McLaren set to rejoin old boss
Refuses to sign new deal with Killie - now training at Easter Road

HIBS HAVE FINALLY SETTLED back into the training routine this week but for the first few days at least it is a very much smaller first team squad that are being put through their paces by Bobby Williamson and his coaching staff.  Quite a few familiar faces are missing following the summer clear-out, with others such as Nick Colgan and Grant Brebner reporting back but not expected to hang around for long if the club have anything to do with it.  Bobby Williamson has promised new faces and to an extent that promise is already showing signs of fruition, with Williamson providing 'training facilities' for former Kilmarnock midfielder Andy McLaren, who has refused to sign a new deal with the Ayrshire side.  Williamson was as usual non-committal however when pressed to reveal if McLaren might become the Easter Road sides first major signing for the new season, saying: "Andy McLaren is currently in between clubs and is looking for something so we will see what happens. He has had a troubled past but he got that sorted and is a good lad. We will have a look at both players while they are with us and then see what happens after that. It gives them an opportunity."

Young guns are fine but experience required at Easter Road (sns)

There is little doubt that Williamson can get the best out of McLaren, the star signed by the Hibs boss three years ago when he was in charge at Kilmarnock and one of very few managers prepared to take a risk on McLaren following his famous dismissal from English football on the back of drink and drug problems.  That is now well behind McLaren of course, and by all accounts it would appear that if a deal can be done with Hibs chief Rod Petrie on his return from holiday next week, McLaren could find himself in a Hibs shirt in time to face Preston in the clubs opening pre-season friendly two weeks on Saturday.  Also training at Easter Road is former Rangers midfielder Paul McHale, who had spent a period on loan at St Mirren last term.  These players apart, Hibernian continue to be linked with a long list of players currently scrambling around the leagues of Scotland and England seeking employment, however Williamson was in no mood to change the habits of a lifetime and enter into speculation, idle or otherwise, so Hibs fans will have to wait a little longer yet before learning the shape of the squad for the coming season.

The size of the current Easter Road first-team squad is something that is clearly of concern not only to Hibs fans but to the more established players as well.  Gary Smith is one of the few senior professionals at Easter Road who found himself out of contract at the end of last season but was still offered a new deal which he gratefully snapped up, but the former Aberdeen defender was making it clear last night that he felt more experience was required at the club as a matter of some urgency.  "At the moment this is one of the smallest squads I have been involved in and there are a lot of spaces," Smith said, adding:  "I hope there will be experienced players coming in because I think we could do with them. The manager has said that there will be and that’s his department so he’ll look after that I’m sure."  Smith has looked on as Dundee United and Motherwell in particular have wasted little time in strengthening their squads, and that is a worry for the defender who added: "Other teams in the bottom half of the table have strengthened their squad so it’s going to be a testing time I think. If we were to get a few injuries at the moment it could be tight but the manager has said he is hoping to add to the squad before then."

Meanwhile a new Hibernian video production hits the streets this weekend.  Available from the club shop on Saturday, 'The Famous Five' tells the story of the most famous Scottish forward line in the history of the game, in the words of the surviving players from that remarkable Hibs forward line.  Including an interview with Bobby Johnstone just before his death in 2001, the production is sure to be a hit with Hibs fans of all ages.  Lawrie Reilly will be on hand at the club shop to sign copies when the video, which will also be available in DVD format, goes on sale this weekend.  And fans heading down to Easter Road to snap up copies might consider taking in an important game of football on Saturday, as the internet side Erin Hibs take on their city rivals Real Maroon in the semi-final of the UK Cup.  Erin Hibs are no strangers to the trophy having won it in Leeds a year ago, and now the Hibees are looking to turn over their local rivals for the right to take part in the final once again, to be played in Leeds later this month.  The game kicks off at 2pm at the Edinburgh Academy playing fields.