The Chairmans Message

[billbee]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics, thanks for the encourgement!

[smurf]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics, thanks for the encourgement!

They are so out of touch its untrue.

[Pedantic_Hibee]

They are so out of touch its untrue.

Right, that's that settled then.

I'll be emailing the board today.

[GordonHFC]

Yes but it is your mismanagement that has caused the fans to disappear in the first place !!!!!!

[Greenblood70]

No confidence in the Board whatsoever.

[Westie1875]

So its our fault then :rolleyes:

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

It's a classic Hibs board statement and something I fully expect from them.

They have treated the fans like spoiled children for too long, pat on the head and run along sonny.

They have no idea about the real values of the club, just pound signs, and that's obvious from that ridiculous statement from them.

I "wasted" 26 quid of my hard earned cash to sit in a freezing cold stadium to watch that mush so pray don't tell me that you want me and many others to sit through endless garbage Hibs teams like this and come back for more so you can retreat to your cosy boardroom for light refreshments while we trudge through the night after another defeat.

I'm done with Hibs until this idiot Petrie is gone, so I probably won't see Hibs in the flesh for a very long time.

Rant over.

[IWasThere2016]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics, thanks for the encourgement!

Was that issued today??? Ah - you know what regardless -that's nailed it for me. No more ER until that idiot is history! Effing amateur!

[Sir David Gray]

Where has this statement come from?

There's no mention of it on the official site. :dunno:

[Newhaven]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics, thanks for the encourgement!

Where is this from? :confused:

[Hibbyradge]

was that issued today??? Ah - you know what regardless -that's nailed it for me. No more er until that idiot is history! Effing amateur!

lol.

[IWasThere2016]

It's a classic Hibs board statement and something I fully expect from them.

They have treated the fans like spoiled children for too long, pat on the head and run along sonny.

They have no idea about the real values of the club, just pound signs, and that's obvious from that ridiculous statement from them.

I "wasted" 26 quid of my hard earned cash to sit in a freezing cold stadium to watch that mush so pray don't tell me that you want me and many others to sit through endless garbage Hibs teams like this and come back for more so you can retreat to your cosy boardroom for light refreshments while we trudge through the night after another defeat.

I'm done with Hibs until this idiot Petrie is gone, so I probably won't see Hibs in the flesh for a very long time.

Rant over.

Well said.

Patronising and insulting nonsense from Noddy Petrie!

[BEEJ]

Where has this statement come from?

There's no mention of it on the official site. :dunno:


Where is this from? :confused:
Yesterday's match programme.

[Thecat23]

For everyone who still thinks the board are doing fine and not to blame. What do you think of that statement? It's patronising and they actually think we are a bunch of children. Stop backing this bunch of incompetent @rseholes they don't have a clue how to run a football team and they see £££ signs not football players. Cheaper the better for that mob.

[GordonHFC]

The board have told us for a number of years now that we have the 4th biggest budget for transfers in the country. I ask them only one question, why are we not 4th in the league ?

Build a new stand we cannot fill and a training complex wich is larger than we need. These are assets for the club which are only worth anything to those who own the club. Quality on the park has been neglected for far too long and will take a number of years to put right but only with the right people at the helm, something which at this moment in time we do not have.

[Thecat23]

The board have told us for a number of years now that we have the 4th biggest budget for transfers in the country. I ask them only one question, why are we not 4th in the league ?

Build a new stand we cannot fill and a training complex wich is larger than we need. These are assets for the club which are only worth anything to those who own the club. Quality on the park has been neglected for far too long and will take a number of years to put right but only with the right people at the helm, something which at this moment in time we do not have.

Spot on Gordon.

[Andy74]

Was that issued today??? Ah - you know what regardless -that's nailed it for me. No more ER until that idiot is history! Effing amateur!

I'm sure he'll miss your visits. I hear they paid for a pair of socks once from them.

[Pretty Boy]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics, thanks for the encourgement!

That is unbelievable. The only thing missing is the hideous together we are stronger cliche.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

They are so out of touch its untrue.

I think he just expects us to be subservient wee souls, turn up every couple of weeks hand in our donation and run along like good wee boys and girls.

A quick read through some of the threads on here should show him that that attitude wont cut it anymore.

[IWasThere2016]

The board have told us for a number of years now that we have the 4th biggest budget for transfers in the country. I ask them only one question, why are we not 4th in the league ?

Build a new stand we cannot fill and a training complex wich is larger than we need. These are assets for the club which are only worth anything to those who own the club. Quality on the park has been neglected for far too long and will take a number of years to put right but only with the right people at the helm, something which at this moment in time we do not have.

Spot on. Neglect is the charge - and guilty the verdict. Sadly, no one will take the Board away!

[matty_f]

I'm sure he'll miss your visits. I hear they paid for a pair of socks once from them.

Think it was just one sock..

[greenlex]

All he is saying is that there is no magic wand. There is no investment available. We will get what the supporters generate. We wont be splashing any cash we dont have. Its up to everyone involved with the club.
I must be blind as I cant see this is amateur.:confused:

[IWasThere2016]

I'm sure he'll miss your visits. I hear they paid for a pair of socks once from them.

:faf:

I'm one of a growing band of thousands.

[Westie1875]

Yesterday's match programme.

Wow, just wow. Pinning the blame for our problems on the fans who have stopped attending is typical of the Hibs board, why can't they take a bit of responsibility for it themselves instead of pointing fingers at everyone else.


Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.
How do they seriously expect us to convince anyone to pay money to come and watch our team lose match after match at home? I find it difficult enough to convince myself to go along and I have a season ticket.



It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away.
This is fact, not speculation.


Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. So does mis-management of the club allowing a downward spiral to continue year after year.


We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. I'm sorry but the time has come to borrow some cash and spend it on the team, sometimes you need to invest to prevent the risk of losing a huge amount (i.e. relegation will cost us a lot more than say an extra million quid to invest in the team).


We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL.
At the moment we don't, and until the product on offer improves drastically and our spl status is made very safe we won't have.


We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.
Aiming to stay in the spl and improve the team would be a better objective IMO, the rest will follow.

[greenlex]

For everyone who still thinks the board are doing fine and not to blame. What do you think of that statement? It's patronising and they actually think we are a bunch of children. Stop backing this bunch of incompetent @rseholes they don't have a clue how to run a football team and they see £££ signs not football players. Cheaper the better for that mob.
What £££££ Signs are these? The 900k loss last year? Wake up there is no money to spend. The only ones that are going to help us is us.

[Sir David Gray]

Yesterday's match programme.

OK, thanks.

Then in that case, that is a truly astonishing statement for the Chairman to come out with and he has shown himself to be as far removed from reality as you can possibly be.

How the board can attempt to shift any of the responsibility of poor results, which have lasted for practically two years now, onto the shoulders of the fans is beyond belief. In almost the last year now, we have won the grand total of one (yes ONE!) SPL match at Easter Road and have picked up just 9 points out of a possible 51 in that time. With statistics like that, how can anyone connected with the club expect supporters to shell out £22 every other week to watch utter garbage, without seeing something positive from the club first?

It's time for the lot of them to leave and for people with fresh ideas to come in and move this club forward.

[IWasThere2016]

All he is saying is that there is no magic wand. There is no investment available. We will get what the supporters generate. We wont be splashing any cash we dont have. Its up to everyone involved with the club.
I must be blind as I cant see this is amateur.:confused:

Professionals would have stopped the rot that set in years ago :wink:

[IWasThere2016]

OK, thanks.

Then in that case, that is a truly astonishing statement for the Chairman to come out with and he has shown himself to be as far removed from reality as you can possibly be.

How the board can attempt to shift any of the responsibility of poor results, which have lasted for practically two years now, onto the shoulders of the fans is beyond belief. In almost the last year now, we have won the grand total of one (yes ONE!) SPL match at Easter Road and have picked up just 9 points out of a possible 51 in that time. With statistics like that, how can anyone connected with the club expect supporters to shell out £22 every other week to watch utter garbage, without seeing something positive from the club first?

It's time for the lot of them to leave and for people with fresh ideas to come in and move this club forward.

No, no, no - its all my fault. Well me and thousands of others :faf:

[GordonHFC]

All he is saying is that there is no magic wand. There is no investment available. We will get what the supporters generate. We wont be splashing any cash we dont have. Its up to everyone involved with the club.
I must be blind as I cant see this is amateur.:confused:

He has mismanaged the money when the fans were attending. why should we think he will do any better in the future. he is happy to spend on the infrastructure which only he and STF will benefit from when they come to sell but we continue to bring in garbage players as this eats into his profits.

We won't pay a fee for a player but he is prepared to allow us to get into a position where we will lose much more if we are relegated. it makes no sense.

[The Green Goblin]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics, thanks for the encourgement!


What's missing from that statement is something which acknowledges how terrible the team have been for ages and why we are looking at a relegation fight. Or is that the fans' fault too?

[matty_f]

All he is saying is that there is no magic wand. There is no investment available. We will get what the supporters generate. We wont be splashing any cash we dont have. Its up to everyone involved with the club.
I must be blind as I cant see this is amateur.:confused:

I think that the statement is very ill-timed and badly judged. The support and the team is crying out for better players than we have.

The chairman is right, we have to generate what we spend but where is the part where he tells us how the board are trying to lift income? Where is the part where he tells us they're trying all they can to improve the squad and sign Fenlon's first picks?

'Together' needs more than one side. Yes, we need people to turn up now more than ever but it is not a one way street. The board seriously need to get their act together to sort the club out.

Fans will come if it looks like everyone is pulling in the same direction. There just doesn't seem to be that sense of the board going all out to improve things and that needs to change.

[Spike Mandela]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics, thanks for the encourgement! [/

Hope that's not the negotiating stance we're taking in to negotiations with Goodwin or any other experienced pro's we are after.:greengrin

[greenlex]

Professionals would have stopped the rot that set in years ago :wink:
By doing what likes? Sacking an underpforming manager after backing him to the hilt. We have done that with more than every penny we have. Youre crusade against Petrie and the board is really tedious G. A new board unless there is a Sugar Daddy involved wont have any more to work with. Farmer has said from day one the club needs to self sustain. Thats whats behind increased capacity before you start with that pish.
We could have "invested" in the team and we could still be where we are with a ****hole east stand to boot. The new one is a platform to kick on. It will happen. I will wait with a smug smiley when it does. :wink:

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

By doing what likes? Sacking an underpforming manager after backing him to the hilt. We have done that with more than every penny we have. Youre crusade against Petrie and the board is really tedious G. A new board unless there is a Sugar Daddy involved wont have any more to work with. Farmer has said from day one the club needs to self sustain. Thats whats behind increased capacity before you start with that pish.
We could have "invested" in the team and we could still be where we are with a ****hole east stand to boot. The new one is a platform to kick on. It will happen. I will wait with a smug smiley when it does. :wink:

Wishful thinking Lex :wink:

[matty_f]

No, no, no - its all my fault. Well me and thousands of others :faf:

To be fair you might not be to blame but you sure as Hell don't help by not giving the club money through going to games.

Regardless of the backdrop to it all, Petrie's statement is fundamentally true. Without crowds we are severely limited in our ability to attract quality players.

[greenlex]

I think that the statement is very ill-timed and badly judged. The support and the team is crying out for better players than we have.

The chairman is right, we have to generate what we spend but where is the part where he tells us how the board are trying to lift income? Where is the part where he tells us they're trying all they can to improve the squad and sign Fenlon's first picks?

'Together' needs more than one side. Yes, we need people to turn up now more than ever but it is not a one way street. The board seriously need to get their act together to sort the club out.

