tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53634088403723803212024-02-20T15:47:31.816-08:00The Comeback Is On.My personal blog, broadly it'll be about Hibs or other nonsense. Enjoy.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-3513074771212115482018-11-02T07:15:00.000-07:002018-11-02T10:27:33.806-07:00Neil Lennon<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I’ll start this blog by firstly setting the parameters of what I’m going to discuss to avoid falling into traditional Scottish football “whataboutery”. I’m looking specifically around the issue of the treatment of Neil Lennon. I will not be referencing other issues such as the punch on the Hearts goalkeeper during the Halloween Edinburgh derby because I do not consider them relevant to this blog. I don’t condone such behaviour and I’m not pretending things like that don’t happen, they’re just not for this particular piece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">So where do I start with Neil Lennon? I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Lennon once, during a tour of Hibernian’s East Mains Training Centre, where he took part in a Q&A with a group of supporters. He was warm, charming, friendly and funny – a bit intimidating, sure, but he could not have been nicer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">These are traits that you will hear others who know Lennon well use to describe him. He is far removed from the pantomime villain or snarling aggressor that he is portrayed as by those who are of a mind to paint him that way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I will confess to having a strong dislike for Lennon when he played for Celtic. I couldn’t stand his aggression on the pitch or the way he played. His combative style rubbed many people up the wrong way, and he was someone who, at the time, was easy to dislike. Similarly, there have been many players who I’ve felt that way about, usually they wear the maroon of Hearts, the blue of Rangers, or the green and white of Celtic. I don’t think I’m out of order saying that fans of most teams will feel similarly about a variety of players who play for the clubs seen as their biggest rivals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Players such as Ian Black, Barry Ferguson, Rudi Skacel, Jimmy Sandison, Craig Bellamy, and so on have all had the treatment at Easter Road and I’m certain I’ll have shouted stuff at them in days gone by that I would never dream of shouting at someone in the street. They all gave a bit back, and fair play to them – I couldn’t stand them because generally they personified the rivalry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For me it was never, ever a sectarian (or racist) issue. Religion etc never came into it. I am not a religious person and have no issue with anyone that chooses that lifestyle, whatever the religion. That’s up to them. For a long time, I would have argued that Lennon didn’t get abuse because of his religion or background, and that fans simply didn’t like him because of the type of person he is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When Lennon came to Hibs I wasn’t convinced that it was a good move or that he’d be a good fit for the club, and I’ll happily admit to being completely wrong about that. Lennon has been a revelation at Easter Road. The vast majority of the support have embraced Lennon and I am proud to have him in our corner. Aside from the improvements he’s made to the team on the pitch, his toughness, determination and bravery has filtered throughout the club. Hibs are no longer seen as a soft touch, and although that change started when Leeann Dempster and Alan Stubbs came on board, it’s under Lennon that the team have really kicked on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Being able to view Lennon’s treatment from other fans from a point of view where I am supportive of him has been a real eye-opener. There can be no argument that Lennon receives the abuse he gets on account of the fact that he is a Northern Irish Catholic that played for Celtic. That is not to say that this is the motivation for every fan who abuses him, but it is a hugely significant differentiator when you compare Lennon’s treatment to that of (for example) Craig Levein – another manager who plays up to the pantomime villain at times yet has not had to suffer the trauma of dealing with bullets through the post or acts of violence from the stands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lennon is seen by many bigots as the embodiment of their Catholic enemy. When people made an effigy of him to burn they weren’t doing it because he was a bit tough in the tackle, they did it on an anti-Catholic agenda. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">There seems to be a resurgence in anti-Catholicism in Scottish football at the moment, Alan Stubbs – a mild mannered and respectful manager who could never be accused of ‘bringing it on himself’, has been subject to sectarian taunts from Rangers and Hearts fans while managing Hibs. I’m not talking about a wee bit here and there, I’m talking about loud and clear anti-Catholic abuse from large sections of supporters picked up on live TV and swept under the carpet by authorities and the media. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When this is allowed to happen unchallenged, it paves the way for the other abuse. When people are given the freedom to attack an individual for their religion, it’s easy for those that don’t consider religion but just don’t like the individual to join in. Their motives aren’t sectarian but sectarianism gives them the platform and the social acceptability to become abusers. Mob-mentality sets the standards for behaviour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lennon is accused of bringing it on himself, it’s a ridiculous and lazy argument. On Wednesday, after being taunted with some mild and some wild ‘banter’ from the stands, he gave a bit back and got pelted by a coin. Incredibly, folk were quick to criticise Lennon – he goaded the crowd, he incited them, he brought it on himself. By that logic, surely the crowd brought it on themselves by giving it tight to Lennon through the game. It’s nonsense. It’s absolving people from personal responsibility and victim-blaming. It’s a tired and hugely flawed argument.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Surely people have sufficient self-control that they can cope with one man jokingly telling them to calm down, or running on the pitch pretending to be a plane, or cupping his ears – whatever – without feeling that this is such an outrage and such provocation that violence is the only reasonable course of action to deal with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When Levein wound up the Hibs fans with his mischievous and calculated “natural order” jibe, which played to the gallery of Hearts fans and undoubtedly got under the skin of some Hibs fans, the response was equally mischievous. The unfurling of a ‘Natural Order?’ banner as Hibs triumphed over Levein’s Hearts was the perfect counter. Good natured and harmless, the panto villain had given some and had to take it back (which he did, with good grace). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lennon, on the other hand, has had to deal with effigies, with bullets in the post, with assaults in the streets and assaults within stadiums (twice at Tynecastle now, with one fan running onto the pitch to attack him prior to the coin throwing assault on Halloween). Graffitti appeared around Tynecastle in the run up to the derby which read simply “Hang Neil Lennon”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It’s an absolute disgrace – yet there are people who will say, with a straight face and firm in their belief, that he brings it on himself. That engaging with the opposition support is enough of a crime for death threats, intimidation, and assault.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And part of the issue is that Lennon is never afraid to put his head above the parapet. He stands proud, resolute and defiant in the face of the threats. He refuses to be intimidated and the bigots simply cannot handle this. Lennon consistently wins against them, whether that’s on the pitch or by refusing to back down. He is the winner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Every club in Scotland has an element in their support (to varying degrees) who exhibit unsavoury and largely unwelcome behaviour. There are two clubs in Scotland who now have a specific and significant issue with anti-Catholic sectarianism – Hearts and Rangers. At Tynecastle there are a growing number of Union Flags and Red Hand of Ulster flags, an increasing volume of sectarian songs and now, as those things have gone unchecked, we are seeing the sectarianism manifest itself in violent threats and violent assaults.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Neil Lennon is not, and never has been the problem. If you think he is, then I hate to break it to you – but you’re the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It is long past time for action to curb this growing and worrying trend of accepting sectarianism and specifically anti-Catholic abuse. It’s not acceptable to turn the mics down on the TV and let it go unreported in the press. Let’s start calling these bigots out for what they are. Let’s shame them at every opportunity and make enough noise about it that we eventually turn the tide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We need to change the debate from thinking we can’t talk about one club’s behaviour without referencing another. That doesn’t work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Neil Lennon has done nothing other than stick up for himself and refuse to be bullied. I can’t stress enough the admiration I have for the man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He should not have to worry about his safety when he goes to work or walks the streets, he deserves respect, and he deserves not to be dehumanised and vilified.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-14269223148445844972017-09-10T04:59:00.001-07:002017-09-10T05:02:24.757-07:00Scottish Football's ShameTaking a break from blogging specifically about Hibs, I wanted to put out my thoughts on the decision by the SFA to refuse to participate in an independent enquiry at the request of the SPFL, into the handling of the Rangers affair.<br />
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I have held the view for a long time that Rangers' behaviour was outright cheating. They deliberately and systematically concealed information (the infamous EBT side letters) from the governing bodies and HMRC. This was not an accidental piece of administrative carelessness, it was deliberate, institutional deception.<br />
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Rangers have been proven to have misled the authorities by claiming a known tax debt was in dispute (it wasn't) in order to gain a licence to play, and it's clear that the registration of players in the EBT years was not complete - the requirement was to declare all payment terms. Rangers, by concealing the side letters, did not comply with that requirement.<br />
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As time has passed, more and more evidence of nefariousness at Ibrox has emerged. Rangers were not simply chancing their arm during this time, they were blatantly flying in the face of the rules as they stood at that time.<br />
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There are, in my view, justifiable calls for title stripping. However, stepping back from what could be perceived to be a blood-lust driven call for revenge, the refusal to investigate what actually happened is a massive slap in the face to every single supporter of Scottish football that ploughed their hard-earned cash into watching a competition that was fundamentally skewed in one side's favour through rule-breaking.<br />
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It has not been a level playing field at the best of times for every team outside of the Old Firm. Their financial dominance has meant that every side for the last twenty-thirty years has simply had to hope that they could be the 'best of the rest' as some barometer of success.<br />
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That the massive financial advantage wasn't enough for Rangers will give you an indication of why Scottish football fans are so irate at the decision not to open an enquiry into what happened.<br />
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The assumption, rightly or wrongly, is that there are people in the corridors of power in the SFA who have blood on their hands. If they have nothing to hide, why not open the doors to an independent enquiry? If anything, you'd expect the SFA to welcome the opportunity to show the world that "Hey, we got shafted as much as you guys - how were we to know?".<br />
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Instead, we have officials who are happy to plug their fingers in their ears, shut their eyes, and hope that it all blows over. It leaves a monumentally bitter taste in the mouth and drains any confidence that lessons have been learned and that there will never be a repeat of the incident.<br />
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It is to the great detriment of Scottish football that an enquiry has been denied. I hope that there is enough will and resource to force the issue, otherwise it will forever be a black mark on the beautiful game in this country.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-73461063518656249032017-09-10T04:27:00.000-07:002017-09-10T04:27:34.898-07:00Neil Lennon's Green and White ArmyThis week Hibs announced that manager Neil Lennon has extended his contract with the club until 2020. On a personal level, I'm delighted. Lennon arrived at the club with a bristly reputation. Adored by Celtic fans but almost universally detested by everyone else, and after a bruising experience at financially crippled Bolton Wanderers, Lennon had a point to prove and real job on his hands to win people over.<br />
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That said, Hibs fans were warm to his appointment. Lennon's record in Scottish football management is fantastic, virtually unparalleled amongst his current SPFL top flight management peers. There was always a question of whether or not Lennon could repeat his success at Celtic at Hibernian, without the massive financial advantages that he was afforded in Glasgow.<br />
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Lennon's remit was simple - take Hibs back into the top flight. He succeeded comfortably, with the league won with weeks to spare. Additionally, a brave showing in Europe and a Scottish Cup defence that took Hibernian back to Hampden to face (and agonisingly lose to) Aberdeen.<br />
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So we are back in the big league. Lennon's summer recruitment looks to have been very shrewd indeed. Few Hibs fans would have expected quite the calibre of player that we managed to bring in over the transfer window, whilst at the same time holding on to our most prized asset, 'Super' John McGinn.<br />
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Six full internationals joined the club to supplement what was already seen as a squad capable of competing for a top six position in the top flight. Lennon was comfortable seeing Jason Cummings leave the club. A prolific goal-scorer is always a commodity that is difficult to replace, but Lennon clearly looked for someone that could bring more than goals, and in Simon Murray he appears to have found someone with an eye for goal but with it a work rate that was all too often missing from Cummings' game. <br />
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Murray started the season in fine form, winning over many doubters with an impressive goal return in the early matches. His scoring form has stuttered slightly over the last couple of games, but a fine solo goal in our win at Ibrox will keep the fans on his side longer than they might otherwise have been.<br />
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Lennon's side is shaping up nicely. On the back of consecutive draws at Dundee and St Johnstone, Hibs can consider themselves very unfortunate not to have taken six points from these games rather than the two actually taken. In both matches, a lack of a finishing touch coupled with meeting goalkeepers in fine form stopped the scorelines reflecting the dominance of the visiting side. <br />
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The manager, never shy in criticising his players when they fall below his demanding standards, has been full or praise for the performances in the last two games. If we continue that level of performance, we will win more games than we lose. <br />
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As may have been expected, controversy is never too far from Neil Lennon. In the Championship he fell foul of the Compliance Officer after a touchline tussle with Jim Duffy, and more recently Lennon's goal celebration at Ibrox created such a stir that Club 1872, the supporter's association with a stake in the Glasgow club, deemed it necessary to issue a statement condemning his antics. <br />
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The brass neck of that particular statement was incredible, and to such an extent that even some Rangers supporters were quick to deride it. More concerning, in my mind, was that the press were quick to play out the narrative that Lennon was somehow the villain of the piece at Ibrox. Video footage of the team bus arriving shows that from the moment he stepped off of the bus, Lennon was subjected to vile sectarian abuse. This abuse continued throughout the match and afterwards, where he received death threats via social media. <br />
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The press make out that he brings this on himself, that he loves being the pantomime villain, except in this pantomime it's one way abuse with no comic relief, and if the panto villain dares come back with an 'Oh no it isn't' then all Hell breaks loose. <br />
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I was disappointed that Hibs themselves never publically backed the manager, though I appreciate that Lennon may himself have preferred to let the issue blow over. Equally, it was disappointing (though not surprising) that Rangers again failed to condemn the sectarian element amongst their own support. <br />
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Lennon's start at Hibs has been hugely entertaining, big performances against Brondby, Hearts, and Rangers, along with a Championship win have laid the foundations for what promises to be an entertaining and (hopefully) successful period with Lennon at the helm. It certainly won't be dull, that's for sure. Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-31455473698559967052016-02-09T02:06:00.000-08:002016-02-09T02:06:21.829-08:00Why you should be proud of Hibernian FCIt is a great time to follow football in Edinburgh at the moment. No matter which of the capital city's two tribes you support, there are many reasons to be cheerful. Hearts are in great condition, sitting third in the Scottish Premiership with a squad that mixes physicality with talent and determination. They have had a remarkable time of it, their romp to the Championship title last season caught everyone off guard, nobody saw that coming, Their fine form continued into this season and it really is no surprise to see them sitting as high in the league as they are.<br />
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As much as it sticks in my throat to acknowledge it, there is a lot to praise Hearts for, and it would be churlish to deny the huge change in the club since they teetered on the precipice of extinction at the end of Romanov's rein at Tynecastle.<br />
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Hibs too, can look at themselves in a hugely positive light. For a long time, Hibs have been seen as a soft touch, and that if there was a way to screw things up - no matter how promising the position - Hibs would find it. In fact, in some circles there was even the phrase 'they Hibsed that' coined to describe a situation where someone had drawn farce from the brink of glory. <br />
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Alan Stubbs remarked on BBC Scotland's Sportsound show on the Friday before Sunday's Scottish Cup derby that he had been shocked at the level at which this feeling of 'only Hibs' had ingrained itself at the club. To his immense credit, he appears to have eradicated that.<br />
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Sunday's derby saw Hibs go into half time facing a two goal deficit. There had been little to split the sides in the first half, save for two terrific goals from the home side. Hibernian had the ball in the net in the early stages, though Jason Cummings was adjudged to have been offside. TV replays showed the decision to be correct, but it was by the narrowest of margins (his feet were onside, his head offside - under the rules that put the striker offside).<br />
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The studio pundits discussed Hearts' first half control, and in the post-match interviews Hearts manager Robbie Nielson also talked about his side's dominance in the first forty five minutes. However, by the time the evening TV shows aired and the pundits had been given the opportunity to reflect on the first half, it was evident , and acknowledged, that neither side particularly held the upper hand during the first half. Indeed, Hearts scored with their only two shots of the half.<br />
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The second half was where Hibs could finally put the charge of being bottlers to rest. The team dominated possession, and kept Hearts at arm's length throughout the second period. As the game drew into the closing ten minutes, Hibs finally found a breakthrough.<br />
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A feature of Hearts' play this season has been their ability to break up play when their opponents have the ball. Minor infringements early in the opposition's attacks give Hearts the opportunity to regroup and organise and defend set pieces, something that they generally do very well. This is not a criticism, but an observation. It is a tactic that works well for Hearts, they stop their opponents playing and they break very effectively. Their deliveries from deep areas is very good - as evidenced by their second goal of the match, where Paterson delivered a terrific pass to Nicholson, who had made a good run from his midfield position into the box.<br />
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It was Hibs' counter to these tactics that brought about their route back into the game. A couple of fouls in the build up were dealt with by quick free kicks being taken by Hibs. This kept the momentum of the attack and stopped Hearts being able to regroup in the way that they'd have liked to. The ball found its way to Liam Henderson who clipped a lovely delivery onto the head of Jason Cummings, who looped a wonderful header over the static Alexander in the Hearts' goal.<br />
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From then, it appeared to be only the clock that could stop Hibs from finding a leveler. With fresh impetus, Hibernian probed at the Hearts defence looking for a weakness. They found it in injury time where Darren McGregor's desire to win the ball from a McGinn corner found the home side's defence wanting. Alexander pushed out McGregor's header, but Paul Hanlon had found space and he steered the ball home, sparking wild scenes in the Roseburn Stand as the Hibs support celebrated an unlikely draw.<br />
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It was no more than Hibs deserved, in fact, I'd argue that it was less than they deserved. The stats from the match put Hibs ahead in all measures, save for fouls (Hearts' 22 to Hibs' 9 an indication of Hearts' style of play).<br />
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It would be fair to say that it is usually Hearts who enjoy turnarounds like that in derbies. It would also be fair to say, now, that this Hibs side is far from 'usual'.<br />
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The manner in which the team celebrated together, and together with the fans, is a clear demonstration of the team spirit and bond at the club right now. You look at this side and see a team in it for each other. When there was a rammy in the Hearts' box following a complaint about a McGregor challenge, the Hibs players were not found wanting in their desire to get involved to dig out their team mates.<br />
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Hibs have finally discovered a way to perform in the big games, and not only that, they are able to continue it in the less glamorous ties as well. This had been a huge week for Hibs, a cup semi final against Premiership opponents St Johnstone, a tricky away tie to Morton, and then the derby at Tynecastle.<br />
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It would have been a feature of Hibs of old to have come a cropper in at least one of those matches in years gone by. This side won well in the semi-final, dug out a win at Morton, and ensured that they were not defeated in the Scottish Cup. A huge test for Stubbs' side, which they passed with flying colours.<br />
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Stubbs commented after the match that his side had shoved the bottlers label down people's throats, and he is right. Hibs fans can look at their team just now and know that the players taking to the field, those on the bench, and those in the stand, are giving everything for each other and for the club.<br />
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Stubbs has built a team that is improving all the time. He has complete confidence in them, and the players are living up to that. At half time, there were no groans from the Hibs support, there was no negativity and no 'not again'. There was hope and expectation that this side would find some way back into the game.<br />
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Hibs are still fighting on three fronts this season, and while they could still conceivably end the season empty handed, there is nobody that could deny that if they do fall short that it wouldn't be for the want of trying.<br />
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I wouldn't bet against Hibs this season, though. They have a character and desire about them that has not been present at Easter Road since the League Cup winning side of 2007 - the 'golden generation' of Brown, Thomson, Whittaker, Sproule, Fletcher et al.<br />
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For the fans' part, we are seeing the people who were disenfranchised by the relegation and Rod Petrie's running of the club starting to return to the fold. People are believing that the club is changing - has changed. It is not just words from the board, but actions with tangible and visible results. We have a winning team, a winning mentality, and a winner in Alan Stubbs.<br />
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This is a great time to be a Hibee, regardless of what happens next in the Scottish Cup, we have a Cup Final to look forward to and a league race to be fought. More importantly, we have a talented squad of players giving everything for us, and it's to the Club's immense credit that we can - at last - lay claim to having a team to be proud of.<br />
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Glory Glory to the Hibees.<br />
<br />Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-45889744187757642482016-01-29T04:22:00.002-08:002016-01-29T09:52:21.163-08:00The Business End of the SeasonI write this on the eve of the League Cup semi-final between Hibs and St Johnstone, which will be played on 30th January at Tynecastle. The last tie between these teams at that venue, also in the same competition resulted in a 3-1 win for Hibernian, after extra time goals from David Murphy and Abdessalam Benjelloun had added to Steven Fletcher's early goal to secure victory for the Hibees.<br>
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Back then, Hibernian were holding their own in the Scottish Premier League. John Collins had picked up the reins from the departed Tony Mowbray, and having seen off Hearts at Easter Road in the previous round (with the most dominant 1-0 win you're ever likely to see), Hibs were looking good for a strong finish to the season.<br>
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St Johnstone were riding high in the old Scottish First Division. Their manager, Owen Coyle, was winning admirers for the good work that he was doing with what had been a struggling side. St Johnstone would challenge for the title that season, and also reached the Scottish Cup semi-final, where they were thwarted by a strong Celtic side.<br>
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Hibs went on to win the League Cup that year, a resounding 5-1 victory over Jim Jefferies' Kilmarnock at Hampden was as good as it got for the Hibees under Collins. The rest of the season was marred by the infamous player revolt, and Hibs - like St Johnstone - were also to lose out at the semi final stage of the Scottish Cup, despite being heavy favourites to beat Dunfermline.<br>
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Fast forward to today, and the roles have been reversed. Hibs are challenging for the title in the second tier, while St Johnstone sit comfortably in the top six of the top flight. The semi final promises to be a fascinating tie. The Perth side have tried to play down their chances, calling Hibs out as favourites despite the gulf in the sides' respective league positions. Hibs do, undoubtedly, enjoy greater resources than St Johnstone. I would imagine the playing budget at Easter Road trumps that of St Johnstone, and it is arguable that more Hibernian players would get into the first team at St Johnstone than vice versa.<br>
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That said, the benefit of regularly competing against top flight opposition should not be underestimated. You only have to look at St Johnstone's convincing 1-3 win at Ibrox in this competition earlier in the season for evidence of that. Rangers, at that point, had triumphed convincingly over every opponent that had been put in front of them (save, I suppose, from a narrow 1-0 win against Hibs at Ibrox - the sides separated by a terrific strike from a contentious free kick harshly awarded to the Glasgow side).<br>
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Rangers dominated possession but could not overcome the tactical nous of St Johnstone, who exposed weaknesses in Rangers' play time and time again.<br>
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I suspect anyone looking at this game objectively would have St Johnstone as favourites on that basis. It is hard to conceive of a convincing argument where a top six side goes into a match against a second tier side as underdogs, despite the cliched talk from St Johnstone that the bigger support that Hibs will enjoy puts the pressure on Hibs.<br>
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It should be remembered that Hibs have enjoyed larger crowds than most Scottish sides for a considerable period, and despite relegation, the crowd numbers have largely held firm. A full house is more likely to unsettle St Johnstone in that respect.<br>
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For me, the game is too close to call. I know Hibs are capable of winning, but that's not to say that I think we will. Convincing wins against Aberdeen and Dundee United should give the players the confidence to approach this tie with a view to winning it. However, St Johnstone are a good side, with a manager who is tactically astute and prepares his players very well. I suspect the game will be a tight affair, and could go all the way to penalties.<br>
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Regardless of the outcome, Hibernian have another vital tie right on the back of this game. On Tuesday night, Morton will host Hibs in the re-arranged fixture from the earlier postponed game. With Rangers facing Falkirk this weekend, it is essential that Hibs take maximum points from this tie.<br>
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Morton, under the stewardship of former Hibs manager Jim Duffy, have equipped themselves well in their first season in the Championship. Hibs will need to be at their best to triumph, and there is no room for a post-semi final hangover. With Rangers enjoying a five point gap on Hibs (with the potential to stretch that to eight points, should they beat Falkirk), Alan Stubbs' side cannot afford to slip up.<br>
