Bottom 6

[one day maybe...]

Could being in the bottom 6 be more beneficial to us than being top 6? Relatively safe from relegation now, so will it give us a chance to see what the guys waiting in the wings have to offer the team. Guys like Stephens, Byrne, Welsh, now is the time to be trying them out, or is the mission to finish 7th for the extra cash that brings. We wont know what these guys have offer if we don't blood them...

[Green Man]

I reckon we can finish 7th whilst blooding the players mentioned. I wrote this season off before the turn of the year and said I'd be happy staying up. 7th would be a good achievement. CC took his time to look at the players at his disposable even when we were relegation threatened, so I wouldn't be surprised if he takes the chance to look at some of the younger players in first team action.

[essexhibee]

What games have we got between now and the split?

[Green Man]

What games have we got between now and the split?

Celtic and Aberdeen away then Hamilton at home.

[essexhibee]

Celtic and Aberdeen away then Hamilton at home.

Cheers.

A long trip up to Pittodrie is always nice for the fans. :greengrin

[Rattler]

Agreed!

We're still on a decent unbeaten run which has instilled a lot of confidence which was sadly missing for the majority of the season. Don't really see the point in making the top 6 (even if we could) as, apart from another derby and 2 games against the bigots, there wouldn't really be much to play for.

Better to maintain the confidence levels and bring through some of the other guys who haven't featured much this season - those that still have time to run on their contracts and are likely to feature next season. Make or break time for the others who are out of contract in the summer!

[Twiglet]

I was saying the same thing after the match.
Now that there's big breathing space between us and Hamilton i think we're safe (8 games left isn't it, so potentially 24 points available) so we can afford to try some players out that are on the fringes. Obviously i still want to win so we shouldn't change it too much, but bring in the likes of Stevenson and Stephens and some younger players. It will be about getting us ready for next season and giving some players competitive action.

[one day maybe...]

Cheers.

A long trip up to Pittodrie is always nice for the fans. :greengrin

Ok when the suns out, but its always freezing even in the summer :greengrin

[Hibby Kay-Yay]

Not sure I get the reasons people are suggesting for finishing in the bottom six. I would always rather finish in the top half. Surely playing against better teams is more beneficial to the players? Don't think we will make top 6 though but would rather be there.

[Jim44]

Not sure I get the reasons people are suggesting for finishing in the bottom six. I would always rather finish in the top half. Surely playing against better teams is more beneficial to the players? Don't think we will make top 6 though but would rather be there.

I think you've got a point but on the other hand, with our useless defense, we are likely to take a psychological hammering from being beaten by the remaining top 6 teams. A confident end to the season is top priority. That's more likely to happen in the bottom 6. :dunno:

[Hibbyradge]

Not sure I get the reasons people are suggesting for finishing in the bottom six. I would always rather finish in the top half. Surely playing against better teams is more beneficial to the players? Don't think we will make top 6 though but would rather be there.

I agree which is also why I oppose the OFGTF campaign.

[NOLA]

Not sure I get the reasons people are suggesting for finishing in the bottom six. I would always rather finish in the top half. Surely playing against better teams is more beneficial to the players? Don't think we will make top 6 though but would rather be there.

we dont deserve to be in the top 6 this season, we still are pretty poor, better to just get the games done with and look ahead to the summer, in the top6 we wouldnt be trying out some youngsters/fringe players

[Dinkydoo]

Although maintaining confidence levels and trying out some of the younger players in the bottom half of the table would probably be more beneficial to team, I would give anything to see the look on that ugly, fat *******s face if we had something to do with the yams failing to achieve 3rd place.

[Billy Whizz]

Probably mean we will get Saturday 3pm ko's!

[LancashireHibby]

Probably mean we will get Saturday 3pm ko's!

Wouldn't count on it!

[AFKA5814_Hibs]

Probably mean we will get Saturday 3pm ko's!

Apart from the last game of the season which I think is played at 12.30 on a Saturday, even though Hamilton will likely be relegated weeks beforehand.