Fans will come if it looks like everyone is pulling in the same direction. There just doesn't seem to be that sense of the board going all out to improve things and that needs to change.
Its only ill timed because we didnt get anything out of yesterdays game and it was published before that on the back of a must win game against the Pars (where we took in todays terms a huge crowd over) and the cup win. A win yesterday or even a point with the performance and no one would have batted an eyelid.

[down-the-slope]

All he is saying is that there is no magic wand. There is no investment available. We will get what the supporters generate. We wont be splashing any cash we dont have. Its up to everyone involved with the club.
I must be blind as I cant see this is amateur.:confused:

:agree: thank goodness...I was begining to think that previous posters had found a money tree....

He might be stating the obvious.....but it would appear that most seem unable to accept the obvious....

Board have done well...its the managers that have badly spent the budget... a number of who were the fans choices. PF has one heck of a task and will need support to use what due to reducing crowds will be reducing budget to drag the team around (he was not my personal choice but while he does all he can to change things will get my support)

[greenlex]

Wishful thinking Lex :wink:
Nope it will happen.:cb

[degenerated]

Was that issued today??? Ah - you know what regardless -that's nailed it for me. No more ER until that idiot is history! Effing amateur!

That threat might have some gravitas if it came from someone who actually knew where Easter Road is. :hilarious

[BEEJ]

OK, thanks.

Then in that case, that is a truly astonishing statement for the Chairman to come out with and he has shown himself to be as far removed from reality as you can possibly be.

How the board can attempt to shift any of the responsibility of poor results, which have lasted for practically two years now, onto the shoulders of the fans is beyond belief.


What's missing from that statement is something which acknowledges how terrible the team have been for ages and why we are looking at a relegation fight. Or is that the fans' fault too?
To be fair, the OP has not quoted the whole piece....


It was heartening to see 3,500 Hibernian fans attend East End Park last Saturday and dominate the atmosphere. Many of you were there. You saw what it meant to the players. Hopefully today we can see a big crowd and create a daunting atmosphere within Easter Road Stadium. The team needs support home and away, but it is only attendances at home that add to our revenues.

The team is in transition - we all know that. The players and the coaching staff need encouragement and support. We can approach each game with confidence knowing that they are fully committed and determined to make great strides forward in 2012.

[Westie1875]

By doing what likes? Sacking an underpforming manager after backing him to the hilt. We have done that with more than every penny we have. Youre crusade against Petrie and the board is really tedious G. A new board unless there is a Sugar Daddy involved wont have any more to work with. Farmer has said from day one the club needs to self sustain. Thats whats behind increased capacity before you start with that pish.
We could have "invested" in the team and we could still be where we are with a ****hole east stand to boot. The new one is a platform to kick on. It will happen. I will wait with a smug smiley when it does. :wink:

You'll be waiting a very long time if we are relegated.

[matty_f]

Its only ill timed because we didnt get anything out of yesterdays game and it was published before that on the back of a must win game against the Pars (where we took in todays terms a huge crowd over) and the cup win. A win yesterday or even a point with the performance and no one would have batted an eyelid.
I disagree. We're second bottom and would still have been second bottom if we'd won yesterday.

The defence has needed major surgery all season and we're looking nowhere near closer to resolving the situation. If he'd made that statement after bringing in a couple of Fenlon's targets then I'd agree.

[Holmesdale Hibs]

To be fair I don't think he is trying to criticise or blame the fans. IMO he was just trying to show the fans that he has some ambition for the club. Everyone is pissed off with him and we just hear what we want.

I'm not a massive fan of Petrie and he needs to either sort things out quickly or leave. But this statement doesn't bother me. He was getting a hard time for saying nothing a while back so in terms of PR he'll get slaughtered for anything he does or doesn't say, regardless of whether it's right or wrong.

[greenlex]

You'll be waiting a very long time if we are relegated.
Thats bleeding obvious but it will happen eventually.

[Keith_M]

He might be stating the obvious.....but it would appear that most seem unable to accept the obvious....




Speculation that performances weren't good enough during 2011. Surely it's obvious to everybody that they weren't good enough, not just speculation.

Suddenly, it's all down to the fans...again. It seems to be beyond his capability to understand that people have stopped going because the product on display is not worth 20 odd quid.

I just realised that it was the fault of the customers of Woolies that they went bust, because they stopped spending enough money in the stores - disloyal barstewards. It wasn't actually Woolies fault in any way, shape or form. Thanks for clearing that up Rod

[greenlex]

I disagree. We're second bottom and would still have been second bottom if we'd won yesterday.

The defence has needed major surgery all season and we're looking nowhere near closer to resolving the situation. If he'd made that statement after bringing in a couple of Fenlon's targets then I'd agree.
Did you read the rest of the article and not just the bit in the OP?

[greenlex]

Speculation that performances weren't good enough during 2011. Surely it's obvious to everybody that they weren't good enough, not just speculation.

Suddenly, it's all down to the fans...again. It seems to be beyond his capability to understand that people have stopped going because the product on display is not worth 20 odd quid.

I just realised that it was the fault of the customers of Woolies that they went bust, because they stopped spending enough money in the stores - disloyal barstewards. It wasn't actually Woolies fault in any way, shape or form. Thanks for clearing that up Rod
Not once has he said its all down to the fans that we are where we are. Not once. He is saying the best way to help is support the club at home.:confused:

[IWasThere2016]

That threat might have some gravitas if it came from someone who actually knew where Easter Road is. :hilarious

I've been at half of our last 10 games .. Only one at ER but it's probably the other thousands RP needs to worry about :wink:

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Nope it will happen.:cb

Time for you to be appointed to the board!

It WILL happen, care to give us mere mortals a few pointers into how its going to happen?

[Kaiser1962]

The board have told us for a number of years now that we have the 4th biggest budget for transfers in the country. I ask them only one question, why are we not 4th in the league ?


When have they said that because it's not true?

[Dashing Bob S]

To be fair you might not be to blame but you sure as Hell don't help by not giving the club money through going to games.

Regardless of the backdrop to it all, Petrie's statement is fundamentally true. Without crowds we are severely limited in our ability to attract quality players.

And without half-decent players we are severely limited in our ability to attract crowds. To move on we have to either bring new players through (not easy in a weak, gutless side) or take a punt and sign people who can do a job.

I'm a great admirer of what the board has achieved, but now a less conservative mindset is essential if we are to survive, let alone thrive.

We can't defend at the back or from midfield and if we don't get new players in we will go down - its as simple as that. It seems poor teams can expect two goals against us, mediocre ones get three. No team can survive that - our players just aren't good enough.

[HFC 0-7]

Why would the fans put more money in than they have been when the team is getting worse? I dont think that anyone can disagree behind the logic that more fans through the gates = more money for the club. The most important thing I think the board, and many posters, are forgetting, is that fans are fickle, we are happy one minute and unhappy the next. Whether fans attitudes are correct or not, its what the club have to deal with. Happy fans = bigger attendances. Good team = Happy fans.

If you look at what has been happening, we have had good crowds, we have been putting money in, we have backed the club but the team have declined. The club are now coming out and basically saying we know that the money you have spent has been wasted but please give us more. At what point will they realise that the fans have lost faith in the clubs ability to spend wisely. Everyone knows that money needs to be spent, we are basically at a stand off now as the fans want the board to spend, be it through investment from Farmer or a loan of sorts, and the board want the fans to spend.

IMO the board have taken our loyalty for granted and expected us to flood in despite the bad performances. They have made the problem themselves through bad appointments and in certain ways the new stand. yes people will say it needed to be built etc but like it or not the increase in capacity means tickets are easy to come by and therefore a ST is no longer required to guarantee a seat for the big games. surely the board members, with all their degrees etc, would know that it was a distinct possibility.

No doubt there will be people along shortly to tell me that fans that are not loyal through the bad times are not fans, well it doesnt matter. The club needs the fans that are not as loyal and the only way they will get them is to make them confident the team is doing, and will be doing well.

We are basically at a point now where there is 2 or 3 people at Hibs asking 3 or 4 thousand people to dig deep, and on the other side, 3 or 4 thousand people asking 2 or 3 people to sort their own mess out and dig deep themselves.

[GordonHFC]

When have they said that because it's not true?

If it is not true you need to ask them why they have said our budget is as good as or if not better than anyone out with the old firm or Hearts.

[greenlex]

Time for you to be appointed to the board!

It WILL happen, care to give us mere mortals a few pointers into how its going to happen?

Get the right manager. Right team. Winning team playing football winning games. The fans will attend. Its not rocket science but not easy. Its what everyone involved in the club should be striving for. I would say taking the huff as a supporter and not going because its not right on the park is everyones entitlement but it aint helping and the more it aint helping the worse it will get. We could quite possibly get to the place where its rock bottom. Crowds of 5000 in the SFL would be a low point but it would get better. Surely it would be best to get behind the club nowand not get to the lowest of low points?
Either way we will get to the place where we want to be rather than where we are. Eventually. Nothing immortal in that thinking.

[Beefster]

When I initially read the OP, I just assumed that it was a humorous take on the sort of nonsense that Rodders might come out. The fact that it's genuine is just a face-palm moment from Rodders.


To be fair you might not be to blame but you sure as Hell don't help by not giving the club money through going to games.

Regardless of the backdrop to it all, Petrie's statement is fundamentally true. Without crowds we are severely limited in our ability to attract quality players.

If they think now is bad, they're going to get a shock come ST renewal time. I'm only still going cos I'm a miserable ******* who won't pay for something and not use it. It'll be a membership and 'pick and choose' next season unless something changes before then. I'd be surprised if I'm alone.

[SquashedFrogg]

So I have to pay £3 to hear from Petrie these days? :cb

[andy1875]

Rod, Saturday afternoons at Easter Road are a thing of horror these days. Fans can't be bothered going along and paying £22 to watch us lose EVERY WEEK. On top of that, paying £28 to watch Rangers/Celtic and Hearts beat us easily EVERY TIME we play them at Easter Road also has an effect on why people cant be bothered going anymore.

So in short Rod, until you, the board, the managent team and the players start delivering on the field, crowds will get worse and worse, people WILL stay away.

Crowds will come back but you ROD need to sort this mess out first, not the fans.

[HFC 0-7]

When I initially read the OP, I just assumed that it was a humorous take on the sort of nonsense that Rodders might come out. The fact that it's genuine is just a face-palm moment from Rodders.



If they think now is bad, they're going to get a shock come ST renewal time. I'm only still going cos I'm a miserable ******* who won't pay for something and not use it. It'll be a membership and 'pick and choose' next season unless something changes before then. I'd be surprised if I'm alone.

Dont think you are, which is why there was only about 8,500 thousand at the game yesterday, a 3 o'clock saturday kickoff.

[IWasThere2016]

To be fair you might not be to blame but you sure as Hell don't help by not giving the club money through going to games.

Regardless of the backdrop to it all, Petrie's statement is fundamentally true. Without crowds we are severely limited in our ability to attract quality players.

I don't give my money/time to anyone Matty. I have always - with the exception of 2/3 seasons - ALWAYS seen Hibs away from ER more in a season than at ER.

Hibs have no divine right to fans' money - a fundamental flaw in the spending of the Board, as the team has suffered. The price for this is being paid now. Our views as individuals - and indeed actions - are irrelevant but the Board need to reflect and consider why thousands of fans no longer attend ER.

It is clear the Holding Company does not have the cash to underpin Hibs without more cash from STF. We are looking at a loss of over £1m and nearer £2m for 2011/12 .. That's 5,000 STs .. That is years away IMHO. No shiny new stand or training facility will gives us that. The only thing that will is a team, and with our losses and apathy in the fanbase the only solutions I can see are new owners/money or more from STF. Cannot see either happening soon - particularly if we go down.

[smurf]

I think that the statement is very ill-timed and badly judged. The support and the team is crying out for better players than we have.

