O'Neil urges Hibs boss to give Irishman and Stevenson new deals at club

O'Neil, now 39 and retired from the game, sees the two midfielders, whose contracts are set to expire this summer, and in particular Miller, as key components of Colin Calderwood's first team and believes the pair would flourish in a stronger squad.

"I think they're two boys with a lot of quality," said O'Neil. "I'm a big fan of Liam's, he's played at a high standard and for his country and shown in his ability that he can play at the top level. When your team is down and struggling, it will affect you.

"I didn't really have that problem at either Hibs or St Johnstone because everybody took their fair share of responsibility, so maybe the other players that are there now haven't done enough. If you look at the players at Hibs, there are a lot who are playing for their future. Even when these games don't have much meaning for the fans, players have to realise that managers will be planning for next season, who to keep and who to let go. It's very important for these guys to continue to do well."

O'Neil was part of a rich seam of talent at Easter Road, spending the years from 2000-2003 there and starring alongside the likes of Franck Sauzee, Mixu Paatelainen, David Zitelli and Russell Latapy.

Hibs and St Johnstone, the two clubs where O'Neil enjoyed the most fruitful spells of his career, prepare to clash this weekend in Edinburgh with both struggling for form. Hibs have scored in each of their last 11 league games but have only won one in their last six, but that tale of misfortune bears far less significance than Saints' well-documented drought, in which Saturday's visitors to the Capital have failed to score a goal of their own in 1034 minutes. Hibs full back Richie Towell, with an own goal at McDiarmid Park in March, is the only player to have struck for the Perth men during that time.

Scotland cap O'Neil, who now carries out site surveys on behalf of a major supermarket, is still a "football man" and pays twice-yearly visits to Easter Road while also setting aside time to follow Saints. Those teams of today bear little resemblance to the Hibs side that bore no little firepower in which O'Neil appeared, for the most part of his 102 appearances, under Alex McLeish. It's little wonder, then, that the former player may find it difficult to sympathise with the plight of either of his ex-employers.

"I never put any pressure on myself to score goals," he insists. "I like to think I had other aspects to my play, but I obviously liked to chip in."We had a lot of good strikers during my time at both clubs, especially at Hibs, with Mixu, Zitelli, and Latapy."

The last St Johnstone player to score was promising youngster Stevie May, who hit a double 12 games ago in a 2-0 victory over Hamilton. O'Neil thinks the 18-year-old will provide the main threat to Hibs on Saturday, provided Saints can shrug off their shot-shy malaise. "Stevie seems to be the one who's coming to the fore a wee bit," said O'Neil. "I don't think you can really look at the strikers and put the blame there - are they getting enough chances? They've done well earlier in the season to do enough to stay up, but maybe they're having a confidence crisis at the moment. I'm sure that run would affect any striker's confidence. But, you can't just look at the strikers. It's a big part of the striker's game to score goals and they recognise that, but it's a team game and midfielders are going to have to play their part."

O'Neil spent six happy years at St Johnstone after signing for Paul Sturrock from first club Dundee United. He regards his time there, as well as the spell in Leith that followed, as the pinnacle of his playing career. Ask him to name his favourite moment, though, and he lists one memory while in Perth that tops even scoring in Hibs' 6-2 win over Hearts in 2000 or his last-minute equaliser at Tynecastle the following year.

"We drew Monaco in the UEFA Cup and to see thousands of Saints fans over there was amazing. There were 4,000 there - which is a lot of St Johnstone fans! We got a doing over there, but I remember it was 0-0 after 69 minutes and they ended up winning 3-0. I scored against Fabian Barthez in the return when we drew 3-3.

"I had been at Saints for six great years and still have a wee affection for the club and the directors, who I still speak to whenever I'm up there. It's a great club to play for, I felt like my time there was a success."

Lesser known than his exploits in high-profile European competition is that O'Neil, so often the menace of Hearts, could have been one of Jim Jefferies' last signings before the Gorgie manager, in his first spell at the club, flitted south to Bradford City. The in-form midfielder, however, chose to join up with McLeish across the Capital. "I got a call from my agent John Viola at the time (summer 2000] informing me a couple of clubs were interested in me - Hibs and Hearts. My decision was based mainly on the fact I'd spoken to McLeish. I had great respect for the guy, and could see what he was trying to do at Hibs at the time. I knew how big a club they were."