Collins walks as Hibs look for yet another manager

So, this blog was right... Collins wasn't sacked by Hibs. His resignation on Thursday settled the issue.

Why has he gone? He claims it is due to the restrictive budget he was forced to operate under, but it's still an extraordinary decision, handing in his notice after just 14 months at the club with a crucial run of fixtures coming up. It comes across as the rash decision of a man backed into a corner - and perhaps in the next few days more details will emerge. Some fans contend that he wanted out before the current slump in form got any worse. If this is true, it points to a man who is shockingly unsure of himself in such a brutal profession. Other rumours allege that an argument with the chairman, Rod Petrie, came to a head, leading Collins to conclude that he could no longer have a workable relationship with the club's board.

So, Hibs have a managerial vacancy once again. For a club lauded for being well-run and taking the long-term view, they do work through managers at a fast pace.

Collins' replacement will be the 5th new face in the dugout since 2001.

Edinburgh in uproar

It's not easy being overshadowed by bigger, more successful football teams.

Edinburgh's two clubs have been kept out of the light for so long by the Glasgow Old Firm that you'd think the fans would have resigned themselves to their fate by now. Thankfully, this hasn't happened, and Scottish football is all the richer for it.

While supporters at Aberdeen and Dundee Utd have responded to repeated disappointment by drifting away from match days, leaving dwindling crowds to rattle around stadiums still haunted by memories of glorious achievements in the 1980s, Hearts and Hibs supporters are turning up in numbers, despite the fact that most fans of either club weren't alive the last time their club won a league title.

Yet this gloriously irrational behaviour has a flipside... it tends to cause despondency and anger rather than resignation when things aren't going well. And neither club has had a good month.

Hibs have won just once in their past 8 games, and the fans are starting to vent their fury. Rationally speaking, this shouldn't be happening - the club has sold so many players in recent seasons that expectations for this term should be muted, and their excellent unbeaten run at the start of the season means the club is still in 5th, which is hardly a disaster. Furthermore, what with the debts, new training centre and potential new East Stand at Easter Road, the club has got a fairly large list of bills besides going shopping for new players.

But the team's form is awful, and a minority have begun calling for John Collins to be sacked. Both manager and squad seem short of confidence at the moment, not helped by an increasingly edgy mood at Easter Road. It wasn't last Saturday's 1-1 draw against Falkirk, but the abject defeat against Aberdeen that proved the catalyst for the latest discontent. Few of the new signings have really made their mark yet, while the tactics and line up seem to chop and change from one match to the next.

Unless this current slump becomes a prolonged losing streak, there is no prospect of Collins getting the sack. Hibs simply don't respond to short term pressure in that way, much to their credit. But the manager certainly faces an important Festive period, and Hibs need to stay in touch with Motherwell and Dundee Utd in the battle for third spot at least. Otherwise the famously radge support could get even more vocal.

All this could seem no more important than the typical family row at the Christmas dinner table, though, compared to what's going on at Hearts just now. They are also on a poor run of results, but this time the catalyst was goalkeeper Eduardas Kurskis' mistake at the weekend that allowed Rangers to grab all three points from a game that had "draw" written all over it. The player's inclusion in the team is symptomatic of the chaotic way player selection works at Hearts, with the teamsheet faxed in from Lithuania covered in Vladimir Romanov's scribbles, some names crossed out and others put in their place.

Predictably, the Jambos are furious. Yes, Hearts have also lost plenty of decent players over the past year or so as well, but given the still large 1st team squad and huge wage bill they should not be down in 8th position in the league. And while Hearts, too, claim to be planning a new stand at their stadium, the latest promised date for submitting the planning permission has come and gone this week without any progress. Whatever Vladimir Romanov is up to, living up to his promises is not featuring high on his list of priorities at the moment.

The big question is: are the Hearts fans going to turn their anger into action? If Hibs were currently in their position, the fans would probably have rampaged through the streets of Leith by now, before orchestrating a forced occupation of the stadium and holding a mass rally to demand action.

Instead, the Jambos are trying to organise a meeting to plan a meeting to discuss a possible boycott of a home match, perhaps in February. For all their bluster, they tend to sit on their hands during crises and moan, rather than stand up and be counted. The occasional open letter to the owner is about as forceful as they get.