The chairman is right, we have to generate what we spend but where is the part where he tells us how the board are trying to lift income? Where is the part where he tells us they're trying all they can to improve the squad and sign Fenlon's first picks?

'Together' needs more than one side. Yes, we need people to turn up now more than ever but it is not a one way street. The board seriously need to get their act together to sort the club out.

Fans will come if it looks like everyone is pulling in the same direction. There just doesn't seem to be that sense of the board going all out to improve things and that needs to change.

Good post. However, surely this statement confirms what many of us have felt for some time.

That they haven't a clue how to run a successful football club.

The majority of season ticket holders I know will now not be renewing. I felt this January window was the last chance to demonstrate a recognition that they appreciate the position we are in. And would respond positively to show a pro active approach in attempting to turn things around.

I had hoped that this would be the case. Sadly its looking unlikely. I had based that hope not based on confidence in them but on them not being stupid.

These programme notes suggest otherwise.

[sixtwo]

In recent years Rod has sold Brown, Thomson, Fletcher, O'connor, Murphy, Sproule, Jones, Bamba, Zemamma etc.

Every player worth payin to go and see gets sold.

I appreciate that those players wanted to move on but would they have wanted to move on if they were offered a decent contract to stay?

I understand we have to balance the books. We have a great stadium and cracking trainin complex but at what cost?

The board have failed to back any manager. They have replaced decent players with cheap imitations and done likewise with managers.

Why not take a look in the mirror Rod. The blame lies with the board not the fans. The fans are letting you know that enough is enough. You have taken us for fools for too long!

[marleyhib]

Badly timed it may have been, but he's right.

Hibs as a club and not just Petrie need the fans to get behind the team and go to Easter Road, I am a firm believer in supporting your team through thick and thin and yes it's been very thin recently.

The negative atmosphere at ER is crap the the moment and that can't be helping the players. I'm sure it has contributed to our woeful recent home record. I don't think having a half empty stadium helps though, I preferred it when we had the old East.

Hard as it may be we have to get behind the team, help us stay up and hope that Pat can turn it around.

The Dunfermline game was great, we need to see that kind of atmosphere at ER

GGTTH

[Thecat23]

What £££££ Signs are these? The 900k loss last year? Wake up there is no money to spend. The only ones that are going to help us is us.

The pound signs he seen when he sold the core of the club and never replaced them. Brown, Thompson, whitty etc.. All I keep hearing is but we have no money. Yet on other threads it's but he's given other managers plenty money. He's wasted good money on crap managers Lex that's his and the boards fault. So now he needs to give Pat money and lets get this straight not millions here. Just enough to get players that St Mirren and Motherwell seem to attract on a much lesser wage. I know a few players and a couple of agents and everyone has said he and this board have no ambition and they should step down. Christ even a blind man could see this. You backed CC when we all told you he was the wrong man your doing it again with this. I honestly don't know what you have against change at board level maybe you know Petrie I don't know? But he's no good and it's showing.

[HFC 0-7]

Badly timed it may have been, but he's right.

Hibs as a club and not just Petrie need the fans to get behind the team and go to Easter Road, I am a firm believer in supporting your team through thick and thin and yes it's been very thin recently.

The negative atmosphere at ER is crap the the moment and that can't be helping the players. I'm sure it has contributed to our woeful recent home record. I don't think having a half empty stadium helps though, I preferred it when we had the old East.

Hard as it may be we have to get behind the team, help us stay up and hope that Pat can turn it around.

The Dunfermline game was great, we need to see that kind of atmosphere at ER

GGTTH

This is what I was saying in an earlier post, rightly or wrongly this is not what all fans are like. we know this as, as soon as the going gets rough there is a drop off in fans, the rough has been going on for a while hence the lack of support. We know that good teams and big games where silverware is on offer, fans come out the woodwork. It has been the case for years, and no matter how many people say things like they arent fans, or we need everyone to stand up and be counted now, will make them change. The club and board know what the fans mentality is and has been, they know that the current financial climate is only going to make fans turn away quicker, so they must know that only a competative team can bring fans back.

[Hibernian Verse]

I buy a season ticket every year and will continue to do so despite living in Aberdeen and attending only a handful of home games. I go to more away games. Therefore I'm an uberfan and you should all do the same.

:na na:

[HFC 0-7]

What £££££ Signs are these? The 900k loss last year? Wake up there is no money to spend. The only ones that are going to help us is us.

That 900 K loss was covered by farmer most probably in the form of a loan. we will probably require another one this season. So farmer is lending us money to cover losses, why not lend us more money to stop the losses, if we get relegated there will be a huge loss waiting to be covered, more than what it would cost by spending now to keep us up.

[Hermit Crab]

What can we as the fans do to get through to the board and tell them this 2 year long rut is not good enough. Apart from a boycot which doesn't help the players is there much else we can do? What about a vote of no confidence petition or something like that? Just thinking out loud. :confused:

[NAE NOOKIE]

I suppose the chairman has to say something and to be fair what he said is true, the more fans who go the more money there is and therefore more money to spend on the team.

But the reality is that you attract more fans to games by winning and hopefully playing decent football. The fact of the matter is that there are few businesses who dont borrow money in order to produce more in the hope that this will take the business forward.

Players are the machinery and tools of the football business, if you fail to invest in the right equiptment you cant produce the goods and the customers wont buy ......... Its that simple !!!

To be fair In football its a bit different because the players you buy might not work out and you have wasted the money you borrowed, resulting in no increase in support and therefore no extra money to pay back what you have borrowed, thats where you have to be brave and take a risk.

But one thing is for sure. If we go down there sure as hell will be a massive downturn in revenue and a lot worse than it is now.

We need to invest in a new back 4 now, because what we have at the moment will get us relegated and if PF cant get even a non football man like RP to see that then he is never going to be able to turn us around. I think the likes of Stephens, Hanlon and Booth could go on to have decent careers at other clubs, but together in a back 4 with Hart they are a disaster.

With regard to Booth I think he would make an excellent left sided midfield player and I would like him to stay because of that, but he is decidedly average as a defender.

What RP has singularly failed to recognize is that every club has a hard core of supporters who will go no matter what. In Hibs case this amounts to between 5 and 6,000 fans. We only get 8,000 and more now because folk who bought STs at the start of the season are still using them. As things stand just now I think we will be lucky to sell 5,000 STs next season, even if we do hang on to our SPL status.

I dare say there are many clubs who rely on gate money and selling merchandise etc to survive, but take a look around Hibs board, they all play in the lower reaches of British and European football because that is as far as that kind of ethos will take you.

There are two clubs I can think of who are famouse for bringing through young players and selling them on Crew Alexandra and Auxerre. Neither of these clubs has even made a dent in domestic football, because all you do in that situation is stand still.

No .... If you want to get ahead in football you must be able to raise the money required to buy players who are capable of getting you to where you want to be and you will never do that on gate money alone. If you cant you are always going to be an also ran. Simple.

[Baldy Foghorn]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics, thanks for the encourgement!

Speculate how you want Rod, but we have been below par for months, for which you must take a fairly large chunk of the blame, for your part in the Calderwood fiasco, and your inability to hire the correct Manager.....We have no leadership on park, and this has to be one of the worst teams in our proud history. Your propaganda is embarrasing bordering on patronising....You must really take the fans as lemmings with your latest statement.....Time you and collective Board members put a team together on the park to try and retouch the fanbase, so back the manager a bit harder, stop rattling the biscuit tin, and show some ambition......

[Andy74]

:faf:

I'm one of a growing band of thousands.

Great. Glad you are proud of it. It was your man that got us here. Now you blame Petrie who has just had to empty almost all if CCs signings.

[Baldy Foghorn]

What can we as the fans do to get through to the board and tell them this 2 year long rut is not good enough. Apart from a boycot which doesn't help the players is there much else we can do? What about a vote of no confidence petition or something like that? Just thinking out loud. :confused:

Rooney the Board are so out of touch with the fans its unreal.....Un1ty......Put any tag on it they want, but until they show some ambition, they will lose fans forever......Its actually embarrasing now, the Board just take the proverbial.....

[SteveHFC]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out
there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics,
thanks for the encourgement!

Petrie **** Off

[IWasThere2016]

Great. Glad you are proud of it. It was your man that got us here. Now you blame Petrie who has just had to empty almost all if CCs signings.

"Proud" - you're making things up again.

Yes - we appointed CC in 2007 right enough.

[Westie1875]

Great. Glad you are proud of it. It was your man that got us here. Now you blame Petrie who has just had to empty almost all if CCs signings.

The slide started after we won the league cup in 2007, the only constant through the whole period has been the board, they need to start taking some of the blame and the responsibility of digging us out of the mess. Or they should step aside and let someone else try.

[IWasThere2016]

The slide started after we won the league cup in 2007, the only constant through the whole period has been the board, they need to start taking some of the blame and the responsibility of digging us out of the mess. Or they should step aside and let someone else try.

:agree:

[aunty joyce]

Yeh . . . why don't we employ the Hearts board they know how to spend money THAT THEY DON'T HAVE and they may be looking for employment real soon!!!
:rolleyes:

[smurf]

Yeh . . . why don't we employ the Hearts board they know how to spend money THAT THEY DON'T HAVE and they may be looking for employment real soon!!!
:rolleyes:

Who cares what they are doing or have? Let's have a board like St Johnstone...

[Pretty Boy]

Surely a football chairman and a businessman can see its up to him to put out a product that people wish to 'buy'.

He has got the 3 previous managerial appointments drastically wrong, he has put men in place who have wasted the budget they have been given, he has appointed men who have left the support apathetic and disinterested, he is ultimately to blame.

It's easy to say we should support through thick and.thin, some do, many don't. Football clubs need the fair weather fans to generate extra income. It's up to the board to.provide a manager and ultimately a team that gets fans back through the gates and generating income. This board are at this moment being found wanting and show no signs of learning from their mistakes.

[IWasThere2016]

Yeh . . . why don't we employ the Hearts board they know how to spend money THAT THEY DON'T HAVE and they may be looking for employment real soon!!!
:rolleyes:

:greengrin

[greenlex]

Surely a football chairman and a businessman can see its up to him to put out a product that people wish to 'buy'.

He has got the 3 previous managerial appointments drastically wrong, he has put men in place who have wasted the budget they have been given, he has appointed men who have left the support apathetic and disinterested, he is ultimately to blame.

It's easy to say we should support through thick and.thin, some do, many don't. Football clubs need the fair weather fans to generate extra income. It's up to the board to.provide a manager and ultimately a team that gets fans back through the gates and generating income. This board are at this moment being found wanting and show no signs of learning from their mistakes.
Are you saying Fenlon is the wrong appointment again Pretty Boy?

[Pretty Boy]

Who cares what they are doing or have? Let's have a board like St Johnstone...

Exactly.

St Johnstone have in recent times brought in proven quality in the likes of Jody Morris, Michael Duberry and Sandaza on a budget allegedly inferior to us.

If we are now working in the bargain basement the least we should be doing is making sure we are competing with fellow Lidl shoppers.