Hibs will finish bottom 6, but that probably won't be a bad thing. We can blood a few youngsters and gear ourselves up for next season. Given where we were at the end of January, I think we should just be glad to get this season over with look forward to next season.

[Billy Whizz]

Apart from the last game of the season which I think is played at 12.30 on a Saturday, even though Hamilton will likely be relegated weeks beforehand.

Hibs will finish bottom 6, but that probably won't be a bad thing. We can blood a few youngsters and gear ourselves up for next season. Given where we were at the end of January, I think we should just be glad to get this season over with look forward to next season.

:agree:

[sesoim]

Money-wise, top six would of course be better (we'll probably miss out on £300k to £500k I would guess). But playing bottom six teams will give us a chance to blood players, test players in different positions, try out different systems and also, maybe, build a bit of confidence with a couple of big wins. The team can open out and attack teams more as we wont have much to lose.

The main thing is that the club make sure this is the last time we are in the bottom six for a LONG time.

[djs69]

I disagree , top six or bottom six, calderwood will and should be using the last 5 games to confirm who gets offered a new contract and who doesn't and may try out a few different players and formations. Some may work and some won't but using these games as an early pre season will be beneficial for next year

[Sir David Gray]

Totally disagree that finishing in the bottom six is in any way a good thing for Hibs.

The split is a total nonsense anyway but talking purely about league positions, it's unacceptable that Hibs are now almost certainly going to finish somewhere between 7th-10th place in the league this season and I, personally, am embarrassed by this.

I don't blame Calderwood too much (although his record from October-January was abysmal) as I think he's done well to get the team to where we are now, in comparison to where we were just two months ago.

By mid-January we were one of the worst, if not the worst, team in the division and it was looking like a close contest between us and Hamilton for the relegation spot at one stage.

I did say back then that I would be happy to finish 11th this season and just try to improve next year. However, with the way things have gone in recent weeks and with the gap between ourselves and the top six narrowing, people are naturally disappointed that it's now looking as if a place in the top six will be beyond us.

Unfortunately our horrendous run of results, pretty much between August-January has killed us this year and we've just given ourselves far too much to do in trying to make up the points.

Looking forward, we just need to do as well as we can in our final eight games, ship out all the players who are just not good enough for this club and bring in the players of the required quality, who are capable of taking Hibs to third or fourth in the table, which is where we should be every single year.

This summer's transfer window and next season will be huge for Colin Calderwood.

[truehibernian]

If truth be told, we should all be judging Calderwood from the January window onwards, and in doing so, this should give all Hibs fans reason to be cheerful and positive. He has, in one window, got rid of players who should never have been at Hibernian for as long or indeed been in the side........and brought in his own. Results, attitudes, body language all speak volumes for me.

Summer is going to be exciting times. Unbeaten in 7, scoring goals, crowd all behind the side, squad looking together.........think back to Perth, 2-0, Hughes slouched in his dugout scared to show his face to the "faceless fans"..........I for one am delighted at the progress in such a very short time in charge :agree:

My message for the bottom 6 games would be to change nothing...........winning breeds confidence and other teams will then not look forward to coming to ER or facing us. It will also be good to have players play games against teams (St Mirren and Hamilton) who are going to scrap for their lives.

2011/12 season - new Hibernian and the true Calderwood era.............I can't wait !

[erskine-hibby]

If truth be told, we should all be judging Calderwood from the January window onwards, and in doing so, this should give all Hibs fans reason to be cheerful and positive. He has, in one window, got rid of players who should never have been at Hibernian for as long or indeed been in the side........and brought in his own. Results, attitudes, body language all speak volumes for me.

Summer is going to be exciting times. Unbeaten in 7, scoring goals, crowd all behind the side, squad looking together.........think back to Perth, 2-0, Hughes slouched in his dugout scared to show his face to the "faceless fans"..........I for one am delighted at the progress in such a very short time in charge :agree:

My message for the bottom 6 games would be to change nothing...........winning breeds confidence and other teams will then not look forward to coming to ER or facing us. It will also be good to have players play games against teams (St Mirren and Hamilton) who are going to scrap for their lives.

