Brebner, Wiss and Colgan in talks
Townsley told he can go, others will follow

Grant Brebner - talks over his future (sns)

It is set to be one of the biggest end of season clear-outs in the clubs history, and is expected to be matched to an extent with a number of new players coming in.  In a statement designed to reassure fans following weeks of speculation, Bobby Williamson said this morning: "Every Manager would like to have a bigger budget, but I understand the situation that the club faces and that it is no different from every other club in Scotland. Everybody, even the Old Firm, is having to reduce the costs of the player pool. That means we need to see a couple of faces leave before we see new faces arrive.  I am looking at a number of players I believe could add to the quality and strength of our squad and who I believe will help achieve greater success where fans want to see it, on the pitch."

Talking of the out of contract players of whom a decision is yet to be made, Williamson said: "Some of these guys have three or four games left to convince me that they deserve another contract, and we will see how they react.  John O'Neil and his agent have been given permission to speak to other clubs. In an ideal world, I would like to keep John at Easter Road but he is a high earner, and I have to decide how the player pool budget can be best used. These are the difficult decisions a Manager has to make.  Freddie Arpinon has been told he can look for another Club and Derek Townsley has been told he will not be given a new contract offer."

Managing Director Rod Petrie underlined the reasons why so many players, both those in contract and those with deals that end in the summer, are being forced out of Easter Road, saying: "Along with other clubs, Hibernian is seeking to reduce costs following the collapse of significant areas of revenue, most notably TV. The Club needs to reduce costs to bring them into line with our reduced income.  That means that the Manager, Bobby Williamson, has less money available to him than was available two or three years ago. Bobby knew that cost reductions were required when he joined us last year and he is aware of the budget available to him for next Season. Bobby also knows that our budget is competitive when compared to the player pool budgets of other Scottish Premier League Clubs. We remain committed to seeking success on the pitch for Hibernian. To suggest otherwise is not correct.  Bobby has been working hard for some time to identify potential signing targets that can add to the strength of our playing squad within our budget. The bottom line is that supporters can expect the Manager to bring several new faces to Easter Road for next season."

In making today's statement the club have sought to redress the accusations of secrecy over the current situation.  John O'Neil earlier this week slammed the club for saying that he did not play at Tannadice on Saturday because of injury, when he felt he was fully fit but told he would not play for the club again on purely financial grounds.  The statement goes some way to reassuring fans that the steps being taken are necessary to secure the future of the football club, and to ensure that the manager has a sufficient budget to strengthen the squad with players who are on realistic salaries reflecting the current state of the game in Scotland.  Petrie said: "The Club has made no secret of the need to reduce costs across the spectrum of our activities. Major reductions have already happened in every other area of activity, and we now require to reduce the cost of our player pool, which is by far the highest area of our expenditure.  The market in football has changed, and even quality players know they can no longer command the high level of earnings that they did two or three years ago. This is not some effort to squeeze players - it is simply that Clubs cannot afford it."