Bill Foley claims Hibs are 'not listening' to the input of his Black Knight FC group after being overruled on two key appointments.

The AFC Bournemouth owner, who acquired a 25 per cent stake at Easter Road earlier this year, insists he is looking out for the best interests of the club, but feels the current leadership should be more receptive to the Black Knights' advice. The 79-year-old, and fellow Black Knight representative Ryan Caswell, were appointed to the Hibs board in March, but The Hibs Observer understands that neither head coach David Gray, nor sporting director Malky Mackay were their preferred candidates to fill either role.

The US billionaire was asked about the reaction to the weekend defeat at Kelty Hearts, and believes the result could be a turning point in Hibs opening up to his group's blueprint for success. Foley believes the club's fortunes will turn if the powers-that-be 'listen' to the Black Knights, and encouraged them to follow the example of Lorient, the French side who are also part of the group's portfolio of clubs.

"I am absolutely looking out for them," Foley told BBC Sport. "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.

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"We have a very good relationship with Lorient. They 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. That will be our competitive edge and we will be able to develop a really good team."

Hibs owners, the Gordon family, remain in control of decisions being made at the club, including the appointment of David Gray as new head coach, and the arrival of Malky Mackay as sporting director. Black Knight FC's involvement create expectation that emerging talents at Bournemouth could find their way to Easter Road on a regular basis. But senior figures at Hibs - including Mackay in an exclusive interview with the Hibs Observer - are of the view that the club are only interested in players ready to make an immediate impact in the Scottish Premiership.