The Business End of the Season

I 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Rangers dominated possession but could not overcome the tactical nous of St Johnstone, who exposed weaknesses in Rangers' play time and time again.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.).

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.

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.

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.

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...

Changing Times - Interview with Leeann Dempster

Leeann 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.

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. 

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. 

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.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Everything is geared towards making Hibernian great again.

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?

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. 

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.

It was a really, really attractive proposition for me from a professional perspective because I could see the opportunity. 

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 thought there was a massive opportunity to change that up, and to be honest it was quite an easy fix.

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.

The raw emotion reassured me in a way because it showed me that the supporters wanted the club to be successful.

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 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.

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.It's been well talked about this idea of technical coaches supported properly. 

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. 

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.

When you talk about potential, what do you see that potential being?

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. 

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.

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. 

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 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.

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.

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. 

How will you know when that community aspiration is achieved, what will it look like?

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. 

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.

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.

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 don't want to diminish the football elite side of things, but this is a building block for us.

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. 

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. 

The roots of the football club are in community, does that influence your thinking?

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.

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.

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.

What aspects of the changes you have made so far have you taken most satisfaction from?

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.
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. 

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.

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?

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 think with the campaign around season tickets, you've noticed a visible change in how we communicate with supporters.

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. 

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'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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

The more we show people we have depth as a club, we'll bring people back.

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 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.

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.

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.

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?

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 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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

How difficult have you found it getting that message out in the way it's intended, without sounding like a lecture?

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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 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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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?

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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?

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. 

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. 

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 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 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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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'd like to thank Leeann Dempster and Colin Millar for helping make these interviews happen. 

So 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Two 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.)

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.

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.).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!?

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.

Hands Off Hibs

It has been a busy week for Hibernian, with a lot of press noise from Hands on Hibs , One-time Hibs suitor, David Low, Hibs Supporter's Association Chairman, Mike Reilly, and BuyHibs, raising objections to the share issue put forward by Hibs, being met head on by Hibs Chief Exec, Leeann Dempster and with Hibs publishing details of their interest-free mortgage arrangement.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In fact, I posted this response to Hands On Hibs and BuyHibs 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).

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.

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.

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.

Laying Down a Marker (or four...)

Hibs opened the season with a narrow defeat at Ibrox, losing 2-1 after extra-time to Rangers in the Petrofac Training Cup, having seen Danny Handling red carded for a relatively innocuous challenge in the second half.

The performance, though, was reason for the Hibs support to be optimistic about the season facing them. Hibs played attractive football, with players working hard for each other and competing with the early-season title-favourites on their own patch. Things were looking good for Hibs after the shambolic end to the previous season.

That proved to be something of a false dawn, however. Hibs stumbled through the first quarter of the season, struggling to adjust to the challenges of Championship sides intent on 'parking the bus' in matches. There were still signs that things would come good, but it was very much a case of two steps forward, one step back in the first round of fixtures. Meanwhile, Hearts and Rangers picked up points week on week, so much so that Hibs went into the post-Christmas fixture against Rangers seven points behind the Ibrox side, and a huge nineteen points behind their Edinburgh rivals. 

The second quarter of the season has been much more promising for Hibs, with their only points being dropped in draws against leaders Hearts, play-off hopefuls Queen of the South, and a defeat away to Falkirk (who were on an impressive run of victories themselves.). 

Hibs' pattern of play has been more evident in each game as the season progressed, helped in no small part by the improvement of Scott Allan has his fitness has improved, as well as a return to form for the much maligned Liam Craig and Scott Robertson, the three playing key roles in a midfield that has dominated the majority of matches they've played in over the last few games. 

So that takes us to Saturday's match against Rangers. It's fair to say that Rangers arrived at Easter Road in some amount of turmoil. Mike Ashley's bid to increase his control of the club had been rejected earlier in the week, and the bizarre situation regarding Ally McCoist's resignation had been resolved by the Ibrox board putting McCoist on gardening leave through to the end of his £750k-a-year contract. Kenny McDowell was promoted into McCoist's role, and he named an unchanged side from the one that McCoist sent out to record a 2-0 win over troubled Livingston the week before. 

