Interesting times
Ticketing is the issue this morning for Richard as we discover he has a friend...

THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ACTIVE ON THE MESSAGEBOARD WILL DOUBTLESS HAVE FOLLOWED the debate on the pros and cons of the fact that the site is developing closer links with the official club site. Personally, I view it as something almost akin to the end of an era as Stuart Crowther and John Campbell step down from their positions on hibs.net . Nevertheless as Gladstone once said, you cannot fight the time and that is very true. Everyone has a part to play in rebuilding Hibs to ensure that the club has a viable future and in the case of Stuart and John that involves taking a hand in the running of the official site, as their efforts have doubtless been appreciated by the many thousands of people who log on to this site. Lots of people have agreed the official site could do with some work and one worth looking at will be a positive change. I recognize the fact that a good many people have genuine concerns and have spent a lot of time debating such issues with people, because I believe that there needs to be answers and reassurance given. What I said on the message board is that the proof of this particular pudding will be in the eating and hopefully it will be a case of plus ca change. By the looks of things, I will becoming a lot more involved in writing match reports in addition to my column duties, and RadioHibs.net show. I am relishing the challenge, although I am always reminded of the ancient Chinese saying / curse “May you live in interesting times”.

These are certainly interesting times and Tuesday’s AGM confirmed exactly that. One thing that the changes to Hibs.net must not be allowed to do is to overshadow the changes going on within the club. The focus has now shifted away from Straiton to the question “What must we do to keep Hibs alive?” The accounts confirm that cost-cutting is all but done, and the focus must now shift to growing Hibs revenue-earning potential. A marketing plan must be drawn up and I for one will be trying to put my two pence into that particular pot, me being a marketing graduate and all! I think ticketing needs to be looked at in particular, as having got a friend (I have several believe it or not! J ) to come to the game with me on Saturday, trying to get her a seat near me is proving to be a bit of a lottery, seats for the East stand not being able to be reserved for just the one game for some reason. You also have to turn up at the ground for Hearts away tickets and whilst I appreciate there may be security issues here, given that I am a season ticket holder, there must be some way round this. It’s particularly awkward given that I work in Falkirk. In short, it must not be an inconvenience to get a ticket to watch Hibs as that money is what will keep the club afloat. There you go: hopefully that will get the debate rolling. Given that the problems facing our opponents on Saturday don’t appear to be restricted to the dreadful state of their under-21 side, that’s a timely reminder of just how important this particular debate is.

Bobby's Babes - one of the attractions to bring fans back?  (sns)

After the shock announcements over the weekend, it seems like the football at the moment is a sideshow. That’s a pity because those of you who were at the under-21 game against Dundee will surely have been entertained by the Stephen Dobbie show as he ran riot, scoring four goals in an 8-1 demolition of a poor Dundee Under-21 side. It is clear that Hibs have a lot to be optimistic about. Whilst under-21 football can throw up those kind of results, particularly as bringing on young players seems not to have been top of Dundee’s agenda recently, the systematic way in which Hibs mercilessly dispatched Dundee’s mixture of has-beens and very young players was a joy to watch. Goal of the night in my opinion goes to Stephen Whittaker who broke from right-back with a lovely solo run and then blasted the ball through one-time Hibs target Jamie Langfield. Neither Whittaker nor Dobbie did their claims to a first team starting berth any harm, and I am sure Bobby will be relishing a very pleasant selection headache.

The game at Dens park on Saturday wasn’t bad either, a one-all draw with Hibs having chances to steal it at the end, Ian Murray failing to hit the target from close range. Even so, Dens park is a ground we got zero out of six from last season, and most people would have taken a point from the game.  It was funny being in the press box at the back of a ramshackle Dens park stand, as I think if the Dundee supporters had realized who I was, I’d have probably got lynched! It’s fair to say they were not happy about the result and accused Hibs of cheating their way to a point.

I wonder how long it will be before “Bobby’s babes” is a term used to describe the Hibs team: of the 13 outfield players used in the course of this particular match, eight of them were aged 22 and under. As Bobby himself said on Saturday, only Motherwell could match that in the SPL. The latest debutant was Kevin Thomson who reproduced the good form he has displayed for the under-21s. He was always willing to get on the ball and looking assured and competent when in possession in the centre of midfield alongside Ian Murray. It was a bold move from Bobby: the safer option would have been to field Jarkko Wiss, the Finn taking Thomson’s place in the under-21 side on Monday night. Given that his contract is up in the summer, I am wondering if the root of all evil as some like to cast him on the messageboard will be allowed to leave when the transfer window opens if Thomson keeps up that kind of form, such is the reality of finances these days.

Next up on Saturday it’s Dundee United, at Easter Road. The SPL is beginning to split apart with a bottom four of Thistle, Aberdeen, Dundee United and Kilmarnock, with  a cluster of clubs fighting tooth and nail for places above them, although in spite of Dundee United’s poor start to the season they are only 6 point from a top 5 place at present, and a decent run of form between now and Christmas could see the picture change rapidly. With Hearts away and Rangers at home following up Saturday, three points are a must and I am confident we can do it.