Hibs job is Butcher’s if he wants it

Terry Butcher will be appointed Hibs manager if he decides he would like to take up the post.

The Inverness Caley Thistle boss is the man the Easter Road club want to replace Pat Fenlon, who resigned on Friday.

Hibs Chief Executive Rod Petrie is currently drawing up a shortlist of potential candidates. But the former England captain is the man they want to take the club forward and it is understood to be his job to knock back.

Former Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels has already submitted his CV to the Edinburgh outfit and will come seriously into the reckoning if Butcher doesn’t want the post.

It remains to be seen whether or not Butcher is willing to gamble on quitting his extremely safe job in Inverness and take the risk of taking over what has become a poisoned chalice. Butcher knocked back the chance to return to England at Barnsley and has continually expressed how content he is at the Highland club. However, the lure of moving to a bigger club in Scotland could prove too much.

After yesterday’s win over Kilmarnock, Butcher said: “It’s just speculation as far as I’m concerned. It’s on the back page of the paper, and people are talking about it, which means I have to respond to it.

“At this moment in time, I’m staying here. That’s it. Anything else is all ifs, buts and maybes, so we’ll wait and see.”

Meanwhile Kenny Shiels has played down his chances of becoming the new Hibs boss. The Northern Irishman is one of the bookies favourites to replace Fenlon at Easter Road. The former Kilmarnock manager was seen sitting close to the club’s Directors’ Box as they crashed out of the League Cup to Hearts in midweek. His former assistant at Rugby Park, Jimmy Nicholl, will take charge of Hibs for their Premiership clash with Motherwell today.

However, speaking while working for radio at St Mirren Park yesterday, Shiels said: “What an honour it is to even be mentioned with a club of that stature. I’m out of work and available, but there’s a lot of really good people who are out of work.

“It’s nice being linked with Hibs, I admit that, but to say any more than that would be absolutely ridiculous. A lot of people see you at the game and think you’re in for the job. I’m as much in the dark as anyone.

“One thing I will say is that I thought Pat Fenlon was very dignified in the action he took and how he spoke about his club. I thought he showed class.

“I was offered two jobs in October but they just weren’t right for me.”