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It is a period that will tell us a lot about this Hibernian side. They have already answered a lot of questions this season. Their form has been terrific, and even when performances have slipped, Hibs have managed to dig out results. This has not been a trait associated with Hibs for some time, and so to see it ingrained in this team is hugely satisfying.<br>
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At one point, Hibs trailed Rangers by eleven points and it's testament to the side that they have cut that gap to the extent that they have. With Rangers still to visit Easter Road and Falkirk, the title is far from being out of Hibs' reach. There is no margin for error now though, Hibs could conceivably get away with the points dropped earlier in the season if they continue their current form, however with games fast running out, every point is a prisoner.<br>
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We are right at the business end of the season. What happens over the next few months will have a huge bearing on the health of the football club. Promotion is essential, Hibs have continued to operate as a top flight side despite relegation, but that can only be sustained for so long.<br>
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Stubbs, for his part, looks to have done a cracking job in giving the side the best possible chance of going up. His acquisition of Anthony Stokes sent out a resounding message that Hibs were not content to settle for second place. While Stokes grabbed the headlines, the introduction of Chris Dagnall could prove to be just as significant.<br>
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I got my first look at Dagnall on Saturday, during Hibs' comfortable 3-1 win over St Mirren. Dagnall did not give the defenders a moment's peace. For a wee guy, he gave the centre halves a torrid time, and it's the first time in a long time that I've seen a Hibs striker so physically dominant against their opponent (actually, that's not quite true - Farid El Alagui was exceptional in that regard.).<br>
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Dagnall's movement and constant harrying of the defenders created space for his team mates, the benefit of which was evident in John McGinn's fine goal in the first half. With Dominique Malonga departing to Italy's Seria B, Dagnall's contribution could be very telling in the run in.<br>
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Stubbs has also added Finnish goalkeeper Otso Virtanen (he's not Finnish, he's only 21...) and full back Niklas Gunnarrson to Stokes and Dagnall. Crucially, top scorer Jason Cummings has remained at the club, and I believe a new, long term deal has been put on the table for the irrepressible hit man.<br>
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Hibs look in good shape for the run-in, take away the fact that we're still in the Championship and it's a very exciting time for Hibs fans. We are seeing a winning side playing good football. A young, talented manager bringing the best out of a young side - there are echoes of the side that took to the Tynecastle pitch to face St Johnstone back in 2007, and with a board and support fully behind the team, there is a genuine reason to be enthusiastic about the title run in.<br>
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And if that wasn't enough, there's always the prospect of a Scottish Cup derby to come, and as Danny Grainger pointed out in his ill-considered tweet , we all know what happened the last time Hibs met Hearts in the Scottish Cup...Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-21121605871423961992015-10-05T17:20:00.000-07:002015-10-05T17:20:14.670-07:00Changing Times: Interview with Colin MillarIn the next instalment of my inside perspective of life at Hibernian, I was able to spend some time with Hibernian's Communications Manager, Colin Millar.<br />
I first met Colin through the Working Together meetings, and I sat beside Colin during Leeann Dempster's first supporters meeting on the day of the Rod Petrie protests.<br />
Since that day, Colin has joined Hibernian, initially as the Supporter Liaison, and now in his current role as Communications Manager.<br />
Colin is well placed to talk about the changes at the club in his time, and you only need a short while in his company to see how much the football club means to him.<br />
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<b>I remember sitting beside you on the day of the Petrie protests, at that point your role didn't exist as far as I'm aware. Talk me through what happened.</b><br />
<i>I was probably a bit of an opportunist, really. On a personal level, I'm from an accountancy background, and I knew I wanted to get into sport as it's my big passion.</i><br />
<i>I did some volunteering both at the club and with some other things, so I knew I needed to make the jump. </i><br />
<i>My plan was to go and study Post-Grad at Stirling University in Sports Management and see if I could pick up a part time job along the way. I had loads of ideas on how I wanted to influence things at Hibs, to change things that the club could do a little bit better. </i><br />
<i>The big change for me, was after I was chairing a Working Together meeting at the training ground. I still lived in Glasgow, Leeann lived out west as well, so I was a bit cheeky and asked her for a lift home. She said 'yes'.</i><br />
<i>That gave me about an hour's pitch. I got on really well with her, I talked through what I wanted to achieve, she told me what she wanted to achieve and why she had come to Hibs, and we got on from there. </i><br />
<i>My big thing at the time was the Supporter Liaison role. Leeann thought a lot of clubs took that role as a separate thing, independent from the club. Leeann's view was for the Liaison to make a meaningful impact at the club they had to be ingrained in the club to really influence things on a daily basis, so that they have a full understanding.<br />There was that, and the club was also moving towards the big consultations about the ownership and what that structure was going to be. The club wanted to involve supporters, so my initial role was to come in and oversee that consultation process. That started with three consultation meetings.</i><br />
<i>They were post-Alloa defeat, I remember the first weekend before starting work, going to Alloa thinking "We'll get three points here". It was at the end of the transfer window so there was a lot of chat about signing some new players, so I thought the Monday meeting would be really positive. </i><br />
<i>As it was, Farid goes down with the really bad injury, we lost to Alloa , and the meetings took a different turn.</i><br />
<i>The meetings were heated and lively but really interesting. From that, we developed the online survey which focussed on representation, ownership, and engagement with the club. From that, probably the big immediate thing was getting the Supporter's Representatives on the board, so I managed the process around that, as well as doing some bits on the communication side.</i><br />
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<b>What would you say are the differences between the Fans Representatives on the board, and the Supporter Liaison?</b><br />
<i>I think the Fans Representatives are two people that are fully elected by the supporters, who are there to represent the supporters, and who are influencing things at the top level.</i><br />
<i>I see the Supporter Liaison role as only good if it's ingrained in how the club operates on a daily basis, similar to the Fans Representatives. We could put them on the board, the box is ticked, and there's no tangible difference - I don't think it's like that here, from what I understand they are fully involved in the decision making, the same as any other board member. </i><br />
<i>I see part of my role as Supporter Liaison as basically being the voice of the supporter, and thinking as a supporter in everything we do - whether that's daily communications through social media, ticketing updates - I'm quite heavily involved in the ticketing information and the decisions that go around that like loyalty points and everything else, through to the campaigns. I've been involved in the season ticket campaigns, the kit launch campaigns. </i><br />
<i>I think it's just having a supporter's view on it. Don't get me wrong, as soon as you become an employee of the club, that nature of the relationship changes - that's inevitable. I genuinely think it's an ethos running throughout the club in everything we do, that the impact on supporters is a fundamental part of the decision making. </i><br />
<i>Other clubs could have a liaison officer in name alone. I've been round other clubs and see what they do, both here and down south. They can be quite tokenistic in what they do, they get the supporter in, give them a bib and an email address, and it allows that club to distance themselves from the complaints that come in, be it catering or atmosphere. They can push it on to the liaison officer and let them deal with it. </i><br />
<i>Here it's different, it's part of the role, it's ingrained in everything we do.</i><br />
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<b>How did you deal with adjusting to that change in relationship, moving from a supporter to an employee?</b><br />
<i>It's very different and difficult. I think in a way, I always used to get bothered by the result. </i><br />
<i>As a supporter, if you lose on a Saturday you go home on a Saturday night and you're in a mood. It maybe bothers you on a Sunday but by Monday you're back at work and you move on.</i><br />
<i>I lived my whole life until now in the west, so I was never surrounded by Hibs supporters or Hearts supporters, in the same way that other people would go to their work and Hibs and Hearts would still be the major talking point.</i><br />
<i>Here, I remember the game against Cowdenbeath, the 3-2 game, which was the first home game after the consultation. The relief when that third goal was scored in the last minute - because it's not just the three points, which is normally the be all and end all. </i><br />
<i>It's "I can't do that promotion we wanted to push out", things are always that much more difficult when we lose rather than when we win. </i><br />
<i>It's a strange profession in that you can do everything right Monday to Friday, but if the result goes against you on a Saturday a lot of the good work is not as good as if the team had won.</i><br />
<i>The thinking here is that I can't influence the result on a Saturday, so let's make sure that everything else is as good as it can possibly be, because we can only control what we can control.</i><br />
<i>Last season I had no role at away games, so I worked home games and went to the away games as a fan. With the recent change in role, I'm going to a lot of the away games as a worker, so I do miss going to the game on a Saturday, relaxing with friends and family, and enjoying the game. </i><br />
<i>I wouldn't trade it for the world though, coming to a place I love at Easter Road, I'll never moan about that.</i><br />
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<b>We talked about the volatile nature of the supporter's mood, when you have a meeting and there's been a bad result, how do you see through the anger or frustration at the result to pick out the valuable bits?</b><br />
<i>I think it's looking at the point that's been made. Everyone gets frustrated at the result, if someone wants to air that frustration about the manager and his tactics, that's fine -there's not a lot I can do about that. </i><br />
<i>If it's points around catering, communication, Hibs TV, programmes, things like that, we might see more of them after a bad defeat but it doesn't make the point any less valid, so it's things that we want to pick up and improve on.</i><br />
<i>Our plan changes, but we want to be consistent, so that means that we can't shy away from defeats or when things don't go well, in the same way we can't go shouting from the rooftops after a good result. </i><br />
<i>I think you need to consider any analysis in the wider context, whether it's Facebook likes or engagement with the videos, there's going to be an element that's dependant on the results.</i><br />
<i>You can try and strip the emotion out to an extent and ask "Did we do a good job? Are the complaints or points valid? What can we do to improve on things?" </i><br />
<i>There's a culture here now to constantly want to improve on things. It's can be very easy if the team wins to sit back and think "That was a great match day." but the key difference now is you look at it from an operational point of view as much as a result point of view. </i><br />
<i>If we'd beat St Mirren 2-1, I'd have been happy that we'd won, but my reflection on the match would have been no different as if we'd lost, we still need to make sure that we produce the output for Hibs TV before and after the game, that the Manager's interview goes out, that the programme is ready. There is an element of just stripping out the emotion and working as professionally as we can in the jobs we are here to do.</i><br />
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<b>Looking at the changes in the club since the protests, what differences do you see?</b><br />
<i>I'm one of the longest serving people in the commercial office! There has been change right throughout the club. In the Community Foundation, Wendy's now Head there, Community Football is exploding, there's more activity in there than ever before. There's the public/social partnership with NHS Lothian, there's a lot of work and effort going into that. There's the two Supporter's Reps on the board, changing the make up of the board as well. </i><br />
<i>Our department - Greig's new in to Commercial. We've new people in hospitality, in sales, in communications.</i><br />
<i>I think that shows how much has changed. The football operation has totally changed, the manager has come in, but the whole structure - everyone knows about the change to structure with George coming in as Head of Football Operations, changes to sports nutrition. There has been so much change across the whole club, like HSL and the share issue.</i><br />
<i>There's been opportunities and tangible change across the board, and now is the opportunity to consolidate that and build on it and push on.</i><br />
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<b>How do you see your own role evolving as part of that?</b><br />
<i>I changed role slightly at the start of September - exactly one year to the day from coming on board. I'm now Communications Manager since Andrew Sleight decided to move on. We've changed the structure of the Communications team a little bit. </i><br />
<i>I'm Communications Manager, there's a PR and Media Exec, a Digital Development Exec, and there's a great team of volunteers that sit underneath and feed into that. </i><br />
<i>I'm now the main contact point for the press and media, and responsible for the content going out on Hibs TV, the website, and social media.</i><br />
<i>That doesn't mean to say I'll be in front of the camera, that's not my skill set at all, I'll be avoiding that as much as possible!</i><br />
<i>I think I have a different set of skills that I can bring to it, it's not a role that I foresaw me taking on, but Leeann gave me an opportunity a year ago, and Leeann is giving me an opportunity again now and I think if folk have been happy with what I've done over that year I can keep pushing on. I have great people to work with and that motivates me to keep going.</i><br />
<i>My first day in the role was transfer deadline day, which was a nice quiet introduction to the role. It was the same last year so I seem to pick my first days!</i><br />
<i>There will be a lot to learn in the role as well, but it's a challenge I'm really looking forward to. We keep seeing progress in terms of communication but we're still a long way off where I want to be. </i><br />
<i>The kit launch and the season ticket videos went down well and set a benchmark. We need to improve on that. Outside the Box was a fantastic success, we need to improve upon that, be more consistent with that.</i><br />
<i>We've started the matchday video which is a sort of recap of what has gone on at Easter Road so supporters can see we're opening the club up to show what goes on behind the scenes, so they see it's more than just the ninety minutes - there's so much more going on.</i><br />
<i>We need to sing about the work of the Community Foundation a little bit more and show the work that's going on to make the club a success, </i><br />
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<b>What would you like to see next for your role and the club in general?</b><br />
<i>Improvement. We are always looking to improve upon what we're doing. I want to see our communication being more consistent, looking better, sounding better, feeling better. </i><br />
<i>Our goal is to be the best in the country at everything we do.</i><br />
<i>We don't have the same resources as some other clubs, but we have decent resources, but there's no reason why we can't be best at communications.</i><br />
<i>That's the long term challenge, but for now it's about making sure the supporters are involved and know what's going on at the club, and being open and transparent and having some fun with it. Football should be fun, but there are serious messages to get across as well, and we have to bridge that gap with supporters. </i><br />
<i>For the club - we have to win the league, win promotion. Thankfully I'm not responsible for that, but - and I'm talking as a supporter now - I think we have the makings of a really good squad, there's no reason why we shouldn't be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.</i><br />
<i>Football's based on results, look at last season - was it a success? We finished above a team with much greater resources in Rangers, we did well in the cups, the style of football was better, we scored more goals and conceded fewer, but we didn't achieve promotion. </i><br />
<i>Looking at it from the support point of view, it's encouraging that season ticket numbers have held, with a slight increase, and we need to get people back to Easter Road. We want to get as many people back to Easter Road as possible, that's the challenge - I completely understand why people stopped coming, supporters have gone through an awful lot.</i><br />
<i>We'll keep working hard to get people back, we'll also put an awful lot of effort to get new supporters along to the ground. </i><br />
<i>We'll hopefully see a lot more in the match day experience, making sure that kids... kids is an absolute focus of ours, whether it's the Hibs Kids that we're already engaging with, whether it's the schools that we're engaging with in the school ticket initiative, whether it's the kids that are coming through the Hibee Tots camps, or whether it's other initiatives that we can make use of to bring new people into the stadium. </i><br />
<i>I think a lot of our traditional supporters can be weary of Championship football, coming up against teams that are more defensive, but in reality we are winning more games here than we did in the top league, it's probably a nice environment to introduce people to the club. </i><br />
<i>We are generally scoring more goals, conceding fewer goals. We are generally winning games, and whilst we obviously don't want to be here, I want to use it as an opportunity to bring more people in so that their first experiences of Hibs is positive. We're winning games, scoring goals, they're hopefully enjoying themselves at the games and then over time they maybe get used to the ups and downs of the reality of supporting Hibs over the longer term.</i><br />
<i>This is an opportunity to bring people in and interacting with the club, whether that's through traditional means or thinking a little differently and seeing how we can use the wider work that the club does in the community to introduce them. </i><br />
<i>There's been some really nice stories about people coming to the games for the first time, and we want to keep building on that and have as many people interacting with the badge as possible.</i><br />
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Many thanks to Colin for his time to make this interview possible.<br />
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<br />Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-85657981105255246522015-10-02T15:57:00.002-07:002015-10-02T15:57:34.819-07:00Changing Times - Interview with Leeann DempsterLeeann Dempster arrived at Hibernian in the worst possible circumstances. Having been sounded out and recruited by a Hibernian board that knew the club needed to change, and knew who they wanted to lead the change many months before Terry Butcher oversaw the horrendous decline in results that saw the club relegated, Leeann's first week in post could hardly have been more challenging.<div>
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With the backdrop of an angry support clamouring for the removal of Rod Petrie, Leeann took over a club that should have been looking forward to a Scottish Premiership campaign in a league without Hearts and Rangers, but instead found itself facing up to life in the Championship alongside their city rivals, and the Glasgow club working its way up the divisions following liquidation two years previously. </div>
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If Hibs couldn't have picked a worse time to be relegated (not that there is ever a good time), Leeann Dempster also couldn't have picked a more challenging time to take control of the club. I have been looking at the changes at Hibernian since that point in time, and I've been grateful to have been given time with people within the club who have been able to give me their perspective on life at Hibs in the time since the Rod Petrie protests. </div>
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Earlier this week, I spent some time at Easter Road with Leeann, to get her perspective on the journey so far, and how she sees that journey progressing in the coming months and years. </div>
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I came away from the meeting with renewed optimism not just about the season, but for the future of the football club. There is a clear plan in place, thought out, considered, and clearly defined. The club knows where it wants to go, and knows how to get there. When I think back to the summer of 2012, and the Working Together meetings of that time, there was nothing to suggest that such a plan. It was no surprise, having seen the club close up at that period, that we were on a downward spiral. </div>
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Conversely, it will be no surprise to me that we will find ourselves on an upward trajectory before too long. From the conversation around the interview, it was clear that every aspect of the club has had a root and branch review. </div>
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<br />From the catering - some of which will be coming in-house - to how supporters interact with the club on a match day, to how supporters can share life events like birthdays, weddings, memorials, etc. All of this is done with a view to growing the income to fund the first team. </div>
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Everything is geared towards making the first team successful, and is about sowing the seeds from which the club can grow and flourish in an effective and sustainable way, where the fortunes of the club don't rest on the shoulders of a management team as they have in the past. </div>
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Everything is geared towards making Hibernian great again.</div>
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<b>You met the supporters while the protest against Rod Petrie were going on outside the West Stand, as supporters we can see there has been a change, but how would you describe the biggest difference at the club?</b></div>
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<i>The biggest difference, well there are so many differences because I don't believe that there is any part of the club that has been untouched since the first of June 2014, so that's a hard one to hone down. </i></div>
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<i>Culturally the club is very different. I was attracted to come to this club in the first place because there was absolute potential bursting all over the place, and I really didn't have to think twice when I got the opportunity to come here. So I think that in itself tells you the sort of gravitas that I felt for the club.</i></div>
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<i>It was a really, really attractive proposition for me from a professional perspective because I could see the opportunity. </i></div>
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<i>I felt there was a disconnect in many ways. Football is all about the supporters and the relationship with the supporters. You can be football team but if you don't have the supporters with you and you don't have your supporters coming through the gates, then you won't achieve anything because you will remain at a much smaller size and you won't leverage the capabilities that are there.</i></div>
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<i>I thought there was a massive opportunity to change that up, and to be honest it was quite an easy fix.</i></div>
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<i>When you think about the headwinds there - you were in that meeting - in a really strange way it made me more - I was pretty determined anyway - but it made me more determined with what was going on outside and what was going on in the meeting.</i></div>
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<i>The raw emotion reassured me in a way because it showed me that the supporters wanted the club to be successful.</i></div>
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<i>That really energised me. It was like starting a mission, it wasn't like a labour of love - I'm not going to be crass and pretend that I was a Hibernian supporter since I was five, but I'm absolutely a Hibernian supporter now, but it feels like an absolute mission now, it feels like a labour of love now. Everyone that comes in here now and everyone working with us now, I believe it feels the same way for them as well. You see the reaction on a Saturday when we achieve something and when we don't achieve things, and the pain is as real for us as it is for everyone else, and I think that's a good thing to have within the staff base here because it connects everyone back. </i></div>
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<i>I think the change has been that relationship - that rebuilding of the relationship with supporters - and I don't think 'relationship' is the right word for it, because the connection between a football club and the supporters is something special, and if football clubs don't recognise that then they're missing out.</i></div>
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<i>There's all the structural things, all the re-structure and rebuilding of the football side, and we did that in a very different way to how we had done it in the past. That's not me passing comment on whether it was done properly or not in the past, it was very much the model that many football clubs had followed, we just came at it in a very different way.</i><i>It's been well talked about this idea of technical coaches supported properly. </i></div>
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<i>When clubs get relegated they tend to contract, and even in the face of the headwinds and everything that was facing us at that point we never did that. We stayed true to the plan that we came to the club with. </i></div>
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<i>My first appointment was George Craig, and George has been one of the mainstays and a hugely important element of the development of the club, and the development of the club in the years to come. So when we talk about the football plan, him and I always worked well together. He was one of the first people I connected with when I came into football and I knew I wanted someone as strong as him to come and start this with me.</i></div>
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<b>When you talk about potential, what do you see that potential being?</b></div>
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<i>I think even though we're in the Championship and we have to fight to get out of the Championship at the minute - so some people might think 'dream on' - but this is a capital city club. It has a high number of supporters coming through the gates, it has the potential to probably bring double that again. </i></div>
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<i>With that brings the club the opportunity and the funds to continue to improve. This club shouldn't be happy to just get back into the Premier league.</i></div>
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<i>Over time, and whatever defined period of time that is, we want to be in the top echelons of the Scottish game, so not just a top six club, we want to be up there challenging at the top of that league, challenging for the European spots, and participating at that level. </i></div>
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<i>We also know we have to get there first, we also know that we have done some of the work and there's a lot more work to get us there. I've been fortunate enough to enjoy that stuff in my time in the game, and I believe I understand what it takes to achieve that. and this club has every ingredient to achieve that, and more.</i></div>
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<i>I want us to be challenging for cups and getting to finals and semi-finals. We should be doing that on an ongoing basis. Our aspirations are no different to any other clubs', but I think they are realistic. Hibernian is a massive club - that's the old cliche, big club/massive club, but we are. Everything about us suggests that, and supporters won't be satisfied until we're back doing what we should be doing, until we're back taking our role at the table at Scottish football again.</i></div>
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<i>We also need to respect the league we're in at the minute, respect the teams that we compete against at the minute, and do all we possibly can to make that leap and get up.</i></div>
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<i>We have massive aspirations for this club. Aspirations for an elite club, and aspirations for a community involvement, or hub for Edinburgh. I think football misses an opportunity because we interact with people daily, not just at the weekends, but daily. The emotion associated with football is raw and special, and if we can interact in any way outside of the sport we should do that. Clubs are wakening up to that and I don't want us to be at the back of the queue. </i></div>
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<b>How will you know when that community aspiration is achieved, what will it look like?</b></div>
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<i>Look at this stadium today,we've walked around it. How many rooms are here? We want the stadium to be a dedicated point for local people, people in Edinburgh to come and use it. </i></div>
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<i>We are a founding partner of a public social partnership called Gamechanger, which in itself is probably a whole other meeting. That is all about football, equality, social justice, and health.</i></div>
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<i>We would like this site (Easter Road) and Ormiston, outwith what we use it for the elite football side - and that's always a given that it's for elite football - to be used for the benefit of the community and the people that live around us.</i></div>
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<i>We need to make it as accessible as possible, and it's not just about affordability, we can take that right out of the equation, we are not just sitting in a football stadium at the minute, we're sitting in a massive community asset. Four big empty buildings, with lots of land and opportunities for it to be used, and Gamechanger is a public social partnership, it's the first of it's kind where football is involved. It's innovative in the extreme, and supporters will start to hear more about that in the sphere of what we're doing in community.</i></div>
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<i>I don't want to diminish the football elite side of things, but this is a building block for us.</i></div>
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<i>I guess that's what it means, does it mean you come here for drop-in clinics? Well actually, there's potential for primary care to be located within the stadium, and for that primary care to be supported by third sector organisations, so actually the stadium becomes a dedicated health hub, and within that there are education environments, within that there are business start-up environments, and within that the opportunity for social enterprise. All the things that we consume as a football club could be supplied by social enterprise. </i></div>
