2nd June 2001
Now it's Southampton
Speculation reaches new highs - and lows!
(Stuart Crowther)

THE END OF A CRAZY WEEK arrived today, with fans facing up to the first of many long summer Saturday's without a football match to attend.  Not of course that there were many Saturday's with football last season, thanks to the game being hijacked by television!

The talk of the week has of course been the future of Hibs boss Alex McLeish.  Alex himself has been treating the whole thing with the contempt it deserves, as each newspaper falls over itself to reveal who the next English Premiership club are with eyes in the direction of our boss.  Here at Hibs.net we follow it all with some bewilderment, and can only report what we make of the whole thing, along with whatever facts we can glean ourselves!

This morning Roger Hannah of the Scottish Daily Mail gives Hibs the back page headline, yesterday announcing that Celtic would be making a move for Ulrik Laursen and today it is Southampton making moves on Alex McLeish, also assuming that West Ham or perhaps even Shamrock Rovers don't get in there first of course.  The basis for these stories are the excellent network of informants every journalist has at his disposal, 'insiders' only too pleased to discuss what went on in the boardroom, changing room or home of a woman who once asked for the autograph of a high-up who served a club Chairman's dinner last month.

Tom McManus set to move?  Nah...

Of course every now and again these speculative stories hit the target, some of them have to.  Hibs.net have even been known to get one or two spot on!  But the silly season is upon us with a vengeance, as it was even reported yesterday that Hearts were preparing a bid for a dissatisfied Tam McManus, and one even wilder rumour hitting the streets of Edinburgh that the Tynecastle club were preparing a bid for John O'Neil.  The fact that both these players are firmly under contract at Easter Road, so would cost what Hearts don't have, money, seems to be lost in the clamour for something to talk about in these already too long summer days.

Alex McLeish has now departed on holiday, so one hopes that these rumours he keeps starting will now end!  Hibs will however continue to seek the new talent required for next season, McLeish having already provided his managing director a wish list that Rod Petrie is sure to pursue in the coming weeks, top of which is Marc Libbra whom it seems is the subject of a bid by Celtic, but no deal is as cut-and-dried as it seems and Mr Petrie has a few tricks up his sleeve yet.  These are nervous days as well for Dirk Lehmann, who as of yesterday is officially out of work, his Easter Road contract coming to an end and as yet no sign of a new offer has been forthcoming.

Voting for the Hibs.net Player of the Year is just about complete, so get your choice in via our Poll before Tuesday morning when the chance will be gone!  Next up are nominations for the goal of the season, of which we are sure there will be plenty, so let the editor know now which goals you feel should be in the top six!