Hibernian

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• St Johnstone have won their last two league meetings with Hibs; they haven’t won three in a row over the Easter Road men in the top flight in the 21st century.

• After their 1-0 defeat in December, Hibs could lose back-to-back top-flight away games at St Johnstone for the first time since October 2010.

• St Johnstone are without a win in seven home league games (D3 L4), losing their last two in a row; they last had a longer home league losing run in February 2023 (4).

• Hibs are winless in seven away league games (D5 L2); not since their final nine away games of 2013-14, when they were relegated, have they had a longer such run in the Scottish Premiership.

• St Johnstone’s Craig Levein has won each of his last three Scottish Premiership meetings with Hibs; he has never previously won four in a row against the Easter Road side in his top-flight managerial career.

Hibs travel to St Johnstone in Scottish Premiership action on Saturday, looking to start the post-split schedule in positive fashion.

Who would you like to see start for Nick Montgomery's side? Pick your Hibs XI here.

Liam Bryce, football writer for the Hibs Observer, talks to the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast about the club's season to date.

• Listen to the episode in full here.

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Former Hibs midfielder Scott Allan believes there's a disconnect between the Easter Road side and its support after the club's bottom-six finish.

The 31-year-old, who now plays for Larne in the Republic of Ireland, enjoyed three spells in Leith, first joining under Allan Stubbs in 2014.

But he feels Nick Montgomery's side are currently falling short of supporters' expectations and fears a squad overhaul in the summer will hamper their progression.

"A lot of the time when you watch Hibs, I find them quite unrecognisable in terms of their style of play and what the fans kind of demand," Allan told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I get the feeling there's not a connect as such between the Hibs fans and the team at the moment, which happens when you go through poor results.

"But leading up to the split, Hibs had been in a good place. They put a couple of back -to-back wins together and they just needed home wins.

"The game against St. Johnstone, Hibs have got to be winning that. And I think that's the problem. When you get a defeat there, it leads on and that's the story of Hibs' season.

"It's probably a very frustrating watch for the fans. We're now talking about a clear-out again in the summer. That seems to be every summer, every transfer window now for Hibs.

"And the turnover of players, it's also well spoken about. You're never going to get success with a team if it's constant turnover.

"When you're in a changing room with players, you make friendships, then he's gone, there's a new guy in. It's very hard to then create a very good team bond."

Alasdair Lamont is joined by former Scott Allan and Liam Bryce for a special edition of the Scottish Football Podcast, as they focus on the current state of affairs at Hibernian.

They discuss how damaging it was for the club and Nick Montgomery to miss out on the top six, and ask where Hibs go from here.

• Listen to the episode in full here.

With several Hibs players' contracts expiring in the summer, we asked you which of them you would like to see stay at Easter Road.

Here's what you had to say:

Michael: In all honesty there are not many I would keep at Hibs. Maolida and Marcondes get pass marks for loan signings I’d like to keep. I think there are better centre-halves out there than Fish and Triantis. The squad needs a desperate clear-out and to start afresh next season. A solid structure is well needed.

Darren: I'd keep Obita, Welsh, Marcondes and Maolida. I genuinely think the rest are replaceable. I know players have contracts but I’d be putting the rest on the transfer list. We need a better standard of player than we currently have and unfortunately I have little or no faith in the people tasked with player recruitment.

Lindsay: Disappointing season where our defensive play has not been effective, but even if I am wary to isolate individuals, there needs to be personnel changes at the back. We all too often lose a critical passing move coming out from the back. I would dispense with Marshall, Hanlon, Levitt, Tavares, Stevenson and coach Youan on the tracking and marking side.

Lewis: Marshall, bye. Maolida, stay. Marcondes, stay. Moriah-Welsh, stay. Paul Hanlon, bye.

Hibernian may bring in a new technical director above director of football Brian McDermott and head coach Nick Montgomery, with the search spearheaded by Bill Foley's Black Knight FC as part of an ongoing review at Easter Road. (Sun), external

It was Scottish Cup semi-final weekend - or for us Hibs fans, just the weekend seeing as our team opted out of the competition in the previous round.

