smurf
12-10-2010, 12:21 PM
I don't want us to be boring. I don't want ultra defensive tactics in an SPL we realistcally can't win.
Ideally i want an expansive game. An entertaining principle. However, above everything else i want a winning style of football. I want a mentality at Easter Road that is all about winning football matches.
Because unless we develop such we are never going to win that bloody Scottish F.A thing.
In fairness under John Collins particularly early on he absolutely developed a winning football style. The football was still attractive to watch under him but IMHO perhaps less so than under Mowbray. However, football is all about winning. And the facts confirm that under Collins we were more likely to win a game than we were under Mowbray.
He then tried to introduce a 'Winning mentality' but of course the players revolted etc etc. Perhaps Collins went about it in the wrong fashion. But IMHO it can't be debated that he did introduce 'Winning football' (CIS Cup) and he attempted to introduce a 'Winning mentality'.
That's all history of course but today you only need to read and listen to the comments of players before and after fixtures to absolutely detect very little 'Winning mentality'. They will come out with from time-to-time a "...we are a big club and should be up there..." but sorry i don't believe it. There's no conviction of that within Easter Road/East Mains IMHO. No genuine belief that we are a club of such stature that without doubt absolutely should win more SPL matches than it loses.
Too many IMHO see us as really no different from St Johnstone/Motherwell/Hamilton/St Mirren.
And it's not just our players. With our budget up at the top end does our board really do enough to ensure such investment generates the expected results? If so why can Mixu talk of a "Fantastic" achievement in finishing 6th? How can Hughes talk of a 4th place finish as "Overachievement"?
It suggests to me that our board are hardly excercising too tough a target on our Manager. I've heard that our Manager is given a financial incentive based on finishing top six. Is this true? If so it's a ridiculous target to give. A club with our budget should expect top six not target for it.
In fairness our board have in recent times supported whoever is our Manager. Support that ought to have generated better results. Why hasn't it? Is it a culture thing? What are the targets and objectives issued from the top. Do we need to raise the bar and expectation to push us on further?
And us the fans. Of course we know full well we are not going to win the SPL. Finances mean it's just not realistic. At all. We pretty much know that it's extremely unlikely that we can split them. But deep down i think we also believe that we ought to be challenging much better and competitively. But we perhaps keep quiet about that from fear of ridicule?
We can't and won't finish as the winner of the '..best of the rest..' in the SPL every single year. But why don't we expect it? Neither Celtc or the Huns can win the SPL each year but both their respective bigots expect it? And as a result of that i honestly believe that's exactly why with such expectation given we have an SPL table as we have today with the results for position 1 and 2.
IMHO expectation generates pressure and a correct mentality with it generates results. In all walks of life.
So i really do hope that the new man is who we think it is. A guy on record with not being particularly impressed by the SPL. A guy with a background in winning. A mentality around winning. A guy who will look at the infrastructure in place at ER/EM and say "I'm going to surround this place with winners". Guys who will look at the SPL and say "Within THAT league. THIS SPL i want no mediocrity. This club. Hibs. ARE going to be right up there competing. Winning."
So i say from Boardroom to the Manager. From Manager to the Players. We want winning football and a winning mentality.
And from us the fans. A message to the board. We expect (within reason and justification) a winning mentality starting from you guys right at the top. And let that spread from the boardroom through ER/EM onto the park and that marvellous stadium we have Easter Road.
Ideally i want an expansive game. An entertaining principle. However, above everything else i want a winning style of football. I want a mentality at Easter Road that is all about winning football matches.
Because unless we develop such we are never going to win that bloody Scottish F.A thing.
In fairness under John Collins particularly early on he absolutely developed a winning football style. The football was still attractive to watch under him but IMHO perhaps less so than under Mowbray. However, football is all about winning. And the facts confirm that under Collins we were more likely to win a game than we were under Mowbray.
He then tried to introduce a 'Winning mentality' but of course the players revolted etc etc. Perhaps Collins went about it in the wrong fashion. But IMHO it can't be debated that he did introduce 'Winning football' (CIS Cup) and he attempted to introduce a 'Winning mentality'.
That's all history of course but today you only need to read and listen to the comments of players before and after fixtures to absolutely detect very little 'Winning mentality'. They will come out with from time-to-time a "...we are a big club and should be up there..." but sorry i don't believe it. There's no conviction of that within Easter Road/East Mains IMHO. No genuine belief that we are a club of such stature that without doubt absolutely should win more SPL matches than it loses.
Too many IMHO see us as really no different from St Johnstone/Motherwell/Hamilton/St Mirren.
And it's not just our players. With our budget up at the top end does our board really do enough to ensure such investment generates the expected results? If so why can Mixu talk of a "Fantastic" achievement in finishing 6th? How can Hughes talk of a 4th place finish as "Overachievement"?
It suggests to me that our board are hardly excercising too tough a target on our Manager. I've heard that our Manager is given a financial incentive based on finishing top six. Is this true? If so it's a ridiculous target to give. A club with our budget should expect top six not target for it.
In fairness our board have in recent times supported whoever is our Manager. Support that ought to have generated better results. Why hasn't it? Is it a culture thing? What are the targets and objectives issued from the top. Do we need to raise the bar and expectation to push us on further?
And us the fans. Of course we know full well we are not going to win the SPL. Finances mean it's just not realistic. At all. We pretty much know that it's extremely unlikely that we can split them. But deep down i think we also believe that we ought to be challenging much better and competitively. But we perhaps keep quiet about that from fear of ridicule?
We can't and won't finish as the winner of the '..best of the rest..' in the SPL every single year. But why don't we expect it? Neither Celtc or the Huns can win the SPL each year but both their respective bigots expect it? And as a result of that i honestly believe that's exactly why with such expectation given we have an SPL table as we have today with the results for position 1 and 2.
IMHO expectation generates pressure and a correct mentality with it generates results. In all walks of life.
So i really do hope that the new man is who we think it is. A guy on record with not being particularly impressed by the SPL. A guy with a background in winning. A mentality around winning. A guy who will look at the infrastructure in place at ER/EM and say "I'm going to surround this place with winners". Guys who will look at the SPL and say "Within THAT league. THIS SPL i want no mediocrity. This club. Hibs. ARE going to be right up there competing. Winning."
So i say from Boardroom to the Manager. From Manager to the Players. We want winning football and a winning mentality.
And from us the fans. A message to the board. We expect (within reason and justification) a winning mentality starting from you guys right at the top. And let that spread from the boardroom through ER/EM onto the park and that marvellous stadium we have Easter Road.