Hibs would feel woozy without key man Boozy

SO Hibs will have to take the InterToto route into Europe after the weekend's results. Players will have to be back early for training after a late finish to the season.

However, Hibbies shouldn't be too disappointed that they didn't manage to secure third place.

When Mixu Paatelainen took over, they were in eighth place and going nowhere. Within a short period of time he had guaranteed them a top-six place and got them into a position to challenge for third place. Even a point at Parkhead yesterday would have taken the race for the UEFA Cup spot right down to the wire.

I've been at the new training complex and Easter Road many times to speak to players and Mixu, and there's no doubt that there is a more relaxed and positive atmosphere about the club now. I know Mixu is a very upbeat person and Donald Park is quite relaxed.

Whatever you think about John Collins, following his departure there has been a dramatic improvement in the team's fortunes.

Hibs have become much stronger defensively and altogether a much more compact unit. Mixu has made them much harder to break down and it's interesting to see how the way his team plays compares to his own style.

You would have expected a John Collins team to be all passing and flair and, to a certain extent, they tried to play that way.

Mixu was a very strong and combative player and there's no doubt his team have more solidity about them than Collins' did. They have a decent defensive record and have ended up with the third best home record in the SPL.

The task for Mixu next season will be to improve away form and that is something that also troubled Tony Mowbray. His problem was possibly that he tried to get the team to play the same way away from Easter Road as they did at home and it didn't work. If Mixu can find a way to secure a few more points away from home next season third place will be a very realistic target for Hibs.

He will also no doubt be looking to improve his squad in the summer and there is one obvious problem for him. He has plenty of creativity in Fletcher, Shiels, Zemmama and Morais and two of his signings, Martin Canning and Ian Murray, add great strength and versatility to his squad.

But what about Guillaume Beuzelin? He made Hibs tick at Parkhead and would be very difficult to replace if he doesn't accept a new contract and moves on. It is vital that Mixu has a Plan B if he can't persuade Boozy to stay, but that won't be easy.

The sort of player he'll be looking for is one who can take the ball in tight areas, change the point of attack and gather the ball in the centre of park and provide the link between the back four and the forward players. Boozy is a player fans love to watch and Mowbray once said signing him was like finding a "gem on a beach".

Ian Murray, when he plays in midfield, gives Hibs fight, strength and great fitness levels, and John Rankin is a jack of all trades who gets forward and is a good passer of the ball, but the fulcrum of the team is Beuzelin. Hibs have a great reputation for bringing through young players and it would be fantastic if there was a young, homegrown midfielder who could be groomed to take over Boozy's role.

There doesn't seem to be one, though, and I don't think it is a coincidence that the players who have excelled recently in that role for Hibs – Franck Sauzee, Russell Latapy and Beuzelin, have all been foreigners.

So, unless Mixu can make the most of his powers of persuasion, he may well end up looking abroad again to fill an absolutely critical role in his team. But he has shown himself to be an excellent judge of players so far and Hibs fans can maybe look forward to having a new hero next season.

Defeats should be a real wake-up call for Hearts

WHERE do Hearts go from here after a very disappointing end to the season?

The defeat to Kilmarnock followed a very poor performance, which I watched against Falkirk.

If they'd won that game, Hearts would have guaranteed themselves seventh place. Some people might say "so what?" but they should have wanted to do the best they possibly could.

It seemed they had turned a a corner despite ending up in the bottom six. They managed a decent run of results apart from losing at home to Rangers, but it has all ended on a very sour note.

Stevie Frail said Hearts had no divine right to be in the top six and he was absolutely right. But they haven't played to anything like their potential and this should be a big wake-up call.

It would only be right to keep Frail on in a coaching role but the club needs strong leadership from an experienced manager who knows the Scottish game.

However much influence the owner actually has over the team, the stories about his meddling and the way the club has conducted itself over the season will make it very hard to find the right person.

If they don't, for how long will players such as Christophe Berra, Andy Driver and Laryea Kingston, who are all real assets, want to stay at a club that isn't challenging at the top of the league?