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<i>That's five stages away, or two, or three stages away. That's where football clubs become active in their community because they give people jobs, re-educate them, give them places to start their business, give them places to do their community work, and we are no different, we have that kind of space. </i></div>
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<b>The roots of the football club are in community, does that influence your thinking?</b></div>
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<i>Does it influence my thinking? It's clearly connected to where the club was founded but for me I've always been a person who's interested in the social side of life so it wasn't my motivator.</i></div>
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<i>My motivator was that I think football clubs should be involved and do things, it shouldn't just be about community football. Community football is a nice starting point but it should be about other things. I'm sure many football clubs have been started in the same way around activities for, I suppose, the most needy in life at that particular point in time.</i></div>
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<i>It's a nice coincidence, but it's not a motivator. I spend a lot of time thinking about what a football club looks like outside of football.</i></div>
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<b>What aspects of the changes you have made so far have you taken most satisfaction from?</b></div>
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<i>I think the new football structure - and I include the academy in this - it still has to achieve things, and I know that, but I'm really, really happy with the development of that and the foundations we've put down there. It gives me a lot of satisfaction that I've been involved in that.<br />The biggest thing is that I think a lot of supporters are now looking forward to the games, to coming to the games, look forward to what the club are doing, and what the club has to offer. That communication and that openness is probably the thing that gives me most satisfaction. </i></div>
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<i>Supporters are feeling happier and proud of their club in a strange way,I don't know if those are the right words, you're proud when you win something, people want to come to games and be entertained when they pay their money then go up the road. I've said before football is a different emotional connector, if you don't recognise that or appreciate that, you shouldn't be in the game.</i></div>
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<b>If I can take you back to a Working Together meeting where you said you hoped to get to ten thousand season ticket holders, we're sitting at seven thousand eight hundred. What difference would those additional two thousand two hundred season tickets have made?</b></div>
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<i>There's the obvious financial difference, there's no doubt about it. We wrestled a wee bit with that ten thousand figure, whether to go with it or not because when you put a number on it you could set yourself up for failure if you do, or you could be accused of having no ambition if you don't.</i></div>
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<i>I think with the campaign around season tickets, you've noticed a visible change in how we communicate with supporters.</i></div>
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<i>There's more about coming back, falling in love or at least become interested again. The tone of season ticket campaign video really kick started that, we saw some great early uptake on that. We are about six or seven hundred up on where we were this time last year. I think we finished around seven thousand eight hundred-ish last year including the half-season tickets. </i></div>
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<i>Of course it makes a massive difference, of course money coming through the turnstiles makes a massive difference. Every thousand season tickets that people buy increases the club's revenue by a quarter of a million pounds. That's significant, there's no getting away from that.</i></div>
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<i>I'm probably jumping onto another subject here, but having HSL and the share issue live at the same time - there was a lot happening for people, so I think people made choices about the things that they did.</i></div>
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<i>People that could afford to did a number of things, people could afford to do one thing, did one thing. People that didn't buy a season ticket bought shares. Because of HSL and the share issue it's allowed us to step forward with some confidence to go into the market for players, do things over the summer knowing that the supporters were behind us. So, for me, it's an amalgamation of a number of things, it's season tickets, it's the income from the share issue and it's the ongoing income from HSL, all of that stuff has made a marked difference. </i></div>
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<i>We're not up to speed yet in terms of the full team of people here.I think that will make a difference as well, it's smaller but it's more incremental income, as our group get together. </i></div>
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<i>That will make a difference because everyone operationally is...well you saw Colin (Millar), as an example, he was a guy who dedicated his time as a volunteer, worked through the Work Together groups, was very active, got the opportunity to do things for the club and now has a career in sport. These are the things that football does well.</i></div>
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<i>We want more people to buy tickets, we need more people to buy tickets, and invest cash in the club in whatever way they see fit.</i></div>
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<i>We know that if you are successful on the pitch it inevitably brings people through the gates. Marketing campaigns, messaging, and personalisation, is one way, but the one thing that brings people back is winning. </i></div>
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<i>The more we show people we have depth as a club, we'll bring people back.</i></div>
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<i>Football in Scotland is in an interesting, positive time. All we've heard since 2008/2009/2010 is how difficult the game in Scotland is. All that's done is made football clubs look at what they've done in terms of recruitment and young players.</i></div>
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<i>I don't know the stats, probably someone who follows these things will drag them out, but it feels like we have more young players playing these days. We have more being exported over the UK and in Europe, and that shows that the technical aspects of the game in Scotland are thriving.</i></div>
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<i>There's strong competition in the Premier League, we've seen crowds coming back out, you've seen at Hearts there's crowds coming back out, great crowds coming out at Aberdeen. All of that, whether it's your team or not your team, is magnificent for the game because it shows football is still rooted there, and if you have the right product at the right time then fans will come out and support it.</i></div>
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<i>We're in a very interesting development point for the club, and it coincides with a good period in the game as well, and that creates various opportunities for the club and we're well placed to take advantage of it.</i></div>
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<b>When you talk about success bringing the fans back along with other things, how much more difficult does it make your task when we find ourselves going into October with the first team clinging onto the title race by its fingernails?</b></div>
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<i>We never started again this season the way we might have wanted to start it but the season's a long old slog. So, the league is far from over. People were telling us it was over after two weeks. It's far from over. </i></div>
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<i>I would never say I was disappointed by the number of people that come through the gates, I think that's disrespectful to supporters to say that. I think all we can do is talk about the development of the club at the point it's at at the minute, and people will either believe us or they won't believe us. </i></div>
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<i>They either trust us or they don't trust us, and if they trust us they'll stay with us for the duration. If they like us they'll stay with us for the duration, and if they don't trust us they'll tell us soon enough - and we'll be adult enough to face into that. </i></div>
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<i>We always need and want people to come through the gates. If you want to feed the club, if you want to keep the players out there, if you want us to get the John McGinns of this world then we need to feed the club. We can't expect someone else to do it for us. We need to feed the club, but we need to get the message out there in the nature it's intended, and not as a lecture of responsibility and what have you. </i></div>
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<i>So, win games on the trot, keep clean sheets, score goals, all of those things create excitement, moments between family... and Wednesday night for me was a brilliant game, a great game of football. I really enjoyed it, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. We don't know what happens after that, but there will be people who go away from there saying "That was the first game I went back to, and it was a good game to go back to." Those are the memories I want to create, but we do need people to come back, we can say it softly and we can say it nicely but we do need it, and hopefully the football and the other stuff brings them back.</i></div>
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<b>How difficult have you found it getting that message out in the way it's intended, without sounding like a lecture?</b></div>
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<i>I think you've seen this kind of a development of a narrative within the club, and I think we're trying to keep to that. There is a comms plan that sits behind it, we've tried to price responsibly when we can, we've tried to build value in where we can. </i></div>
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<i>It comes back to the idea of feeding the club again, there needs to be a balance.You never get everything right all the time. We've had to make some decisions that we know will be palatable to some and unpalatable to others, but that's like everything else in life. </i></div>
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<i>We've created this narrative and I don't think people are buying into it because it's a marketing thing, it's because it's true. I believe where the club is in its life at the moment, by 2025 we have a club that's 150 years old, it will be different to the club, hopefully in a more positive way, to the club that we have at the minute and very different to the club that we had last year. </i></div>
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<i>It depends how much supporters want to get involved. Some want to come to the game, sit down watch the game and disappear, and that's fine. Others want to become more entrenched in the club and be involved. It's about getting it as personal as we can. We do want to get to know our supporters and show them real appreciation for sticking by us over a difficult number of years. </i></div>
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<i>There's no point pretending that's not the case - it has been the case. It's a fact. If you pretend all that never happened people just think it's another bit of marketing spin.</i></div>
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<i>I speak to loads of folk on a match day, I try my best to get around the stadium, I try my best not just to stay in hospitality but to go outside. Just do small things, when you've got kids standing outside waiting for autographs it only takes a minute to bring them in,it takes two minutes to take them pitch-side and give them a ball and let them run about, it's hardly any effort for us but those memories last a lifetime.</i></div>
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<i>For us, we work here, we walk up and down the stadium. My office looks onto the stadium, if you are a Hibernian supporter you would love to work in an office like that. It becomes normal to us, but that young lad or young girl waiting outside waiting to see their favourite player, we can bring them in and let them sit in the dug-outs, it's brilliant.</i></div>
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<b>My friend and I did the Football Fans in Training and being able to change in the dressing room and do laps of the pitch was brilliant, so I can relate to that. </b></div>
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<i>I arrived during the Football Fans in Training, but the dressing rooms weren't being used, so guys were needing to come dressed, or get changed in the toilets or whatever. I asked why they didn't use the dressing rooms, and it was "Well, that's the first team, so.." but I said so long as it's returned in a good condition we're happy to let you use them. </i></div>
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<i>That added a dynamic to it, they were lying not being used so if it means another twenty people or forty people come then all the better. </i></div>
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<b>We talk about a bad period for the club, which it clearly has been. Will we only be out of that bad period when we achieve promotion, or do you think we're on our way out now?</b></div>
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<i>I think it depends on your perspective. We need to be promoted, everything that we are working towards is about us playing in the top league in Scotland. Not just playing and participating, but being an active challenger at the top, challenging for European spots and all the rest of it. </i></div>
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<i>It depends on your perspective. I have the privilege of working here and seeing the people that work here and I see the work that goes in. I see the hours that everyone puts in and the effort and everything is done to get the best output for the club.</i></div>
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<i>In a way I think we are out of the worst period, because we've done a lot of hard work. We've done a lot of work, but there will be supporters who believe that until we're in the top league nothing has improved, nothing's change and that's their prerogative and their perspective. That's the whole dynamic of the game, everyone has an opinion.</i></div>
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<i>You look at the boards, debate rages on every topic. Listen to the radio on a Saturday and debate rages on every topic. If you went to a football match knowing you would win every game three nothing you'd stop going because you'd be bored. It'd be nice, but you'd be bored. </i></div>
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<b>What message would you want to give to fans who are on the fence, maybe been to a couple of games, but are swithering on whether they want to come back?</b></div>
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<i>People wanted change at the club. They told us they wanted change, they physically demonstrated that they wanted it to change. They wanted a different culture, a different approach, different communications, a whole raft of changes. </i></div>
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<i>They wanted a change at the top and I would argue that they've had that. It's been many, many months since I've been asked the question, but I have full responsibility for the club. I think people don't ask me that question any longer because it's pretty self-evident. </i></div>
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<i>People asked for that change. If you don't want to come back until we're promoted then that's entirely your prerogative. Everyone has free will, everyone can choose what they want to do.</i></div>
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<i>I would say, if you can, in whatever way it is, be part of it now, play your part now. If it's only in a small way we'd be grateful for it. If it's in a big way, then all the better. </i></div>
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<i>I look forward to coming in every day. Every day there's a new challenge. Every day there's something to build upon for the game coming towards us. We have a strong reporting structure, not overloading people, but we understand the different elements of the different departments that we work within and how they overlap. We have a Hibs Kids day coming up on the 17th October, and we'll work hard to make sure that's a great Hibs Kids day.</i></div>
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<i>Hopefully that'll mean the kids and their parents will have a brilliant day that day and we'll get the result we want, but it'll not just be about coming in with your ticket and going to a kiosk or whatever, we'll create events round about it. </i></div>
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<i>We don't use the stadium well enough on a match day. There could be great fan environments, great fan zones around it, there could be interesting interactions for the supporters. </i></div>
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<i>People could come to the stadium earlier and use it in a different way. We have the motivation to do that, but you can divert your attention away and we want to focus on getting promoted. </i></div>
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<i>There's things that we are doing now that if we were in the Premier League we'd probably do them slightly different but we're focussing everything, a lot of our energies on the first team, focussed on the performance of the first team, that group in here and how we connect with the supporters. </i></div>
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<i>The work that has been done with the first team, the work that's been done with the academy, the new recruitment structures, the people working for the club, the renewed relationships with boy's clubs - the amateur game in Edinburgh is great - we've gone from something like 0.1% community activity at the training centre to almost 50/50, in fact maybe higher than that now. </i></div>
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<i>That has no impact on the elite side of things, they still get everything that they need, and everything that they should get. It also means that facility is doing everything that it should be doing for the wider community. </i></div>
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<i>This is what we're striving for, because it's hard to pick up new supporters. There's Netflix, Amazon Prime, PS4, 3D TV's, football happens live and it happens in a stadium and I want more people to figure that one out and get themselves down here. </i></div>
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I'd like to thank Leeann Dempster and Colin Millar for helping make these interviews happen. </div>
Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-89566700265791618172015-09-13T15:24:00.003-07:002015-09-13T15:27:13.839-07:00Changing Times: Stephen DunnIn the third of my series of interviews looking at life at Hibernian since the protests against Rod Petrie last summer, I spent some time with Stephen Dunn, who is a Director of Hibernian Supporters Limited, and recently re-joined the Board of Directors at Hibernian in a Non-Exec capacity. This interview took place just before Hibs' win over Raith Rovers at Easter Road in August.<br />
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<b>How happy have you been with the response to HSL so far?</b><br />
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<i>Absolutely fine, we're very pleased so far. We kicked off in the first week of February and had a nice lump of folk early on supporting it, and we've had steady growth right throughout the summer.</i><br />
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<i>The first six months we passed the 900 mark. The membership grows when something significant happens - we get a signing- we get 10 - 15 folk joining; Alan Stubbs re-signing - we got a lump.</i><br />
<i>So as a board at HSL, we're very pleased and now it's about driving forward and getting more people to join.</i><br />
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<b>What challenges have you had to overcome since launch?</b><br />
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<i>I suppose the biggest challenge was the impact of events here from 12 months ago. Relegation is never an easy thing, those things stick in the minds of supporters, of everybody. </i><br />
<i>We pushed against that, we pushed against the protests that were out there, so when we launched - was it a perfect time to launch? No. Is there ever a perfect time to launch? No, we just launched and once it was launched a lot of the protests and a lot of the concerns started to fade away because we started to answer the questions directly and honestly.</i><br />
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<i>The way it's set up is very simple, we're not a protest group.We collect fans' money to buy shares, period. That's it. So as soon as we get money we have an exclusive subscription for shares with the club. We write to the club and say 'here's some money.', they write back saying 'here's a share certificate.'. Simple as that.</i><br />
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<i>That simplicity of message made it easier as the months go on. Do you make mistakes, yes, we make mistakes. The admin system - does it work? Well there's seven of us, and probably three of us do most of the admin work.</i><br />
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<i>At 55 I was introduced to Twitter and Facebook and stuff like that having never done it in my life, I've got a wee Facebook page that I do for the theatre but only for a few friends, you know - nobody reads it.</i><br />
<i>So, for me to be introduced to that was quite daunting and we made some mistakes, as you do. But as we went on people began to forgive us a bit more, people began to see when we handed money over and the club were beginning to sign players, and sign players early in early August soon after the season finished, that we were beginning to make an impact. So the winds against us faded a bit.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We also started to play good football again, and fans were beginning to see what was happening with the club, within the football operations what Alan was trying to achieve, and what Leeann, and George and the rest of the board were trying to achieve. They could see there was something in this.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Was it problematical? Not really. Were they heavy winds? Not really. Fans were beginning to see progress behind the scenes and on the park.</i><br />
<br />
<b>I remember early on especially on social media, a campaign against HSL, with talk of ponzi schemes and things like that. How damaging do you think that was?</b><br />
<br />
<i>There's an old saying in marketing that any publicity is good publicity. First of all it's not a ponzi scheme, absolutely not, so while you may feel personally insulted you have to let it go past you.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Sometimes the people that shout the loudest get heard, but the longer you go at it, the more consistent your message is, the more honest your message is, the more people believe you.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We focussed not on retaliating, but on our core messages - you give us money, we buy shares, the more shares we buy, the more control we get in the club. We focussed more on our message than what was said elsewhere.</i><br />
<br />
<b>How would you sum up how the benefits of HSL to the club?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Well the money goes directly to the club, firstly. If you look at other clubs, putting Hearts aside for a minute, because they deserve special mention, but at other clubs where there are similar schemes they're going into the market to buy shares from people who own shares. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>That means that the money goes to the people that own the shares and not necessarily to the football club.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The simple thing we have is we're buying shares directly from the club, so all the money bar a maximum of £2 administration fee from Go Cardless who do the banking side for us, goes directly to the football club, and that translates to known budgets, certainty for the manager and Leeann, so if they know they're getting an amount of money from us each month for a year and beyond then they can budget more appropriately</i><br />
<i>.</i><br />
<i>That's why, and I'm not saying it was all credit to us, they were able to sign players early, because they knew what the budget was going to be. There was a certainty about the money coming in not just from within the operations of the football club but through HSL and the wider share issue.</i><br />
<br />
<b>At one of the recent Working Together groups, Leeann presented a message about fan ownership. The big selling point has been about signing players, but do you think there's scope to push the fan ownership benefit?</b><br />
<br />
<i>We actually banged on about it, the social media is one avenue, but we found early on that you only get to a limited audience on social media.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Jim Adie used the phrase 'boots on the ground' and we started going along to the associations, talked directly to associations and fans along with Leeann etc, and we talked about not setting targets but there are hurdles. The first hurdle is 20% ownership because that gets us a seat on the board, the next hurdle is 25.1% because that gives you, negatively called, a blocking vote, but the board have to consider our view and can't just railroad something through.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We've tried to emphasise that, but emphasise it in a positive way rather than 'this is a blocking vote' because we have to work with the club to put the best product on the park, which is what it's all about.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So yes, we'll continue to do that but it's easier to do face to face than sitting on a website, or twitter, or a blog or whatever. We've got just over seven and a half thousand season tickets, and thirteen hundred likes or tweets or whatever. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So that means we're not getting to people who could join up and those are the ones we need to target, we need to get a way of targeting them.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>That's just one message, the big positive message is that the more money we can pass to the club, the better the product is.</i><br />
<br />
<b>How has the reaction to the 'boots on the ground' approach been?</b><br />
<i>It's been good, you do get people still doubting, still saying 'we're not coming back until certain things change.' and I always say that we have no responsibility over that.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Our job is to raise money and buy shares,and if you want rid of anybody then the more shares, the more control, and if we get to 51% then we have control of the board.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Generally it's been favourable. I give great credit for this to Jim Adie. He felt that we could say things on Twitter and Facebook and it wouldn't really address directly some of the issues that were being heard against us.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Face to face we could look people in the eye and say 'That is wrong. You are wrong, this is what we're trying to achieve and this how we're trying to do it.' Whether they were converted or not, it doesn't really matter. What does matter was that we had credibility.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We went along en mass, the entire board - unless Charlie (Reid)was away touring - we went and spoke passionately as Hibs supporters first, then as HSL Board Directors, and we appealed our facts, and the simplicity of our message. And this did have an effect</i><br />
<i>.</i><br />
<i>One of the big boosts was St Pats joining, was the Australian branch joining, was the Hibs Supporters Association actually joining and giving us a major contribution, and that gives us a real credibility amongst the fans, and that's how it's gone.</i><br />
<br />
<b>I saw some opposition to HSL from St Pats' members early on on hibs.net, it must have been a big boost to get them onboard given their influence?</b><br />
<br />
<i>It was a key one, people are allowed to have their opinion, nobody's saying they can't have an opinion. All we ask is that if they don't like it that they don't interfere with it.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We just ask for a fair hearing and a fair chance, and the ability to put the right answers to some of the questions that have been asked, but if people don't want to join, they don't want to join.</i><br />
<i>The same with fan ownership. Some people will want it, some people won't, it's as simple as that. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>With the ownership comes responsibility, which brings us back to Hearts. Their supporters have embraced the responsibility of funding their football club. £140,000 a month they're putting into the football club through the Foundation of Hearts, and that's just to run it, that's not getting them shares. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>That responsibility of ownership means you might be asked for more money in the future. I'm a believer in the democracy of fans having a greater say in the club and indeed ownership, but it's up to the fans to decide whether they want to do it or not. You can't ask that question of HSL, you have to ask the fans and then listen to the answer.</i><br />
<br />
<b>How much has HSL put to the club so far?</b><br />
<br />
<i>In terms of money going in, it's £150,000 for the first six months, that figure broadly doubles over the next six month, so looking at £250,000-£300,000 ,which is new money, which is the key point.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>It's not recycled money from season tickets or walk-ups, it's new money. Fans have put their hands in their pockets and it's new money that we've not had before. And if we keep growing then that money continues to grow.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>It's a virtuous cycle for the club because it's new money coming in and it allows them to think about 'well, that would have been our player budget last year and the year before , but we didn't have this money, so it's now that plus the new money.' So that's the tangible benefit that HSL has had in the club.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I also think we've had some involvement in turning some of the negativity around a bit. I think the club has worked hard, I know Leeann and the comms team - Colin Millar particularly, worked hard meeting the fans and answering very plainly some of the concerns either through the website or in meetings.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I think we've also had some of the responsibility for changing some of the attitudes. Some you'll never change, that's life. So those two things, money and the changing face of the fans' opinions about the club.</i><br />
<br />
<b>If we can talk about you now, you were a former board member and have re-joined - what happened there?</b><br />
<br />