[sadtom]

'Like minded supporters' ?!?!?!
Firstly mr petrie, i'm not an aberdeen or a rugby fan. dont *****in dare suggest that you are a 'fellow' fan. I wouldnt think you've ever paid to get into ER in yer puff. Not to support Hibs anyway.
Secondly, we why are we the 3rd most expensive team to 'walk up' and watch, in testing economic times for the majority of us, if you are so desperate to get bodies through the door?
Thirdly under your stewardship we've seen 2 teams worth of talent and a number of managers either sold off or leaving due to being scunnered with your approach. The speed that you sought to clear the debt and build the infrastructure at the expence of the on field 'product' served to benifit only 2 people - you and your boss TF. Anyone buying the club previously would have seen the largest part of their payment going to secure the debt, so not only have you increaed the 'value' of the club in respect of facilities, stadium, HTC, land etc. So that it has grown in value over the years, so its worth more when its sold.
It also means that, when it is sold, far less of the money that exchanges hands will go to secure the debt and it will be a vastly larger sum that you (mr 10%) and TF will walk away with.
When you have invested as much of your emotions, time and percentage of you lifetimes income into Hibs as I (and no doubt the overwhelming majority of the folk on here) have, then, and only then, should you dare to bump your gums and 'lecture' us as to what we should be doing.
Until then, shut yer yap and bolt (with yer pockets stuffed with cash). No wonder you got a reputation for playing 'hardball' during transfer negotiations. So on top of being one of the best paid chairmen in the league for most of your tenure, you also knew that all the money you eeked out of other clubs was going on equity and ultimately your eventual profit the day you walk away.
Go on prove me wrong. Show me that you have Hibs in your heart by handing back every penny of profit you make when the club is eventually sold. After all, you've already been paid handsomely in your time here. You dont need it.

[Pretty Boy]

Are you saying Fenlon is the wrong appointment again Pretty Boy?

I like Fenlon.

By previous 3 I meant Mixu, Hughes and Calderwood.

I hope we have finally got the right man but the number of.managers and players we have paid off in recent times must mean his budget to do a nightmare job is more restricted than it.could have been.

[greenlex]

I like Fenlon.

By previous 3 I meant Mixu, Hughes and Calderwood.

I hope we have finally got the right man but the number of.managers and players we have paid off in recent times must mean his budget to do a nightmare job is more restricted than it.could have been.
Yup. We have to get through to the summer I reckon.

[down the slope]

Petrie is a tolley !, he wants fans to return as it's the only way we can generate income to move forward ?, how much have you wasted in payoffs to your crap manager choices Rod ?, if we had that cash to spend now we might , just might stay up this season , the evidence is there for all to see that he is utterly inept , i would not give him a red cent , whether we returned in our thousands to give him extra cash or not the result will always be the same . This man is killing our club and only his removal will save us.

[Hermit Crab]

the Board are so out of touch with the fans its unreal.....Un1ty......Put any tag on it they want, but until they show some ambition, they will lose fans forever......Its actually embarrasing now, the Board just take the proverbial.....



They board just need th GTF or it's bye bye premier lge and hello Starks park and Palmerston next season. Season ticket next year - I think not!!:fuming:

[Baldy Foghorn]

Another email sent from me today, the Board are so far out of touch with the fans its untrue....... They really are a patronising, ineffective, bungling shower of men........

[BEEJ]

When have they said that because it's not true?
Here's one example from The Scotsman in May 2007:

"HIBS chairman Rod Petrie today insisted John Collins' spending power will match that of every SPL side outwith the Old Firm and Hearts as the Easter Road boss strives to rebuild his squad for the coming season."

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/european/petrie_i_ll_let_collins_cash_in_1_1319138

[Hermit Crab]

Another email sent from me today, the Board are so far out of touch with the fans its untrue....... They really are a patronising, ineffective, bungling shower of men........

Post it up for all to see then mate :wink:

[IWasThere2016]

'Like minded supporters' ?!?!?!
Firstly mr petrie, i'm not an aberdeen or a rugby fan. dont *****in dare suggest that you are a 'fellow' fan. I wouldnt think you've ever paid to get into ER in yer puff. Not to support Hibs anyway.
Secondly, we why are we the 3rd most expensive team to 'walk up' and watch, in testing economic times for the majority of us, if you are so desperate to get bodies through the door?
Thirdly under your stewardship we've seen 2 teams worth of talent and a number of managers either sold off or leaving due to being scunnered with your approach. The speed that you sought to clear the debt and build the infrastructure at the expence of the on field 'product' served to benifit only 2 people - you and your boss TF. Anyone buying the club previously would have seen the largest part of their payment going to secure the debt, so not only have you increaed the 'value' of the club in respect of facilities, stadium, HTC, land etc. So that it has grown in value over the years, so its worth more when its sold.
It also means that, when it is sold, far less of the money that exchanges hands will go to secure the debt and it will be a vastly larger sum that you (mr 10%) and TF will walk away with.
When you have invested as much of your emotions, time and percentage of you lifetimes income into Hibs as I (and no doubt the overwhelming majority of the folk on here) have, then, and only then, should you dare to bump your gums and 'lecture' us as to what we should be doing.
Until then, shut yer yap and bolt (with yer pockets stuffed with cash). No wonder you got a reputation for playing 'hardball' during transfer negotiations. So on top of being one of the best paid chairmen in the league for most of your tenure, you also knew that all the money you eeked out of other clubs was going on equity and ultimately your eventual profit the day you walk away.
Go on prove me wrong. Show me that you have Hibs in your heart by handing back every penny of profit you make when the club is eventually sold. After all, you've already been paid handsomely in your time here. You dont need it.

Well said.

[Westie1875]

Another email sent from me today, the Board are so far out of touch with the fans its untrue....... They really are a patronising, ineffective, bungling shower of men........

I sent one off last night, wish I'd waited until I'd seen the chairman's thoughts first, I now know what to expect in terms of a reply though.

[Broken Gnome]

What he says is ok to be honest...

... If it included the missing paragraphs that acknowledged what exactly we've been putting up with, and some sort of manifesto for transfer window that at least tries to convince us that the board realise how serious things are.

As it doesn't, it'll be a rallying call to no one.

[Northernhibee]

Might be very unpopular,but it's as truthful a statement as you're going to get.

Costs have been cut big time as of late as revenue falls - you can only cut costs so much and the only way we're going to stay solvent is if we keep our revenue steady.

Would have been wise to credit the fans for putting up with poor results and poor fitba, but I'd rather that than a load of bull**** about how everything is hunky dory.

[N.Wales Hibby]

No, no, no - its all my fault. Well me and thousands of others :faf:

It's my fault. I should not have left.:greengrin

[Pretty Boy]

It's my fault. I should not have left.:greengrin

It's actually my fault, I moaned when on an internet forum when we lost yet another home game therefore I'm a Hearts fan.....apparently.

[Sergy Pie]

I think it's clear this board don't know how to run a football club. Business yes but not a football club.

Yes the club has gone in the right direction on the odd occasion but given the length of time the board have been here and the amount of changes in that time, the law of averages ensures a few of those set ups will have worked. What is clear is that the board don't know how to ensure the right formula is in place on a consistent basis. What is also clear from the program statement is theyre not going anywhere anytime soon if they think it's not their fault we're in this mess.

[iain nolan]

why did he not generate funds by selling calderwood when it was clear the man wanted to go back to england and fans where starting to stay away at that time . poor team performance damage the club .that resuilts in poor attendances .he needs gate money to generate funds now as the team are that bad no other club are intreasted in any off our squad players so no transfer money is coming into club
Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

Cheers Rod - heres my hard cash for usual 5 new season tics, thanks for the encourgement!

[Pretty Boy]

I think it's clear this board don't know how to run a football club. Business yes but not a football club.

Yes the club has gone in the right direction on the odd occasion but given the length of time the board have been here and the amount of changes in that time, the law of averages ensures a few of those set ups will have worked. What is clear is that the board don't know how to ensure the right formula is in place on a consistent basis. What is also clear from the program statement is theyre not going anywhere anytime soon if they think it's not their fault we're in this mess.

A football club and a business are one and the same now.

If the football club is a failure then so is the business.

[N.Wales Hibby]

'Like minded supporters' ?!?!?!
Firstly mr petrie, i'm not an aberdeen or a rugby fan. dont *****in dare suggest that you are a 'fellow' fan. I wouldnt think you've ever paid to get into ER in yer puff. Not to support Hibs anyway.
Secondly, we why are we the 3rd most expensive team to 'walk up' and watch, in testing economic times for the majority of us, if you are so desperate to get bodies through the door?
Thirdly under your stewardship we've seen 2 teams worth of talent and a number of managers either sold off or leaving due to being scunnered with your approach. The speed that you sought to clear the debt and build the infrastructure at the expence of the on field 'product' served to benifit only 2 people - you and your boss TF. Anyone buying the club previously would have seen the largest part of their payment going to secure the debt, so not only have you increaed the 'value' of the club in respect of facilities, stadium, HTC, land etc. So that it has grown in value over the years, so its worth more when its sold.
It also means that, when it is sold, far less of the money that exchanges hands will go to secure the debt and it will be a vastly larger sum that you (mr 10%) and TF will walk away with.
When you have invested as much of your emotions, time and percentage of you lifetimes income into Hibs as I (and no doubt the overwhelming majority of the folk on here) have, then, and only then, should you dare to bump your gums and 'lecture' us as to what we should be doing.
Until then, shut yer yap and bolt (with yer pockets stuffed with cash). No wonder you got a reputation for playing 'hardball' during transfer negotiations. So on top of being one of the best paid chairmen in the league for most of your tenure, you also knew that all the money you eeked out of other clubs was going on equity and ultimately your eventual profit the day you walk away.
Go on prove me wrong. Show me that you have Hibs in your heart by handing back every penny of profit you make when the club is eventually sold. After all, you've already been paid handsomely in your time here. You dont need it.

In a Nutshell:top marks

[Sergy Pie]

A football club and a business are one and the same now.

If the football club is a failure then so is the business.


With that in mind then, how many businesses would have survived neglecting the product for so long and investing so heavily on fixed assets?

[Northernhibee]

It's actually my fault, I moaned when on an internet forum when we lost yet another home game therefore I'm a Hearts fan.....apparently.

Point I was trying to make was that those who are more interested in saying how pish we are, how we're losers, how we're *****, how we'll be relegated, how PF doesnae have a clue, how some players are an embarrasment, how we seem to moan about a misplaced pass more than we celebrate a goal (and you're not the worst offender by a country mile, very few of the things I've mentioned would be true of yourself - credit when it's due) are doing the work of the Yams fans more than anything else and unsettling their team - I'd rather they were yams tbh.

Read that thread again before the two times we equalised, it's utterly, utterly pathetic. 60%-70% of the posters here need to grow a set of balls and realised that "support" needs to stretch to lean times as well, and if you're going to moan, do it in a constructive fashion as opposed to all out abuse as some people do, threads that read "Taxi for Hart Scott O'Hanlon" etc. (and that isn't a thinly veiled reference, whoever started that thread is a disgrace as it's all been said a thousand times before and doesn't need to be repeated an infinite number of times).

Admittedly it may have been yourself that made a small comment that was the straw that broke the camels back yesterday (there are much worse offenders, I will apologise for that), but really, the vast majority of this board needs to man the **** up and realise that constant negative posts about individual players only adds to the pressure and lack of confidence that can be seen on the pitch, I don't blame anyone in the team for not wanting to be a leader and sticking their neck out to the judge, jury and executioner approach to so many Hibs fans.

Yesterday we twice came from behind to a team in incredible form away from home, and had only conceded 5 goals in 10 matches - if we had a leader or two in centre mid and central defence, it would have been a very different story.

Trust PF to find those players in a different window - he's not just signing players for the sake of it like we all complained how CC did with Divis, Agogo etc - this is possibly the biggest mission any new Hibs manager has faced.

The letter sent to the Hibs team before the Dunfy game visibly lifted the team, as did several thousand fans supporting properly - old fashioned 90minutes of lung-bursting singing support- and we got a win.

This week - we go a goal down, woe betide us, we're going to be relegated, they're all ***** - and we collapse in a nervous wreck.

If the players we have aren't good enough to stay up then that's the case - the level of abuse and personal criticism levelled towards them will only get worse.

We each, indivuually, have two choices. Man up and support our team over the finish line and see if we can stay up, or do the work of the yams themselves and bludgeon them into submission.

