HIBS have backed under pressure manager David Gray.
And they are preparing to back him with new players sourced by a recruitment expert with links to Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, according to a report.
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Hibs are bottom of the William Hill Premiership and have just won ONCE in 12 attempts and were also embarrassed in the Premier Sports Cup group stages by Kelty Hearts.
Gray took full-time charge in the summer after several periods as interim boss.
But after another defeat at the weekend – to St Mirren – the Easter Road board issued a vote of confidence to the under-fire manager on Monday night – but accepted ALL areas of the club were under pressure to improve.
According to the Daily Mail, that includes the Easter Road recruitment department which will be tasked with rebuilding a squad carrying no less than 17 players out of contract at the end of the season.
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They can begin talks with future employers in just seven weeks.
But Hibs will now put their heads together with major shareholder Bill Foley and his Black Knight Football group to devise a rebuild to improve their fortunes.
And it’s claimed Bournemouth head of recruitment analyst Garvan Stewart has been ear-marked to lead it.
It’s said he has been offered a role identifying new signings for the misfiring squad.
Stewart worked with previous Cherries boss Eddie Howe after initially starting his career in Wales with the FA and Cardiff City and then at Portsmouth, before his shift along the south coast.
His move, and the obvious Foley link points to the shareholder’s growing influence after he BLASTED the board for ignoring his help.
In July, after the defeat to Kelty, he warned the ‘other ownership group’ at the club.
He said: “I am absolutely looking out for them.
“If the other ownership group at Hibernian listens to us, they will do better. So far, they really haven’t been listening to our input. I believe they will listen to our input now.
“We have a very good relationship with Lorient who are listening and are hiring the right people to develop that club.
“Our goal is to have similar coaching, similar playing styles and similar players that can progress through our system.
“It is not just going to be Bournemouth and a bunch of other teams.
“It will be a whole system that allows players to progress from team to team to team.”
Angry calls met the end of Saturday’s defeat to St Mirren with Elie Youan having to be restrained and removed from remonstrating with fans at full-time.
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And the Easter Road officials acknowledged the sub-standard performances.
In a statement they said:  “We are disappointed with the poor start to our current season like all Hibernian FC supporters.
“Following the weekend’s result, we have held discussions as a group addressing how we move forward.
“We continue to work tirelessly in our quest to improve our performance and achieve the results we need on the pitch.
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“Through this challenging time, we support our head coach David Gray and his management team. All departments are under pressure to deliver.
“We recognise that this is a hard time for our supporters, and we know we can do better. Together, with Black Knight Football, we are working hard to make that happen.”
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