Plastic is Fantastic!
As Straiton rumbles on, Richard decides to lay aside the strife for a moment to stand on a bit of plastic....

I attended yesterday evening’s fans forum in the hot and sweaty surroundings of a local bar. If we could create as much atmosphere and passion around the ground every single match day I am sure it would lift the team so much that we wouldn’t need to move to Straiton! It was a positive and constructive discussion, but as David Forsyth quipped at the end “The proof of the pudding will be in the eating”. I have put myself down for the “Listening Committee” with 20-strong meetings to be held with the Board, reporting back to the forum and for me, the information given at those meetings will make or break the consultation exercise. I am reluctant to say too much about the meeting as I understand that Grant is writing a column on the evening’s events, and I have no wish to steal his thunder. All I will say is that I found the evening interesting, particularly as the topic of debate drifted to other issues like ticketing and merchandising and there really ought to be a role for this kind of forum outside of the Straiton saga, as it could prove seriously beneficial to both the supporters and the club. Apparently there will be some negative comment in “The Scotsman” today, and I have to say if that is the case I do not feel that is justified reflection of events given yesterday’s proceedings. Thanks also to everyone who signed the hibs.net petition to the Scottish Parliament. The only people at the forum who didn’t sign it were on Club business!

A story that has gone rather unnoticed is the decision by Dunfermline to install an all-weather synthetic pitch, receiving a £130K grant from UEFA to do so. Livingston, Hearts and Hibs have reportedly expressed interest, with The Daily Record quoting Tynecastle supreme Robinson as saying “It’s the way forward”. Changed days from the 1980s when Luton Town and Queens Park Rangers installing plastic pitches lead to calls for them to be kicked out of the old English First Division! Given improvements in surface quality since then, it seems like a sensible move to investigate it as an option especially as Scotland’s weather doesn’t exactly lend itself to top quality playing surfaces, and it can’t be any worse than the glorified sandpit that was Dundee United’s pitch last season! My guess is that developments will be watched at Dunfermline with interest, and if there aren’t too many friction burn-related injuries, I am sure other clubs will follow.

Stephen Glass - a quality player (hibs.net)

I can also reveal that tickets for the Preston North End game will go on sale later today if all goes to plan, with the club receiving the tickets yesterday morning. Many people will have taken a gamble and  placed deposits for transport and accommodation already, and now face a rush to get a ticket. With only half the 6000 allocation for the friendly available to Hibs fans that could prove tricky, especially as the club have promised more new faces to supplement those of Dobbie and yesterday’s addition, Stephen Glass. Aged 27, Glass has European experience with Newcastle United and a few Scotland caps to boot. Having trained under Ray Wilkins and Gianluca Vialli at Watford he will bring quality and experience to the Hibs side, providing useful advice to the ever-growing number of promising Hibs youngsters. The singing of Stephen Glass is a reflection of the changed times John Campbell pointed to earlier on this week. Quite simply Hibs could not have afforded the wages a player of Glass’ quality two seasons ago, and it would seem that the pendulum has swung back in favour of the clubs as they try and cut costs, meaning that Hibs could manage to drastically improve the quality of their squad and reduce the wage bill. The signing of Glass is a positive development as well, because he was wanted by other clubs and had actually turned down reduced terms at Watford to move to Hibs, stating he believes Hibs to be capable of challenging for third place. Bobby Williamson understated things magnificently by remarking: “There is no doubt he is a quality player”.

Capable of playing anywhere on the left side of the park, from wing-back to winger, Glass gives us little idea of what formation Williamson intends to adopt next year. Given the fact that winger Andy MacLaren is on trial, it seems that a flat back four is a distinct possibility. Whatever formation is adopted, it’s clear that midfield and defence will be priority areas for strengthening, with Jarrko Wiss and Grant Brebner both being told they are surplus to requirements and transfer speculation surrounding Ian Murray simply refusing to die. The agent of former trialist and current Crystal Palace midfielder Thompson has been hinting that a deal has all but been done with his charge. Speculation concerning defenders has cooled somewhat, although the club is insistent that several more new faces will be brought in. In attack, the search for an experienced striker continues with the Scunthorpe Telegraph (a most reliable source of news concerning all things Hibernian) reporting that journeyman striker Paul Dalglish is most likely on his way to Scunthorpe United. Dalglish spent part of last season on loan at Scunthorpe, impressing after a slow start and scoring three goals. Scunthorpe’s interest will be heightened by the departure of their top-scorer last season to the bright lights of Macclesfield Town, one of the few obscure English clubs not to have been linked with John O’Neill recently.

Meanwhile back at Hibernian…

Dens Park reserve keeper Jamie Langfield is reportedly in talks with Hibs. Langfield is a young keeper with a decent reputation, who in the opinion of many is perhaps lacking a little in confidence. Frozen out by the emergence of Juan Speroni at Dundee, Langfield is looking for an opportunity to kick-start his career, something reminiscent of the situation Gary Smith found himself in a few years ago and could be a promising singing, although it is not clear if Dundee will agree to release him. There appears to be a growing sense of optimism, with ageing striker Tam McManus (22)and young Turk Scott Brown (18) both expressing optimism about the coming season. Brown in particular is looking forward to the pre-season friendlies as an opportunity to put himself in contention for starting the new season. “A couple of hat-tricks pre-season could well help my case…so I’ll be doing my best!”. With that attitude, I hope he starts against Preston as it would make the traditional pre-season kick about very interesting. The mood at Easter Road is in stark contrast to the sense of gloom that seemed to envelope the club at the beginning of last season and I for one, cannot wait till Preston, a fixture just nine days away!