[greenlex]

'Like minded supporters' ?!?!?!
Firstly mr petrie, i'm not an aberdeen or a rugby fan. dont *****in dare suggest that you are a 'fellow' fan. I wouldnt think you've ever paid to get into ER in yer puff. Not to support Hibs anyway.
Secondly, we why are we the 3rd most expensive team to 'walk up' and watch, in testing economic times for the majority of us, if you are so desperate to get bodies through the door?
Thirdly under your stewardship we've seen 2 teams worth of talent and a number of managers either sold off or leaving due to being scunnered with your approach. The speed that you sought to clear the debt and build the infrastructure at the expence of the on field 'product' served to benifit only 2 people - you and your boss TF. Anyone buying the club previously would have seen the largest part of their payment going to secure the debt, so not only have you increaed the 'value' of the club in respect of facilities, stadium, HTC, land etc. So that it has grown in value over the years, so its worth more when its sold.
It also means that, when it is sold, far less of the money that exchanges hands will go to secure the debt and it will be a vastly larger sum that you (mr 10%) and TF will walk away with.
When you have invested as much of your emotions, time and percentage of you lifetimes income into Hibs as I (and no doubt the overwhelming majority of the folk on here) have, then, and only then, should you dare to bump your gums and 'lecture' us as to what we should be doing.
Until then, shut yer yap and bolt (with yer pockets stuffed with cash). No wonder you got a reputation for playing 'hardball' during transfer negotiations. So on top of being one of the best paid chairmen in the league for most of your tenure, you also knew that all the money you eeked out of other clubs was going on equity and ultimately your eventual profit the day you walk away.
Go on prove me wrong. Show me that you have Hibs in your heart by handing back every penny of profit you make when the club is eventually sold. After all, you've already been paid handsomely in your time here. You dont need it.
I might be wrong but the like minded supporters bit was about the whole item (ie the ones that generated the atmosphere at EEP rather than RP himself.
Also I think the only manager that has been scunnered by club policies or RP for that matter is Collins. The others were removed from the position or left to do other things.
As for selling the club in case you havent noticed there is no massive queue of buyers for any Scottish football club let alone Hibs.It will be a long long time if ever Hibs are sold to anyone.

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Speculate that performances are keeping fans away??? Speculate??? FFS. I will state that as a plain fact.

[Pretty Boy]

Point I was trying to make was that those who are more interested in saying how pish we are, how we're losers, how we're *****, how we'll be relegated, how PF doesnae have a clue, how some players are an embarrasment, how we seem to moan about a misplaced pass more than we celebrate a goal (and you're not the worst offender by a country mile, very few of the things I've mentioned would be true of yourself - credit when it's due) are doing the work of the Yams fans more than anything else and unsettling their team - I'd rather they were yams tbh.

Read that thread again before the two times we equalised, it's utterly, utterly pathetic. 60%-70% of the posters here need to grow a set of balls and realised that "support" needs to stretch to lean times as well, and if you're going to moan, do it in a constructive fashion as opposed to all out abuse as some people do, threads that read "Taxi for Hart Scott O'Hanlon" etc. (and that isn't a thinly veiled reference, whoever started that thread is a disgrace as it's all been said a thousand times before and doesn't need to be repeated an infinite number of times).

Admittedly it may have been yourself that made a small comment that was the straw that broke the camels back yesterday (there are much worse offenders, I will apologise for that), but really, the vast majority of this board needs to man the **** up and realise that constant negative posts about individual players only adds to the pressure and lack of confidence that can be seen on the pitch, I don't blame anyone in the team for not wanting to be a leader and sticking their neck out to the judge, jury and executioner approach to so many Hibs fans.

Yesterday we twice came from behind to a team in incredible form away from home, and had only conceded 5 goals in 10 matches - if we had a leader or two in centre mid and central defence, it would have been a very different story.

Trust PF to find those players in a different window - he's not just signing players for the sake of it like we all complained how CC did with Divis, Agogo etc - this is possibly the biggest mission any new Hibs manager has faced.

The letter sent to the Hibs team before the Dunfy game visibly lifted the team, as did several thousand fans supporting properly - old fashioned 90minutes of lung-bursting singing support- and we got a win.

This week - we go a goal down, woe betide us, we're going to be relegated, they're all ***** - and we collapse in a nervous wreck.

If the players we have aren't good enough to stay up then that's the case - the level of abuse and personal criticism levelled towards them will only get worse.

We each, indivuually, have two choices. Man up and support our team over the finish line and see if we can stay up, or do the work of the yams themselves and bludgeon them into submission.

I realise I'm being totally arsey over what was a heat of the moment comment/comments so I do apologise.

I think.were I am coming from is whilst the negativity isn't nice nor desirable it is to some extent understandable.

Since the CIS cup win ( almost 5 years ago now ) as a support we have had to endure far more downs than ups, we have been allows to slide into a downward spiral and show no signs of getting out of it.

In an ideal world we would all turn up week in week out and back the team with positive encouragement but the reality isn't like that. I feel for some of the players because at the end of the day its not.their fault they aren't good enough, however they are in the firing line. A lot of the abuse they are taking is frustration not just at them or the performance but also at the board and the overall situation. Most fans have and continue to spend a hell of a lot of money supporting Hibs and we deserve better.

Surely as a group the players can understand, if not agree with, some of the frustration they are on the receiving end of. I tend to keep control at games but I can.understand why others can't. I generally avoid criticising players too much even on here but I'm becoming far more vocal in my critcism of the board because from what i see they are hopelessly out.of.touch not just with the fans but also the gravity of the situation.

[HFC 0-7]

Might be very unpopular,but it's as truthful a statement as you're going to get.

Costs have been cut big time as of late as revenue falls - you can only cut costs so much and the only way we're going to stay solvent is if we keep our revenue steady.

Would have been wise to credit the fans for putting up with poor results and poor fitba, but I'd rather that than a load of bull**** about how everything is hunky dory.

Dont think anyone expected or wanted a message stating everything was fine. The problem people have is that the statement is basically asking the fans to bail the club out of a mess that the current board have got us in. Rightly, many have lost confidence in the board to spend money and people are now unwilling to put money in when we could have to go through another season like the past few. Many fans talk about wanting the board to show ambition, until it is shown, IMO, many fans wont be willing to take a punt on a ST.

[sadtom]

I might be wrong but the like minded supporters bit was about the whole item (ie the ones that generated the atmosphere at EEP rather than RP himself.
Also I think the only manager that has been scunnered by club policies or RP for that matter is Collins. The others were removed from the position or left to do other things.
As for selling the club in case you havent noticed there is no massive queue of buyers for any Scottish football club let alone Hibs.It will be a long long time if ever Hibs are sold to anyone.

I disagree. I think RP is, at the very least, infering that he too is a 'supporter' - he's not.
I think you will find Mowbray, Mixu and Yogi (prob even Coco the clown too) were unhappy with RP's 'policy', lack of support and his rigidity. Not to mention his lack of support in some cases and felt they were undermined or worked with their hands tied.
As for selling the club? The lack of suitors does not detract from the point. If someone offered them the going rate for the club TF & RP would be outta here quicker than sh*t through a goose disappearing into the sunset wich a relatively huge profit.

[Sammy7nil]

SOME MAY HAVE MISSED THIS BUT THERE IS AN ON GOING RECESSION.

Many people have lost there jobs been forced to take a pay cut or have not had a pay rise for years whilst inflation means they have less money. Their families may struggle for day to day living let alone luxuries like holidays ST's etc.

Take that in to account and a lot of fans cannot justify buying a season ticket to watch a very poor team that most probably affects their mood in a negative way. It is simply easy to say I cannot go.

Hibs have taken little or no account of the recession and if it is to be believed ST will increase next season.

I would have no issue if Hibs said we cannot pay for quality players and give the full reason why - Put in policy to reduce prices ask fans to get back on side and hopefully increase numbers at games and still have a similar budget to work with. If that fails then so be it, the Club is the fans and if they continue to stay away despite the boards best efforts to offer value then they club has spoken and the answer is we are not bothered.

[GreenPJ]

I disagree. I think RP is, at the very least, infering that he too is a 'supporter' - he's not.
I think you will find Mowbray, Mixu and Yogi (prob even Coco the clown too) were unhappy with RP's 'policy', lack of support and his rigidity. Not to mention his lack of support in some cases and felt they were undermined or worked with their hands tied.
As for selling the club? The lack of suitors does not detract from the point. If someone offered them the going rate for the club TF & RP would be outta here quicker than sh*t through a goose disappearing into the sunset wich a relatively huge profit.

A relatively huge profit, how do you work that one out?

[Dr Jimmy]

I think it's clear this board don't know how to run a football club. Business yes but not a football club.

I don't know many businesses that are losing money added to losing customers at an alarming rate that can be deemed a success. Therefore the board are failing on all fronts and should either have individuals changed to allow new ideas or completely replaced as they are not delivering.

[Feed McGraw]

This man has gone too far. He`s almost blaming the fans for the pathetic state of our once proud club- UNBELIEVABLE.


He would not know a football if it hit him square in the puss, so hence he does not understand real football supporters either. Oh, these are sad times indeed for the Hibs - Almost 50 years I`ve been going to see them and regardless of poor teams and bad results in the past, THIS PAST FEW YEARS is the worst I`ve ever felt and I and many others are totally disillusioned.

[greenlex]

This man has gone too far. He`s almost blaming the fans for the pathetic state of our once proud club- UNBELIEVABLE.


He would not know a football if it hit him square in the puss, so hence he does not understand real football supporters either. Oh, these are sad times indeed for the Hibs - Almost 50 years I`ve been going to see them and regardless of poor teams and bad results in the past, THIS PAST FEW YEARS is the worst I`ve ever felt and I and many others are totally disillusioned.
I must have missed that. Where about?

[Bigbobajob]

'Like minded supporters' ?!?!?!
Firstly mr petrie, i'm not an aberdeen or a rugby fan. dont *****in dare suggest that you are a 'fellow' fan. I wouldnt think you've ever paid to get into ER in yer puff. Not to support Hibs anyway.
Secondly, we why are we the 3rd most expensive team to 'walk up' and watch, in testing economic times for the majority of us, if you are so desperate to get bodies through the door?
Thirdly under your stewardship we've seen 2 teams worth of talent and a number of managers either sold off or leaving due to being scunnered with your approach. The speed that you sought to clear the debt and build the infrastructure at the expence of the on field 'product' served to benifit only 2 people - you and your boss TF. Anyone buying the club previously would have seen the largest part of their payment going to secure the debt, so not only have you increaed the 'value' of the club in respect of facilities, stadium, HTC, land etc. So that it has grown in value over the years, so its worth more when its sold.
It also means that, when it is sold, far less of the money that exchanges hands will go to secure the debt and it will be a vastly larger sum that you (mr 10%) and TF will walk away with.
When you have invested as much of your emotions, time and percentage of you lifetimes income into Hibs as I (and no doubt the overwhelming majority of the folk on here) have, then, and only then, should you dare to bump your gums and 'lecture' us as to what we should be doing.
Until then, shut yer yap and bolt (with yer pockets stuffed with cash). No wonder you got a reputation for playing 'hardball' during transfer negotiations. So on top of being one of the best paid chairmen in the league for most of your tenure, you also knew that all the money you eeked out of other clubs was going on equity and ultimately your eventual profit the day you walk away.
Go on prove me wrong. Show me that you have Hibs in your heart by handing back every penny of profit you make when the club is eventually sold. After all, you've already been paid handsomely in your time here. You dont need it.


Couldn't agree more. The ignorance of RP is staggering.