However, turmoil or not, Rangers arrived able to field a team assembled on a budget several times higher than that of Hibs, and on paper at least, able to compete comfortably with any other Championship side.

Hibs, for their part, were also able to put out the same side that had comfortably seen off Alloa in their last match. 

What followed was one of the most complete performances I can recall seeing from a Hibs side. From start to finish the Hibs side out-thought, out-fought, and out-played a Rangers side who appeared unable to comprehend what was happening to them. 

The impeccable Scott Allan set the tone early in the match, brushing Ian Black aside as Black challenged for the ball, leaving the Rangers man on his backside as Allan strode forward confidently. It wasn't the last time that sight would be seen over the course of the match. The frustration became so great for Black that his own management team felt it necessary to replace Black after half an hour or so, Black having picked up a yellow card for a cynical foul on Allan as the Hibs midfielder breezed past him yet again. It was a challenge that many would argue was worse than that which saw a red-card flashed at Danny Handling in the Petrofac Training Cup match at the start of the season. 

Black had been lucky that the referee had shown a high degree of leniency towards him following a couple of earlier fouls he had committed, that luck leaving the Rangers bench with the luxury of replacing him, rather than seeing him sent off. Black's exit was met with great delight from all four stands, the Rangers fans seemingly just as happy to be shot of him as the Hibs fans were to see that the occasion (and Scott Allan) had been too much for the former-Hearts man.

David Gray put Hibs in front, a good move finished with a sensational shot into the top corner of the goal from the edge of the box. From the back of the West Stand, I had a fantastic view of the shot flying in, it was the sort of shot that you knew was a goal from the moment it left Gray's boot. 

Hibs grew in confidence and had Rangers chasing shadows, unable to cope with the passing, movement, and work-rate of their opponents. Hibs had dominated teams like this already this season, but they could hardly have expected to be quite so comfortable against a team seven points ahead of them in the league.

That comfort increased when Jason Cummings bundled the ball over the line for Hibs' second goal. When I say he bundled it over the line, it perhaps gives the impression that the goal was fairly unimpressive, however that couldn't be further from the truth. The goal stemmed from some sublime play from Hibs down the right hand side, with Gray, Malonga, and Allan linking well before the latter picked out Liam Craig's deep run with an inch-perfect cross. Craig knocked the ball back over the head of Simonsen in the Rangers goal, leaving Cummings with the simplest of tap-ins to complete a fantastic move. 

Hibs saw out the first half in complete control, intent on keeping Rangers at arm's length. Hibs were completely dominant by this stage, and the frustration was starting to show in the body language of the Rangers players, and with some supporters who were already heading for the exits. 

Rangers brought on all-time SPL top-scorer Kris Boyd for the second half as they sought to get back into the game. Rangers clearly felt that the way back was to try and rattle Hibs, literally. Boyd's first involvement was to commit three consecutive fouls. I don't know if my memory's playing tricks on me, but I'm sure in the opening minutes of the second half, Boyd had more touches of Hibs players than he had of the ball, it certainly seemed that way!.

Rangers snapped into tackles and challenges, with the referee happy to turn a blind eye to many of the more robust encounters. Hibs, for their part, kept their cool - remonstrating at times with the referee but focussing on not getting caught up in anything that might see them booked or sent off. 

As the clock ticked down, Rangers' optimism dwindled - taking their enthusiasm and effort with it. Whether they sensed that they couldn't get back into the game or just gave up chasing spaces, they were soon punished with another Hibs goal right out of the top drawer. 

Scott Robertson won the ball at the half-way line and fed Scott Allan. Allan strode forward at the Rangers defence, before slipping a perfect pass to Robertson, who had continued his run into the box. So good was the pass from Allan, that it left the Rangers defender Foster on his backside and Robertson with only Simonsen to beat. Robertson duly obliged with a cool shot across goal to give Hibs a three goal lead, and kill off any hopes Rangers had of getting something from the game.

