by Stuart Crowther

Date: 3rd June 2002

O'Connor speculation needs to end one way or another! Season ticket sales unlikely to be boosted by talk of Easter Road sales! HIBERNIAN SEEM TO BE FACING A NO-WIN situation this summer, as the club struggle to reduce debt in the face of no television income next season.  A disappointing season has left fans flat with season ticket sales not reaching the dizzy heights of last summer, and the constant talk of imminent departure of stars such as Garry O'Connor and Ulises de la Cruz will not help reverse that trend. O'Connor is once again being linked with a move this morning.  Last week it was O'Connor's former boss Alex McLeish who was said to be ready to make a bid that Hibs could not refuse for the young Scotland international, who has four years of his contract remaining at Easter Road for all that means these days!  Today, Leeds United are being linked with an interest in the Hibs striker, with David O'Leary having had the player watched a couple of times towards the end of last season.  It is hardly surprising that such speculation is taking place and very little that Hibernian can do to stop it, other than wheeling out the same old denials that any approach has been made for any player.  Sadly for the Easter Road club, should any reasonable offer arrive it seems certain they will accept it, and that is just one reason why fans are more than a little reluctant to shell out for season tickets. Add to that the simple fact that Hibs seem unlikely to add to the squad, and therefore are generating little pre-season excitement or indeed giving any real reason to believe that things will be any different this season!  The impression that with the departure of Alex McLeish and then Franck Sauzee Hibs lost their ability to play attractive attacking football is one that prevails among the Easter Road faithful.  They are reading also the comments attributed to Ulises de la Cruz, and know that should the Ecuador star do well in his opening World Cup match today against Italy and the remainder of the tournament, the chances of his returning to the club come July are slim. Garry O'Connor on target again - but his goals have attracted some unwanted attention (sns) This can only be bad news for Hibernian, as the club board are only too well aware that they need the support of their fans now more than ever before.  Only through season ticket sales can the manager possibly have any sort of budget to play with as the new season approaches, and the club were quick to point out as they have always done that every penny through these sales and gate receipts are used directly on the playing squad.  "The financial position of the club, like every other club in Scotland, is well documented but anything that can increase cash coming in makes it easier for Bobby Williamson to plan for the coming season.  Our pledge that every penny which comes in through the gates will be spent on the players’ pool still stands," club spokesman David Forsyth said at the weekend. Hibs are determined to put a positive spin on season ticket sales, which reached 7,400 last year on the back of Hibs reaching the Scottish Cup final and the prospect of European football returning to Easter Road.  Hopes were high that in the current financial plight, fans would rally round and repeat the exercise but it has not quite worked out that way, so far at least.  Forsyth said: "Sales so far have held up pretty well in comparison.  They are not quite at the level of last summer but they are higher than the previous two years at this point."  While that appears not to be altogether bad news, it can't be regarded as good either as many fans are clearly holding their cash back until some of the uncertainty is gone.  That uncertainty includes the situation with Rangers and Celtic, although Forsyth insists, correctly, that the Old Firm will be playing in the SPL for at least another season no matter what happens. The financial pressures on supporter's are such that it seems unlikely they will rally around until they see some tangible evidence that they will receive some value for their money.  And it is difficult to see where that will come from.  While supporting Bobby Williamson to the hilt, it was clear at the Franck Sauzee presentation bash on Saturday that there was a man who could rally the fans to the cause, who had the trust as well as adulation of the Hibs support.  The void left by his departure has not been filled, and that is a major factor in the current unwillingness of Hibs fans to back the club.  But back the club they must, as the SPL has become a dog-eat-dog existence and only those with the full backing of their fans will survive.