It says much about the Edinburgh club’s wretched season that the topic of animated debate in Easter Road’s many pubs over the last few weeks has been a proposal from their kit manufacturer to ditch their famous white sleeves — borrowed from Arsenal in the 1930s — for an all-green top.

Hibernian’s fans may have questioned the quality of many of those who appeared in their colours in a campaign that promised much but has delivered so little that it urgently requires victory today at Kilmarnock simply to give them an outside chance of featuring in the top six once the Bank of Scotland Premierleague splits next weekend. Several hours earlier, Scott will have done his bit to raise the club’s profile.

The actor, who flew from the United States to Greece last season simply to attend the Uefa Cup tie with AEK Athens, will launch Hibernian’s new away kit by wearing it on the Sky Sports’ Soccer AM. Scott can count Mission Impossible 2, starring alongside Tom Cruise among his credits, but Bobby Williamson could do with a similar scriptwriter right now.

The manager could not be in worse shape as he returns to Rugby Park, the place he left to join Hibernian 14 months ago. A dismal run of league defeats — without a win since December 29 — only ended a few weeks ago with a scrappy victory over Partick at Firhill.

In truth, though, it is another of Scott’s films that best encompasses Hibernian’s capricious nature: Enigma. The role of cracking codes in the Second World War was child’s play compared to trying to work out just what Hibernian are going to do. Is it the team that were tamed 4-1 at home by Dunfermline Athletic or the courageous one that came back from a two-goal deficit at Celtic? No game summed up Williamson’s puzzling side more than the 4-4 draw with Heart of Midlothian on January 2. Hibernian tenaciously carved out a 4-2 lead going into stoppage time, which was about to take them above their Edinburgh rivals into third place and the Uefa Cup place both clubs covet. Two goals in the blink of an eye by Hearts’ teenager Graham Weir imposed a remarkable draw — and Hibernian have never recovered.

“From then on, everything just seemed to nosedive,” John O’Neil, the club captain, said. “It all went pear-shaped. I did not play in that game because I was injured but it was hard to describe just how everyone felt after Tynecastle.”

There have been green shoots of recovery. Tom McManus showed his quality with two fine goals in the illdeserved 3-2 defeat at Celtic Park that form part of his four goals in the last three games and make his exclusion by Scotland’s Under-21 side in Lithuania all the more baffling.

Mixu Paatelainen was astonished that his young partner was overlooked in Vilnius by Rainer Bonhof, the coach. The experienced Hibernian striker has been impressed by McManus, especially in his willingness to shoulder a greater deal of the physical burden once Garry O’Connor’s season was rudely interrupted by a broken ankle last autumn.

“I was very surprised Tom didn’t get a starting place because he has been on fire and is so full of confidence,” the Finland striker said. “It was amazing but coaches make decisions and everyone has to respect that and Tom’s no different.

“He will be disappointed. Every player is if he isn’t playing, whether at international or at club level. But he is professional enough now to realise that sometimes it just goes like that. Knowing Tom, it will make him more determined and hopefully he can get ten more goals for us in the last seven games of the season.”

Today’s trip to Rugby Park is followed by the visit of Livingston to Easter Road, while Dundee — who are in sixth place on goal difference — face Celtic and then Motherwell. The next week will shape the remainder of the season and the pressing reason for wanting a top-six place is local pride — if they want to avenge their mishaps against Hearts (two defeats and that draw) then they need to be in the top half to force another derby.

“The next two games are very important, deciding which of us will get into the top six,” Paatelainen reflected. “However, we must take it one game at a time. If we start worrying about two matches at once then you cannot concentrate on the task in hand.

“There are so many ifs and buts which, no doubt, the fans will be working on, but we simply have to go out and give it our best. Only after this match can we then start to look forward to playing Livingston.

“You always want to finish in as high a position as possible. I’d personally take it as a big dent in my pride if we are not in the top six. If we can do it, then we’ll be looking to see if we can finish fifth or fourth and, of course, that would give us the chance to play teams like Rangers, Celtic and Hearts once more this season.”

Meanwhile, the club are trying to maintain tradition off the pitch. Steven Powell, the commercial manager, soothed fans’ fears that their strip would be safe. “It was never our intention to do away with the white sleeves,” he said. “They mean a lot to our fans and we care about tradition.”

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