<i>I was a board member after we were relegated last time, so perhaps they feel I might have some skills at Championship football. Last time I was book-ended by Alex McLeish and Tony Mowbray, and that was a particularly big change in the club as well. People tend to forget those days.Some of the fan opinions were just as vocal, and some of the protests just as hard as in the last year. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I did, I think, seven or eight years. I'm a great believer that if you stay too long, you're no longer independent, and one of the key roles of the Non-Exec is to be independent, and to be able to support and challenge the Executive to say "Are you doing the right things, is this the right way?"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>That first period, for me, there came a point where you weren't really making the difference that you should be making, so I left the board at that time. I had a period off, my wife unfortunately died, she'd been ill for a long time, all these things come together, so in 2007 when I left the board, I had a nice long period in between. I continued to come to games, I continued to support the club, I continued to do things for the club in the background.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I'm a do-er, the way it came about was that the board decided well before Leeann actually arrived at the football club, that things needed to change. They saw it. They could see the way it was going, and then relegation happened.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So they'd already decided that structurally the club needed to change, they needed supporters back on board somehow, and part of that was the appointment of Leeann. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Leeann brought along an agenda - a very good agenda, and transformed football operations at the club. There was already a view about a flotation, a share issue, before Leeann came. Regulations changed, we got relegated, things were put on the back-burner a bit. There was the BuyHibs initiative out there, and what eventually became HSL was out there. Around about October/November last year, I was approached to see if I could be a bridge between the club and the people behind the original HSL stuff, including Jim Adie.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I said 'Of course, I'll do that', the birth of HSL came about that Christmas. I acted as the middle-man to get Jim and the people behind his initiative to sit down with the club, and then just do what I do which was to drive things until they actually start.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>During the course of that period I might have succeeded a bit, and having the experience I know how the football club operates and I think that was an important factor. I know how things get done at the club and the nuances and the likes, even though there's a lot of changes. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>That was useful from an HSL perspective and then Rod, as Chairman, said it might be a good idea if I came back on board.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>With six/seven years more experience of business, my kind of view of the club had changed, and I felt I was more independent, I was able to really question some of the things being done. Also the experiences and learning of that '98-2006 period directly related to some of the things being done today.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The history of the club I know inside out, with the work with Tom Wright and the Historical Trust allowed me to say "Before you do that, you might want to think about this." So I think they found that quite valuable. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I also retired from work, I'm not that old but I was in a position where I could stop work, so I'm at the club at least two or three days a week helping directly, so they thought I would be useful sitting on the Board as well, so that's how it came about.</i><br />
<br />
<b>How have you found it since?</b><br />
<i>It's like it was, I remember my first game I attended as a director originally, was Greenock Morton, and the responsibility hits you as you walk out onto that deck. There's lots of good ones, the 6-2, the Millennium derby, but you feel the full weight of every goal against you as a Board Director, but it's a challenge, and I like a challenge. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The club's done lots of things right, and I think in amongst all the noise that's been out there in the last two or three years, people have forgotten that there are a lot of things right at this football club and it just needs a few things to put it on the right path again.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>That challenge I really enjoy. I enjoy my football, and that challenge of helping this great club get back to where it should be is something that excites me, and I love it. And of course, being on this board with Frank is a great honour.(Said as Frank Dougan entered the room!). </i><br />
<br />
<b>What message would you have for anyone thinking about getting on board with HSL?</b><br />
<i>It's quite simple - join if you can. I do actually mean if you can, we don't want to be irresponsible and ask people for money that they can't afford. We do realise that people, supporters, buy season tickets, buy tickets, buy merchandise, and in reality spend proportionately a lot of money on Hibs. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Buy if you can, not only are you helping the football operation but you're helping create a bigger group with a bigger percentage in the club. It's a bit like a trade union, there's a power in togetherness. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>It's the same with the football club, if we're all going in the same direction it's more powerful.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>HSL, the more members we get, the more shares we get, the more voice we get. But don't be irresponsible, let's be clear about that.</i><br />
<br />
<i>The message for me, is this is a great club. Football's cyclical. There's another team of eleven men out there trying to beat you so can't guarantee anything. But what I've seen, in the time I've been back, is a restructure of the football operation, better use of the training facilities, signing players to a structure that Alan wants to have in here, and putting in place a football operation so that when Alan inevitably leaves to go to another football club, it's easier to bring someone else in and that whole operation is maintained. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>That's all the great things that are already here, and to be part of that is wonderful, and HSL is a big part in that, so please get on board. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I would like to thank all at Hibernian FC for their time with the interviews, and especially Frank Dougan, Amit Moudgil, Stephen Dunn, and Colin Millar for arranging them.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-32768540558758069462015-09-06T14:55:00.001-07:002015-09-06T14:56:00.553-07:00Changing Times : Amit MoudgilThis is the second part of my series of blogs looking at the inside perspective of life at Hibernian FC since the protests against Rod Petrie at Easter Road in the summer of 2014.<br />
<br />
Since then, Leeann Dempster has made several sweeping changes at the football club, including appointing two supporter-elected representatives onto the board of Directors. I had some time with one of those Directors, Amit Moudgil, ahead of Hibs' 2-0 win, where he gave me some insight into his role and what changes he's seen at Easter Road since coming on board.<br />
<br />
<b>Tell me about your experience in the role so far.</b><br />
<br />
<i>It's been great, it's been an eye-opener, it's been exciting, it's been challenging. Hard work, as well. It's been excellent - I've really enjoyed it. Above all, it's been an absolute privilege, as a supporter when you go from sitting in your seat to coming in to help, taking that view that you and your pals have sitting next to each other and everyone else that's sat round the table talking about Hibs and being able to do something with that is really powerful for the fans, so it's been great. </i><br />
<br />
<b>How have you gone about doing that?</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I've tried to be as inventive as possible. I've tried to make myself as accessible as possible and as open as possible to people, so attending various meetings, whether it was Working Together - and I'll be the first to admit that I'd never attended a Working Together meeting before joining the board, not because I didn't want to but because I didn't really know what it was about. I started to attend them when I came onto the board and it quickly became apparent that the format had lost its way a bit and needed to be refreshed, so a few of us got together and drew up a battle plan to re-energise that whole thing.</i><br />
<i>For me, up until the relegation season loads of folk felt they had been grinded down and grinded down by just what's gone on in the last seven or eight years at the club. You can understand why people are staying away because there were so many more reasons not to come to the football club than there were to come to the football club. </i><br />
<i>Towards the end of last year I had a meeting with George Craig - for about four hours - about how to raise funds for the Academy, but it turned out in the end that I took on a volunteer job with Graeme Mathie with the recruitment side of things - so co-ordinating scouts, and I'm still doing that today on a weekly basis.</i><br />
<i>We revamped the whole structure. Towards the end of last year, there weren't enough people, there was myself doing 13's to 17's, co-ordinating eight scouts trying to cover as many games as possible. It was very difficult. </i><br />
<i>With the goodwill towards the club we've been able to bring in more people and that's helped me fall back in love with the club, and I felt re-energising Working Together and getting people to get involved with the workstreams and groups would get them to fall back in love with the club, too.</i><br />
<i>That's just one thing, another thing is being more visible on match days. I go to the Hibs Club before and after games, just walking around speaking to people I've never spoken to.</i><br />
<i> I'm a confident guy so I don't feel nervous talking to people I don't know. If I'm up at the bar I'll end up chatting to someone in the queue and I'll ask if I can sit with them. It's never a problem, they really enjoy it.</i><br />
<i>They don't know who I am, I came from nowhere in the Hibs community, really. I only went with my own group of friends so it's really good to get out there and chat to people who might not have seen me round the Hibs Club before. It's good now, I've started to recognise people and they recognise me. They think it's brilliant having a Director coming to chat to people in the Hibs Club. For me, I just like to talk about Hibs, and as Hibs supporters we could do that all day. I don't think anyone would tire of that. </i><br />
<i>I'll do walkarounds in Behind the Goals or in the stands. Today I'll sit in my own seat in the East, I still have my season ticket and just because I have a seat here (in the West) every week,it doesn't mean I want to use it. </i><br />
<i>For me, importantly, the big change is I attend more away games. I'm probably not alone in that, a lot of people who'd go to away games would go in big groups. A lot of my friends couldn't afford to go every week, so we'd plan a few away games throughout the season. It'd be the usual, Aberdeen away or ones where you had good memories from the day out and the trip.</i><i>So now, I try to go to as many away games as I can.</i><br />
<i>First and foremost I still want to get the experience, the reason I put myself forward is that I wanted to take these supporter views and put them forward at board level, but I think you also have to understand what your role is.</i><br />
<i>You can't just think 'I'm a supporter', you have to think 'I'm a supporter but my responsibility to take your view and everyone else that is there, what are these people worrying about?'. </i><br />
<i>So I've tried a 'Director on the bus' thing, where I travel on the buses, I'll pick a different bus every week to go to games, so I've got a captive audience for an hour or however long the trip is. I just walk up and down the bus, chat to people. I'm all club-tied up so for me, because I'm not as well know as Frank, for example, in the wider Hibs community, it's important for me to be recognised as someone who's representing the fans at the club.</i><br />
<i>It's been really good, really great, and if they've got a bowling club that they go to before the game, then I'll go there as well, and I'll sit and have a juice with them as well. For me, it's about bonding, and listening to them, the people that go to away games might not go to the Hibs Club every week, it's about being as accessible as possible, and that's what I've been trying to do.</i><br />
<i>Then online as well, it's difficult, I can't be on hibs.net or the bounce or wherever every day, I have an app on my phone if I'm on the bus on my way to work, or have a bit of time I can just get through what's going on, particularly if people have sent me messages or highlighted my name.</i><br />
<i>I try my best to be wherever I can, I have to try and go to the people, and be their conduit, so I need to allow them the opportunity to speak to me.</i><br />
<br />
<b>What would you say have been your successes since coming on board?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Working Together has been a huge success, I stood at one of the meetings and spoke to Greig Mailer after a few meetings and said we had to change it. We wanted people to fall back in love with the club again, and that's what I did doing the recruitment work with Graeme Mathie, George Craig and Eddie May. </i><br />
<i>You don't know how powerful that is, to fall back in love with the club again. It allows you then to get over the hard days, maybe Stranraer midweek where we won the game but people came away thinking 'we could have done a lot better there.' I think, for me, falling back in love with the club allows you to bear those little dips when they happen.</i><br />
<i>So I think that's been one, but generally just getting about hearing different people's views. I have listened to a lot of people who I might never have spoken to or had a reason to speak to, now I feel I have a responsibility to do that.</i><br />
<i>One success is that more people are feeding in to me so I get a much better idea of exactly what their view is. It doesn't matter if you're a Hibs fan on this scale or that scale, a pessimist or an optimist, the guy that goes to every game and the guy that goes to no games. I'll keep in touch with folk that don't go to games and that's just as important. The success has been trying to bring people back together. I have one mate who's so stubborn about not wanting to come back and we've got a Whatsapp group and I just continually work on him.</i><br />
<i>I guess other successes, even before I was on the board, is revamping the structure for scouting for the youth academy. So we have a new set-up where I'm a sort of administrator and I have three folk that feed in to me, and we've split in such a way where there's not such a work load on myself.</i><br />
<i>I have my own job that I do 9-5, average 40 hours a week, have to do the board stuff and this stuff, so doing these things that I'm working on but I think the success is being able to deliver on what I think I'm meant to be doing. </i><br />
<i>I think in a year's time if I'm not re-elected or if don't choose to be re-elected then I can hold my head high and say that I've genuinely tried to make myself as available as possible. </i><br />
<i>Social media is something that I had went off, I had moved into a new role and thought social media was quite a dangerous place to be. I wanted to be more client-facing so had a bit of a cleanse, there wasn't anything controversial or anything, I think it was just a case of I wasn't on Facebook, I wasn't on Twitter, but what I've now done purely because I need to be an avenue for all supporters whether you're old or young or social media savvy or not, I need to be available. </i><br />
<i>I think my biggest success has been getting out there and listening to people, going to the people - I think that's important. I might sit next to someone today in the stand but it might not be the best time for them to talk to me about things. It might be that I might need to take the time to go to them and sit with them when they've got time to talk about it rather than me saying 'well it's convenient for me to sit in my seat and listen to you even though you might not want me to sit here asking questions.' </i><br />
<i>For me, it's important and the success is going there and it shows people you care about their opinion. At Dumbarton away, I sat next to this guy and he sent me a message afterwards - I didn't know his name on the messageboards - he said it was so refreshing that you can just sit there and hear about what's going on at the club and give feedback. </i><br />
<i>For me, I'm as passionate as the next guy but that doesn't mean I shouldn't listen to the next guy. I should listen to everyone. For me that's the biggest success, and really participating in the board meetings. I might be the youngest guy on the board, I might be the guy who's not as well known as everyone else on the board but I think that by the time I do leave I'm pretty sure I'll leave my mark in the boardroom and they'll know exactly where I'm coming from. </i><br />
<i>I'm not one of these guys that's easily phased at all. Age, experience, it doesn't matter to me, I'm a clever guy I know exactly how to get people's opinions across in the right way so that they're heard correctly. Some people think that if they rant and rave, or if they talk quietly - they think they're both powerful in their own way and you can take those messages and ensure they're both heard. </i><br />
<br />
<b>How did you find that first board meeting that you had?</b><br />
<br />
<i>I was excited. In the industry I've worked in for nine and a half years, and for the last six years I do a lot of client meetings. On the Wednesday before the Stranraer game I was in Glasgow presenting to fifty clients as one of the key presenters. Those situations don't phase me, I maybe get excited more than anything else, there's a wee bit nerves, but the first time I went in, the first thing I thought was that I had preconceptions and I wondered 'what are they going to be like?' </i><br />
<i>Actually, to be honest there were people on the board that I had no idea who they were. I genuinely had no idea of their background, didn't know what they did. There were only a couple that I knew of or knew what they did, so it was interesting. </i><br />
<i>After about five/ten minutes it felt like most meetings that I've been in, albeit more interesting because it was about Hibs and about football, but then again I treated it like any other meeting that I've been in. I treated it with respect and importance, and with responsibility that I have.</i><br />
<i>I'm one of these guys that as a board member I need to be responsible, so you get all the board papers the day before so I went through all of those, tried not to leave any stone unturned, and if there's a question, I'll ask that question.</i><br />
<i>It was exciting, I went in and I thought "Wow, this is actually happening.", but for me, that went away very quickly because it's not about me, it's about everybody, It's about every Hibs fan that talks to me or gets in touch with me, or I read about or see what they're saying, like your blog or Jamie Montgomery's blog, or anyone that's doing stuff.</i><br />
<i>It very quickly comes down to me being able to fulfil that purpose and ensure that no matter what decisions are being made that I'm making them with a more informed point of view than some of the other directors, because they're putting in from their own expertise, mine and Frank's expertise is to be the voice of the fans, and we need to have that voice heard in the boardroom, so we need to know exactly what the fans want. </i><br />
<i>To be fair, we are heard. There are no issues. Everyone's driving in the same direction. People are aware that the club is working very much together and it's all very positive. </i><br />
<i>Don't get me wrong, there are hard times when you come out and see the hard work that you do and it's maybe not reflected on the park or it's not happening on the stands, but do you know what, that's something that we need to deal with as a club and it's for us to drive that, we have to make people want to come back.</i><br />
<br />
<b>How much has your role improved the connection between the support and the club?</b><br />
<br />
<i>I would say, if I only talk about my own friends here as an example and it'd probably reverberate throughout all my experiences, and you've got to remember I'm talking to people I've never spoken to before and I'm talking to them for the first time, so first impressions count and it's not like I'm there saying things just to flatter people, it's straight from the heart because it's about us and the way I feel about the club. </i><br />
<i>I think I've genuinely made a good... a better bond, even guys in my smaller group, it was them that I looked to before I joined. I said "Guys, I'm falling back in love with the club, doing this stuff with Graeme, this opportunity has come up to do something with the board, do you think I should go for it?", and they said "Amit you're definitely the right guy for it, you've got this, this, and this, you should go for it. We think you can be the person for the voice." </i><br />
<i>If folk on my Whatsapp group are feeling down I'll come on and say a few things, and one of the guys will turn round and say 'That's why you are where you are, because you've got to look at the big picture.'</i><br />
<i>It's hard to see beyond16:45 on a Saturday, but when you let the dust settle, and what you say and what you'll achieve with what you're doing that's going to allow people to see exactly that there might be a disappointment there, but there are amazing things happening at the club that you know a little bit about, but I can see all the things happening and when you see these things in totality you can see it's like a huge wave of change coming along. </i><br />
<i>That's just the feedback from my friends. Having a bit of feedback from people on the bus before games, or in the Hibs Club, or on Twitter, an email, someone will just say "That was really good, it's great to have someone on board who's making the effort."</i><br />
<i>You've got to go out and do it, it's not just Amit going out and going to the games. I thought I'd only wear a suit five days a week for my job, but I feel really proud going out my house with the club tie on.</i><br />
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<b>What would you say to supporters who are maybe reluctant to come back?</b><br />
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<i>I don't want this to be a big one, I want to let this one resonate. I would say that the past is the past, we can't change that. We've all been there, we've all been hurt. There's things that we've all not been happy about, but if you speak to someone who's going to games regularly, or has contact with the club, if they're coming to Working Together or doing something of their own accord, you are the people that can deliver that message. Look, come back and see that it's night and day. I'll ask people when was the last time Hibs had a side that was nearly the same core as the season before?</i><br />
<i>It's always been change, and change, and change. That's just one small thing. Most people who go to a game, one game, or even read about that, you can see that we've managed to hold on to someone or bring in other players. </i><br />
<i>Give the club a chance, that's just one thing. Come along and speak to us at the club, it's a far more open door policy. It's our club, we decide what we want to do with it, if you want to come and back it, then come and do it. I can understand that there are people who have their reasons not to, but I'll do my best to convince them that there are more reasons to come back than not to.</i><br />
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Many thanks again to Amit, Frank Dougan, Stephen Dunn, and Colin Millar for their time.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-3863592169270654102015-09-02T16:19:00.001-07:002015-09-02T16:27:36.621-07:00Changing Times : Frank DouganIt has been around fourteen months since angry Hibernian fans gathered outside the West Stand at Easter Road to protest against Rod Petrie's involvement with the club. Hibs had just been relegated after an appalling run under then-manager Terry Butcher, and the club was at its lowest ebb in many years.<br />
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While the protesters made their feeling known, inside Easter Road Leeann Dempster - Hibernian's newly appointed Chief Exec - met with a group of supporters to introduce herself and to try and convey what she was hoping to achieve at Hibernian.<br />
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Since then, the 'wind of change' has swept through Easter Road. A new regime is in place, Butcher has been replaced by Alan Stubbs and his coaching team, the youth set up has altered, and Hibs recruited a 'Head of Football Operations' in George Craig as the whole club was shaken up.<br />
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Hibs finished second in the league last season, reaching the quarter finals of the League Cup, and the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup in the process. Although promotion eluded them, it is a very different Hibernian that you see today, to the one that slumped to play-off defeat against Hamilton to find themselves relegated.<br />
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I have been fortunate enough to have been given access to some of the Hibernian staff to explore how the club has changed in their eyes since Leeann Dempster took charge.<br />
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The first of this series of blogs is an interview with Frank Dougan, who was elected onto the Board of Directors as a supporters' representative, along with Amit Moudgil.<br />
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I had met Frank before, but had never taken the opportunity to have any kind of conversation with him, and so I was really interested to get to know Frank better and to understand more about his views on the club. You can tell within minutes of talking to him just how passionate Frank is about Hibernian, and it's not hard to understand why he was elected to the role by his fellow supporters. If you cut Frank, he'd bleed green, and his desire to see Hibs back where they belong was evident throughout the interview.<br />
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<b>Now you've had a chance to get your feet under the table in your role, tell me about the experience so far.</b><br />
<i>The experience has been fantastic, bar the football. Nothing has been held back,and we've been told every single thing. I try to get to all the games, the only one I don't get to is Tynecastle - but that's a long story. I don't like sitting in the director's box, to be honest I prefer sitting amongst the fans and I try to do that as much as possible. I'm there for anyone that wants to speak to me. I get a lot of good suggestions, a lot of criticism as well, but the majority is positive. When people are face to face it's positive. Keyboard warriors really do worry me, there's people out there with an agenda and it doesn't matter what Hibs do, they're going to criticise. If we're winning the Premiership - why are we not winning by more points, if we score ten goals and concede one, it's why did we concede one. It doesn't matter, they have a negative agenda and they're not prepared to do anything, and that really worries me.</i><br />
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<b>How damaging do you think those people are?</b><br />
<i>I think at the moment they're quite damaging because we've not got off to the best start this season, but I can categorically assure you that people like Alan Stubbs, George Craig, and Graeme Mathie, are working so, so hard to find players to bring in, and it's not easy. There's a budget. We have to realise that there's a budget and the only way to increase that budget is for people to turn up. When I look at last season I had four criteria. First and foremost I wanted to see us sign better players, well we've done that. Second I wanted to see us play better football - well that wouldn't be hard, but we've done that. Third, I wanted to see us get to the play-offs, and we did. And fourth I wanted decent runs in the cup, which we did. I know we got to a semi final and a quarter final, and the two games against Falkirk and Dundee United I thought we played well and were unlucky in both games. We finished second in the league, we were second top scorers. I thought we did ok. I can't understand why people don't turn up to the games and that frustrates me. </i><br />
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<b>I asked that question through pre-season on hibs.net - what would make people come back? Why do you think some people are hesitant to back the team? </b><br />
<i>There's 1300 people who haven't renewed from last season, and we're actually up on season ticket numbers overall, so why are these people not coming back? I was one of the people that phoned round and yes, there were half a dozen people who had a brother that wasn't well, or were moving to Canada. One guy had just had a baby so couldn't afford it - he's still going to come just not as often. I can understand that. But not to the extent of what we are, surely if you bought a season ticket last year, you got it when we were relegated but you'll not get one this year? Alright we're in the same division but we're seeing better football, more attacking football. Seeing the football that I love, that I was brought up on. And people are using excuses like Rod Petrie's still there, Tom Farmer's still there - I'm sorry but it's so petty. The changes in the club since Leeann Dempster came, and don't forget, Rod Petrie and Tom Farmer built the stadium - not them personally, but they made it happen. We've got the stadium, we've got the training facilities. I'm not singing their praises because I think there's been a lot of bad management in the past, and I'm not saying they're not responsible for bad decisions. Don't forget that Rod Petrie brought in Leeann last February, and she's been a breath of fresh air. One of the things I said to Leeann at the tail end of last season when she stood up for the club against the SFA for the play-off prices, and cut the Rangers' allocation - it was really good. </i><br />
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<b>What's your background as a Hibs fan?</b><br />
<i>My great grandfather was one of the members of the CYMS that founded Hibs, he wasn't part of the Hibs team, but he was part of the Catholic Young Men's Society that founded Hibernian Football Club. My great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father, my brothers, my nephews. There's no choice. My first Hibs game - I was 18 months old. My mother was heavily pregnant with my brother and my father was told to look after me, so he took me to Easter Road. We beat Partick 2-1, not that I remember anything of the game. The first time I can remember crying my eyes out at Hampden at the 58 Cup Final against Clyde. I thought all we had to do was turn up to beat them. We got beat 1-0, my dad told me at that point "Don't worry, there's plenty time, we'll win it one day." Now, my dad's been dead a number of years and he never saw it. I just hope that one day...</i><br />
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<b>How much of a challenge did you find it moving from a prominent supporter role to the board?</b><br />
<i>I found it quite easy, actually. I was quite vocal when I was Treasurer for the Hibs Supporters Club, I was Spokesman for the Hibs Supporter's Association. There was a lot of controversy over that period and I stood up for what I thought was right. The one thing I never did, and would never do, is do the dirty washing about Hibs in public. I've had my discussions with Mr Farmer and Mr Petrie in the past, and some of the discussions have been quite volatile, and I don't see that changing. If I think it's wrong, I'll state it. I'm happy to go along with what I'm seeing at the moment because what I'm seeing - the vast majority of what I'm seeing, is very positive, even if some fans don't always see it.</i><br />
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<b>Where any of your pre-conceptions about the club altered when you saw it up close?</b><br />
<i>Not really, because I've always been close to the club. I was involved with Club 86, then the Hibernians after that, then the Historical Trust when it started up. Plus the fact that I've known a lot of people, I've always been fortunate to be friendly with players, likes of Pat Stanton, Jimmy O'Rourke, Eric Schaedler, Alex Cropley, John Blackley, John Brownley, I grew up with these boys, I used to go on nights out with them, over the years I've been lucky enough to know them. Even people like Paul Kane and George Stewart - I've known them all. Mickey Weir and Keith Wright, been to weddings and Christenings and that sort of thing, so I've been lucky and had an insight into what's happened at the club through them. I was very much on the periphery but I was very hands on with Hands Off Hibs.</i><br />