So far, Romanov has been able to do as he likes at Hearts, almost completely un-opposed (and there are still many Hearts fans that caution against doing anything that might upset Dear Leader, despite the chronic misrule). Indeed, it's arguable that Hearts only ended up in his hands because the fans failed to organise themselves against the proposed sale of Tynecastle to a property developer until the very last minute, forcing them to go cap in hand to a mysterious Russian businessman whose ultimate motive remains unclear.

Could this be the moment that the maroon half of Edinburgh finally reaches breaking point?

Strachan blows more hot air but Celtic progress anyway

In the build up to last night's re-arranged Champions League fixture against AC Milan, Gordon Strachan insisted that Celtic were not going to the San Siro merely seeking the point that would see them through to the knock-out stages, but were looking to win the game and top the group.

You'd have thought he might have learned by now.

Celtic's home record in the Champions League under Strachan is impeccable - played six, won six. Yet in 16 away ties in the competition, stretching back before the current manager's reign, they have only a draw against Barcelona three years ago to interrupt the string of defeats. In Europe, Celtic do not travel well.

The supporters won't care too much today, of course. Shaktar Donesk's home defeat against Benfica means that Celtic join AC Milan in the knock-out stages. But if this team is to take the step up to the next level, their atrocious away record really needs to be sorted. Talking themselves up in press conferences is not the answer.

Gary McAllister and Billy Davies early favourites for the Scotland job

According to the BBC, and the bookies, Gary McAllister and Billy Davies are the early favourites to take over as Scotland manager. Jimmy Calderwood is nowhere to be seen but Kenny Dalglish is also tipped.

Go figure.

Gretna scrape a draw, but they're still pointless

Back to domestic business at the weekend, and both Edinburgh clubs had reasons for regret. Hibs enjoyed a terrific home draw with Dundee Utd, hardly a disgraceful result, but shocking defending had given the visitors a two goal lead before Hibs rallied themselves.

Hearts, meanwhile, failed to take full advantage from the gifts on offer against Gretna. It was a story of maroon midfielders, really... first Michael Stewart got sent off after some shameful play-acting from Danny Grainger. Then Laryea Kingston scored with a nice chip from just outside the box, before scoring at the wrong end to level the scores.

Watching the highlights, though, is depressing. Fir Park was once again empty, even if the official attendance of 1,544 was not the lowest at a Gretna match this season. Alright, so they are a small club (Hearts, the self-styled big club, should surely be taking more than 400 supporters with them to Motherwell though). But just what else is it that Gretna offer?

The truth is that they play some decent football at times, which is a credit to Davie Irons' coaching. But it's rarely enough. Irons characterised their problems as a lack of squad depth, a lack of experience, and a lack of quality. Meanwhile, it transpires that it's Mick Wadsworth, the Director of Football, who holds sway over transfers. This is perhaps a clue to the acrimonious departure of previous manager Rowan Alexander.

Gretna desperately need investment in the squad, yet after spending much more money than their rivals to force his club up the divisions, owner Brooks Mileson seems to have turned the taps off now that they've arrived in the SPL. At this rate, they are going straight back down.

Can anyone explain what the point of all this is?

After missing out on Euro 2008, can Scotland make it to the next World Cup?

Football doesn't allow much time to dwell and reflect anymore. Scotland may have only played their last Euro 2008 qualifying game a week ago, but already it's time to forget about the disappointment of that game and look ahead. Club supporters are already immersed in the domestic season again, while today's 2010 World Cup qualifying draw gives a chance to focus on the next challenge.

It's hardly an easy draw, but it could have been worse. Scotland are in the only group with 5 members instead of six, and will face Holland, Norway, Iceland and Macedonia. The route to qualification goes like this - secure the maximum 12 points against the two weakest nations, share the points with Holland, and two wins against Norway should do the job. Easy, eh?!

Of course, what no one yet knows is whether Alec McLeish will still be in charge of the side. The Scottish Football Association want him to stay, not surprising given that he's got Scotland playing their best football for a decade. But the rumours that he's about to jump into the vacancy at Birmingham are getting stronger by the hour.

Is fighting for Premiership survival, in a club with a large "For Sale" sign around its neck, really a more attractive job than the chance to take your nation to its first major tournament for 12 years? Birmingham probably wouldn't be McLeish's first choice, but he was chastened by his experience last year, when he spent 6 months waiting for the phone to ring. McLeish felt that his achievements at Rangers earnt him a crack at a job in the English Premiership, but clubs like Middlesborough and Charlton preferred to look elsewhere.

