they are old enough, and he is likely to fast-track a few of the Under-19s into his plans.

• Qualify for Europe

Hibs' recent record of qualifying for Europe makes grim reading. The supporters will be looking for a quick return to the continental stage, and to see the club challenging for third place, rather than the recent perception that simply reaching the top six represents some kind of achievement.

• Win the Scottish Cup

Expect a statue to be erected of Yogi outside the Kirkgate at the 'Fit of the Walk' if he is the man who can end one of the biggest curses in football, now spanning 107 years and counting.