BY ALAN TEMPLE, Rotherham – @CCP_Sport
Despite spending less than two years as Hibernian manager, Alan Stubbs leaves Easter Road for Rotherham as a legend after ending the club’s 114-year wait for Scottish Cup glory.
However, he endured plenty of pain in his first ever senior managerial role, with last-minute heartbreak striking in the League Cup and the promotion playoffs.
Here, we look back on an eventful tenure in the capital for the former Bolton, Celtic and Everton defender.
24 June, 2014: Newly appointed Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster charges Stubbs, a youth coach with Everton, with picking up the pieces from the disastrous Terry Butcher reign following relegation to the Championship.
5 August, 2014: Hibs’ new coaching team, with John Doolan and Andy Holden assisting Stubbs, tastes defeat in their first competitive outing, with Rangers registering a 2-1 Petrofac Cup win at Ibrox.
10 October, 2014: Stubbs claims his first ever award in senior management as the SPFL announce him as September’s manager of the month following a fine run of form.
12 April, 2015: The young coach enjoys his first derby triumph, with goals from Jason Cummings and Farid El Alagui securing a 2-0 win over Hearts at Easter Road, albeit the Jambos had already secured the Championship crown.
18 April, 2015: Hibs crash out of the Scottish Cup at the semi-final stage as a wasteful display in front of goal sees them go down 1-0 to Peter Houston’s plucky Falkirk.
23 May, 2015: Despite finishing ahead of Rangers in the final Championship standings, the Gers end Hibs’ promotion dream with a 2-1 aggregate win.
Summer 2015: The Scott Allan transfer saga dominates the close season for the Hibees, with Stubbs firstly declaring the player would not be sold to Rangers. The gifted playmaker ultimately made a switch to Celtic.
29 July, 2015: Stubbs pens a new two-year contract with the Easter Road outfit on the same day bookies made the Englishman the favourite to be the first manager of the 2015/16 season to leave his post.
February to April, 2015: A miserable run of four win in 14 league outings see Hibs’ hopes of beating Rangers to the Championship title ended and they are consigned to another season in the playoffs.
7 February, 2016: Hibs produce a stunning Scottish Cup comeback at Tynecastle, recovering from 2-0 down at half-time to take the tie to a replay. The Hibees win 1-0 at the second time of asking to progress to the last eight.
13 March, 2016: Alan Stubbs’ first major final as a manager ends in heartbreak as Alex Schalk’s injury-time winner secures a 3-2 win for Jim McIntyre’s Ross County.
16 April, 2016: Stubbs tees up a date with destiny as Hibs reach the Scottish Cup final following a penalty shootout win over Dundee United, with Conrad Logan writing his name into Hibee folklore on his debut with a man of the match display.
13 May, 2016: For a second successive season, Hibs’ promotion bid ends at the playoff phase and – again – it’s last-minute agony as Bob McHugh’s instinctive goal sends Falkirk marching on.
21 May, 2016: Hibs defeat Rangers 3-2 in a thrilling Scottish Cup final at Hampden, with skipper David Gray heading home a last-minute winner, making Stubbs the first man to guide the capital club to the trophy since 1902.
30 May, 2016: Hibs ‘reluctantly’ give Stubbs permission to speak to Rotherham regarding their managerial vacancy and he formally joins the ambitious Championship outfit two days later.