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<b>So you came in with your eyes open, have there been any surprises?</b><br />
<i>The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes outside of the football. There's an awful lot of work goes on and it's so positive. What I can see has been achieved in the last year. I mean Cecil Graham, when he ran the club - and he did run the club on his own - now you look at the staff and it's phenomenal, and that's the business. When you look at the stadium, it's used 90 hours a year - or it was, now you see the work to generate more money through it's usage, and it has to happen. </i><br />
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<b>How would you describe the progress since Leeann came in?</b><br />
<i>Fantastic, absolutely fantastic, it took Leeann to come on board for the club to stand up for itself. She's been a total, total breath of fresh air, a total change of direction. Bringing in Alan Stubbs, George Craig, Graeme Mathie, all the people behind the scenes Joe McBride for the under 20's, Eddie May running the Academy. All these people have made a big, big difference. Unfortunately there had to be a clear out to allow these people to come in, and Leeann's facilitated that.</i><br />
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<b>How do you see your role developing?</b><br />
<i>I've said it before and I'll say it again, if there's a winning team on the park nobody gives a monkey's who's a Director. I'd like to think that's the case. All of us as Directors have to make it so that everything for the manager or head coach and his staff is in place. If that's generating money that's what we need to do. As far as the football - I'm a fan, a fanatic, however you want to put it. I just want to see the football and whatever I can do to help the coaches achieve that goal, I'll do it. I'll do anything and everything I can to support that.</i><br />
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<b>What would you say to fans that are hesitant to come back?</b><br />
<i>The only way that this club is going to go forward is for these fans to come back. It's so easy to criticise but if you do that there's no point. The only way you're going to change it is from the inside, not the out. The only way we can do that is people turning up. If they're not turning up, then don't slag them, don't be a keyboard warrior. Also you don't have to turn up every week, you can buy into HSL, buy shares, all that money's going into Hibs. I wouldn't be here if I thought for one minute that money wasn't going to the manager, and that's something that's got to be achieved. Give the team a chance, the more people that come, the better it is, the more money we have to buy better players, to keep players. The board have bent over backwards to back the manager. </i><br />
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Frank took time at the end of the interview to ask me to convey his thanks to the Hibernian Disabled Supporter's Association for involving him in their meetings, and to pass on his praise for the great work that they're doing.<br />
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I'd also like to thank Colin Millar, Frank Dougan, Amit Moudgil, and Stephen Dunn for their time and patience in making these interviews happen.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-76706577355100496262015-08-03T01:24:00.000-07:002015-08-03T02:00:01.261-07:00So a Season Starts..Hibernian bounced back from a tumultuous couple of weeks with a comfortable League Cup win against Montrose on Saturday. Hibs haven't had their troubles to seek over the last fortnight, fending off Rangers in their bid to lure Scott Allan west in the week leading up to their embarrassing 2-6 defeat to the Glasgow side in the Petrofac Training Cup.<br />
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Despite Hibs' repeated assertions that Allan would not be sold to Rangers, a second bid was received and promptly rejected, with rumblings of a third bid continuing to populate the sports press in Scotland, although Rangers manager Mark Warburton has himself refused to confirm any third bid.<br />
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The issue clearly had an impact on Hibs, Allan started that match on the bench, leaving an already depleted side further weakened. Allan came on in the second half to replace Jordon Forster, who appeared to have been injured following a late challenge, and although individually Allan's performance was positive, the side collapsed as Rangers ran rampant.<br />
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If that was a week to forget for Hibs, the gloom continued into the following week when Allan handed in a written transfer request, which was subsequently rejected by Leeann Dempster and Alan Stubbs. Hibs, it would be fair to say, came out swinging with some bold, chest-thumping statements making clear their position that they were not prepared to weaken their own side at the Ibrox's side benefit.<br />
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Hibs' response has largely found favour amongst their own supporters. For too long, the Hibs support have seen their best talent moved on, only to be replaced by players of an inferior quality. It is not an approach that has served the football club well, and resulted in a steady downward trajectory from the high point of their CIS Insurance Cup win back in 2007.<br />
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The digging in of the heels and steadfast refusal to buckle under intense pressure was another positive indication that Dempster and Stubbs are doing more than just paying lip-service towards Hibs' promotion aspirations this season. Prior to the Allan saga, Hibs movements in the transfer market had been positive, the signing of Fraser Fyvie represented a real coup for the club as Fraser is undoubtedly well equipped to perform in the Scottish Premiership, and there was interest from several clubs eager to bring him on board. Yet he chose Hibernian, clearly sold on the ambition of Stubbs and Dempster. The signing of James Keatings from city rivals Hearts was as surprising as it was welcome, and was a further sign that Hibs are building a strong squad for the coming campaign.<br />
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The charm offensive has continued following the rejection of Allan's transfer request, as Hibs have sought to regain the positivity that was engulfing the club prior to Rangers' approach for Allan. A contract extension for Alan Stubbs and his coaching team was warmly welcomed by the support, and this was followed by the announcement that former St Mirren player, and Scotland Under-21 star, John McGinn had signed, with Hibs having met St Mirren's valuation of the player with the minimum of fuss or fanfare. McGinn had a number of options both at home and abroad, so his signing again represents tangible evidence that Dempster's priorities lie firmly in giving Alan Stubbs the best possible chance of returning Hibernian to the top flight of Scottish football.<br />
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Any decision to sell Allan to Rangers would have been preposterous, the notion that Hibs would risk their own title aspirations to enhance those of the club seen as their main title rivals is ridiculous. Simply put, had Hibs agreed to the move, the steady trickle of season ticket renewals would likely have halted at that point, and the good feeling that Dempster has worked tirelessly to bring to the support would have evaporated, with any trust being promptly lost.<br />
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Instead, Hibs have played their hand well, and can hopefully turn the situation to their advantage. Hibs are expected to announce the signings of Keith Watson and former Rangers youth player Rhys McCabe in the coming days if rumours are to be believed, and if Dempster and Stubbs can continue to demonstrate the link between supporters backing the club and the club being able to do such business, then they may find that the steady season ticket trickle turns into a healthy flow of renewals and new take-ups.<br />
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Stubbs deserves a mention at this point for how he has handled Scott Allan. It was right to start Allan on the bench against Rangers. Neither Allan nor Stubbs were in a position where a positive outcome was likely. Stubbs, if he had started Allan would have put the player in a position where the reactions of both sets of supporters would have caused an unwelcome distraction, and leaving him out altogether would only have fuelled the fires suggesting that the transfer was imminent.<br />
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Stubbs left Allan on the bench for the cup win against Montrose as well, and his decision to introduce Allan midway through the second half meant that Allan's introduction into the fray was very open, very public, and invited the support to make their feelings known. The reaction was mixed, a few boos could be heard but these were largely replaced by applause, with the Easter Road faithful choosing to back rather than barrack their player. Scott's first touches on the ball were met with a similar response, though a moment of magic from the player had the Hibs support on their feet when he fired Hibs into a two goal lead. Nothing wins the fans round quicker than a good performance on the pitch.<br />
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Hibs' performance was comfortable without ever reaching the heights of some of their performances last season. New signing Marvin Bartley impressed, providing the midfield with the strong ball-winner that they missed last season. The side that finished the game had a real look of the development squad, with Stubbs using the game to blood a few youngsters, who, while playing their part in the win, still look short of the standard required to mount a title campaign at this very early stage in their careers.<br />
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Stubbs later admitted to Hibs TV that although he was pleased to be able to give some game-time to the young players, his hand had been somewhat forced with an injury list that contains the likes of Martin Boyle, Dan Carmichael, Farid El Alagui, James Keatings, Jordon Forster, and Dominique Malonga. With the Scott Allan situation depriving Stubbs of Allan's services in the early stages of the game, it left the Hibs boss with little in the way of cover.<br />
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In fairness to those that did play, they moved the ball relatively well with only occasional sloppiness in their passing. The home side, as would be expected, dominated from first whistle to last , with Montrose content to sit in and try to frustrate Stubbs' men. Scott Martin clipped home Hibs' opener, the youngster's composed finish looked more like that of an experienced first teamer than that of a young man enjoying only his second competitive start for the first team.<br />
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It was, though, the introduction of Scott Allan that lifted the Hibs side. It is not hard to understand why Rangers were so keen to secure his services, aside from what he would bring to their side, what it would take from Hibs is almost as relevant. Allan injected some pace and directness to the proceedings, picking passes that opened up the Montrose defence, and embarking on mazy runs that pulled players out of position leaving space for his colleagues to exploit.<br />
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Jason Cummings, who had led the line splendidly all afternoon, rounded off the win with a fine shot on the turn from inside the box. I felt that Cummings looked like all he had to his game was goals last season (hardly a bad thing for a striker, indeed, such a bad thing that he finished the Championship's top scorer at the tender age of 19!), however he looked stronger, fitter, and more intelligent in his play on Saturday. I was impressed with his understanding of when to come deep, and when not to. He brought others into play well, and looked for any opportunity to get a shot away.<br />
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Cummings, who was celebrating his 20th birthday, richly deserved his goal as a reward for his contribution. The goal was his second in consecutive competitive games, and few would bet against him topping the goal-scoring charts this season again.<br />
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Hibs now look forward to Saturday's league opener at Dumbarton. With a few of the injured players getting closer to match readiness, Hibs are now well equipped to mount a serious challenge to Rangers' title hopes. If Hibs can indeed keep this squad together, and get more fans back on board for the ride, then Hibs will be in a great position to put the darkness of the last couple of weeks well and truly behind them.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-34449634228498876192015-06-21T14:55:00.001-07:002015-06-21T14:55:18.168-07:00Ambition versus PotentialI attended the excellent and informative open day at Easter Road Stadium this afternoon, put on by the Hibs Historical Association as part of the Leith Festival. The day was a great insight into the history and traditions of Hibernian, and showcased the heights at which Hibs once performed.<br />
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Hibs record attendance is 65,860, set on the 2nd of January, 1950 against Hearts at a time when Hibs were a formidable force in Scottish football, with the Famous Five entertaining large crowds on a regular basis, and with Easter Road proving a challenging venue for even the greatest of European visitors.<br />
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These days, Easter Road has a much reduced capacity. The modernisation of the stadium into an all-seater venue means that, when full, Easter Road now holds 20,421 - and it's rare that the stadium sells out.<br />
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Seeing a model of the stadium in its old form and thinking about what it must have been like to have stood on the steep embankments of the old East terracing brought about thoughts about how much potential there actually is at Hibernian, and whether or not that potential is matched by the ambition at the club. The question could also be asked the other way around - does the ambition overstretch the potential?<br />
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In modern Scottish football, crowds of 60,000 plus are very rare. Even Celtic struggle to fill their ground for all but the biggest of matches, and it's a similar story at Rangers, where the stark reality of a lack of success aligned with a lack of a trustworthy board in recent seasons has eroded the attendances at Ibrox significantly. Even the showpiece game of the Scottish football calendar - the Scottish Cup Final - attracted a little over 37,000 supporters, leaving almost 15,000 empty seats. It should be noted that the game was played out between Falkirk and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and so the 37,000 represents a fantastic turnout in relation to their respective average gates.<br />
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Hibs have a long way to go to even come close to filling Easter Road on a regular basis. It has been sixty-three years since Hibs won the top flight league title. Hibs fans have given up counting the number of years it's been since they last won the Scottish Cup. The last success Hibs had in any cup competition was in 2007, where they lifted the CIS Cup having defeated Kilmarnock 5-1 in front of 52,000 spectators.<br />
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Starved of success, and frustrated with how the club has been run for a number of years, an apathetic Hibs support has found better things to do on a match day. Recent cup finals have shown that there is still a significant Hibs support that could potentially be wooed back to Easter Road, but coming out for a cup final is one thing, getting back into the habit of attending home matches is something else altogether.<br />
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Even if Hibs were to fill Easter Road week in, week out, what is the best that they could hope to achieve? At a little over twenty thousand seats, their gate income would still be dwarfed by that of Celtic and Rangers. and with TV income at a fraction of that enjoyed by similarly sized English clubs, Hibs would still struggle to attract talent that would make them competitive outside of the top two or three positions in Scotland.<br />
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Celtic, with the huge relative income that they enjoy compared to Hibs, are the poor relations amongst Europe's elite. For Celtic, a club that once won the European Cup, simply qualifying for the Champions League is now considered a success, getting out of the group stages in that competition is a notable achievement.<br />
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Manchester City have spent however many hundreds of millions of pounds on their squad and have yet to trouble Europe's best. So what hope do Hibs have of getting a seat at that table ever again?<br />
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Where does that stark reality leave the ambitions of the Hibs support and board? Is the extent of the potential at Hibernian a full stadium and the odd second place finish in the top flight (even then, just competing in the top flight might still be some way off depending on whether or not Rangers spend big this summer to get out of the Championship, where their bigger spending potential should - if Dave King's claims are to be believed - put Hibs at a disadvantage for automatic promotion right from the word 'go'.)?<br />
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It would be an incredible achievement for Hibs to find themselves in a position just to compete to qualify in the Champions League. Hearts managed to find themselves in a Champions League Qualifier after Romanov spent millions, at a time when second place in the then SPL was enough to secure a qualifying spot. Now, you need to win the league.<br />
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So how can Hibs - or any Scottish side - ever hope to get back to where they once were? How can Hibs take a full house and use it to put together a side that competes way higher than the resources should allow?<br />
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How do Hibs even get to the point where they have that problem to address? Hibs have started to look seriously at how to reconnect with those lost supporters. A greater presence in the community through partnerships such as the recently announced link-up with Edina Hibs, and with Spartans, along with events such as the excellent open day, will go some way to drawing back supporters whose interest may be re-ignited by reliving past glories, or attracting new supporters who see the club as synonymous with football in Edinburgh.<br />
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Of course, the best way to attract fans is to be successful. An exciting, winning team does wonders for getting bums on seats. Building and then sustaining a winning side on limited resources, where your neighbours in England and Glasgow just need to flutter their eyelashes at your players to lure them from you, is a monumental challenge.<br />
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Hibs, again, appear to have put a plan in place to get a sustainable way of building a team with George Craig overseeing a complete overhaul of the football operation at Hibernian, from youths through to the first team. This should lead to Hibs being able to produce, sell, and replace talent without impact to the overall quality or style of the first team - similar to the approach taken by Swansea and Southampton in the English Premiership.<br />
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The biggest challenge that Hibs have is finding a way to break the shackles of the reality of the situation that they find themselves in, along with the rest of Scottish football, which is that no matter how good they get, how well they do, or how full the stadium is, the odds of achieving anything are stacked against them.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-44342424098829863672015-06-04T15:19:00.001-07:002015-06-04T15:19:28.716-07:00A Statement of Intent.This week has seen Hibs move to strengthen the team and start assembling a squad fit for winning the league title in the upcoming season. An email from Leeann Dempster dropped into my inbox, as it did with thousands of other season ticket holders, thanking me for renewing and stating - quite clearly - that the ambition this season was to be promoted as champions.<br />
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These words would appear relatively hollow, had it not been for a week where Hibs announced that they had secured Fraser Fyvie on a two year deal. Fyvie is an exceptional talent, and to be perfectly honest, he is better than the Scottish Championship. That he sees his immediate future in the green and white of Hibernian is testament to the great work being done at the club by Alan Stubbs and Leeann Dempster.<br />
<br />Fyvie came to Hibs looking to get his career back on track, even to put himself in the shop window. Despite interest from other clubs, Fraser chose to stay at Hibs, confident that the club has the ambition and the means to gain promotion. His signing was possible, in no small part, because of season ticket purchases and supporters subscribing to Hibernian Supporters Limited, where contributions not only fund the football side, but help to buy the shares that will ultimately allow the support to take a controlling stake in Hibernian FC.<br />
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Fyvie's signing is a significant coup for Hibs, and represents a definite statement of intent on the club's part.<br />
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To add to Fyvie's signature, Hibs also announced the signing of James Keatings and Daniel Carmichael from Hearts and Queen of the South respectively. Carmichael had been courted by a number of clubs, and was given a place in the SPFL team of the year. A tricky winger, he will add a further attacking dimension to Hibs' play this season. Keatings did well at Hearts, and it was his desire to get more game time and the opportunity to work with Alan Stubbs that brought him to Easter Road. Keatings fits the bill for the type of player that Stubbs sees thriving in Leith.<br />
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Keatings was frustrated at a lack of game time at Hearts and has a point to prove, in the same way that Scott Allan and Fraser Fyvie had points to prove. Stubbs will give him the environment and the opportunity to grow as a player. It is a shrewd signing by Stubbs, and again shows that Hibs are serious about winning the title this season.<br />
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There is still speculation about Scott Allan's future, the league's best midfielder has a year left to run on his contract and Hibernian are looking to extend that - I'll be honest and say that I expect that to happen. Scott is happy at Easter Road and has clearly benefited from the management of Stubbs and his backroom team.<br />
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Rangers are credited with an interest in Allan, and who could blame them? He was the stand out player last season, and is at an age where his best years are ahead of him. Hibs will do well to hold on to him.<br />
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The same can be said of Stubbs, who is a young manager carving out a great reputation for himself. Hibs are hopeful of extending his deal which will, in turn, give some certainty to players that will commit to him as much as they commit to the football club.<br />
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Hibs announced today that they had also re-signed Lewis Stevenson on a further two year deal. Stevenson, like Charmichael, was named in a SPFL team of the season - nominated by his peers as the league's best left back over the course of the season. Stevenson is a cracking wee player, one of my favourites and not just because of the familiarity that comes with being Hibernian's current longest serving player. Stevenson is a little terrier, strong and tenacious with a fantastic temperament, and I'm delighted to see him commit to Hibs for another couple of years.<br />
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This news came on the back of the announcement at the start of the week that Liam Craig's departure from the club had meant that David Gray had been given the Captain's armband, to go with an extension to his contract. Gray was Stubbs' first signing, and it would be fair to say he raised the standard at the club straight away, not only with his own on-field performances but also with the standards he set in training. He is an ideal candidate for the Captaincy, respected by the fans and the players alike, and he will be hoping for an injury-free season to make up for some lost time in the season gone by.<br />
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Throughout these announcements, Hibs have been clear that they have been able to do the business that has been done because of the funds afforded to them by supporters. For a long time, there has been debate around the need for the club to show some ambition before fans will commit to season tickets, against the argument that the club needs the money from those season tickets to show the ambition.<br />
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I believe Hibs have gone about things the right way this time. Ambition isn't just about spending money, it's about achieving beyond your means. Hibs have players in their squad that many would argue are above the Scottish Championship. You could certainly go through the side and find a place in almost all of the Scottish Premiership sides for the players in each position.<br />
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Hibs have put their cards on the table and said, from the moment that another season in the Championship was an unwelcome certainty, that the goal was to win the league next season. No caveats or conditions, no targeting the play-off spots. Outright winning the league. Stubbs said it, Dempster said it, the players are talking about it. There is no confusion, the club is showing an ambition that has been sorely lacking in years gone by.<br />
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The support are playing their part too, those that have renewed their season tickets, or bought one for the first time have given Hibs the means to sign Fyvie, Gray, Stevenson, Carmichael, and Keatings. That season ticket income has been bolstered by those supporters that signed up to Hibernian Supporters Limited, or who bought shares themselves. Every single penny raised from those revenue streams has gone to the playing squad.<br />
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The support have work still to do. We, collectively, as a support can ensure that Stubbs, Allan, Fontaine, Boyle, and any other player that we want to see at Easter Road next season or the season after are there. We can do it by backing the club financially.<br />
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I would say to any Hibernian fan out there that might happen across this blog - buy a season ticket if you can, a full buoyant Easter Road is a sight to behold, and the cash that those season ticket sales brings can ensure that Stubbs can build a squad around his best players, rather than losing the best ones and building on the peripheral players.<br />
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If a season ticket is beyond your means, or if you have cash spare, then please - sign up for Hibernian Supporters Limited. Not only does your money go right to Stubbs, but it helps the support take control of the club, safeguarding the club for the future. You and I have the means to help Dempster and Stubbs build something special, something spectacular at Hibernian.<br />
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Every season ticket, and every HSL subscription counts, every pound committed is a pound that helps give us the best possible crack of winning the league and getting back where we belong - and staying there.<br />
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The club are doing everything they can to rise again, they need the support with them.<br />
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You can sign up to HSL here: <a href="http://hiberniansupporters.co.uk/">http://hiberniansupporters.co.uk/</a><br />
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Footnote:<br />
This blog represents my views, and my views only. Although I am part of the admin team at <a href="http://www.hibs.net/" target="_blank">www.hibs.net </a> this blog is written independently and in no way reflects the views of hibs.net.<br />
The blog is also written independently of HSL and Hibernian Football Club.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-77721461584366054402015-05-26T14:20:00.001-07:002015-05-26T14:20:04.793-07:00A Season ReviewSo Hibs fell short of their pre-season target of achieving promotion, their narrow play-off defeat at the hands of Rangers ensured that it would be Championship football being played at Easter Road next season, rather than the Premiership football everyone connected with the club had hoped for.<br />
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As with the Scottish Cup Semi-Final, and countless other matches that preceded the play-off semi-final ties with Rangers, Hibs' found themselves dominant but unable to break down a dogged defence until it was too late. A two goal deficit proved from the first leg proved too much to overturn, and though Jason Cummings' late strike won the second leg for Hibernian, it was too little, too late, and Rangers progressed to the final where they will now face Motherwell.<br />
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It was a cruel and premature end to Hibernian's season, the players slumped to the turf, devastated at coming so close only to fall short when it really mattered. The Easter Road support, were magnificent, and as the familiar Hibs' anthem 'Sunshine on Leith' chimed out through the PA system, the crowd lifted the players and applauded them off the park. In fact, the support had come into it's own in the final moments of the match.<br />
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As the Rangers fans taunted former Celtic player Alan Stubbs (with the tasteful lyrics<i> 'Cheer up Alan Stubbs, oh what can it mean, to a fat fenian bastard...'</i>) the Hibs support broke into a spontaneous applause and drowned out the heckles of the visiting support, who had been quiet throughout the match up until the final few minutes. It's fair to say that should Rangers get the better of Motherwell and win promotion to the Scottish Premiership, few will miss the sectarian bile that their support seems incapable of eradicating.<br />
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That applause from the Hibs support was almost protective, a reminder to the Hibs players that the fans were right there with them. It was in stark contrast to the reaction to the final game of the season before which had brought about relegation, and reflects the transformation in the club in the last twelve months.<br />
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At the start of the season, I expected Hibs to be competing with Hearts and Rangers for the title, and for the three clubs to occupy the top three spots in the league. I actually called Rangers as favourites for the title. Their superior resources and the fact that their team had been together through the divisions put them in the best position coming into the season. Hearts, I felt, would struggle much the same as Hibs would, they would win the majority of their games but would lose their fair share too.<br />
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Of course, the season didn't pan out like that. Hibs' sluggish start left them chasing an insurmountable gap from early on in the season. Rangers imploded spectacularly mid-season and managed to self-destruct with almost comical frequency for a period of the season before Stuart McCall was appointed to steady the ship.<br />