[Saorsa]

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b168/jamie1971/nopetrie.gif

[BEEJ]

Would have been wise to credit the fans for putting up with poor results and poor fitba, but I'd rather that than a load of bull**** about how everything is hunky dory.
He did pay credit to the fans though:

"It was heartening to see 3,500 Hibernian fans attend East End Park last Saturday and dominate the atmosphere. Many of you were there. You saw what it meant to the players. Hopefully today we can see a big crowd and create a daunting atmosphere within Easter Road Stadium. The team needs support home and away, but it is only attendances at home that add to our revenues."

He was trying to build on the positives of the previous week and pointing out the important part the supporters played in the team grinding out that victory at Dunfermline.


I might be wrong but the like minded supporters bit was about the whole item (ie the ones that generated the atmosphere at EEP rather than RP himself.
:agree:

[Pedantic_Hibee]

Can anyone let me know the appropriate email addresses for me to fire off a retort to yesterday's ridiculous programme statement?

[Feed McGraw]

I must have missed that. Where about?

I did say ALMOST blaming because I do feel there is a wee subliminal message there saying if you don`t come it can only get worse.

IMHO he should be apologising to one of the most loyal, long suffering supports in the history of the game.

[sadtom]

A relatively huge profit, how do you work that one out?

RP invested zero of his money in the club and until the last few years was the 3rd best paid chairman in the league. He now has a 10% stake in the club.

TF invested less than 1 million of his own money in the club but has been a guarantor for the debt-mortgage.
At his insistance the FF stand was fitted out to a far highter spec than originally planned and increased the cost 3-4 fold for 2 years after it was opened TF took back all profits made by the FF stand, outside sat afternoon income. Only after this was exposed by Simon Pia did the policy change. Incidently TF 'leant' on the owners of the Scotsman and threatened to withdraw advertising from his associated companies and friends if Simon Pia continued to write 'critical' articles, ie the TRUTH (i know this to be true.)

If we play with made up figures for simplicities sake.
If at the time of TF taking over the clubs entire assets - buildings, squad, land etc were worth 20 million but the debt was 15 million then selling the club for the same as its value would mean that the person owning would walk away with 5 million as the new owner would take on the 15 million debt.
However the rush to clear the debt and invest in fixed assets, the training centre and the stadium, saw the value of Hibs rise by, lets say 5 million, to 25. At the same time the debt was reduced by say 7 million, to 8 million.
So therefore the potential sale of the club at its new face value would see the owners walking away with 17 million - not 5 million and they had invested zero extra money and the increase in profit is down to the money spent by the support and the sale of players which went into debt clearance and new infrastucture.
I hope you understand these are hypothetical figures but you get the gist. Its where they've directed the money that is going to allow them with 'huge profits'.
If these figures are anywhere near the reality then RP would walk away with more than 1 and a 1/2 million (not a bad return on f*** all investment) and TF 15 million, a hell of a lot more than the several hundred thousands he invested.

I said relatively cause they aint the biggest sums in the world of sport, Man citeh's owners wouldnt bat an eyelid but they're huge in our respect.

[Steven_Hibs]

What £££££ Signs are these? The 900k loss last year? Wake up there is no money to spend. The only ones that are going to help us is us.

Except the £2m sitting in the bank :wink:

[carnoustiehibee]

has anybody ever brought this up with petrie when hes in behind the goals?

the odd occcasion ive been there before the game ive seen him walking about, is he up there every game?

[Newhaven]

SOME MAY HAVE MISSED THIS BUT THERE IS AN ON GOING RECESSION.

Many people have lost there jobs been forced to take a pay cut or have not had a pay rise for years whilst inflation means they have less money. Their families may struggle for day to day living let alone luxuries like holidays ST's etc.

Take that in to account and a lot of fans cannot justify buying a season ticket to watch a very poor team that most probably affects their mood in a negative way. It is simply easy to say I cannot go.

Hibs have taken little or no account of the recession and if it is to be believed ST will increase next season.

I would have no issue if Hibs said we cannot pay for quality players and give the full reason why - Put in policy to reduce prices ask fans to get back on side and hopefully increase numbers at games and still have a similar budget to work with. If that fails then so be it, the Club is the fans and if they continue to stay away despite the boards best efforts to offer value then they club has spoken and the answer is we are not bothered.

ST prices increasing? No way Jose.

[FitbaFolkKen]

What an overreaction! This place genuinely is mental.

Rod asks for people who attend to try and persuade other Hibbies to come back and watch the team....on the back of 2 wins. Clearly he has done this after the support that went to EEP and seeing the difference it made.

He points out that 2011 was bad, obviously trying to be more positive about 2012, had we won on Saturday this would not have even been brought up .

I can't see whats wrong with the statement. I would also prefer that our board didn't come out and say "Pat's got money to spend we are going all out for his targets", as that would clearly up the price tag of any player Hibs went in for.

This is just another excuse to get on the boards back, and unmerited in my opinion.

[grantonhibee]

what more do they want from supporters , its them draining the club , we are showing great ambition yet another loan signing!!

petrie gtf

[son of haggart]

ST prices increasing? No way Jose.

There is a possible strategy there (if you are just thinking about the money)

If it likely you are down to a core of supporters, they will likely stump up regardless - it's nort very price sensitive. The rest will be paying the higher walk up prices. If you do well, plenty of walk ups

[down the slope]

What an overreaction! This place genuinely is mental.

Rod asks for people who attend to try and persuade other Hibbies to come back and watch the team....on the back of 2 wins. Clearly he has done this after the support that went to EEP and seeing the difference it made.

He points out that 2011 was bad, obviously trying to be more positive about 2012, had we won on Saturday this would not have even been brought up .

I can't see whats wrong with the statement. I would also prefer that our board didn't come out and say "Pat's got money to spend we are going all out for his targets", as that would clearly up the price tag of any player Hibs went in for.

This is just another excuse to get on the boards back, and unmerited in my opinion.

Here's why we are on their backs, we are bottom of the league with an even chance of being relegated ,he should just shut his trap and stop begging the fans for cash, maybe something along the lines of, " we as a board have made a few mistakes but we hope to turn it round with your help etc" might get more people on their side but no, you would think it was just bad luck that got us into the position we are in instead of one of the most monumental F... ups in our history.

[Baldy Foghorn]

Here's why we are on their backs, we are bottom of the league with an even chance of being relegated ,he should just shut his trap and stop begging the fans for cash, maybe something along the lines of, " we as a board have made a few mistakes but we hope to turn it round with your help etc" might get more people on their side but no, you would think it was just bad luck that got us into the position we are in instead of one of the most monumental F... ups in our history.

spot on

[grantonhibee]

well said , but they seem to blame the fans ?

[Baldy Foghorn]

SOME MAY HAVE MISSED THIS BUT THERE IS AN ON GOING RECESSION.

Many people have lost there jobs been forced to take a pay cut or have not had a pay rise for years whilst inflation means they have less money. Their families may struggle for day to day living let alone luxuries like holidays ST's etc.

Take that in to account and a lot of fans cannot justify buying a season ticket to watch a very poor team that most probably affects their mood in a negative way. It is simply easy to say I cannot go.

Hibs have taken little or no account of the recession and if it is to be believed ST will increase next season.

I would have no issue if Hibs said we cannot pay for quality players and give the full reason why - Put in policy to reduce prices ask fans to get back on side and hopefully increase numbers at games and still have a similar budget to work with. If that fails then so be it, the Club is the fans and if they continue to stay away despite the boards best efforts to offer value then they club has spoken and the answer is we are not bothered.

If indeed this is the case, it may just be the straw that broke the camel's back for many..... I will get one again, but any increase in price, would should incredible brass necked behaviour IMO.....I don't think we will see a price hike, have a feeling the prices will be frozen......

[Baldy Foghorn]

There is a possible strategy there (if you are just thinking about the money)

If it likely you are down to a core of supporters, they will likely stump up regardless - it's nort very price sensitive. The rest will be paying the higher walk up prices. If you do well, plenty of walk ups

Hibs and strategy???

They should be freezing the ST price, and making walk ups slightly dearer, in the hope it persuades many to bite the bullet and renew, therefore getting more cash up front.....

[son of haggart]

Hibs and strategy???

They should be freezing the ST price, and making walk ups slightly dearer, in the hope it persuades many to bite the bullet and renew, therefore getting more cash up front.....

Depends on how many you estimate were intending to, but won't renew with say a 5% increase.

[thebakerboy]

Sorry Rod your statement does not stand up . The crowds at yesterdays games were Dundee Utd 5,969 , ICT 3,812 , Killie 4,016 , Rangers 46,648 and St Mirren (via Celtic) 6,128 and 8,772 turned up at ER. Take Rangers out of the equation and all these other clubs are running on smaller budgets than Hibs but have better players and are in better positions in the league than Hibs , so how is it the fault of the supporters not turning up that we are in the position we are in. And remember apart from Celtic and Hearts the other away teams also play in front of smaller crowds than us. Methinks perhaps these other clubs are better managed than us from the board Room down , although I do think that our present coaching set up could come good if the financial management above them is better.

[greenlex]

Sorry Rod your statement does not stand up . The crowds at yesterdays games were Dundee Utd 5,969 , ICT 3,812 , Killie 4,016 , Rangers 46,648 and St Mirren (via Celtic) 6,128 and 8,772 turned up at ER. Take Rangers out of the equation and all these other clubs are running on smaller budgets than Hibs but have better players and are in better positions in the league than Hibs , so how is it the fault of the supporters not turning up that we are in the position we are in. And remember apart from Celtic and Hearts the other away teams also play in front of smaller crowds than us. Methinks perhaps these other clubs are better managed than us from the board Room down , although I do think that our present coaching set up could come good if the financial management above them is better.

Jeezo man. He has never ever ever ever said its the supporters fault for not turning up that we are in the position we are in. If its said enough I am sure it will become fact though.

[greenlex]

well said , but they seem to blame the fans ?

Where?

[Mikey]

Jeezo man. He has never ever ever ever said its the supporters fault for not turning up that we are in the position we are in. If its said enough I am sure it will become fact though.


Where?


You're wasting your time :wink:

[Baldy Foghorn]

Depends on how many you estimate were intending to, but won't renew with say a 5% increase.

Yeah thats fair comment. However, they would have some balls to increase prices after the last two seasons of dross on the park

[Northernhibee]

Jeezo man. He has never ever ever ever said its the supporters fault for not turning up that we are in the position we are in. If its said enough I am sure it will become fact though.

Good effort mate - sadly for 60% of perople on here, hysterical over-reactions are the order of the day.

[Beefster]

has anybody ever brought this up with petrie when hes in behind the goals?

the odd occcasion ive been there before the game ive seen him walking about, is he up there every game?

Whilst not the biggest Rodders fan, even I marvel at his ability to blank all and sundry, apart from the same old faces, in there. If you do manage to corner him and ask him a tricky question, he's even better at answering without answering and moving on.

Say what you want about him but he's a pro at extracting himself from sticky situations.

[Beefster]

Good effort mate - sadly for 60% of perople on here, hysterical over-reactions are the order of the day.

I thought that your GIRFUYs on the match thread were hysterical. I only read them once I got back, freezing and pissed off, from the match though.

[Westie1875]

Yeah thats fair comment. However, they would have some balls to increase prices after the last two seasons of dross on the park

Particularly when they don't even know what division we will be playing in. The marketing campaign will be interesting, will they be offering a refund of X if we end up in the first division as they surely can't justify charging £400 a pop in that scenario?

[Baldy Foghorn]

Particularly when they don't even know what division we will be playing in. The marketing campaign will be interesting, will they be offering a refund of X if we end up in the first division as they surely can't justify charging £400 a pop in that scenario?

Its going to be interesting shortly when the marketing pamphlets drop through our letterboxes.........