As much as Hibs were dominating, it was impressive to see that they stayed completely professional and focused on doing their jobs, and this couldn't have been demonstrated better than when Liam Fontaine thwarted a rare Rangers attack with a goal-line clearance before throwing himself at the loose ball to ensure Hibs kept a clean sheet. 

Danny Handling had a chance to get a fourth goal, however he placed his shot inches wide with the goal at his mercy. Liam Craig, however, wasn't so wasteful when presented with another perfect pass from Scott Allan, Craig met the ball with his weaker right foot, and directed a low volley into the bottom corner to send three sides of Easter Road into ecstasy. 

It was no more than Hibs deserved, the score-line reflecting an utterly dominant performance from Allan Stubbs' side. 

From front to back, Hibs were terrific. I struggle to recall a match where Hibs have been so comfortable, so dominant, and so ruthless against a side who we should really have no right to compete with, given the respective budgets. The CIS cup final where we beat Kilmarnock 5-1 was comparable, and I'd say that as good as this match was, we weren't quite as dominant as we were the night we put six past Hearts at Easter Road, however you'd struggle to point out where Hibs could improve on Saturday's performance. 

The Sky Sports pundits (and their BBC radio colleagues) were purring over Scott Allan's contribution in their analysis after the game, and as much as Allan deserves the praise (I've gone on record already to say that he's by far and away the best player in the Championship), I felt they could just as easily singled out Liam Craig, Scott Robertson, David Gray, Paul Hanlon, Liam Fontain, Lewis Stevenson, Dominque Malonga , Mark Oxley, or Jason Cummings. 

There wasn't a bad performance in that Hibs side, and that showing will definitely have given Hearts Head Coach Robbie Nielson food for thought ahead of this weekend's derby. The Tynecastle outfit will definitely go into the game as strong favourites, however Hibs have put down a marker to say that they're not here to make up the numbers. Hearts got out of jail in the last derby and will be approaching this weekend's derby with more caution than any other fixture so far this season. 

I'm not one for making bold derby predictions, it will be a tight affair and at the risk of using an age-old cliché, it really could go either way. Hibs though, have nothing to fear. It is hard to think about how any side at our level could cope with what Rangers faced on Saturday.  

Do I really want to own Hibs?

Ok, so the post title is perhaps a little misleading, but it does lead me nicely into this blog, where I'll be taking a look at the BuyHibs group's proposal to, well, buy Hibs.

At the start of last week, BuyHibs emerged as a potential vehicle for Hibernian fans to crowd-fund the purchase of Hibernian Football Club from Sir Tom Farmer and take it into the hands of the support.

Fronted by (Sir) Pat Stanton (by some distance the greatest living Hibernian), along with former player Paul Kane, the group of business-folks put forward a proposal that would see Hibs fans contribute voluntary monthly payments to pay for the club and ultimately increase the spend afforded to the manager for players.

Previously, Paul Kane had fronted Forever Hibernian, whose mandate was to remove Rod Petrie from his position at the club, the general consensus amongst the vast majority of the support being that Mr Petrie's time is well and truly up. 'Kano' got as far as a meeting with the board and had his request for Petrie's exit knocked back, and my feeling is he was told to come back with a better offer. That better offer, it seems, is BuyHibs.

Positioning themselves as the credible alternative to the certain doom that would undoubtedly hit the club if Petrie remains anywhere near the vicinity of Easter Road, BuyHibs have certainly got the Hibs fans talking, however from what I can make out, very few people are taking them as seriously as they'd like. I would like to take them seriously, however I think their launch has had some fundamental flaws.

For a start, I have reservations about the timing of the launch. At a time when the football club is absolutely crying out for stability and unity, the BuyHibs campaign really couldn't have landed at a less opportune moment. In fact, a supporter survey that was conducted prior to the launch indicated that fan ownership was some way down the list of priorities for the Hibs fans - well behind getting a winning team on the pitch.

On the subject of the survey, BuyHibs have scored an own goal. There were in fact two surveys put out for completion, one sanctioned by Hibs themselves to see the appetite for fan ownership and different ownership models, and one that was positioned as an independent survey. However, it transpires the independent survey wasn't that independent at all, but rather was released by a BuyHibs member.