Still though, Hibs did their bit to keep us talking with the release of an open letter from the board to the support. They said performances and the bottom-six finish were "simply unacceptable" as they promised a full review of the football operations and offered Nick Montgomery a stay of execution for the time being.

While some of the statement was an exercise in stating the obvious, the confirmation of a review into the massively under-performing football department - the important bit - is interesting.

While Hibs stopped short of revealing the scope of the review, I would hope it includes a critically objective look at the structure, people and facilities that contribute to a performance on a Saturday afternoon.

From youth team, analysts, physios and coaches, through to those responsible for recruitment, the manager, and the exec team who are decision makers that influence who is hired and fired at the club, all must come under the microscope.

We need to be set up to make the most of the network of clubs we were brought into and this review needs to ensure that happens to the benefit of our team first and foremost.

I expect to see significant change at the club as a result of the review, and it’s essential the review is thorough but also completed with enough urgency that changes can be made to set us up for a successful season ahead.

For this weekend, Montgomery has the opportunity to put right the home defeat to St Johnstone before the split.

A win would go a small way to rebuilding some faith from the support, but crucially we should be looking to vastly improve on the performance from the last match between the sides.

Matty Fairnie can be found on the Longbangers podcast., external

With several players out of contract in the summer, clubs up and down the country are considering who they want to be involved next season.

For Hibs, that includes veteran trio David Marshall, Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon, plus the loan deals of Emiliano Marcondes and Myziane Maolida are set to expire.

Who would you like to keep, and who would you be happy to wave goodbye to? Click here to have your say.

Bournemouth owner Bill Foley, who recently took a 25% stake in Hibernian, has been linked with adding Standard Liege to the portfolio of clubs his Black Knight group is involved with - which also includes Lorient in France and Auckland in New Zealand. (Scotsman, external)

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip here.

Hibs have told manager Nick Montgomery "results need to improve" after the club's bottom-half league finish was confirmed.

Do you think the Englishman is the right man to take Hibs through the summer and beyond? Have your say here.

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Everyone involved at Hibernian could be in for a "difficult summer" if the Leith club fail to end the season positively, says former Easter Road midfielder Kevin Thomson.

Criticism has come the way of Nick Montgomery, whose side will play their post-split football in the bottom six after what has been a disappointing season.

Ex-Hibs man Thomson feels the team have “underperformed” but are capable of restoring a "feelgood factor" with a positive end to the campaign.

"They've been well backed, they pay good money, they've got a big budget, they've got a brilliant training facility, the stadium and pitch looks great," Thomson said on the Scottish Football Podcast.

"But the harsh reality is the team's probably underperformed. There's no getting away from that, whether that's individually, collectively, whether some of the big hitters have not hit the heights they should be hitting.

"I think when you watch Hibs you can see Montgomery's got a style, which I like. He's had subtle changes and he's probably had bits he would like to have changed and maybe not then had the personnel.

"That's not making an excuse for him. He's probably started to get that social media stick, which is a frustration and you cannot change it.

"If they don't compete and go and beat the teams in the bottom six and finish in seventh place with some good results and some feelgood factor, it'll be a difficult summer for everybody involved."

Where do we start with Hibs? Just when it looked like a top-six spot was in the bag... it’s gone!

The team have no one to blame other than themselves. In recent weeks defeat to St Johnstone and draws with Ross County and Motherwell have been extremely costly.

Not only in league positioning and the prize money that comes with a top-six finish. There will now be no further Edinburgh derbies this season and no Rangers arriving at Easter Road, although the club had said they would be reducing the allocation for Old Firm away fans.

But the opportunity to grasp a European spot may be the most costly. Even an early-round qualifier in the Europa Conference League can bring in significant funds and there is always the chance to land a plum tie like this season when Aston Villa came to the capital.

Some big calls are required between now and the end of the season.

Do the board stick with Nick Montgomery? How many of these players can say they deserve to be at Easter Road next season? What happens with recruitment and is the current process working?

These questions and many more are on the lips of Hibs fans and they want answers.

There have been many improvements in the infrastructure at the club in recent years and for that they deserve praise. But the one area the fans care most about is on the pitch.

It’s plain to see that this season has been a huge step backwards. The board have an opportunity to put things right. How they do that will be interesting to see.