[IberianHibernian]

Not many people read programme now so doubt comments were taken too seriously by Petrie . Though it`s obvious that more fans means more money and a better team , comments were ill - advised since they only alienate fans who`re already making a sacrifice to support their club . would be amazed if club raised ST prices next year whatever division we`re in given economic situation ,number of seats we have to fill and dissatisfaction and apathy of support . What board have to do ( apart from the obvious of backing manager to get a better team ) is do more to fill seats with ST holders and walk up fans whether they`re going to 1 or 20 home games a season . Do more to get lifelong Hibbies ,distant Hibbies , students , OAPs , tourists , schoolkids , immigrants , away fans ( see comments about mixed areas in other thread ) etc etc to ER . What about reducing prices for seats in front rows of FF and East to fill up empty seats that look so bad on telly ?

[Northernhibee]

I thought that your GIRFUYs on the match thread were hysterical. I only read them once I got back, freezing and pissed off, from the match though.
Was stuck up in Aberdeen with a stinker of a cold - believe it or not, would have quite happily swapped you.
Least Sparky gets about 24 hours before he feels the grief from his GIRFUYs, takes three minutes on here.

Petrie! :grr:

[Sir David Gray]

Can anyone let me know the appropriate email addresses for me to fire off a retort to yesterday's ridiculous programme statement?

board@hibernianfc.co.uk

[AlbertK86]

All he is saying is that there is no magic wand. There is no investment available. We will get what the supporters generate. We wont be splashing any cash we dont have. Its up to everyone involved with the club.
I must be blind as I cant see this is amateur.:confused:

How is yer dad ROD getting on

Seems the bounce boys think you love ROD as well

[cabbageandribs1875]

How is yer dad ROD getting on

Seems the bounce boys think you love ROD as well


do i hear church bells :greengrin anyway, roderick is gonna have to pull something special out of the hat and get us outa this mess for me to start calling him 'sir' roderick again, he has to earn his knighthood :(

[Ultrabee1-0]

rod petrie is a arse!
all the money thats came into hibs the past 15 years has went on very little? East Stand and the training centre.
its time we pulled the money out the pocket and took the risk on buying a good player at a decent price to do a decent job!
then mabey we will start winning games and cups and pushing up putting presure on the old firm!!!
get the finger out petrie or you know were the door is!:worried:

[FitbaFolkKen]

Here's why we are on their backs, we are bottom of the league with an even chance of being relegated ,he should just shut his trap and stop begging the fans for cash, maybe something along the lines of, " we as a board have made a few mistakes but we hope to turn it round with your help etc" might get more people on their side but no, you would think it was just bad luck that got us into the position we are in instead of one of the most monumental F... ups in our history.

I understand the current situation.....All he has done is explain the cycle, people stay away team gets worse. In addition to pointing out that Sir Tom is not going to dip in his pockets and bail us out as has already been offered as a solution on here.

We've had poor managers who have bought poor players, I appreciate appointed by the board. However for each and every appointment it is easy to see why they would think it was a good one.

This statement has nothing wrong with it, folk are looking for any reason to pressure the board and have even taken parts of it out of context.

If there is so much frustration and annoyance with the board, why has nothing been done? A protest group or something? Wait a minute, it's been done and 8 folk and a dog turned up. All the tantrums on here mean nothing, I've read the same folk give the board pelters consistently and yet its always the same there is criticism with nothing substantial behind it. If the board are as bad as people make out then someone would have stood up and done something about it properly?

[Lucius Apuleius]

Well I must be reading it wrong. Way I read the whole article is that he is praising the fans that were at EEP and saying he wished it was like that at the Holy Ground. Like it or not, he has a point.

[Beefster]

If there is so much frustration and annoyance with the board, why has nothing been done? A protest group or something? Wait a minute, it's been done and 8 folk and a dog turned up. All the tantrums on here mean nothing, I've read the same folk give the board pelters consistently and yet its always the same there is criticism with nothing substantial behind it. If the board are as bad as people make out then someone would have stood up and done something about it properly?

Apathy and the knowledge that, ultimately, we're powerless to do anything about the board. Folk are making their protest in the most powerful way that they have available to them - not attending.

To say that the criticism has nothing substantial behind it is nonsense too IMHO. All of Hibs' ideas in the last five years have, arguably, been thought up by the fans (e.g. focus groups, on here, in correspondence/talks with the club). I remember someone on here suggesting, in great detail, a club membership in 2002 around the time that the move from Rivals happened. There is plenty more that the Board could be doing, a lot of which has been detailed on here at some point or another.

[Nailrod]

Jeezo man. He has never ever ever ever said its the supporters fault for not turning up that we are in the position we are in. If its said enough I am sure it will become fact though.

If it comes to that has he ever suggested that he shares any responsibility for "the position we are in"?

You know, I don't think he ever has...

[greenlex]

If it comes to that has he ever suggested that he shares any responsibility for "the position we are in"?

You know, I don't think he ever has...

No. No he hasnt. Ever ever ever. But if I was to say he has I am sure some of you quite rightly would ask me to point you in tbe direction of the quote. So no he hasnt.

[Beefster]

If it comes to that has he ever suggested that he shares any responsibility for "the position we are in"?

You know, I don't think he ever has...

From memory, he apologised for Calderwood at the AGM but caveated it by saying that Calderwood's failure was nothing to do with the Board/him and that they acted decisively when they needed to sack him.

Incidentally, he says that it's easy to speculate that results are driving supporters away as if it's not entirely accurate. However, he speculated that results were leading to reduced attendances to justify the £900k loss in the last accounts.

[aob4green]

'Like minded supporters' ?!?!?!
Firstly mr petrie, i'm not an aberdeen or a rugby fan. dont *****in dare suggest that you are a 'fellow' fan. I wouldnt think you've ever paid to get into ER in yer puff. Not to support Hibs anyway.
Secondly, we why are we the 3rd most expensive team to 'walk up' and watch, in testing economic times for the majority of us, if you are so desperate to get bodies through the door?
Thirdly under your stewardship we've seen 2 teams worth of talent and a number of managers either sold off or leaving due to being scunnered with your approach. The speed that you sought to clear the debt and build the infrastructure at the expence of the on field 'product' served to benifit only 2 people - you and your boss TF. Anyone buying the club previously would have seen the largest part of their payment going to secure the debt, so not only have you increaed the 'value' of the club in respect of facilities, stadium, HTC, land etc. So that it has grown in value over the years, so its worth more when its sold.
It also means that, when it is sold, far less of the money that exchanges hands will go to secure the debt and it will be a vastly larger sum that you (mr 10%) and TF will walk away with.
When you have invested as much of your emotions, time and percentage of you lifetimes income into Hibs as I (and no doubt the overwhelming majority of the folk on here) have, then, and only then, should you dare to bump your gums and 'lecture' us as to what we should be doing.
Until then, shut yer yap and bolt (with yer pockets stuffed with cash). No wonder you got a reputation for playing 'hardball' during transfer negotiations. So on top of being one of the best paid chairmen in the league for most of your tenure, you also knew that all the money you eeked out of other clubs was going on equity and ultimately your eventual profit the day you walk away.
Go on prove me wrong. Show me that you have Hibs in your heart by handing back every penny of profit you make when the club is eventually sold. After all, you've already been paid handsomely in your time here. You dont need it.



Excellent post, sums up mine and probably loads of other fans' emotions at the moment. Petrie has for far too long treated the fans appalingly. That's reflected in a crowd of 8,500 at ER on Saturday, and by the way that number is dwindling fast. Last year we had the same approach to signing playes in the January window when we were on the brink of relegation - everything was done at the last minute. It looks as though the same thing is happening again. We have been crying out for a Centre Half all season, yet 3 weeks into the window (and about 4 crucial games) and we still haven't got one. We get the same excuse trotted out time and time again that its hard to attract players at this time of year. Bollox, offer a competitive wage, get out there and do your sales pitch, be charismatic, sell not only the club but everything else such as Edinburgh (one of the most attractive cities in northern Europe to live) and convince the player that this is the right place to be.

Petrie's statement in the prgramme is truly astonishing - and not only because we got beat on Saturday. One thing and one thing alone will get fans returning to ER - quality product on the park. Time for the board to step up to the mark. Not holding my breath.

[Nailrod]

What an overreaction! This place genuinely is mental.
He points out that 2011 was bad, obviously trying to be more positive about 2012...
By gum he's a perspicacious fellow, is our Rod. No flies on him. A year in which we managed not one memorable result was 'bad'. Following a year in which we managed all of one memorable results. What treats lie in store in 2012?

This is just another excuse to get on the boards back, and unmerited in my opinion.

I would love to know at what point, in your opinion, will it be 'merited' to get on the backs of the board?

[down the slope]

" Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012."



Astonishing !, not a hint of remorse . It must be someone else's fault that we are in the merd , all this from a man who has never paid in to see Hibs in his life and he is telling us to get our ***** along to ER , he is never more wrong when he said " we have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL " cobblers , no we do not have the ability. All he has to do is have a shufti at the league table to see the ability on offer . Time for the whole lot to go , do you hear that crashing sound Rod ?, it's the gravy train hitting the buffers !.

[Andy74]

" Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012."



Astonishing !, not a hint of remorse . It must be someone else's fault that we are in the merd , all this from a man who has never paid in to see Hibs in his life and he is telling us to get our ***** along to ER , he is never more wrong when he said " we have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL " cobblers , no we do not have the ability. All he has to do is have a shufti at the league table to see the ability on offer . Time for the whole lot to go , do you hear that crashing sound Rod ?, it's the gravy train hitting the buffers !.

I think I must be reading some different words than most others? I've read this a few times now and can't see what people seem to be reading into this!?

[Nailrod]

From memory, he apologised for Calderwood at the AGM but caveated it by saying that Calderwood's failure was nothing to do with the Board/him and that they acted decisively when they needed to sack him.

Well I'll grant him that one. They did indeed "act decisively" when they needed to sack Calderwood. In the summer. When they kept him on. And gave him a 'full vote of confidence'.

[JimBHibees]

Seems a pretty obvious comment to make not particularly inspirational however tend to think this wouldnt have been commented on if for example we had won or drawn on Satuday.

[StevieC]

Dont see what all the fuss is about. He's trying to rally the troops with an article in the match programme. What do people expect him to say??

IMO the board has done quite well for the club over the years. When we've had money it's been ploughed into the team, when we've made big money it's been ploughed into the infrastructure. Now that we've no money, and the support is dwindling on the back of a poor run of results, everyone thinks that the board are useless.

I'm not really sure what supporters are expecting? It's been stated from the beginning that we would always work within a budget, and that budget is dependant on income. Less fans, less money, lower budget, poorer player. It seems quite simple to me. And all Rod seems to be pointing out is that if we can get more supporters on board we will be in a better position to pull ourselves out of the current "hole".

At the risk of getting lynched, I think the negativity and abuse directed at the team at ER is a lot more damaging than anything the board are saying, or doing, at the moment. So yes, I think that we (as supporters) might have to take a look at ourselves before we start having a go at what the board are up to.

It's possible, just possible, that we might be able to oust the current board and replace it with some unknowns .. but be careful what you wish for.

[JimBHibees]

Dont see what all the fuss is about. He's trying to rally the troops with an article in the match programme. What do people expect him to say??

IMO the board has done quite well for the club over the years. When we've had money it's been ploughed into the team, when we've made big money it's been ploughed into the infrastructure. Now that we've no money, and the support is dwindling on the back of a poor run of results, everyone thinks that the board are useless.

I'm not really sure what supporters are expecting? It's been stated from the beginning that we would always work within a budget, and that budget is dependant on income. Less fans, less money, lower budget, poorer player. It seems quite simple to me. And all Rod seems to be pointing out is that if we can get more supporters on board we will be in a better position to pull ourselves out of the current "hole".