This apparent lack of transparency does nothing to build trust in BuyHibs, and when I reflect on the wording on the questions it seems clear to me that the questions were loaded to get the responses that BuyHibs wanted. Rather than having a neutral and inquisitive survey to gauge opinion and appetite for fan ownership, it was simply designed to get responses that supported the view that people wanted fan ownership. Even then, the responses weren't exactly overwhelmingly in support of that model.

The next issue I have is that there appears to be a sense that Sir Tom Farmer should simply hand the club over, either for nothing or for next to nothing. There has been talk of debt forgiveness or arrangements to be made with the banks to clear or substantially reduce the debt. At the same time, there is mention in BuyHibs' mandate that they will cap dividends at 10%, so my take on that is they think Sir Tom Farmer should take the hit, while the new guys get their money back. It doesn't sit right with me.

A Q&A produced on www.hibs.net sought to clear up the dividend issue but only succeeded in clouding it further, this isn't about a return on investment but instead a vehicle to attract a lender as it would ensure some return on the loan at a rate in line with business lending rates. That was the explanation, at least. To me what they are referring to is interest repayments, not a dividend.

There is also a chronic lack of detail into what the club would look like after the handover. Where are the projections and plans? How many people need to pledge how much money to make this work? What's the back-up plan if the pledges dry up post-purchase when we've committed to spending them already - this would be the case if, as they plan, the pledges were to form part of the manager's budget. If the pledges dropped and Hibs have committed that money as salary to players, or transfer fees, what happens then?

I also believe that Hibs have an excellent Chief Exec at the club already, in Leeann Dempster. She has restructured the club and put in place foundations that will hopefully address many of the failings of Petrie's time in charge. Hibs look as if they have the right people in the right places at the moment, and BuyHibs are not clear on what would happen with those people and those places should their purchase be successful.

The Hibs board also extended an invitation to sit down with BuyHibs and talk over the proposal, an invitation that was publicly declined by BuyHibs, who are holding out for a sit-down with Sir Tom Farmer instead. From the outside looking in, it seems a bizarre decision to refuse to meet the current board, and I can't help but think it makes any purchase less likely, rather than more.

I'm also concerned that despite dressing it up as fan ownership, because of the practicalities involved in getting everyone who 'owns' the club to agree on decisions on how to run the club etc, to your average 'pledger' they would see very little in the way of a benefit or difference to the current set-up. In fact, it'd be really similar just a lot more expensive. My season ticket at Easter Road is already amongst the most expensive in Scotland, so do I really need to be shelling out half of that again with no real gain?

So far, so critical. There are however some positives about the proposal. For a start, I give credit to these guys for doing something. Fan ownership is not an unattractive proposition, and having seen the early success of a similar scheme at Hearts, there are signs that it could work.

Getting the club back into the hands of the community is another big plus in principle, however in practise is it necessary? I don't think it's really important so long as it is part of the community, and an integral part at that. Hibernian can play a prominent role in that respect regardless of the ownership model.

I can't imagine the uptake on the pledges would be high, at a guess I doubt they'll have reached a thousand yet. It is early days though, and I'd hope that BuyHibs revise their plans and come back with a better proposition as time goes by, perhaps keeping their powder dry until the fate of the team has been decided this season would be a better idea. Certainly, if we're stuck in the Championship for another season the clamour for change at Board and Owner level amongst the support will be huge, and people's appetite for supporter ownership might just be at the right level to generate some real movement towards the BuyHibs model.

I'll hold off for the time being. I am still very cynical and dubious about it at this stage, however I wouldn't dismiss the idea in principle and I genuinely hope a serious and credible alternative to the current set-up emerges from all of this.

You can read more about BuyHibs at their website : http://www.buyhibs.org/

Hibs Championship Season - The Comeback Is On...

I can remember Hibs being relegated once before, when Jim Duffy's spectacular helicopter arrival at the club as our new manager was followed by an equally spectacular failure in the role. Alex McLeish arrived too late to save the club, and we ended up in what was then the First Division.

