Neil Lennon has emerged as a surprise candidate to replace John Collins as manager of Hibernian.
The former Celtic captain is winding down his playing career at Nottingham Forest but would relish the chance to return to Scotland.
The Hibernian board will draw up a shortlist of potential replacements after Saturday's trip to Celtic Park and are expected to persist with the recent strategy of appointing a young, hungry and inexperienced coach.
Lennon, at 36, fits the bill. He won five championship titles in seven years at Celtic Park and has made no secret of his intention to go into management after a career spent under the tutelage of Martin O'Neill at Wycombe Wanderers, Leicester City and Celtic.
Forest, managed by Colin Calderwood, the former Scotland international defender, would not be difficult to deal with in terms of compensation and Lennon would be the sort of high-profile replacement to satisfy the supporters.
Billy Davies, the former Derby County manager, is another contender. He is in the running for the Scotland job but his experience in England and his emphasis on youth development are attractive qualities to Hibernian, who have just relocated to the new £5m training academy in Ormiston. "I will give anybody the courtesy of a discussion," said Davies, "but I gave my word that I would make Christmas my family time and then consider my future in the new year."
John Hughes, a former Hibs favourite, ruled himself out of contention last night but may be persuaded to change his mind if the board decide to pursue the Falkirk manager.
Hughes was upset by the fact he did not reach the interview stage when Hibernian searched for Tony Mowbray's replacement. Last night, he underlined his commitment to Falkirk. "I'll just knock it on the head right now; I'm happy where I am," he said. "John resigning has come as a surprise. Being quite close to him, I think he's done a fantastic job at Hibs considering the players that he lost.
No matter what he does, I just wish him all the best.
"Falkirk have really stuck by me. They were good enough to give me the chance of management and I'm 100% committed to the cause to take the club where we want to go.
"I've got an understanding with my board of directors that they let me get on with my job. They've got great trust in me and the way we play and what kind of players we are bringing to the club."
John Robertson, a Hibernian supporter as a youth, is an outside bet. He is in the frame for the vacancy at Dunfermline Athletic but Allan Moore and the Terry Butcher/Maurice Malpas double act are thought to be ahead of him. Robertson was the first casualty of the Vladimir Romanov regime at Hearts and he is keen to get back to work after being sacked recently by Derry City.
The Scottish Football Association refuted suggestions that Collins' resignation has enhanced his prospects of succeeding Alex McLeish as Scotland manager.
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