2011/12 season - new Hibernian and the true Calderwood era.............I can't wait !

I have to agree.
I was not calling for Calderwoods head, like some on here. I thought it was, and excuse the term, a big ask, to think that he could do a lot with the squad he was left with after the departure of JH. Since the January window we have been a totally different side and although not the finished article by a long shot, we are defo moving in the right direction.
It is, of course, disappointing that we will probably not be in the top 6, but I for one am happy with the progress we have made and look forward to next season.

[PeeJay]

I think you've got a point but on the other hand, with our useless defense, we are likely to take a psychological hammering from being beaten by the remaining top 6 teams. A confident end to the season is top priority. That's more likely to happen in the bottom 6. :dunno:

This attitude - there's something seriously wrong with it, surely? Stay away from the "big teams" because they might beat us - sorry, if anyone at ER thinks this is a good idea we might as well wind the club up now...

... I've been a Hibs fan for a wee while now, this "it'll be better next season" business has proved itself time and again to be rubbish ... we need to get it right now, not tomorrow - and finishing bottom six is not an improvement on Yogi's 4th no matter what way anybody dresses it up, particularly with referenecs to the mythical "next season"!

[DH1875]

Not sure I get the reasons people are suggesting for finishing in the bottom six. I would always rather finish in the top half. Surely playing against better teams is more beneficial to the players? Don't think we will make top 6 though but would rather be there.

Yeh, we always want to be in the top 6. What game (Hibs) are people looking forward to in the bottom 6? Bottom 6 is going to be dire this year, especially if Hamilton are down by time we even get there. ER will be empty.

[Sir David Gray]

This attitude - there's something seriously wrong with it, surely? Stay away from the "big teams" because they might beat us - sorry, if anyone at ER thinks this is a good idea we might as well wind the club up now...

... I've been a Hibs fan for a wee while now, this "it'll be better next season" business has proved itself time and again to be rubbish ... we need to get it right now, not tomorrow - and finishing bottom six is not an improvement on Yogi's 4th no matter what way anybody dresses it up, particularly with referenecs to the mythical "next season"!

:agree: Totally agree with all of that.

We need some of the players who were here pre-January and a member of the board to come out in the media, some time over the next month or so, and apologise to the supporters for the way the team performed during the first four or five months of this shambolic season and then we need Colin Calderwood to come out and give us an idea on how he sees the team lining up next season and what he considers as success for us over the next 12 months.

I see progress being made over the past two months and I hope that things will continue to get even better next year. However, this year has been completely unacceptable on so many levels and I am deeply embarrassed that a club the size of Hibs is having to contemplate finishing in the bottom six.

I just can't understand how anyone can think that us finishing in the bottom six is in any way a good thing for the club.

[Devon Hibee]

Id rather see us play in the top six and take points of the Yams, Old Filth and whoever else is in there. Wanting to finish in the bottom six beggers belief!

[ahibby]

A club with a healthy bank balance like ours doesn't really need top six (tongue firmly in cheek). Clubs who spend more than their income really need the top six cash to pay their creditors. You know so the likes of Romanov can take some of his hard earned cash back to Lithuania, Rangers can pay HMRC etc. I am not being serious I just thought I'd have a dig at the Hearts, Dundee Utds and Rangers who are top six but are also in precarious positions, financially.

I think our young players would benefit from the experience of playing in the top six but next season will be soon enough for them. If we continue recent form in to next season we are stick ons for top six. Sundays game can be put down to being ring rusty with no competitive matches played in the four weeks lead up to the Derby. Yes we could have met a stronger Hearts team but they could have met a Hibs team which hadn't such a long lay off competitive matches. I'd have liked our players to have been playing in the top six but it's not the end of the world that they are not.