At the time I worked for McDonald's, and regular Saturday working meant that I didn't attend Easter Road with anything like the frequency that I do now as a season ticket holder. On the day that our relegation was sealed in a match against Dundee United, I can remember walking from my Leith flat to work, and as I was passing the Loch Inn,  hearing the home crowd roar as Hibs scored. By the time my shift had started we had conceded twice and dropped out of the top flight.

It didn't hit me as hard as I thought it would, the fact that I missed a lot of games probably helped me distance myself from the shame and embarrassment of relegation.

Fast forward to the end of last season, and it's a very different story. In hindsight, relegation had been coming for a while, but I never thought it would actually happen until Hamilton equalised late in the second leg of the play-off, taking the game to extra time. The clock on the stadium scoreboard at Easter Road had stopped at some point, and was running well behind the actual game time, so I don't know exactly how long was left when we conceded.

Extra time saw both sides concentrate more on not losing than on pushing for a winner, and when the game went to penalties I knew that the Hibs team at that point didn't have the bottle for the shoot-out. That Hibs had never lost a domestic penalty shoot-out until then didn't come into things, in fact, having seen us break the record for our heaviest home defeat at the start of that season, it was hardly a surprise that our relegation would see another record broken in dismal fashion.

It's been a horrendous time supporting the club since then, Hearts got off to a flier and sit 14 points clear of us at the top of the table at the time of writing. Hibs have stuttered, threatening to do well and then faltering. A hugely impressive 1-3 win at Ibrox was followed by draws against Dumbarton and Cowdenbeath.

We have battered teams and not got the results we probably deserved on occasion as well, and what has been frustrating there is that in the context of last season's failure, the support have been in no mind to give concession to the team for a good performance when it's not accompanied by three points.

This frustration has manifested itself in regular outpourings of rage, with Leeann Dempster taking to www.hibs.net to make the point that the constant negativity was not helping anyone. Alan Stubbs also made reference to feeling frustrated that he's still hearing criticism aimed at him and his side for the failings that preceded his arrival.

Our last two games have been roundly appreciated by the support, and there definitely appears to be a sense that the tide is turning in our favour at long last. We dominated a very confident Hearts side in front of an away support that turned up in expectation rather than hope. Hearts had come for a party and were anticipating a handsome win (if you can ever use the word 'handsome' in the same sentence as Hearts...). In reality the visiting fans watched their side get outfought and outplayed for large spells of the match, Hibs' one goal lead scant reward for their dominance, and it proved costly as Hearts equalised at the death with what I'd love to describe as a hopeful toe-punt, but was actually a wonder-goal from their centre-half.

Hibs followed that impressive performance by upping their game again in the game against current SPFL leaders Dundee United in the League Cup. Hibs more than matched their opponents for more than the regulation 90 minutes, and for extra-time. Having lost their first domestic penalty shoot out a few months earlier, Hibs quickly got the second defeat out of the way - cruelly losing in sudden death thanks to two cracking saves from the United goalkeeper.

It is looking increasingly like Hibs have sorted themselves out, our last two games have been against the best sides we have faced this season, and we've given a very good account of ourselves, even if the results will show that they produced a single point and an exit from the cup respectively.

Stubbs' side is entertaining and hard working, with the craft and guile of Scott Allan and Dylan McGeough in midfield backed up by the endeavour of Scott Robertson alongside them. Young Jason Cummings is finding his feet along with the prolific (if somewhat lackadaisical ) Malonga, and the goals are starting to come.

I can see the potential is there for Hibs to go on an impressive run. They can't fail to have taken confidence from the last few games - in fact, one defeat in nine games is a very respectable run - and this should give them the belief that they can compete at the top. Hearts' lead looks insurmountable for Hibs at the moment, and with The Rangers also holding a comfortable lead on Hibs it seems unlikely that both of those sides will slip up sufficiently for Hibs to claim top spot.

What Hibs can do, though, is keep winning, put pressure on the teams above them, and see how they handle it. Stubbs made the point after the derby that nothing is won in October, and by that same token nothing is lost either. Hibs need to hang on to that small glimmer of hope and make sure that they look after their own results through to the end of the season.