Ian Gordon accepts Hibs have made several 'mistakes' in recruitment under his family's ownership - but firmly believes a revamped football structure means the club is on the path to better fortunes.

A summer of change at Easter Road saw Brian McDermott depart his role as director of football to be replaced by Malky Mackay in a sporting director capacity, followed by the appointment of David Gray as head coach. The summer transfer window featured a clear emphasis on players with experience in Scottish football, with Gordon confirming Hibs were moving away from the recruitment model implemented following his family's purchase of the club in 2019.

Under the leadership of his late father Ron, who passed away in February 2023, Gordon says the club had attempted to follow 'a different way of thinking' that involved multiple forays, with mixed success, into international markets. He insists lessons have now been learned as to the value of having a Scottish core upon which to build.

"When we came in with my father and I, we tried to have a different way of thinking, a different way of recruitment, a different structure than what was in place," Gordon told Sky Sports. “I think we got that wrong. And now, through those lessons, it's got us to a point where having someone like Malky with his Scottish experience and someone like David who knows the club inside and out and his Scottish experience was the direction we needed to get back to.

"I think we wanted to try to shift the direction in terms of the recruitment, the type of players. But I think as the years have gone on and the more you learn about Scottish football, it's very unique. So we need to have a Scottish experience core that then can be filled in with certain types of players."

In the wide-ranging interview, scrutiny also fell on Gordon taking up, without a formal announcement, the head of recruitment role in 2021 following Jack Ross' sacking as manager. He now freely admits that, despite gaining qualifications in talent identification, the decision itself and a 'lack of transparency' around it were further errors on the club's part.

"We felt it was a good time to get a full assessment of the football department," Gordon said. "My role was to oversee the process of how we found our targets, and report that to the manager. I think at the time, from a process standpoint, we felt with us being new to the league and to the club, that it was the appropriate time. I think on reflection, that was a mistake, and it's something we've learned massively from.

"I think the lack of transparency, I think that was a mistake on our part. I think we needed to communicate that better and be more specific as to what my role was. In hindsight, I think we would have done things differently. But through those mistakes, a lot of lessons have been learned, and we feel that we're now in a good position due to that.

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"Going back to the staff that we have in place now with Malky leading that up, we feel the department is very strong and it has great resources to improve. I think we saw some of that in the summer's window with the type of players we brought in."

Pressed on his suitability for assuming the position in the first place, Gordon replied: "It [talent ID] is something that, over the last few years and even before we bought Hibs, that I was studying. I took courses and got a degree in talent ID. It's something I've always been across and had a passion for. In hindsight, we would have done things differently. Through those mistakes, a lot of lessons have been learned. We feel that we're now in a good position due to that.

"Should I have asked for more help with the job? I believe so. At the time, with more support and structure that would have been helpful. But I agree that the timing was not correct."