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Hearts, as we know, had a spectacular league season. The blip that everyone expected to come never arrived, they won game after game after game and left the rest of the league trailing in their wake. It was incredible, and the hard work that went into their post-admin re-structuring and team building paid off in spectacular style.<br />
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Hibs were a slow burner, we were late to the party with our re-structuring. The decision to remove Terry Butcher and his backroom team was taken weeks too late, and the appointment of Alan Stubbs left him with little time to put together a thorough pre-season with his newly formed team.<br />
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There was little incoming Chief Executive Leeann Dempster could do about the timing, she had a job to finish at Motherwell and was not in a position to meet with Butcher to make the decision on his future at the club. When she did, she acted decisively.<br />
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The whole football department at the club has been shaken up, in fact, every area of the club was shaken up, and we continue to see changes being made at all levels.<br />
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George Craig came on board to head up football operations, Joe McBride took over the youth set up, bringing ex-Falkirk manager Eddie May on board with him. Hibs saw directors leave and others join. Fan representatives Amit Moudgil and Frank Dougan were elected by the Hibs support onto the Board of Directors, and we are starting to see more of the influence that they are having at board level.<br />
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The club opened it's doors to the community, with the Community Foundation doing great work (from personal experience, I have attended the Football Fans in Training and Healthy Hibee programs, which have been outstanding and have brought me much closer to the club - even as a thirty-seven year old, I get a buzz from changing in the home dressing room before making my way out the tunnel and onto the pitchside!). Hundreds of school kids have attended Easter Road this season as the club have handed out tickets to give them the opportunity, and the great work carried out by Leith Links has ensured that many disadvantaged children have been able to connect with the club.<br />
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There has been a lot of discussion post-play-off defeat about the use of the word 'proud' when discussing how the support feels about the club. Some have argued that it is impossible to be proud of a team that has failed to meet its primary objective of gaining promotion to the top tier. It is a black and white stance that, personally, I don't agree with.<br />
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I see much to be proud of when I look at Hibernian Football Club right now. The club feels different - progressive and inclusive. It feels like my club. Our club.<br />
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Of course I'm disappointed that we fell short of promotion, just as I was when we lost out on the Scottish Cup Final. But I am proud of the players, proud of the manager, and proud of the club. You need to have incredible patience to be a Hibs supporter, and balls made of pure titanium to withstand the amount of kicks they take when it really matters, but looking at the bigger picture I can see the great strides that the club is making.<br />
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I genuinely feel that Hibs have changed for the better, and while it hurts right now - and will, for the whole of the next season regardless of how well we do - at some point soon I know we will be back, and we will be much stronger for the experience, and stronger for the hard work that is going into things all across the football club.<br />
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Already, Hibs have moved to cement plans for next season. Today saw the announcement of club captain Liam Craig's departure, and the extension of new club captain David Gray's contract. Hibs have never, for as long as I can recall, done that sort of business at the earliest opportunity. They have now. Stubbs and Dempster are people in a hurry. They want better and they are pulling out all the stops to achieve it.<br />
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As soon as the final whistle sounded on Saturday afternoon, Stubbs was vocalising his intention to win the league next season. There was no caveat to it, no 'depending on who is in it with us' cop-out, just a proper neck-on-the-line statement. He wants to win the league. Second place is not going to cut it for Stubbs next season.<br />
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These are exactly the noises I want to hear coming from Easter Road in the coming days, weeks, and months. I think Hibs have a huge opportunity to get the support on board. The share issue was always going to be a slow burner, but I think if Hibs can show that they mean business this season, and build a team not just good enough to win in the Championship, but good enough to compete with any team we face next season, then they can start seeing crowds returning to Easter Road.<br />
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The support haven't seen ambition from the club for years, for too long ambition has equalled budget, and the expectations have been set around that. It's not glamorous and it's not ambitious, it doesn't sell season tickets or capture the hearts and minds of supporters, some of whom can remember Hibs going toe to toe with the very best that Europe has to offer.<br />
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Ambition is about over-achieving. It is wanting to do more with what you've got that people think is possible. That stretch, that extra bit, the determination, craft, skill, and hard work that gets you over the line - that's your ambition right there.<br />
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Stubbs has ambition, and that breeds into the players. Leeann Dempster is ambitious too, so the club is being driven to achieve those extra miles. The bar is being raised and Hibs would do well to capture that spirit and show it to the fans. There is a desire to see a successful Hibs side. The support are desperate for good times again, to be able to say that they are proud of the team without someone telling them they shouldn't be.<br />
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We all have a part to play in that. The support provide the means to build a winning team, but they'll only do that if they think that the club mean business. For once, we seem to be in a position where the club are putting their cards on the table and doing exactly that.<br />
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The season, then, has been disappointing in the main, but it is essential that the disappointment does not obscure the many good things that have happened. We finished second, where it looked at one stage that we'd struggle to make fourth. We reached the Scottish Cup semi-final, going further than Aberdeen, Dundee United, Rangers and Hearts to name a few. We had the league's top scorer in Jason Cummings and the league's best player in Scott Allan.<br />
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When you consider that Scott Allan had some competition just to be the best player at Hibs, it shows that there are positives to take from the season. Dominique Malonga represented the club at the African Cup of Nations. We have become the Scottish club with the largest proportion of supporter ownership (I think!) through the efforts of Hibernian Supporters Limited, and we have one of the game's brightest managerial prospects in Alan Stubbs.<br />
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We can reflect on a disappointing season, and it will always be disappointing to be anywhere other than the top flight, but we should always remember that we are Hibernian F.C. and we have a lot to be proud about, and a lot to look forward to.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-4726051292902063512015-05-04T15:54:00.000-07:002015-05-04T15:54:11.638-07:00Second Place is Only The First Part of the Job.Hibs went into Saturday's game against what could be considered their bogey team, Falkirk (Hibs had not beaten Falkirk in four attempts prior to their win on Saturday), in pole position for second place.<br />
The previous weekends victory against Alloa had left Hibs in a position where they could afford to lose, so long as Rangers didn't win at Tynecastle. Hibernian's superior goal difference effectively giving them a two point advantage over the Glasgow side. A draw would only be enough for Rangers if Hibs lost heavily to Falkirk.<br />
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Three and a half thousand Hibs fans made their way west to Falkirk looking for a happy afternoon against a team that had left them with little to be joyful about all season. Falkirk were in the position of having nothing meaningful to play for in the final match. They had been pipped to fourth spot by Queen of the South, and are counting down the days to the Scottish Cup Final, which they reached (as we know) by triumphing against their final visitors.<br />
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Due to work commitments, I was limited to goal updates on Sky Sports. Fortunately, we have an abundance of screens showing Sky Sports in the office, so with the Hearts v Rangers game within viewing distance, I was able to keep up to date with what was going on there as well as at Falkirk.<br />
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The Hibs fans that did manage to get a ticket (Hibs sold out their allocation of tickets, requested more, then sold them out as well, and could have sold more still, such was the demand for the game) had their nerves calmed early on, when Martin 'Squirrel' Boyle burst forward and played a neat one-two with Scott Allan before firing a shot across Jamie McDonald to put Hibs a goal up with just a few minutes to spare.<br />
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So Hibs had made the first move, it was now up to Rangers to see if they could put some pressure on the Leith men, and sure enough - Rangers took the lead at Tynecastle. Shortly afterwards. Rangers would survive a penalty appeal when their goalkeeper looked like he fouled Osman Sow, who had earlier been booked for diving. Perhaps the referee considered it a case of 'the boy who cried wolf' or perhaps he missed the incident (or chose to ignore it), but the Rangers goalkeeper could consider himself very fortunate not to have conceded a penalty, which, if it had been given, would likely have seen the goalkeeper red carded for his troubles.<br />
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Unlike Hearts, Rangers didn't dwell on the decision, and they took full advantage moments later when Kenny Miller side-footed home from inside the penalty box to give Rangers a two goal advantage.<br />
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So far, so good for Rangers. If they had wanted to turn the heat up on Hibs, this was exactly what they needed to do. Hibs, however, responded almost immediately. Jason Cummings found himself staring down Jamie McDonald from a few yards out. Cummings dropped a shoulder and sold McDonald a dummy before wandering round the grounded goalkeeper to walk the ball into the now unguarded net. It was a classy finish from the young player who finished the season on top of the scoring charts, a remarkable achievement for a lad that was working as a gardener just a couple of years ago. It rounded off a good week for Jason, who had been voted 'Young Player of the Year' by Hibernian supporters a few days earlier.<br />
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Hibs now held the aces in the race for second place, and Rangers were running out of cards to play. As the game progressed at Tynecastle, Hearts shuffled the deck and brought on man-mountain Genero Zeefuik who proved to be almost worth his weight in goals as he headed Hearts back into the match before shooting home a late, late equaliser which finally prompted the Hearts fans into voice, the goal signalling the end of the apparent sponsored silence which seems to be a staple of a Hearts party these days, if the 90 minutes at Tynecastle on Saturday and their party at Easter Road where they lost the last derby of the season are anything to go by.<br />
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As if that wasn't enough to sour the Rangers' day, they would hear that Do-do-do-Dominique Malonga had scored for the third consecutive game to give Hibs an unassailable three goal lead going into the final moments of the game.<br />
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The results left Hibs in second place, as they had started the day. Few would have given Hibs much hope of second in December and it's testament to Alan Stubbs and his team that they proved the doubters wrong.Questions had been asked about Stubbs's side's bottle, and they were answered in spades in the final weeks of the season. It is ironic that Hibs played much better, in my opinion, in the semi-final against Falkirk where they were accused of bottling it, than they played in Saturday's win. That's football, I suppose.<br />
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Rangers now face Queen of the South to see who will meet Hibs in the play-off semi final. Rangers will not be approaching the game with any great amount of confidence. Their last outing at Palmerston ended in a 3-0 reverse, with Queen of the South capitalising on a dire performance from the visitors. Rangers have shipped five goals without reply on their travels to Queen of the South this season, and so the play-off fixture is far from a formality.<br />
<br />Queen of the South are in an almost enviable position of having virtually no pressure on them. Expectations throughout Scottish football at the start of the season were that, aside from whoever was to win the league, the other team likely to be promoted would come from Hearts, Rangers, or Hibernian. With Hearts being the title winners, pundits have practically discounted Queen of the South from any notion of them being contenders. It's not an opinion I share. Both Hibs and Rangers have struggled against Queen of the South this season - their stuffy, park-the-bus approach at Easter Road has subjected me to some of the most negative football seen in the East of Edinburgh since the Alex Miller years. With Hibs tendency to find themselves knocked out by the sucker punch on so many occasions this season, the thought of going up against that will not fill the players with joy.<br />
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However, both Rangers and Queen of the South would happily trade places with Hibs. The advantage gained in finishing second is significant, especially if the quarter final turns out to be a gruelling, hard fought affair.<br />
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It is vital, though, that Hibs remain focussed. Finishing second was just the start of the job and nothing has been achieved yet. The next two games (and, hopefully the two after) are amongst the most important in the club's history. Negotiate these games effectively, and Hibs can put the nightmare of the Championship behind them and look forward to taking their seat at the top-flight table again next season.<br />
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I have no doubt that Hibs are capable of winning these games, and although their sternest test will likely come from the SPL side hoping to avoid swapping places with their Championship counterpart, Hibs have the players in their team that have it in their locker to go on and win.<br />
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There may be a question of whether or not they have the temperament to do it, but I think that questions has been put to bed on many occasions this season, and Hibs have stuck at it. In finishing second, Hibs accumulated more points that Championship winners Dundee collected last season. Dundee have held their own in the SPL this season, so Hibs should take confidence that they can mix it with the big boys.<br />
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Hibs biggest barrier to overcome is to make sure that the focus remains on the job in hand over the next couple of weeks until they need to play again. The risk is that in achieving a milestone in finishing second, they get the chance to relax and let complacency seep in. In Alan Stubbs, Hibs have a manager who is ideal for preventing that from happening. Stubbs has insisted on high standards all season, and it's finally paying dividends.<br />
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I am hopeless at predictions, but my gut instinct is that Hibs will once again be a top flight side next season. The one thing I can say, is that so long as Stubbs and his backroom stay, and the hugely impressive work behind the scenes at Easter Road continues, then it's only a matter of time before Hibs are challenging at the right end of the right league, even if it doesn't happen this year.<br />
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Congratulations must also go to Championship Player of the Year, Scott Allan. What a joy it has been watching him grow and develop at Hibs this season. He was impressive when he first arrived but having had the bulk of the season under his belt, he has improved immeasurably under Stubbs' guidance. This improvement is a trend that's evident throughout the side, and Allan had some close competition from his team-mates for the award.<br />
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Scott has another year on his contract, and I desperately hope Hibs resist any advances for him. He is a player that the Hibs fans appreciate, and he fits the style of play that Stubbs is stamping on the team like a glove. The phrase 'build a team around' gets used a lot in football, and never has it been more fitting than in Scott Allan's case at Hibs.<br />
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What has also been very noticeable, in contrast to the abject misery and disillusionment of last season's closing stages, is rather than seeing an impending exodus of players, we are hearing stories of players being desperate to stay at Hibs, and we've gone from seeing loan players who simply couldn't give a toss about the club (yes, Matt Doherty, I mean you) to players like Martin Boyle who showed with his celebration on Saturday exactly what it means to him to be at Easter Road.<br />
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It's like night and day comparing the Hibs from then to the Hibs of now. We have some of the most talented young players (the potential in Jason Cummings is unbelievable, in my opinion this guy could go on to be the best striker Hibs have produced since Riordan and Fletcher), as well as some experienced players (Fontaine, Gray, Hanlon, Stevenson, Craig, Robertson) who have raised their game considerably this season. It's a great mix, and Stubbs will have a lot of food for thought over the close season to decide how he is going to build on this nucleus of talent.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-22640724868480879412015-04-20T15:37:00.001-07:002015-04-20T15:37:38.200-07:00A Season Summed Up In Ninety MinutesAs around sixteen thousand beleaguered Hibs fans made their way back to their buses, cars, and trains for the long, quiet journey home from Hampden having watched their heroes chalk up another year on the 'since-they-won-the-Scottish-Cup-o-meter', they would have been wondering just how Hibs had managed - again - to take nothing from a game that they utterly dominated.<br />
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It has been the story of their season. I've lost count of the number of games Hibs have failed to take full points, having battered their opponents for virtually the full ninety minutes. Home games against Falkirk (twice), Queen of the South, Hearts, Raith (twice), and Dumbarton - and that's just from the top of my head, have seen Hibs put in a commanding performance only to draw or lose the match.<br />
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Saturday's Scottish Cup Semi-Final can now be added to that list. Before I dwell on Hibs' failings, I want to congratulate Falkirk for reaching the final. The most important statistic in football is the number of goals scored versus the number conceded, and Falkirk compared favourably in that aspect on Saturday, and so they have a Cup Final to look forward to. Well done to Falkirk, and I genuinely wish them all the best in the final.<br />
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So, onto Hibs. Where do you start when trying to explain that defeat? You can criticise the forward players for not taking their chances, and we had plenty of them regardless of what Peter Houston might have you believe. Scott Allan rattled the crossbar after a Gascoigne-esque dribble through the Falkirk defence. Fraser Fyvie had seen a shot tipped onto the post only for the ball to rebound with an almost magnetic precision back into the arms of the grateful Jamie McDonald.<br />
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Farid El-Alagui had a first minute header (if you can call the ball bouncing off his head as he lay prone on the ground a 'header') saved on the goal-line. Lewis Stevenson blasted over from eight yards when he seemed more likely to score, just moments after Dylan McGeouch had totally mis-hit his shot to the point where it was closer to trapping the ball than shooting at goal.<br />
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Stevenson came close again when a deflected shot looped over McDonald only to drop agonisingly wide of the post, and there were late chances for Malonga and El-Alagui, neither of whom were able to take advantage.<br />
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Falkirk, of course, scored in the most ironic of fashions. The referee halted a Hibs attack, Falkirk broke forward and gave their opponents a lesson in clinical finishing. Mark Oxley had been a virtual spectator in the second half at Hampden, his only contribution prior to conceding had been to tip a speculative effort round the post early in the second half. Falkirk had, by my count, three chances in the second half in total, and scored with one of them.<br />
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It's hard to pinpoint why this has happened to Hibs so frequently this season. You can criticise the defence, but then you'd think they would deserve praise for limiting the opposition to three chances. Then again, how can you praise a defence that concedes one goal from three chances, compared to Falkirk who conceded none from goodness knows how many.<br />
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Perhaps it's a lack of concentration. If it was only once that a game had gone this way, you could attribute it to bad luck, but when it's happened with a depressing regularity then it surely can't just be luck.<br />
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Alan Stubbs must take some responsibility - it's been a season long problem at both ends of the park. If Hibs had taken chances with the same efficiency as our opponents this season, it would have been Hibs rather than Hearts that had romped the league with plenty to spare. Hibs haven't though, and Hearts have, and that's why they were worthy winners.<br />
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Stubbs must now look at his side and find a way to address this wastefulness in front of goal, and the carelessness in defence, in order that his side has any chance of promotion this season. Stubbs cannot afford to attribute the poor results to mere bad luck, no matter how much he may protest that his side deserved to win the game (and few neutrals would argue with him), the fact of the matter is that again, his Hibs side were trumped by a sucker punch, and lost the match.<br />
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I like Alan Stubbs. I like the way he sets Hibs up to play and I like that he isn't shy in saying that the better team lost. It's refreshing, and his style of play is pleasing on the eye, in stark contrast to his recent predecessors in the Easter Road hot-seat. There is a real lack of a cutting edge, no ruthlessness or mean streak in the side, and he needs to find that, and find it soon.<br />
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Stubbs has challenged his side to go and get the promotion their play deserves, but that play will only deserve promotion if it finds an end product. Teams don't get promoted for missing chances or keeping the ball. You can have all the possession in the world, if you don't score and you can't prevent the opposition scoring, then you don't deserve to get promoted. I think it's important that Stubbs acknowledges that, if not publicly then at least within the confines of the Easter Road/East Mains dressing rooms.<br />
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The players can't be allowed to continue to put costly defeats like Saturday's down to bad luck. They have to be aware that they are ultimately responsible for the fine margins that have gone against them. Is it bad luck or bad finishing to hit the bar from fifteen yards out? Is it bad luck that you swing a boot at the ball with the goal gaping and send the ball three feet over the crossbar? Is it bad luck that you find yourself conceding - again - from the only chance your opponent carves out?<br />
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Passing it off as bad luck removes the need to make an improvement. I'm not expecting to see Stubbs chastise his players for their inefficiencies in public, in fact, I wouldn't expect him to hammer them in private either, but I would expect him to seek improvement and to make the players accountable.<br />
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Hibs' season is teetering on the brink now - the cup had proven to be a welcome distraction and the prospect of finishing the season with the play-offs and a cup final to look forward to was exciting. Now there is the very real prospect of Hibs finishing the season with nothing to show for the undeniable improvements that Stubbs and his coaching team have made. Hibs have three league games left to put themselves in with a shout of finishing second, but they are now reliant on Rangers slipping up.<br />
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Even finishing second won't guarantee Hibs promotion, if they continue to mis-fire as they did against Falkirk and countless other teams this season. These fine margins are critical now, and unless Hibs do more to make those margins count in their favour, then there's a huge risk that any progress will be overlooked in the anger and disappointment that will inevitably consume large chunks of the Hibs support, who will have at least another Championship season to face. For a club Hibs' size, that is almost unthinkable. <br />
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In fairness, the players do not deserve a hard time for their performance on Saturday. The team played well, with some great football and you'll struggle to see a more dominant performance from a team all season. Had that game finished 1-0 to Hibs, people would have been enthusing over the way that Hibs controlled the game and kept Falkirk at arms' length throughout. It didn't though, and in the aftermath it's easy to lose sight of the fact that Hibs performed at a good level, without it being good enough to take them into the Scottish Cup Final.<br />
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And so it goes, another year to the record. I think that's 114 now. I sometimes get asked if it hurts more with each year, and I liken it to playing the lottery, which I haven't yet won at many more than 114 times of asking. Sometimes I get close to it, there's been a few times where I've had four numbers but never enough to retire early or get a holiday home somewhere sunnier than Leith. That winning combination eludes me, sometimes twice a week, yet the disappointment lasts just a few moments and never dampens the anticipation that maybe - just maybe - the next draw will be the one. I feel like that with the Scottish Cup these days. Yes, if and when Hibs do win the bloody thing, the hangover I will have after it is beyond my comprehension at the moment. However I'm long since past the point of beating myself up about it when the inevitable cup disappointment comes around again.<br />
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<br />Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-51505249898416052902015-04-13T12:41:00.002-07:002015-04-13T12:41:55.943-07:00Hibs Do the Honourable Thing in the DerbyA lot was made of Hibernian's apparent refusal to grant Hearts a guard of honour onto the pitch in the lead up to the final Edinburgh derby of the season. More was made of it than was really necessary, to be completely honest.<br />
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Depending on who you speak to, tradition seems to dictate that the guard of honour is generally given at the game immediately after the title is won, or on each of the first home and away games after winning the league. In Hearts' case, this had been extended by Alloa to include their second home game.<br />
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There was suggestion that Hibs should have followed Rangers' lead and clapped their city rivals onto the pitch, a suggestion that was shot down by the vast majority of Hibs' online support, and by Alan Stubbs himself, who cited safety reasons and a desire to avoid fueling the flames of an already volatile fixture as the reason for Hibs not granting the guard of honour.<br />
