AS INDICATED BY FRANCK SAUZEE when
he met with fans over a week ago, discussions have taken place between
the former club skipper and manager and Easter Road managing director
Rod Petrie over the remaining year of Sauzee's contract. While some
Hibs fans hoped that the talks might lead to a new role at the club for
Sauzee, there was never any real chance of that happening and the talks
are centred on a final parting of the ways, with the club looking to
remove Sauzee from the wage bill during difficult financial times for
all Scottish clubs.
During his emotional farewell meeting
with the Hibs fans, Sauzee indicated that he had not made any decision
over his future in or out of the game, insisting that no offers had come
from any club in spite of talk that his former boss Alex McLeish had
suggested a role at Rangers for Sauzee. What is clear is that Sauzee
will not remain in Edinburgh, as he plans to return to France soon - but
not before meeting with Petrie again to clear up matters at Easter
Road. "The talks were amicable and I would like to think Franck's
assertion we had been fair with him throughout this is still the case,"
Petrie said last night, revealing that he had a 'positive' meeting with
Sauzee in Edinburgh last week.
Sauzee - progress towards breaking Easter Road
ties
Hibs will be keen to put the entire
issue to sleep, the turmoil of first McLeish's move to Rangers and the
subsequent appointment and then sacking of Sauzee within just 69 days
having done untold damage to the trust between the Hibs fans and the
club, as well as to the financial fabric of the club! With pre-season
training just weeks away, the managing director will be seeking talks
with a number of players and their representatives over new deals or
renegotiating existing ones, as a clearer picture of the true financial
state of Hibernian becomes clear and budgets are calculated for the
coming season. Many season ticket holders received letters from the
club yesterday, once again urging fans to purchase season tickets and
encouraging their friends and family to do the same.
The letters also outlined the prices
for the pre-season friendly at Easter Road against Everton, with season
ticket holders being told that they can purchase a ticket for that game
for just £10. Season ticket sales have so far failed to reach the
levels hoped for by the club, who are still unsure what if any media
income they will receive next season. Talks within the SPL are
understood to be continuing without the all-too public sniping evident
towards the end of last season, and hopes remain that some sort of
television deal can be concluded before the season gets underway in
August. Even if some deal is reached, it will be too late for a record
number of professional footballers, as 130 from the SPL alone find
themselves without clubs this summer.
SPL President John Smith painted a
stark picture of the state of the game in Scotland last night when he
said: "We face an
awesome task to recover from the state the game finds itself in today.
Complacency by clubs thinking they are bigger than they are and
self-motivated individuals has created a desperate situation. Too many
teams have lived beyond their means and a time for running football with
common sense is called for. The predicament with the Lanarkshire clubs
has sent a message to us all and a new strategy is vital to ensure the
future of our clubs."
The picture is just as bad outwith the SPL, with a record total of 500
full-time professionals looking for new clubs throughout Scotland. Most
will fail to remain in the game on a full-time basis, and many will be
seeking clubs outwith Scotland.
