Collins walk-out stuns Hibernian

John Collins has surprised Hibernian by walking out as manager of the Scottish Premier League Club.

Collins' sudden departure yesterday forced the Scottish Football Association to immediately deny that he had quit to become the national team manager, a job he has been linked with following the decision of Alex McLeish to join Birmingham City.

Collins, 39, who played for Hibs, Celtic, Monaco, Everton and Fulham, voiced his frustration at being denied funds to strengthen his squad, having seen the club make a profit of over 8m on player trading since his appointment in October last year.

"During my time as manager we have brought in over 8.8m and paid out 360,000 on new players. My reasons for resigning are that I feel I have taken the club under the current resources available as far as I can."

He steered Hibernian to their CIS Insurance Cup final triumph in March, ending Hibs' 16-year wait for major silverware.

However, he also saw a host of key players leave the club, including Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, Steven Whittaker, Ivan Sproule and Chris Killen.