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That Stubbs should have been having to turn it down in the first place is a nonsense in itself. Even more ridiculous was the reaction to the apparent snub from Hearts' Head Coach Robbie Nielson and their centre-half Alim <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Öztürk, who comically said that the show of disrespect told you everything you needed to know about Hibs. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Quite how the whole thing was contrived to be an issue is beyond me. However, common sense prevailed and the players ran out in their conventional line-ups and got on with things. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Clearly, I am biased towards Hibs, I will never hide that fact or pretend otherwise, especially when it comes to the derby and the rivalry between Hibs and Hearts, but even putting that bias to one side, I find the idea of giving a team that shafted a laundry list of creditors (including you and I as tax payers) a guard of honour - and that team expecting it - quite distasteful. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The current Hearts side and owners deserve all the credit going for a fantastic season. They have been unquestionably the best side in the Championship over the course of the season. They have barely faltered and have played some terrific football in that time, backed by a large support home and away throughout the season. Hearts have been the success story of the 2014-15 Scottish Championship season. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">What they won't win prizes for,evidently, is having a little bit of humility; and this notion that Hibs were somehow being disrespectful in not granting the guard of honour was disrespectful in itself. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">On to the derby then, and what a derby it was - from a Hibs point of view. The Hearts support filled the Dunbar end at Easter Road and they turned up for a party, and they weren't shy in letting the disappointing Hibs crowd know about it. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Robbie Nielson said prior to the match when speaking to Sky TV, that he had set up to match Hibs 3-5-2, and in doing so was making the game a case of his players going man to man with Stubbs' players.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Nielson changed his tactics with barely half an hour gone, as his side struggled to get a foothold in the game, unable to win their man v man battles. Hibs took the upper hand, rattling the Hearts crossbar on two occasions and calling Neil Alexander in the Hearts goal into action, before the 'King of Zing' Jason Cummings shinned (and it was shinned, rather than caressed, Jason) his second derby goal of the season to give Hibs a deserved lead.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Hearts at this point had been on the back foot for all but a few minutes of the game. Neilson's tactical switch helped them stifle Hibs' play to some degree but still Hearts lacked in their effectiveness going forward. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Hibs' three centre-halves, Paul Hanlon, Liam Fontaine, and Jordon Forster were superb. The physical threat of Osman Sow and man-mountain Genero Zeefuik got absolutely no joy against them all game, and from those solid foundations, the rest of the Hibs side were able to impose themselves on the match. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Dominique Malonga had a great opportunity to extend Hibs' lead in the second half as Hibs broke forward with three against two, but the forward opted to shoot rather than pass to Scott Allan or Martin Boyle, either of whom would have been left with only the Hearts keeper to beat. It was just about the last involvement that Malonga had in the game, having come on as a substitute he was replaced shortly afterwards, the introduction of Frank Dja DjeDje a necessity following an injury to Malonga. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Malonga has looked short of fitness in his last couple of outings in a Hibs jersey, and seems in dire need of a confidence restoring goal. His decision making in the derby invoked the ire of the Hibs support, only too aware that failing to take your chances in this particular fixture usually ends up coming back to haunt you.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">On this occasion, however, Hibs weren't left to rue that mistake. In fact, as the game edged into injury time Hibs again found themselves outnumbering the Hearts defence when DjeDje turned</span></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Öztürk before clipping the ball through to Farid El Alagui who was calmness personified as he dinked the ball over the diving Alexander to seal Hibs' win. It was fitting for Hibs fans that it was </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Öztürk's woeful defending that let DjeDje in, given the pre-match complaints about Hibs from the defender. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The victory, of course, had no bearing in the title with Hearts already crowned champions, but make no mistake - Hearts came to Easter Road to win. In fact, the game was almost a carbon copy of the previous Easter Road derby, only this time it was Hibs rather than Hearts that scored the injury time goal. The balance of play in both games had been distinctly in Hibs' favour, and if anything Hearts were better in this derby than in the first one. So don't be misled that there was any suggestion of Hearts players being in holiday mode. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">They, like their fans, and by Robbie Nielson's own admission, had come to Easter Road to win. Neilson's post match comments to the BBC told us that Hearts 'should be coming to Easter Road and winning, it's what we do'. Well, that's not strictly true, Robbie, is it? You've yet to win at Easter Road as Hearts' Head Coach, so again, a little humility wouldn't go amiss. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">As it was, there was no sign of the Hearts party, and from demanding a guard of honour there were barely any Hearts fans left to clap their league winning heroes from the pitch at the end of the match. The green and white half of Edinburgh, however, headed off into the April sunshine in celebratory mood, off to find parties of their own. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span>Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-70800151246808916202015-04-03T13:07:00.001-07:002015-04-03T13:07:31.352-07:00Got the Bottle?Consecutive league defeats have led to some questions being raised amongst some members of the press, and some Hibs supporters, asking whether or not the Hibs squad have lost their bottle in the race for second place in the Scottish Championship.<br />
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It would be fair to say that the Hibs support have good cause to question the mental strength of the team. Hibs are a side who have in recent times, crumbled at the first sniff of a bit of pressure. Cup final? Bottled. Relegation battle? Bottled. Countless derbies? Bottled.<br />
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Prior to this season, Hibs were almost renowned for their lack of fight and grit. Visiting managers would talk about how Hibs were a soft side, and even incoming managers referenced the need to toughen up the squad. Both John Hughes and Pat Fenlon tried to instil a mental toughness to the football side. Neither could lay claim to having been successful in their task.<br />
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Terry Butcher was desperate to add bottle to a demoralised squad, but only succeeded into making a side already bereft of confidence and swagger, even more introverted and scared. Butcher and Malpas roared their players to defeat after defeat, and when the chips were down, Hibs folded under the pressure and were relegated.<br />
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This season's Hibs squad have been something of a different kettle of fish. A sticky start to the season had the support again analysing the mental fortitude of Stubbs' side. The first test of Hibs' resolve came in the opening derby of the season, and they fell short. Liam Craig had an opportunity to put Hibs in the lead with a first half penalty, which he pulled wide of the post. The miss clearly played on Craig's mind, and he was ineffective up until the half time whistle. In the second half, Scott Robertson conceded a penalty and was then sent off in what was a personally disastrous second half for the player. Hibs played OK, but ultimately came up short. The culprits of the piece were players who had fallen out of favour with the support from the relegation season. Neither Robertson nor Craig could have laid claim to being fans' favourites at that point. The questions remained about the team's bottle, and crucially, whether the players who had come down with the club would ever have the bottle for the Championship season.<br />
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The stuttering start to the season didn't do Hibs any favours, and you sensed that teams fancied their chances against Hibs far more than they did Hearts or Rangers. There were, I feel, two significant games that shifted opinions of Hibs, when the Hibs squad started answering the questions around their ability to withstand pressure.<br />
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The first of those was the 1-1 draw with Hearts at Easter Road. Hibs out-played the visitors on the day, controlling much of the match and limiting Hearts to very few chances. Hearts scored with almost the last kick of the game, and though they undoubtedly took a huge lift from avoiding defeat, Hibs also took many positives from that game. Hibs had played without fear and went toe to toe with the best side in the league, and were unlucky not to take the three points. It was the first real sign that Hibs might not be the shy-boys of the league after all.<br />
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The second game was the 4-0 rout of Rangers. With the Sky cameras at Easter Road and the match being beamed live on Sky Sports, Hibs brushed Rangers aside with style and strength. The scoreline was a fair reflection on a game that Hibs completely dominated. Rangers couldn't cope with Hibs in that form, and Hibs knew it. Crucially, the rest of the league knew it as well.<br />
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Hibs went to Tynecastle and again were unlucky not to come away with all three points in a close game. If there was a game to bottle it, the New Year derby would have been the one Hibs would have chosen to do so in seasons gone by. Not this season though. Hibs answered all the questions asked of them.<br />
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Stubbs' side were to go through to March before tasting defeat, clawing back a huge points deficit on Rangers to overtake them and claim second place in the league (a spot they still hold ahead of the Easter fixtures this weekend.) There was no question of Hibs' bottle during this time.<br />
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So why now, when Rangers won at Easter Road, and Hibs lost at Raith, do these questions come up? Alan Stubbs was clearly annoyed at the questions around Hibs' bottle in his Hibs TV interview. He has, in my opinion, every right to be.<br />
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Last week's defeat at Raith had nothing to do with bottle. Bad finishing and bad defending, absolutely. No bottle? No chance. Hibs created enough chances to win that game three times over. A team that bottled it would not have done that.<br />
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Hibs' bottle wasn't to blame for the defeat to Rangers either. There is a legitimate question around whether or not Stubbs chose the right tactics for the game, but his players didn't bottle it.<br />
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Hibs go into tomorrow's game against Queen of the South needing to once again prove that they have the mental strength to dust themselves down and get a result when it really matters. I have no doubts in my mind that they have the bottle and resolve to do so. That doesn't mean that they'll win- there are no guarantees in football, but if they lose it will not be down to a lack of mental resolve or bottle.<br />
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Much has changed at Easter Road in the time since we were relegated. This is a different football club to the one which limped out of the SPL with a mere whimper.<br />
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We are stronger, better, and tougher. We are not the finished article, and there will be - I'm sure - another loss on the way to the end of the season, but I am confident that Hibs will take the race for promotion right to the wire, and when the players need to stand up to be counted, they will be the ones asking the questions of the opponents, and not the other way around.<br />
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<br />Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-18904644016510074242015-03-24T13:54:00.000-07:002015-03-25T13:16:36.460-07:00Taking Results For GrantedHibs were firm favourites ahead of last Sunday's tie with Rangers. The two sides' form going into the game suggested that the favourites tag was well deserved. Hibs were on the back of six straight successes, while Rangers had drawn their last five games as they failed to capitalise on their games in hand on Hibs.<br />
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Hibs had the opportunity to put some real daylight between themselves and Rangers, and few would have bet against Hibs to do exactly that. I've lost count of the number of people who have approached me, texted me, or emailed me to say "See your bloody team!" having seen their coupons burst by Hibs failure to grasp that opportunity. </div>
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It is worth starting by giving Rangers credit for the win. As easy as it would be to criticise Hibs for an abject first half performance, and it would be easy to question Alan Stubbs' tactics which failed to address Lee Wallace's marauding runs down Hibs' right hand side. To do so would be a dis-service to Rangers. They deserved the win, although it is also worth noting that the result was given a very helpful nudge in their direction by referee Willie Collum, who must have been the only person inside Easter Road to miss Wallace's foul on Paul Hanlon in the build up to Rangers' second goal.</div>
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Stuart McCall set up with a 352 formation, and in doing so stifled the attacking threat of Lewis Stevenson and David Gray. Without the width provided by Gray and Stevenson, the midfield trio of Fyvie, McGeouch, and Allan had very little influence over the game in their first half. Starved of service, the front pairing of Malonga and Dja Djedje were completely anonymous. </div>
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Rangers took the lead towards the end of the first half, enjoying the break of the ball in the box after a sweeping counter-attack. There hadn't been much between the sides until that point, but on balance of play Rangers were probably worth their half time lead.</div>
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David Gray had to be replaced at half time due to injury, which meant Keith Watson taking up the right-back position for the second half. If Alan Stubbs had considered countering Rangers' 352 by going toe-to-toe with the formation, the enforced change probably denied him the option of doing so, as Gray would likely have played as a right wing back with Watson, Hanlon, and Fontaine forming a back three. </div>
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As it was, Hibs started to take a grip of the game and were looking much closer to the side that put four goals past Rangers back in December. Dja Djedje squandered a great chance to draw level when he found himself through on goal with only Bell to beat, however instead of taking a shot, he elected to try and slide the ball to Malonga for a tap-in, however the pass was intercepted and the chance was lost. </div>
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The pivotal moment in the match came late in the second half, Kenny Miller clipped the ball into the Hibs penalty box. Paul Hanlon cleared, and was wiped out by Wallace. It was as clear and blatant a foul as you will see all season. That is unless you are Willie Collum, who decided to waive play-on as the Hibs defence hesitated, waiting for a whistle that never came. </div>
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Kenny Miller, to his credit, did what you're taught from school-level football. He played to the whistle and collected the ball before sliding it past Oxley to seal the win for Rangers. Hibs' players were justifiably incredulous at the turn of events, and Paul Hanlon was booked in the aftermath of the incident. </div>
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It was an immensely baffling decision by Collum, TV replays show he had a clear and unobstructed view of the 'foul' and chose to waive play on. When observing Collum's approach to awarding free-kicks throughout the game, the decision was at best inconsistent. Rangers' tactics of spoiling the play, giving away free-kicks, and time-wasting was accommodated readily by Collum. It took until the 70th minute for Collum to produce a yellow card to the visitors. The BBC stats show that for Rangers' 17 fouls, Collum dished out two yellow cards - one of which was given to Kenny Miller for his celebration following the winning goal.</div>
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For comparison, Hibs picked up three bookings for ten fouls (and one of the bookings was for Hanlon's complaints for the second goal). </div>
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That's not to say that the referee was to blame for Hibs' defeat. To do so would do a disservice to Rangers, and would also mask Hibs' shortcomings in the match. </div>
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Hibs haven't been found wanting in a big match for some time, this was their first defeat since December, so it would be unfair to be overly critical. It was always going to be a massive and unlikely task to win all the games through to the end of the season. It is unfortunate that the defeat came in this tie, against this opposition.,</div>
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Second place remains in Hibs' own hands, however. A superior goal difference means that as things stand, even if Rangers were to draw level on points with Hibs by winning their remaining game in hand, Hibs will hold on to second place. </div>
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Alan Stubbs said that this result will make Hibs stronger, and he has to ensure that he does. Hibs cannot afford any more slip-ups through to the end of the season. They must be relentless, they must be clinical and focussed. Of the two sides, it appears as though Hibs have the more favourable run-in to the season's end, though they also have the welcome distraction of a Scottish Cup semi-final against Falkirk,</div>
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I would hope that this defeat will provide the jolt that halts any thoughts of complacency in the coming games. Rangers' stuttering results and numerous dramas over the last couple of months, coupled with Hibs' resurgence which saw the Edinburgh side not only claw back the points deficit between themselves and Rangers, but create a gap themselves for Rangers to claw back, probably lent itself to Hibs expecting to win on Sunday and going on to clinch second place at a canter. </div>
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I would expect the worst of Rangers' woes to be over for the season. McCall has shown himself to be a more than capable manager at Motherwell, and if his side can reproduce the levels that they showed on Sunday then they will be taking the race for second place right to the wire. </div>
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Crucially, Rangers will now harbour less fear should they meet Hibs in a play-off. Had Hibs embarrassed them for a fourth time this season, there would have been serious doubt in the Rangers' players' minds that they were able to get the better of Hibs. Now, they know that they can.</div>
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For Stubbs, he has to pick the side up and take a good look at what went wrong. He can't afford to pin the blame on the referee, as much of a role in the final result as Collum had. Stubbs has to look at how he can adapt his tactics for the next meeting of the sides to not only counter Rangers' strengths, but to get his match winners to influence the game in a way that they struggled to do on Sunday. </div>
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Hibs still remain on the brink of a great season, given the circumstances. With Hearts winning the league with months to spare, Hibs can spare their supporters some summertime grief by ensuring that they will be meeting Hearts in the top flight next season. If (and, given Hibs' Scottish Cup record, and the challenging semi-final that awaits them it is a big 'if'), Hibs can also deliver - finally- the Scottish Cup back to Leith along with promotion, then the majority of the support would see that as trumping Hearts' impressive Championship win.
</div>Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-1266879264505940462015-03-09T15:02:00.001-07:002015-03-09T15:02:42.544-07:00The Hibernian WayHibernian couldn't have timed the release of next season's season tickets any better if they'd tried. A run of five consecutive victories sees Hibs sitting second in the league, and with a Hampden Scottish Cup Semi-Final against Falkirk to look forward to.<div>
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A comfortable, if unspectacular, 4-0 victory over ex-Hearts midfielder Colin Cameron's Berwick Rangers ensured Hibernian had their name in Sunday's cup draw, and left the Hibs support with a growing optimism which Hibs will hope to capitalise on in greater season ticket numbers.</div>
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For me, not renewing isn't an option. As soon as I got home from work this afternoon, the purchase was made for me and my son, with a text message sent to my Dad to remind him to renew his seat beside us. It hasn't always been an easy decision to renew, we're never flush for cash so it is a selfish purchase in that it's only really me and Josh that benefit from the season tickets. My wife and daughters attend occasionally but mostly it's me, Josh, and my Dad at the football. </div>
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Last season, when things started to slide at Hibs it would have been easy to skip the renewal and pick and choose the games I went to. In fact, Hibs have been poor for a number of seasons and so it's not hard to understand why season ticket numbers have dwindled. Consecutive cup finals in 2012 and 2013 bolstered numbers as a season ticket guaranteed a cup final ticket, but without the lure of cup final tickets, the numbers dropped drastically for this season. </div>
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The quality of football is only one factor in the decision to renew, the league we are in as another - last season an early renewal meant paying SPL prices for Championship football. Personally, it's not something I'm that fussed about - it's Hibs I go to see more than it is the opposition. I also appreciate that the more people buy a season ticket, the more money Hibs have to put a squad together. This season, that money has been used fantastically well, with almost every signing Alan Stubbs has brought to the club demonstrating great value for money. </div>
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Crucially though, it's time I get to spend with Josh and my Dad that I otherwise would struggle to get. I remember the rare occasions that my Dad took me to the football when I was wee. Geography and finances (and my Dad's inability to drive) meant that I didn't get to many games. After we moved to Edinburgh I started seeing more of Hibs, when I'd go with either my Dad, my cousins James and John, or my Aunty Anne and Uncle Danny (in fact, it tended to be my Uncle Danny's season ticket in the old North Stand that I used, so I attended more with my Aunty Anne than anyone else. </div>
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I loved going. Easter Road was a very different place to the one that I take Josh to, but it's still an immensely special place to me. We moved seats recently, the seats we had were in a quiet section of the lower West Stand, close to the away end and away from the livelier sections of the ground. On the biggest of games where seats were at a premium, the seats were decent, but most of the time it felt like we were away from the action. Ironically, we moved further away from the pitch, to seats in the penultimate row of the upper tier of the West Stand. We are fairly central and there are very few seats spare in our section. The atmosphere is much better and the feeling at games is much closer to the one I experienced as a kid in broadly the same area of the stadium. </div>
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Taking Josh is special, he takes it badly when Hibs lose and buzzes when we win. Seeing him crushed after a bad defeat makes them harder to take for me as well, but the need to lift his spirits helps me get over the bad ones quickly. It's special going with my Dad as well. Circumstances dictate that I rarely get out for a pint or a meal with him, so the ritual we have now of me picking him up from his house, anticipating the game in the car and reviewing it on the way home is as much a part of the decision to buy a season ticket as the football itself. </div>
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The other big factor in my season ticket purchase that is really specific to this moment in time is the revival of the football club under Leeann Dempster. Following the disastrous cup final in 2012, I attended a Let's Work Together meeting at Easter Road, This was a forum for Hibs fans to engage in a meaningful way with the club to try and improve things. </div>
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At that meeting, there was a question and answer session with then-Chief Exec Scott Lindsay. I asked who at the club set the culture, and the answer was that it was down to the manager. I asked how that could work with managers changing every year and a half (give or take). There was an admission that it hadn't really worked, and that there was no definitive culture at the football club. That amazed me, but in hindsight, it was hardly surprising. </div>
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Over the next year or so, I worked with a smaller group of supporters within the Working Together team, and with Non-Exec Director Brian Houston to put together a piece of work with the working title "Winning the Hibernian Way". We looked at the whole ethos of the football club, how it set targets, what the values were, how standards were set. </div>
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There was some fantastic input from the group, I was lucky to work alongside some very talented people and I had the opportunity to present their work to the board of directors at a board meeting at Easter Road. </div>
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Despite some good feedback on the presentation, there was little more said or done on "Winning the Hibernian Way" for some time, in fact the project had more or less been put to bed. I heard from Brian about a year later, to say that the club were looking to dust down the project and bring it to life, changes were afoot at the club that would mean they were in a position to make it work. </div>
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Aside from a meet and greet meeting with Leeann Dempster on the day that a section of the Hibs support took to the West Stand car-park to protest against Rod Petrie, there was no further dialogue with the club about "Winning the Hibernian Way" and I had thought it had been forgotten about until I saw a comment from Hibs Chairman Rod Petrie in an interview around the time of the share issue, where he referenced the work (and the presentation!) that had been going on for some time. </div>
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I like to think that this revival and feel good factor that is slowly but surely absorbing Hibernian has, in some way, stemmed from the work that group of people from Working Together spent months on, that even if it just planted a seed then that time was worthwhile. Even if it had nothing to do with that work, I think I'm fine believing it did, and that emotional investment makes the financial investment in the season ticket purchase all the more essential. </div>
Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-47762620334843235812015-03-03T10:53:00.000-08:002015-03-03T10:53:50.151-08:00Gritty Win Highlights Hibs' ProgressIt's rare that an Alloa versus Hibernian match would be billed as 'the biggest game of the season', particularly when there was nothing other than three Championship points at stake. In fact, for anyone outside of Easter Road (or, indeed, Recreation Park) it's doubtful that any significance would have been given to this fixture, which is understandable enough. It's not the first fixture that one would usually look for when the fixture list is released at the start of the season.<div>
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When Rangers and Falkirk - both pushing Hibs for the play-off spots - drew with each other they presented the Easter Road side with an opportunity to tighten their grip on second place. Crucially, it gave Alan Stubbs' men a chance to show that the fragile, find-a-way-to-fail nature of the last few seasons was behind them. With games fast running out, Hibs could ill-afford any slip ups at a ground where they had lost earlier in the season.</div>
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In fact, the plastic pitch at Recreation Park held little other than unhappy memories for Hibs. An early embarrassing defeat was worsened with the injury to key striker Farid El Alagui, which left Hibs denied of the French-born Moroccan's services ever since. In a quirk of fate, January signing Fraser Fyvie was making his return to Alloa for the first time since he too suffered a severe injury on the artificial surface. </div>
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With the pressure of needing to win adding to the recent history of the fixture, Hibs would not have welcomed the horrendous weather that hit Alloa on Saturday. Allan Stubbs admitted after the game, when speaking to Hibs TV's Cliff Pike, that the pitch and conditions were something of a leveller. Hibs' superior quality couldn't necessarily be relied on to see them through.</div>
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This was exactly the sort of situation Hibs would have contrived to screw up over the last couple of seasons - probably longer. Hibs, however, are a different beast now. There is a professionalism and pride about the club that has long been missing. Things are done properly, players understand their roles and are prepared properly for matches. Slip ups still happen (as we saw against Raith Rovers), but they are few and far between now. </div>
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When Scott Allan's first half free kick found it's way through a crowded penalty box to nestle in the back of the net, I found myself sure that we would go on to win the game. Even as the match drew towards the 90th minute, I was relaxed and confident that Hibs would see it out, and see it out they did. </div>
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It was a massive three points, and it means that Hibs now have a much better chance of finishing in second place. Rangers have three games more still to play, and sit four points behind Hibs as things stand. Hibs' worst case scenario is that Rangers win all three games and go five points ahead in second. That would leave Hibs needing to win their final fixture against Rangers (having already taken nine points from a possible nine against the Glasgow side, Hibs will fancy their chances of adding to that haul), and also needing to pick up two more points than Rangers in the run-in to the season's close (Hibs' superior goal difference would see them finish ahead of Rangers if the points totals ended level). </div>
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On current form, Hibs would likely overturn a five point deficit. In reality, Rangers are unlikely to take nine points from their three fixtures, as they have to face champions-elect Hearts, and play-off rivals Queen of the South amongst those games. Neither side have made life easy for Rangers this season. With this in mind, Hibs' win on Saturday practically leaves second place in their own hands. </div>
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To find themselves in this position at this stage of the season, after the terrible start to their league campaign, is testament to the work of Alan Stubbs and the backroom team at Hibs. The difference in the side is remarkable, players are much fitter than I can recall any Hibs side being (I would say we've looked fitter than any other side we have faced this season), there is a confidence and consistency in the side that grows by the game, and we have a squad and a system that can stand to see key players replaced with no discernible difference to the standard of the first eleven. That is a great position to be in, and has afforded Stubbs the opportunity to rest players that are going to be crucial for what is hopefully going to be a very busy end to the season.</div>
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Hibs have a wonderful opportunity this weekend to progress to the Scottish Cup Semi-Final, and fans like myself will be dreaming of having to fit in play-off finals and Cup Finals (fans are allowed to get ahead of themselves, none of this one-game-at-a-time clichéd nonsense!). If last Saturday's game was Hibs' biggest of the season, then this Sunday's cup game is even bigger, and the game after that bigger still. </div>
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Hibernian do not have the luxury of being able to allow complacency to creep in. Every game is a must-win from now on, and I'd like to think that this Hibs side, with all the good work going on in the background - will have the ability and the attitude to not let standards slip.</div>
Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-2032262338209639842015-02-24T04:04:00.001-08:002015-02-24T04:04:07.428-08:00Two sides to Hibs.Hibs have shown two very different sides to their play in their last two games. A hard-fought and gritty win at Ibrox was followed by an entirely dominant and comfortable win at home to Dumbarton, and these two games are perhaps a good taster of what to expect from Hibs as this season draws to a close and we start to look forward to next season over the next couple of months.<br />
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So let's start with the win against Rangers. For possibly the first time in my lifetime, Hibs headed west to Glasgow as favourites. The aggregate league score between the two sides ahead of the game sat at 7-1 in Hibs' favour, and few would argue that was anything other than indicative of how one sided the fixture had been in the first two meetings this season.<br />
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The game was a different affair to the previous two. Rangers started on the front foot and looked in the mood with an early Kenny Miller shot being headed off the line by Liam Fontaine, with Hibs keeper Mark Oxley well beaten. Alan Stubbs had changed from his favoured midfield diamond in a 4-4-2 formation, to go with three centre-halves in a 3-5-2 set-up.<br />