There's also the small question of money. The SFA will offer improved terms on his current £350k a year contract, but any Birmingham offer will be much more than that. McLeish may feel that this is his only chance to crack the lucrative English managerial marketplace, and if so he will be gone within a week.

Let's face it, it's probably better than leaving half-way through a qualifying campaign, as Walter Smith did. And, impressive though his time in charge has been, this might be as good as it gets for McLeish as Scotland manager. As discussed on this blog in January, McLeish's managerial career has thus far followed a familiar patttern - excellent first year, followed by decline. Maybe it's for the best if he goes now.

Who to replace him? Well, the rank awfulness of the Berti Vogts era means the SFA will not appoint a foreign coach again for a long time. So the shortlist will be exclusively Scottish. This is how it will happen.

Gordon Strachan has already been rejected for the job once and won't put himself forward again. There's as much chance of David Moyes being interested as Alex Ferguson. Billy Davies could be out of a job soon but hasn't done enough to convince yet. Craig Levein and John Collins are both strong candidates, but will probably not want to leave their clubs at this time.

That leaves Jim Jefferies, the Kilmarnock manager, and Jimmy Calderwood at Aberdeen. Both have been in their jobs for a while, both are experienced, and they both might feel that they have taken their current clubs as far as they can. Calderwood is currently in talks about extending his contract at Aberdeen, but is understood to be reluctant to do so without the promise of more money for his squad. Money that isn't going to be made available. He's looking increasingly frustrated at Pittodrie, and may decide that the Scotland job would be a welcome fresh challenge.

So, there we go... 2 real candidates, both with decent records in the Scottish game but nothing like the record of achievement McLeish could point to. Calderwood looks the choice, though... he has some experience of the UEFA Cup, and has worked in Holland before. That should be enough to sway the decision his way.

Hibs and Hearts share the points after another thrilling Edinburgh derby

The second round of fixtures in the SPL kicked off at the weekend, and again the Edinburgh derby was the match that received the biggest build-up. And again, it wasn't on Saturday, this time moved to a Sunday lunchtime slot, with the television cameras in attendance. Setanta have certainly demonstrated their faith in this fixture to draw a bigger audience to the "product".

It turned out to be a neatly symmetrical afternoon, Hibs' dominance in the first half being rewarded with a goal, Hearts' early reply in the 2nd demonstrating their increasing presence in the game. When all sides of such a tempestuous fixture say that a draw was just about fair, then you can be fairly sure that the result was the right one. Hibs were prettier and more cohesive; Hearts were strong and frequently dangerous. The two Edinburgh teams look evenly matched at this point in time.

A shame for Jambo supporters, then, that prior to this game they had handed a 7 point lead to their biggest rivals in the race for 3rd place, after their baffling and inconsistent approach in the first quarter of the season left the maroon team in the wrong half of the table. It's an even bigger shame that neither club is capable of putting together a real title challenge, and will again leave the Old Firm to battle it out amongst themselves for the SPL, as so often in the past.

At least Hibs fans have the comfort of knowing why. The last time the club gambled on success, by giving then manager Alec McLeish more money than it could afford, it forced the club to the brink of selling its ground and relocating to the Edinburgh outskirts to pay the debts. Instead, they have cut expenditure and traded their way out of trouble - a sound long term decision, but one that precludes any romantic dreams of challenging the big two Glasgow clubs.

With Hearts, of course, it's a more complex story. They have spent serious money - far beyond any other club except the Old Firm - but have just one 2nd place finish, and one Scottish Cup victory, to show for it. Now, as they approach the third anniversary of Vladimir Romanov's arrival, they seem no better off than when he arrived. It is inconceivable they can finish any higher than 3rd this season, yet surely they are not accumulating unheard of debts for this? Meanwhile, there are still no confirmed plans for redeveloping their ground. Something, sometime, is going to have to give.

Of course, most of Scotland predicted trouble... Hearts are not the only club in recent times to make bombastic claims about challenging the Old Firm, only to sink back again without achieving their stated aim. Dundee and Motherwell come to mind. There are signs of discontent in Gorgie, with many Hearts fans now openly calling for Romanov to end his involvement with the club, but - as yet - no concerted campaigning. For all the excitement on the pitch, the real story in Edinburgh football is yet to unfold.