John Collins, the Hibernian manager, will decide over the next 24 hours whether his long-term future lies with the Easter Road club. Dressing room unrest over team selection and training methods has split the first team squad to such an extent a delegation of disgruntled players requested a meeting with Rod Petrie, the club chairman, on Monday evening.

The Herald understands two midfield players, one with a great deal of experience, and an established defender, have been most vocal in their criticism of the way Collins has handled things since he took over from Tony Mowbray. The players met in a central Edinburgh pub on Monday to formulate a strategy before meeting the Hibernian chairman to air their grievances.

There has been no official comment from the club on the outcome of the meeting but the fact it even took place, in the run-up to the Scottish Cup semi-final against Dunfermline on Sunday, shows the level of discontent within Easter Road.

Collins claims that he knew nothing of the meeting, with the Hibs manager having been out of the country since Saturday night when he flew to the south of France for a scouting mission after the 1-0 league defeat to Dunfermline.

The coach was due to arrive back in Scotland last night, but insisted things at the club were "all positive" and everything in the dressing room was fine and team spirit was good.

"When we came in I think we were eighth in the league and now we're sixth and also have a cup in the bag," said Collins. "We're in a big semi-final at the weekend, we've had five young players make their debuts and we now have £2m in the bank money from the sale of Kevin Thomson to Rangers.

"We've achieved all of this against the backdrop of losing our top scorer, Chris Killen, to injury in January, so it is a positive story. The key is not to allow these things to distract us from where we want to be and I don't worry about these stories. Everything in the dressing room is fine and the spirit is good."

Collins will return to work this morning and will meet Petrie to discuss the situation but with Wednesday traditionally the players' day off, any further talks may have to wait.

Petrie yesterday claimed that everybody at Easter Road was focused on the semi-final against Dunfermline. "That is everyone at the club from the manager, playing staff and everyone behind the scenes," said Petrie. "That is the most important thing at the moment and nothing will be allowed to get in the way of our preparations for that.

"What goes on in the dressing room, stays in the dressing room. The players are very focused on their preparations for a trip to Hampden on Sunday and that's the way it should be.

"There are very few groups of players and managers that get the chance to win trophies in their careers, yet these guys have done that and now we want to look at giving ourselves the best possible chance of winning another prestigious trophy in the Scottish Cup."

Many inside the club find the players' revolt remarkable considering it comes so soon after their CIS Insurance Cup win over Kilmarnock.

One source claimed: "John Collins inherited the team from Tony Mowbray and a lot of the players remain loyal to Tony and didn't like John changing things. He does do things differently and is a bit aloof but he's their manager, not their pal.

"John would want to stay at Easter Road as manager, but let's face it, he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to as he is financially secure. If he feels his authority is being undermined, or if he feels he has lost the dressing room, he will resign no question over the next day or so and will probably be confident of finding another club to manage."

Frank Dougan, treasurer of the Hibs Supporters' Association, claimed the row proved that everyone was keen to see results improve.

"I would be more concerned if there was not a full and frank discussion because it shows that managers and the players care about the club," said Dougan.