SOME players begin in a blaze of glory, and then suffer as their subsequent performances fail to match up to their original promise. Rob Jones, however, has continued to burrow deeper into Hibs fans' affections since one supporter informed him that the jury was still out after his first weeks at Easter Road.
Jones was left stunned, since he had only played two or three games. But he vowed to prove him wrong, and was thankful that the fan possessed the guts to make this comment to his face. There was, Jones also knew, grumbling in the stands as the defend
er initially struggled to find his feet following a £150,000 move from Grimsby Town.
It has now proved a piece of business which further commends Tony Mowbray, the former Hibs manager. John Collins, Mowbray's successor, appointed Jones captain after Kevin Thomson made it clear that his future lay away from Easter Road. Jones then became the first Hibs skipper since 1991 to lift a major honour into the sky above Hampden Park and, if he goes, will likely earn Hibs four times what they paid out for him in 2006.
However, the thought of this windfall will not appeal to Hibs if it means a future without Jones. Over the last three seasons he has been as central to the team as Steven Fletcher, twice named young player of the season by the football writers in Scotland. And while Derek Riordan might be the most talented player at the club, any poll conducted among supporters who regularly attend matches would reveal Jones to be the most indispensable.
The fear is that he might now be entering the last days of his Hibs career. Defender David Van Zanten is the latest to make an impassioned plea to the skipper to remain with Hibs. "He's the players' player of the year, and deservedly so, for all season he has been a rock," he said yesterday.
Jones has one more year left on his contract, but handed his jersey to a member of the crowd following the second of two towering performances against the Old Firm over the last week. Perhaps we should avoid reading too much into this act. His sustained applause to all four sides of Easter Road at the end of last season's final match against Motherwell was interpreted as a sign he would soon depart. Even during the latest transfer window there was intense speculation that he would be on his way. Colchester United joined those clubs to be credited with an interest in the player in January. It is a list which also includes Leeds United, Derby County and Nottingham Forest.
The Easter Road club can only hold out for so long in the face of such interest, while Jones, too, is conscious of the need to seize the chance of playing south of the Border once more. He has been frank in the past about the likelihood of him moving south before long for family reasons.
Given that he turned full-time at the relatively late age of 23, he will rightly view the time spent at Hibs as a decent chunk of his career. With no prospect of European football to entice him to stay next season, only the most delusional Hibs supporter will be convinced the team can rely on his services again next season. Sol Bamba seems more likely to step back into centre-half, though the former Dunfermline player lacks the authority and dependability provided by Jones.
The Englishman has become the figure of influence at Easter Road. He can reflect on a time at Hibs where he has gained experience both on the pitch and off it. He was the spokesman for the players after a rift developed between the first-team squad and Collins, who they accused of lacking man-management skills. In the end Jones read out a statement which apologised to Collins for any embarrassment resulting from the players' actions, after they demanded a meeting with then chief executive Rod Petrie.
It was a chastening experience for Jones, but was a lesson in taking responsibility. Many argued he should have taken the situation by the scruff of its neck earlier, but few in their mid-twenties would have negotiated such a tricky situation without mishap. Just as he took faltering steps in his early days as a player, Jones grew into the role of captain. His presence on the pitch is now defined by his leadership qualities as well as defensive capabilities. At no time in his Easter Road career has this been more obvious than in that last seven days, when Hibs faced the challenge presented by successive matches against Rangers and Celtic. This is demanding at the best of times, but further scrutiny was provided by the circumstances, with the Old Firm neck and neck at the top of the league, and alert to the need for goals.
Jones responded by posting perhaps his finest performances in a Hibs shirt. Fans of the club might be tempted to treat the defender's likely departure more philosophically, since it is not expected he will be turning up again in a Rangers or Celtic shirt. But then it can't be said that he failed to catch their eye in either of the recent meetings, while the Old Firm could both do with reinforcements in the heart of their defence.
Having been the dominant figure for Hibs in recent years, Jones will be central in the thoughts of the club's supporters as they pray that somehow he might remain in Leith next season. It seems more likely that he will leave them only with a small mercy; a rare instance of a player of worth departing Easter Road, but not via the M8.
The full article contains 977 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
