Hibs will bring in Garvan Stewart, Bournemouth’s head of recruitment analysis, to lead the rebuild of the club’s first team.
The move comes after Easter Road’s board handed a vote of confidence to under-fire boss David Gray last night.
With Hibs bottom of the Premier League after one win in 12 games, the club’s hierarchy have pledged to work with major shareholder and Bournemouth owner Bill Foley and his Black Knight Football group to make improvements on the pitch.
Seventeen players are out of contract this summer and plans are taking shape to renew the selection.
Mailsport understands that current Bournemouth analyst Stewart has been given a key role in using data to identify new signings following criticism of the club’s transfer dealings in recent years.
Pressure mounted on Gray after Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to St Mirren and, in response to speculation over his future, Hibs released a statement saying: ‘We are disappointed with the poor start to our current season, just like all Hibernian supporters.
Hibs manager David Gray has received a vote of confidence in a statement from the club
‘After the results of the weekend, we had discussions as a group about how we would proceed.
“We continue to work tirelessly in our quest to improve our performance and achieve the results we need on the pitch.
“We support our head coach David Gray and his management team during these challenging times. All departments are under pressure to perform.
“We recognize that this is a difficult time for our supporters, and we know we can do better. Together with Black Knight Football we are working hard to make that possible.’
Hibs’ hierarchy have pledged to work with major shareholder and Bournemouth owner Bill Foley
Hibs will hand a key role to Garvan Stewart, who worked with Eddie Howe at Bournemouth
Foley’s Black Knight Football group bought a 25 percent stake in Hibs for £6 million in March.
The Texan billionaire, whose multi-club network includes Auckland and Lorient, was unhappy that his input into key decisions at Easter Road was ignored and recently hosted clear-eyed talks with Hibs director Ian Gordon and CEO Ben Kensell in Las Vegas. month.
Discussions about a higher role for Stewart are the first sign Foley is flexing his muscles.
Irishman Stewart worked for the Welsh FA and Cardiff City as a performance analyst before moving to Portsmouth and then Bournemouth, where he worked in recruitment analysis.
A 2-0 win over St Johnstone on September 14 marked the last time Hibs won a Premiership match, and club officials have now begun a weekly dialogue with Black Knight Football group president Tim Bezbatchenko as they look for ways to reverse the slump stop and drag out the crisis. team away from the foot of the table.