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The change in formation meant that Hibs gave up a lot of possession, which has been the backbone of Hibs' play throughout the season, and for the first time since Stubbs took over, Hibs spent more time on the back foot than on the front.<br />
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As a supporter, it was frustrating to watch - recent (and no so recent!) experience of watching Hibs has taught me that when Hibs look like conceding, they probably will concede. However, we took the lead thanks to a sublime piece of vision and guile from Scott Allan, as he spotted Jason Cumming's run and picked him out with a fantastic pass that eluded the Rangers defence. Cummings effort was blocked by the stand-in Rangers goalkeeper, and Scott Robertson was first to the ball to put Hibs in front. Robertson had been far from the favourite to be first to the loose ball, and the goal was as much about his attitude and desire to get to the ball first as it was about the quality of the pass.<br />
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That goal encapsulated the change in Hibs since Stubbs and his backroom staff joined the club. A steeliness married with quality that was sadly lacking last season under Pat Fenlon and then Terry Butcher.<br />
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Once Hibs took the lead and had something to defend, they did a good job of keeping Rangers at arm's length, with the Glasgow side largely restricted to half-chances and long range efforts that were well dealt with by the Hibs defence.<br />
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Rangers had a fairly good shout for a penalty turned down, and the game was over a few moments later as Hibs broke forward with a passing move that culminated in a fine volley from Lewis Stevenson beating the Rangers keeper and nestling in the net.<br />
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Hibs saw the match out, and deserved the victory for their resilient defending and quality on the break, though it was a very different win to the 4-0 win at Easter Road in December. The victory saw Hibs leap-frog Rangers into second place, with Rangers having three games in hand.<br />
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Stubbs commented that he'd rather be in Rangers' position, chasing second but with the situation in their control. Hibs still have to rely on Rangers dropping points if they are to finish second, and more importantly, Hibs have to keep winning.<br />
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Rangers played on Friday night and deservedly beat Raith Rovers to move back into second before Hibs faced Dumbarton on Saturday. It was an interesting situation for Hibs to be in, having had opportunities earlier in the season to secure second place and not taken advantage, the visit of Dumbarton was going to be a test of their resolve and an indicator as to how much the team have progressed under Stubbs over the course of this season.<br />
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If there were any doubts, Hibs put them to bed with as competent a performance as I've seen from them in some time. On the front foot throughout the game, Hibs showed intelligence and creativity in their play. Despite missing Scott Allan, Jason Cummings, Liam Craig, and David Gray from the starting line-up, Hibs play was as fluent as you might have expected it to be had those players been present. Fraser Fyvie was particularly impressive in the midfield and was at the heart of most good things that Hibs did on Saturday.<br />
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Two goals from Malonga and one from Djedje gave Hibs a 3-0 win, and it could have been many more, a poor off-side decision halted Djedje when he was through on goal, two clear penalty appeals were waived away by the referee (who, it is fair to say, was appalling throughout the match), and a Paul Hanlon header was cleared from the line. According to the BBC stats, Hibs racked up some twenty-one shots at goal throughout the 90 minutes, that's a shot every four minutes or so, which gives some idea of how dominant Hibs were. <br />
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Dumbarton, for their part, were very poor. They seemed content to sit back and even when behind there was little from them to suggest that they could come back into the game at any point. Hibs were professional and proficient throughout, and at the moment look as though they have the quality throughout the squad to compete for second, and crucially now they look as though they have the temperament for it.<br />
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For so long, Hibs have looked fragile, have been seen as an easy target or a possible scalp for other clubs. Right now, I'd think that there are very few clubs in Scottish football that would be relishing facing Hibs in a make or break tie.<br />
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In fact, in the last 10 league games since losing to Falkirk in December, Hibs have scored 26 goals and conceded 6, taking 24 points from a possible 30. To put that into context, league leaders Hearts have the same points from their last 10 games, but have conceded 4 more goals, and scored 5 fewer than Hibs. It's worth pointing out that in those ten games, Hibs faced Rangers twice as well, while Hearts abandoned match against Rangers isn't included in their run. There is also one derby, that ended in a 1-1 draw.<br />
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Some other stats from those 10 games, Hibs have totalled 139 shots (just shy of a 14 per game average), and averaged 56% of the possession.<br />
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Hibs have every reason to be confident at the moment. There's an away game to Alloa coming up, then Hibs have an excellent opportunity to get to the Scottish Cup Semi-Final with a home tie against Berwick Rangers following the Alloa match, and on current form it's hard to see past Hibs in that tie. There is a resilience and confidence about this Hibs side that Stubbs is moulding, standards have been set and bars raised, and crucially the quality of the squad means that if someone's not at their best, they can be replaced without dropping the standards of the eleven on the pitch.<br />
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The change in some of the players that survived the pre-season cull at the club has been remarkable. Scott Robertson, for example, came in for criticism last season, and when he conceded a penalty before getting sent off in the derby at the start of the season, it looked as though the writing may have been on the wall for him at Hibs. However, he's relishing the role he's playing and the freedom he's been given, and he has been at the backbone of a strong Hibs midfield. Liam Craig, too, is slowly but surely showing why Pat Fenlon brought him to the club initially.<br />
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A comment from Robertson in an interview I read caught my eye, I can't remember the exact quote but to paraphrase he said it was good to be instructed to get on the ball rather than being told to chase the ball and win 'second balls'. It goes to show how much damage a bad manager can do to a good player by using tactics that don't play to the team's strengths.<br />
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This new-found strength in depth is going to be crucial if Hibs do manage to progress in the cup, as the play-off place looks increasingly likely, Hibs could find themselves with a lot of games to play between now and the summer. From a purely selfish point of view, I hope we do, because this current side is as entertaining a Hibs side as I've seen since Mowbray's team, and the more I get to see of them, the better.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-70057371589173389122015-02-11T11:30:00.000-08:002015-02-11T11:31:27.940-08:00Two steps forward, one step back.Since my last blog, Hibs have successfully launched the share issue that will - over time - see 51% of the club owned by the support, thrown away points at home to Raith from a winning position, and progressed to the Quarter Finals of the Scottish Cup (more on that later.)<br />
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Hibs have had a habit of taking two steps forward and one step back this season, it's frustrating from a supporter's point of view because for the vast majority of the time, Hibs have looked well above the level of opposition they have faced this season, with the notable exception of Hearts, where there has been just one goal between the teams over the three meetings between them, that goal in the opening derby of the season going in Hearts' favour.<br />
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We have shone against Rangers, dominated games against Falkirk and Queen of the South without taking the points (exceptions being Falkirk away, where Falkirk were the better team and deserved their victory, and Queen of the South away early in the season where an abject Hibs lost on the artificial pitch, and could have no complaints about the result.).<br />
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However we remain behind struggling Rangers, who despite having lurched from one crisis to another this season, have managed to keep results going, and the gap between Hibs and Hearts shows no sign of diminishing any time soon.<br />
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An away win to Queen of the South gave Hibs the opportunity to put pressure on Rangers, who's postponed and abandoned games have given them a fixture backlog later in the season. Hibs went into their next game against Raith hoping to increase that pressure further by moving into second spot while Rangers waited for their games in hand, however an almost inevitable late Christian Nade goal saw Hibs snatch a draw from the jaws of victory. It would be easy to criticise Hibs for the performance in the Raith game, however to do so would only serve to illustrate just how fickle football fans can be. Make no mistake, Hibs battered Raith during that game, registering over 20 shots on goal over the course of the 90 minutes. Goal line clearances, the cross-bar, the post, disallowed goals, and sitters missed all contributed to Raith staying in the game right to the death, where a late corner gave them the opportunity to show Hibs how important it is to take your chances when you get them.<br />
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It is a lesson Hibs really need to learn, and soon. Too many games this season have seen a wasteful Hibs pinned back and punished during one of their opponents' rare forays forward. Hibs haven't had masses of defending to do this season, and when they have, they stats show that they have been far from convincing.<br />
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Of course, it has clicked at points for Hibs, and you only need to look at the scoring records of Jason Cummings and Dominique Malonga this season to see that there are goalscorers at the club. The additions of Martin Boyle and Franck De Djedje, and the nearing return to fitness of Farid El Alagui gives Hibs enviable attacking options, so the failure to put teams away must be more frustrating for Alan Stubbs than it is concerning.<br />
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The habit of hammering teams but not winning is a habit that Hibs can ill-afford with time and matches running out for this season. Hibs have had a mere one defeat in their last twenty-one games, a fantastic record, but the number of draws in that run are the side's Achilles' heel. Hibs' final standing this season and ultimately where we play our football next season will largely rest upon the team's ability to consistently turn pressure and chances into goals and wins between now and the end of the season.<br />
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Ironically, one of the sides Hibs have managed to convert their chances against is Rangers, the side immediately above Hibs in the league. Hibs head to Ibrox on Friday evening with a 7-1 aggregate score in their favour from the last two league meetings, a goal difference which is testament to the gulf in quality between the teams in their head to heads.<br />
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Rangers are, it would be fair to say, in a terrible state. Board Room battles, financial woes, a caretaker manager who has tendered his notice to resign, and an influx of seemingly unwanted player loans from villain-of-the-piece Mike Ashley's Newcastle United were the backdrop to Rangers crashing out of the Scottish Cup in an insipid 1-2 defeat to Raith Rovers at the weekend - ironically, it was Christian Nade's late goal that inflicted the fatal blow to Rangers' cup dream this season, though if truth be told their own performance did far more damage to their chances than Nade's close range finish did.<br />
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Hibs should be looking on this game as a 'must win'. Rangers will undoubtedly be up for the game, but so too will Hibernian. A cursory glance on a Rangers forum during the week highlights the nervousness surrounding the Rangers fans regarding this fixture, they lack the confidence that they have the either the players or the management to navigate the game successfully.<br />
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I hope that Hibs travel to Ibrox full of confidence and not complacency. A Hibs side playing at its peak will again prove too much for Rangers to cope with. A Hibs side off its game, however, will provide Rangers with the ideal opportunity to re-ignite their season and deliver a hammer-blow to Hibs' hopes of finishing second.<br />
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Looking back at the weekend's game, Hibs saw of Arbroath comfortably enough, coming back from a goal behind to win the tie 3-1. It was no more than Hibs deserved. The match was captain-for-the-day Lewis Stevenson's 250th appearance in the green and white, and on a personal level I was delighted for Lewis that he's hit that landmark, and I sincerely hope he goes on to rack up many, many more appearances for Hibs.<br />
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In an (and at an) age where it's rare to have a favourite player, Stevenson is a rarity as he is exactly that. For many this season, Scott Allan, David Gray, Dominique Malonga, and latterly, Dylan McGeouch have found favour with the Hibs support, but for me there is no single player more valuable to Hibernian at the moment than Lewis Stevenson. For many players, technical deficiencies can be masked by hard work and endeavour, and they earn their reputations and living as grafters. For me, Lewis is one of the few players whose hard work and tenacity probably stop him getting the credit for the technical side of his game that he deserves. Without wanting to sound over the top, Stevenson embodies all that is good about football, a quiet and unassuming guy that doesn't hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, that puts everything he has into every game of football he plays. Footballers are often cited as role-models but rarely live up to expectations, Lewis Stevenson is the exception.<br />
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The landmark 250th appearance aside, Saturday's game was more importantly (sorry Lewis) about progressing in the Scottish Cup. I don't need to write about Hibs' record in the competition, a record which by now has become far more important to Hearts fans and sneering journalists than it has to Hibs fans well used to not winning the competition next year. It would be fair to say that most Hibs fans approach the competition with an air of inevitability rather than excitement, we all know the script by now.<br />
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However, this season has seen some big-hitters (and also Hearts) leave the competition early. Hibs have been drawn at home in the Quarter Finals, where we will play the winners of Berwick Rangers and Spartans. Neither team is expected to beat Hibs when the Quarter Final comes round, and both were widely regarded as the easiest fixture. This is the Scottish Cup, though, and Hibs cannot afford to be dismissive of their opposition. The history of cup competitions is littered with giant killers and favourites that ended up with egg on their faces.<br />
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I believe that in Alan Stubbs, Hibs have a manager that will not allow that attitude to infect his team, and it's for that reason more than any other that I (as a supporter) can afford myself a whimsical daydream towards the Semi-Final and the Final itself. With Dundee United at home to Celtic in one of the other Quarter Finals, one of the favourites for the Cup will definitely exit, giving everyone else a great chance of success.<br />
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At some point, Hibs will win the Scottish Cup. There is no such thing as a hoodoo or a curse, and more than there are zombies or vampires or werewolves. Hibs do not have to beat a hoodoo, we just need to win a few football matches. How hard can it be!?<br />
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It's shaping up to be a crucial few months in Hibernian's history - the share issue, the push for promotion, and the Scottish Cup. These next few months could break our hearts or have a seismic positive impact on the club that could change it for the better for the next generation at least.Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-40164140728025356142015-01-26T05:16:00.001-08:002015-01-26T05:17:33.661-08:00Hands Off HibsIt has been a busy week for Hibernian, with a lot of press noise from <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/hands-on-hibs-reject-club-s-new-share-scheme-1-3666797" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hands on Hibs</a> , <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/in-full-david-lows-statement-on-the-future-of-hibs.1421960687" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">One-time Hibs suitor, David Low</a>, <a href="http://www.hibs.net/showthread.php?297464-Hands-On-Hibs-No-Substance-Unhelpful-Voice&p=4279835&viewfull=1#post4279835" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hibs Supporter's Association Chairman, Mike Reilly</a>, <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl-lower-divisions/buyhibs-hits-out-at-easter-road-fan-ownership-plans-1-3667697" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">and BuyHibs,</a> raising objections to the share issue put forward by Hibs, being met <a href="http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/news/5136" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">head on by Hibs Chief Exec, Leeann Dempster</a> and with Hibs publishing details of <a href="http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/news/5132" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">their interest-free mortgage arrangement.</a><br />
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It has been a case of claim, and counter-claim. Most of it - in my opinion - fairly ill-informed, ill-judged, and more than a little irresponsible. Hibs have come through some very tough times over the last few years. It hasn't been a fun time to be a Hibernian soldier for a long time now. Poor football, poor results, and a support disenfranchised with the football club, and more specifically, Chairman Rod Petrie. who, to many, embodies the failure that led to the club suffering the embarrassment of dropping into Scottish Football's second tier. It has been a widely-held view that Mr Petrie's time at the club has long since run out, and I agree with that. Change is needed.<br />
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However, change has happened. Dempster's arrival, Butcher's departure, the overhaul of the football set-up at the club have all started in the short time since Leeann Dempster got her feet under the desk at Easter Road. These changes are starting to show results on the pitch, Hibs having picked up more points than Rangers and Hearts over their respective last six games, and at the time of writing Hibernian are Edinburgh's only unbeaten side in 2015, following Falkirk's impressive win at Tynecastle on Saturday.<br />
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Things have been looking up at Easter Road for some time now. The football is no longer turgid, the kick-the-ball-the-way-you're-facing style that Terry Butcher had the team playing has been replaced with an attacking, passing game with Stubbs' style clear to see coming to life on the pitch. Results, too, have picked up, with Hibs putting impressive runs together over the last few months.<br />
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I am of the opinion that we will shortly hear of Rod Petrie's plans to leave the football club, and I hope when that happens that the support can move on together.<br />
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As things stand, there is a split forming in the support. A very vocal minority are threatening to damage what is a very positive step for the club towards supporter ownership. Hands on Hibs have made all manner of allegations, and being given plenty air-time in the press to get their views over. Their objection appears to be that they don't think Sir Tom Farmer or Rod Petrie should benefit from the share issue. I wholeheartedly agree with that, so when I read that the re-arranged debt would be repaid interest-free, and that every penny raised from the share issue would go to the football club for 'sporting ambition', and that no share money would go to existing shareholders, I found it very hard to pick holes in the proposal.<br />
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In fact, <a href="http://www.hibs.net/showthread.php?297606-Concerns-about-HoH-and-BuyHibs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I posted this response to Hands On Hibs and BuyHibs</a> last week, and have yet to see a constructive response to counter the points raised. Hands On Hibs are pushing a very aggressive and in some instances, a mildly threatening manner. They have made a number of claims and have produced very little to back those claims up (Hibs planning on separating the stadium and training ground from the football club, being one of those claims).<br />
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I know that the people behind Hands On Hibs are hardcore Hibs fans, people who go home and away, and like the rest of us they want what's best for the club. I can understand that, and I can understand that they don't like the current regime. However, I can't understand their tactics and their position on the share issue. Perhaps if they came out with whatever evidence they have to give credibility to their allegations then people would take notice, as it is, they come over like noisy kids, with fewer and fewer people taking them seriously as time goes by. Especially with Hibs having a real change in tact with how they respond to the noise. In days gone by, the claims would have gone unanswered, but Hibs have hit back all guns blazing, and that's refreshing to see. Changed days indeed.<br />
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Meanwhile, Hibs capped a good week with a fine win in Dumfries, seeing off Queen of the South 0-2 with second half goals from Dylan McGeouch (or MaGoosh if you're commentating on Sky Sports!) and Scott Robertson. Hibs had struggled against the Doonhammers this season, and so to get a win against a team who are rivals for a play-off spot was especially rewarding and illustrates the improvements Hibs have made over the last few months. With the Cowdenbeath v Rangers game being postponed, and Hearts finally losing a league game, it was important that Hibs capitalised and gained/made up ground on the teams around them. Well done to Falkirk as well, for finally ending Hearts' fantastic run.<br />
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Finally, I was saddened to hear of former Hibs chairman Douglas Cromb's passing last week. My thoughts go to all at Hibernian, and to Mr Crombs' family.<br />
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<br />Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363408840372380321.post-23301018933113242832015-01-20T15:00:00.001-08:002015-01-20T15:01:44.419-08:00High Five for the HibeesIt would be fair to say that there are only a few times that I've watched Hibs put five goals past anyone, and so I feel like I have a bit of a brass neck for not being completely satisfied after Hibs' 5-0 win over Cowdenbeath on Saturday.<br />
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Hibs started the game well, and created a number of chances before Paul Hanlon flicked the ball into the top corner of the Blue Brazil's net after just nine minutes. I'd said to my son, Joshua, a few moments earlier that Hibs looked in the mood, and that if the players kept up the momentum we could be in for a huge score (I jokingly predicted a goal every ten minutes), so when Hanlon's tidy finish put Hibs one up both Josh and I lifted our expectations and looked forward to more goals.<br />
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Hibs passed up more opportunities before Jason Cummings finished a fine move involving McGeouch and Allan, poking the ball home from Allan's low cross with the game in the 25th minute. So far, so good.<br />
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The game then fell into something of a lull, it was evident that Cowdenbeath were largely impotent, and they had no real designs on attacking Hibs, and on the odd occasion when they did break forward, Hanlon and Fontaine proved effective barriers - so much so that Cowdenbeath failed to muster a solitary shot on target in the whole match.<br />
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Hibs were able to treat the match almost as a training game. It was as though it was too easy for the players, as ridiculous as that may sound. I have heard interviewed managers speaking to the press about 'game management' (Aberdeen's Derek McInnes and Alan Stubbs have used the phrase -or similar - in recent radio interviews following matches.) and I'm not sure if Hibs, having thrown away a 3-1 lead the weekend before against Falkirk, just decided to 'manage the game' and not give Cowdenbeath any encouragement, or if the players just realised that they weren't going to have to break sweat to win the game, but for the latter part of the first half and the first half hour of the second, the game was notable only for it's lack of incident. Hibs' play lacked the zip and zest that they'd shown against Rangers and Hearts in previous matches. Passes were considered rather than instinctive, runs were controlled rather than lung-bursting, and tackles were few and far between.<br />
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It was strange, admittedly, to see Hibs so utterly dominant in the game. I can't remember too many matches where I've seen players able to stroll through a game in the manner that they did, and I suppose that a huge amount of credit must be given to Alan Stubbs and his coaching team that they have taken the side that was such a shambles last season and turned them into a team that could probably have lost a couple of players and still strolled the match, albeit against a lower standard of opponent than they faced last season.<br />
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Stubbs' side also deserve credit for apparently learning the lessons from dropping points against Falkirk. And so I feel like I'm being really harsh on the side for complaining about being bored while we were 2-0 up (and I did complain, as did Josh, at the game). However, I have to be honest - I <i>was </i>bored, there's no escaping that fact. Does that make me a bad person? Was I being unrealistic in my expectations for the game (a goal every ten minutes is definitely unrealistic but I was joking with that prediction!) and am I being hugely unfair for voicing that opinion?<br />
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I think Stubbs could also see that the players were cruising, and he took the opportunity to rest Scott Allan - a good decision, as the lack of challenge appeared to have a detrimental effect on Allan's game, with many passes missing their mark and the influence Allan was having on the match being overshadowed by that of the more industrious trio of McGeouch, Robertson, and Craig.<br />
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Allan was replaced by Jordon Forster, the young defender making his return after a fairly lengthy absence from injury and an operation. The swap of a defender for a midfielder allowed Stubbs to change the shape and formation of the team, moving to a 3-5-2 with Lewis Stevenson and Callum Booth adopting wing-back positions for the latter stages of the match.<br />
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Scott Robertson lifted the game with a fine solo goal, a nudge in the back giving him the momentum to burst past the the Cowdenbeath defence and slip a fine shot across the keeper and into the net with a finish reminiscent of his goal against Rangers.<br />
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The change in formation brought about a fine end to the game, as did the introduction of Sam Stanton and Danny Handling, who combined to set up Hibs' fourth goal as Stanton played an inspired pass across the box to find Booth charging in at the back post to side-foot the ball home.<br />
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The biggest cheer of the afternoon belonged to Lewis Stevenson, his long range effort rounding off the scoring with virtually the last kick of the ball.<br />
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The scoreline finally reflected Hibs' dominance in the match, and it was no more than Hibs deserved overall. I do firmly believe that if Hibs had played at the speed and intensity that they can do when they're at the top of their game, that they could have run up a huge scoreline, and this is maybe why, despite the impressive and deserved winning margin, I left the game ever-so-slightly disappointed.<br />
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Still, I'd take a disappointing 5-0 win any day of the week!<br />
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Couple of points to finish off on, firstly I need to make a correction to my last blog (as pointed out by Falkirk's Assistant Manager, James McDonaugh) - I credited Jason Cummings with a hat-trick against Falkirk, Jason only scored twice, Hibs second goal coming courtesy of a Falkirk defender rather than the King of Zing.<br />
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Secondly, Hibs launched their share issue plans recently, with Sir Tom Farmer making arrangements to half the debt, and offering up £2.5m worth of shares to give the supporters the opportunity to own 51% of the football club, either through buying shares directly, or by going through the newly formed Hibernian Supporters Limited. The £2.5m will not go into the pockets of the existing shareholders but will instead go to fund 'sporting ambition'. So it has been disappointing to read that Hands on Hibs - a supporter's group who have already been very vocal and very wrong with some spurious claims - labelling the initiative as a 'shake-down' and claiming it's designed to line the pockets of Sir Tom Farmer and Rod Petrie.<br />
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Looking at it at a base level, Hibs have a debt that needs to be repaid, this is not a shake-down, it's basic economics. Hibs will have plans to repay that debt regardless of what money is taken in, be that from season ticket sales, sponsorship, prize money, maybe even a cup run.<br />
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However Hibs generate the income, a fixed amount will be required to repay debt. The potential £2.5m income from the share issue means that there will be more money left over after that debt is repaid in order for Alan Stubbs to strengthen his side.<br />
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That seems fairly straightforward to me, maybe I'm naive but I can't see what Sir Tom Farmer stands to gain from an arrangement where he has arranged half the debt to be wiped out, and his own shareholding massively diluted without him receiving a penny from the shares.<br />
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I think it's a disgrace and distasteful that Hands on Hibs have seen fit to make those accusations against the very person that stepped up to save Hibs in our darkest hour in the early 90's, and I only hope that the vast majority of Hibs fans are sensible enough to see the ridiculous claims for what they are.<br />
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<br />Matty Fairniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18211192166949664146noreply@blogger.com0