Jobs On The Line

Last updated : 22 October 2010 By Ed_ScottishFitba
lewis stevenson 1Hibs midfielder Lewis Stevenson has played for four managers since he arrived at Easter Road in 2005. He accepts he and his team-mates have to take responsibility for the "farcical" managerial situation at the club if they hope to still be in a job in January. New manager Colin Calderwood will have 16 decisions to make by the end of the season at least as that is the number of players whose contracts are up for renewal. This will ensure that they will be out to impress when training and playing. Stevenson, who has played under John Hughes, Mixu Paatelainen, John Collins and Tony Mowbray, admits it is easy to get rid of the manager when players do not deliver. However, he is well aware that the club can make sweeping changes in the near future. The midfielder said: "It's getting almost farcical now. I've been here six years and this is my fifth manager. So the players have got a bit of responsibility. I don't know if they maybe need to change the players rather than the manager sometimes. Everyone was happy with the old manager and we just need to get on with the new one."

Stevenson admitted he felt sorry for Hughes, who followed Paatelainen in being asked to leave shortly after leading the club into the top six of the SPl, and, in former's case, Europe. The former Scotland Under-21 international said: "
It's easy to take the manager out because the club can't really get rid of the players. We need to take responsibility and do our best for the new manager. I don't think there are a lot of clubs where 16 players are out of contract at the same time. It's usually a gradual thing. I'm one of the players so I know I have to impress in that short period of time or else I won't get a new contract. It's maybe a good thing that people are in the same boat. If there were less numbers you would maybe be more worried. It's the same with any job with a contract - you have to do your best and impress the manager. He will have his own ideas and a lot of contacts down in England."

Despite the uncertainty, Stevenson hopes he will have a better chance of securing a new deal under Calderwood than he did under Hughes. Stevenson had not played this season before being picked for the 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock on Saturday by interim management team Alistair Stevenson and Gareth Evans. Stevenson made just 12 appearances last season and, although he knows there is no guarantee he will keep his place for Saturday's SPL clash at Aberdeen, he is determined to shape his own destiny. He said: "
In the back of your head you're always thinking 'what am I going to do?' I hadn't played at all and I wasn't confident at all of getting a new contract. Maybe the change will mean I can get a few games but you never know what's going to happen. The new manager will come in with his new ideas and you can't really blame him. He will pick the team on what he has seen in training over the last few days. If I've performed when I had the chance I maybe wouldn't be saying 'I didn't get enough games'. It's more up to me than the manager."
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