Former Hibernian striker Jason Cummings scored a late goal to clinch the Indian title for Mohun Bagan - his fourth league championship in four different countries. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

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Hibs will end their Scottish Premiership season with a trip to West Lothian to face Livingston.

They start their bottom six fixtures with visits to St Johnstone and Ross County, before hosting Aberdeen and Motherwell.

Hibs' post-split fixtures (All times BST)

• St Johnstone (A) - Saturday, 27 April 15:00

• Ross County (A) - Saturday, 4 May 15:00

• Aberdeen (H) - Sunday, 12 May 15:00

• Motherwell (H) - Wednesday, 15 May 19:45

• Livingston (A) - Sunday, 19 May 15:00

Hibs’ fate as a bottom-six club this season was sealed with a late Motherwell equaliser at Fir Park on Saturday.

Hibs only had to see out the last 20 seconds or so to scrape into the top half of the table when it mattered, but the same old failings that have seen us throw away so many points from winning positions this season came back to haunt us again.

The fallout from this result will put the club under pressure to either publicly back Nick Montgomery, or replace him.

It’s hard to make a case for the beleaguered boss. On virtually any measure you care to select, he’s not improved the team since arriving just four matches into the season.

Only eight league wins from 28 matches under Montgomery tells the story of a season that promised much but failed to deliver.

The club must now decide whether to stick or twist – there’s no doubt Hibs need stability, but it’s also true a marked improvement is required.

And so the question that needs to be answered is: is Nick Montgomery the man to take Hibs forward?

From what we’ve seen this season, I can’t say confidently there’s enough evidence to suggest that he is.

Matty Fairnie can be found on the Longbangers podcast, external

Ex-Hibernian striker Tam McManus says more fingers should be "pointed in the direction of the boardroom" after another "totally unacceptable" season. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.

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A club of Hibs' size missing out on the top six signals a "poor season", according to former Scotland defender Richard Foster.

Shane Blaney's last-gasp equaliser for Motherwell confirmed a bottom-half finish for Nick Montgomery's side after Dundee picked up a point at Pittodrie.

"To see how devastated the Hibs players were on the pitch - to a man they were sat down, head between their legs, obviously incredibly disappointed because it's been a poor season from Hibs," Foster told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I know there's been a bit of change. You mentioned all those guys coming in in January. That's sometimes not always a good thing. It takes time for players to gel and get to know each other.

"But in terms of the size of the club, the facilities they have got, the budget - Hibs are a team that the fans will expect them to be at least top six. Hibs will be expecting to be challenging for the European spots.

"They will not be accepting of a team who just dribble into the top six. For a team who have not even made the top six, I think they've had a real poor season.

Former Scotland international and Hibs fan Pat Nevin hopes the Easter Road club stick by under-pressure head coach Nick Montgomery.

The Englishman has faced tough questions in recent weeks, with doubts intensifying from some quarters of the Hibs support after they missed out on the top six courtesy of a last-gasp Motherwell equaliser on Saturday.

"Do you know what's amazing in football? How much difference a couple of seconds make," Nevin told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Had that 94th minute equaliser not gone in, Hibs would have been in a real position where they could have been in the top six.

"It takes a little while to get players in and players out that you want and then to settle into the game as well.

"I am one of these people, I'm not quick to shout for manager's heads. It's just I know how tough a job it is. I know that the very, very best ones are generally the ones that are not there for nine months. They're the ones that are there for two, three, four, five years and are given an opportunity to build something.

"So in my mind, he's still okay, he's done enough. I know every Hibernian fan won’t feel exactly the same about it and I would respect that, but you've got to give people opportunities and I certainly hope there's no knee-jerk reactions over the next wee while just because they're not in the top six."

Pat Nevin and Richard Foster join Liam McLeod to pick over the bones of another incredible weekend of Scottish football drama.

They look back on Ross County’s historic victory over Rangers and discuss what impact it could have at both ends of the table.

They also assess the jobs done by Tony Docherty and Nick Montgomery as Dundee secure their place in the top 6 at the expense of Hibs and Motherwell.

Listen to today's episode of the Scottish Football Podcast here.