Are we being realistic?

[SouthamptonHibs]

Not sure just using the numbers tgat have been on other threads. I have no idea myself

[AlbertK86]

Let's hope it ain't the usual scenario where in an effort to save wages we wait til the last minute and end up with all the sh1+

Let's get some decent signings in early and get them gelled.

It ain't that long ago that we used to get off to a flyer every season

C'mon ROD ... Let's see something different..... If not you must go as you are failing us year by year with your transfer policy

[Alfred E Newman]

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Is that Fantasy or Fact ?

It's highly unlikely. We might as well face facts, anything better than bottom next season will be a success.

[Sir David Gray]

I think if you look at what Montpellier have just achieved, then you must come to the conclusion that, for us, finishing in the top four is not unrealistic.

If Montpellier can finish above the likes of Paris Saint Germain, Lyon and Lille to win the French title then I'm sure that Hibs can finish above the likes of Motherwell and St Johnstone.

We have been underachieving so much over the past couple of years it's unreal and it needs to change. There is no way on this Earth that we should ever be finishing 11th in a 12 team SPL and only confirming our place in the league for next year in the penultimate game of the season.

It's just unacceptable on so many levels.

Having said that, I don't demand that we finish in the top four next season as I feel that may just be a bit too much too soon at the moment. Finishing in the top six should go without saying, every single season, regardless of how bad things have been going for us. So if we finish 5th or 6th next season, and actually resemble a football team, then I will consider that as being a positive and as a bit of progress.

Actually being competitive in derbies every now and again would also be a bonus!

[calamitus]

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Let's hope it ain't the usual scenario where in an effort to save wages we wait til the last minute and end up with all the sh1+

Let's get some decent signings in early and get them gelled.

It ain't that long ago that we used to get off to a flyer every season

C'mon ROD ... Let's see something different..... If not you must go as you are failing us year by year with your transfer policy

I agree with a lot of this - the current signing policy doesn't seem to be working, but to be fair, I think we've had our share of bad luck with appointments as much as bad judgement.

I think our problem is actually that there's so little difference between a £1000 a week player and a £2000 a week player (probably just the agent a lot of the time) that it's a bit of a lottery who ends up in positions 4 to 10 in the SPL. We've had 2 or 3 really bad seasons, but even if we have an average season next year, our slight financial advantage over most of the SPL doesn't even guarantee a top 6 finish.

The bad form we've had over the last few seasons means we're in real danger of losing that critical mass where people just lose interest and stop going, or worse, stop taking their kids, and lose a generation of support.

Given that, in recent years, it's been so hard to get players to sign for us, this might actually be a year when we (the club) have to spend a bit extra to make sure we get enough good quality players to create a functioning team and reignite the fans' interest (and actually get some good results).

If you're looking at things from a business point of view, which I'm sure RP and STF are, how much value can you place on Frank Sauzee's involvement with Hibs back in 2000? I don't know if it's accurate, but I'm sure I read that he was on £8K a week.

How many people did he inspire to follow the team in subsequent years? Without Sauzee, Latapy, Mixu and the rest of that team, and the success they had in hammering the Yams a few times, but more importantly, playing an inspirational style of football, would we now have a couple of thousand less fans per game?

Paying for that team was totally unsustainable, could have been destructive even in the short term, but over the medium term, it might have paid for itself. It might just be time again to shell out for a bit of short term, feel-good success, or there could be a few thousand less people to enjoy success when it comes again. With the Yams being far more constrained this year, and the Stickies being out of the running for a couple of years (hopefully), we might just get a decent amount of sucess and financial return.

[marleyhib]

Success next year would be top 6 but I'd settle for not being in a relegation dogfight. We need to stop being a soft touch, get hard to beat, in the faces of the opposition and improve our home form dramatically.

The SPL is poor, what we have been lacking is a midfield and fight.

If Pat can sort out these failings then I'm sure we can be mid table easily enough, anything higher would be a bonus. As fans we need to be realistic, patient and get behind the team and manager.

I still blame Petrie for the appointment of Calderwood and for not getting shot of him last summer when he had the chance. Pat inherited a mess of a club.

We need a spine of a team to build around: new keeper, mcpake (please!), decent cm, big striker (doyle and griffiths too). Still think the midfield is where we have been awful for years, too much pressure on the defence, no-one to hold onto the ball or control to play and no service to the strikers.

Pat has a blank sheet, getting in lots of new players and a team to gel isn't easy. If I can go to Easter Road and be entertained that would be a start.

I am looking forward to next season.