At the risk of getting lynched, I think the negativity and abuse directed at the team at ER is a lot more damaging than anything the board are saying, or doing, at the moment. So yes, I think that we (as supporters) might have to take a look at ourselves before we start having a go at what the board are up to.

It's possible, just possible, that we might be able to oust the current board and replace it with some unknowns .. but be careful what you wish for.

Couldnt agree more, great post.

[IWasThere2016]

Dont see what all the fuss is about. He's trying to rally the troops with an article in the match programme. What do people expect him to say??

IMO the board has done quite well for the club over the years. When we've had money it's been ploughed into the team, when we've made big money it's been ploughed into the infrastructure. Now that we've no money, and the support is dwindling on the back of a poor run of results, everyone thinks that the board are useless.

I'm not really sure what supporters are expecting? It's been stated from the beginning that we would always work within a budget, and that budget is dependant on income. Less fans, less money, lower budget, poorer player. It seems quite simple to me. And all Rod seems to be pointing out is that if we can get more supporters on board we will be in a better position to pull ourselves out of the current "hole".

At the risk of getting lynched, I think the negativity and abuse directed at the team at ER is a lot more damaging than anything the board are saying, or doing, at the moment. So yes, I think that we (as supporters) might have to take a look at ourselves before we start having a go at what the board are up to.

It's possible, just possible, that we might be able to oust the current board and replace it with some unknowns .. but be careful what you wish for.

I think his next statement needs to be more reflective, and acknowledge the Board's shortcomings in poor appointments/decisions.

I agree re the negativity and abuse at ER. I do not agree with your last sentence however as I have no faith in the Board. We should not be where we are, and I do not believe they have the capabilities to turn things around.

[Craig_in_Prague]

The board have done a great job securing our future, creating a good infrastructure and a reasonably healthy financial state; even more impressive given the economic problems I suppose.

However, what is clear - Is we don't have sufficient football people on the board. Petrie is an accountant, as I am trying to be, doesn't mean he's qualified at running a football club. I think there's plenty space for him at the club, but I think we need a football person overseeing the football activity - how is Lindsay, Petrie or any others on the board qualified to do this? I don't know the answer and I don't know if a DOF is needed, but clearly for all the great work we've done OFF the pitch, we have failed miserably on it. (Yes, Petrie, I know your top 6 stats, 1 cup, 2x in Europe et al), Stick to that if you want, the fact is we have been gash as a football team and on a downward spiral since 2007.

Haven a football man on the board or in a certain senior position may not guarentee anything, but a football club needs surely more 'fitbaw' men involved. It's true the manager is the most important guy at the club, but good or bad, they usually last no more than 2 years, so there needs to be a permanent footballing strategy and person overseeing the footballing side, short/medium/long term - perhaps a 'director of operations' type :confused:

[StevieC]

I think his next statement needs to be more reflective, and acknowledge the Board's shortcomings in poor appointments/decisions.

Why???

What would that achieve?

:dunno:

[Nailrod]

Dont see what all the fuss is about... I'm not really sure what supporters are expecting?

You don't se what all the fuss is about? You're not sure what supporters are expecting?

Let me try to help you.

"In my case, as a supporter of a club that has raked in around £12 million in transfer windfalls over the last, what, five/six years, I'm expecting not to be trapped in a relegation dogfight with one other club that doesn't have half the resources we do, and trailing hopelessly behind several other clubs that don't have half the resources we do, in what is incontestably the worst ever Premier or First Dvision in Scottish football history."

[Makaveli]

The board have told us for a number of years now that we have the 4th biggest budget for transfers in the country. I ask them only one question, why are we not 4th in the league ?

Build a new stand we cannot fill and a training complex wich is larger than we need. These are assets for the club which are only worth anything to those who own the club. Quality on the park has been neglected for far too long and will take a number of years to put right but only with the right people at the helm, something which at this moment in time we do not have.

Yes, yes, and one thousand times yes.

But it's worse than neglect or even mismanagement IMO. Decisions have been consistently and consciously made, at boardroom level, to increase the value of "the club" (and hence a certain someone's shareholding) at the expense of the team.

Ironically enough the posters who endlessly defend this man are the same ones who never tire of mocking the "deluded Yams" for swallowing Romanov's pish. :rolleyes:

[greenlex]

Why???

What would that achieve?

:dunno:

I think some folk wont be happy until they get their pound of flesh so to speak. It mght make tgem all feel better but ultimately will achieve nothing.

[Andy74]

Yes, yes, and one thousand times yes.

But it's worse than neglect or even mismanagement IMO. Decisions have been consistently and consciously made, at boardroom level, to increase the value of "the club" (and hence a certain someone's shareholding) at the expense of the team.

Ironically enough the posters who endlessly defend this man are the same ones who never tire of mocking the "deluded Yams" for swallowing Romanov's pish. :rolleyes:

So are you suggesting that the infrastructure projects were about anything other than the overall good of the club, and therefore the team, in the long term?

Comparing Rod Petrie, who I presume you mean, and Romanov is total pish itself.

You'd need to talk me through why Rod would expect to make a killing from the sale of a club in the first division but with a bit of land with little value other than its current use.

[StevieC]

You don't se what all the fuss is about? You're not sure what supporters are expecting?

Let me try to help you.

"In my case, as a supporter of a club that has raked in around £12 million in transfer windfalls over the last, what, five/six years, I'm expecting not to be trapped in a relegation dogfight with one other club that doesn't have half the resources we do, and trailing hopelessly behind several other clubs that don't have half the resources we do, in what is incontestably the worst ever Premier or First Dvision in Scottish football history."

That is based on results though, not really anything to do with the statement that this thread is about. :dunno:

The money that we have "raked in" has mostly been spent on the infrastructure and ensuring that we are best placed to benefit for many years to come. Results and performances are not always based on money spent, just look at our neighbours, and it's not like the board haven't backed managers. I reckon (Hearts/OF aside) there isn't another team in the league that has spent as much on, and turned over as many, players as we have over the last 5 or 6 years. That's not really a sign that the board haven't backed the managers and made funds available.


Thanks for trying to help though. :wink:

[Beefster]

Why???

What would that achieve?

:dunno:

It may help repair the relationship between the club and the support, show that we really "are stronger together" and cut away some of the apathy around ER.

I'm almost perfect in every single way but sometimes, for the sake of my marriage, I admit that I have some failings just to keep Mrs Beefster sweet and stop her from horse-whipping me in frustration at my magnificence.

[Hibbyradge]

But it's worse than neglect or even mismanagement IMO. Decisions have been consistently and consciously made, at boardroom level, to increase the value of "the club" (and hence a certain someone's shareholding) at the expense of the team.



The training centre and the stadium are for the benefit of the players, the fans and everyone associated with Hibs.


Yes, yes, and one thousand times yes.


Ironically enough the posters who endlessly defend this man are the same ones who never tire of mocking the "deluded Yams" for swallowing Romanov's pish. :rolleyes:

I don't see any irony or even a comparison.

Our board built a new stadium and a training ground. What has Romanov built apart from near fatal debt?

[blackpoolhibs]

That is based on results though, not really anything to do with the statement that this thread is about. :dunno:

The money that we have "raked in" has mostly been spent on the infrastructure and ensuring that we are best placed to benefit for many years to come. Results and performances are not always based on money spent, just look at our neighbours, and it's not like the board haven't backed managers. I reckon (Hearts/OF aside) there isn't another team in the league that has spent as much on, and turned over as many, players as we have over the last 5 or 6 years. That's not really a sign that the board haven't backed the managers and made funds available.


Thanks for trying to help though. :wink:

:agree: Their only mistake was appointing the managers who spent the money badly. I would say steve, this is their last chance. If they have got this one wrong, Petrie has to go. He's been responsible for these appointments, and his stock is at an all time low with the support.

IMO this is the last throw of the dice for him, everything off the park regarding the stadium and the training ground is finished, but the main reason we actually go to the football has been awful for far too wrong, and 100% down to the managers he's appointed.

Our club is in trouble, if it does not get out of this mess and we dont get better, much better, Petrie will have nowhere to hide this time.

[Hibbyradge]

I think his next statement needs to be more reflective, and acknowledge the Board's shortcomings in poor appointments/decisions.

I agree re the negativity and abuse at ER. I do not agree with your last sentence however as I have no faith in the Board. We should not be where we are, and I do not believe they have the capabilities to turn things around.

If they do, will your subsequent posts be more reflective, and acknowledge your own shortcomings and petty jealousies/closed mindedness? :wink:

[StevieC]

:agree: Their only mistake was appointing the managers who spent the money badly. I would say steve, this is their last chance. If they have got this one wrong, Petrie has to go. He's been responsible for these appointments, and his stock is at an all time low with the support.

To be fair though, it cant be easy picking the right manager for an SPL club like Hibs. Do you stick with a proven Scottish manager from the SPL (like Williamson or Hughes?) or try for one that's doing well in the 1st Div (like Mixu?). As far as I can see at the moment, there's only Butcher that seems to be punching above his weight and even he would be a gamble. Craig Brown seems to have flopped at Aberdeen and every other team is going through managers almost as often as us.

The next step would be England, and on our budget we're either looking for a young untried manager (like Mowbray or Calderwood) or its the lower divisions. Whatever way you look at it, there's no guarantees with managers.

[Bad Martini]

Bumped into the arrogant tache ******* on saturday and having seen him in action in person I am confident my assessment of him is. spot on

He can **** off and take his ****ing patronising words of wisdom with him.

The problems weve had have mostly stemmed. from. HIM employing the wrong manager too many times. He wants some **** to blame, all he needs to buy is a mirror.

**** off Petrie and take most of yer patronising cronnies wi ye.

ENDOF

[StevieC]

What has Romanov built apart from near fatal debt?

Be sure and come back and ammend that at the end of the season. :wink:

[Hibbyradge]

Bumped into the arrogant tache ******* on saturday and having seen him in action in person I am confident my assessment of him is. spot on

He can **** off and take his ****ing patronising words of wisdom with him.

The problems weve had have mostly stemmed. from. HIM employing the wrong manager too many times. He wants some **** to blame, all he needs to buy is a mirror.

**** off Petrie and take most of yer patronising cronnies wi ye.

ENDOF

You saw what you wanted to see.

[Hibbyradge]

Be sure and come back and ammend that at the end of the season. :wink:

I hope to. :greengrin

[Andy74]

Bumped into the arrogant tache ******* on saturday and having seen him in action in person I am confident my assessment of him is. spot on

He can **** off and take his ****ing patronising words of wisdom with him.

The problems weve had have mostly stemmed. from. HIM employing the wrong manager too many times. He wants some **** to blame, all he needs to buy is a mirror.

**** off Petrie and take most of yer patronising cronnies wi ye.

ENDOF

You haven't said if you liked him? :greengrin

[ahibby]

Nothing has changed. This reminds me of the nineties when we had 8.5k crowds and Sir Tom made a statement that the fans should come and support the team instead of whining. The fans did come back then but I can't see it happening a second time. It's time the board realised and admitted that the drop off is their fault and their fault alone. If they hadn't made a mess of managers and sanctioning some of the dross that has come to our club in the last six years then we might not be in this situation. This situation is a result of a few years of mis-management and the warning signs were there for them to see last season and the season before and they have been incapable of sorting it out. They then make the matter worse by pointing fingers at the fans. I hope they realise that they have to find the money from somewhere and then get it back from the fans because the missing fans are tired of wasting their money. Hibs have to waste someone else's money now.

[greenlex]

Bumped into the arrogant tache ******* on saturday and having seen him in action in person I am confident my assessment of him is. spot on

He can **** off and take his ****ing patronising words of wisdom with him.

The problems weve had have mostly stemmed. from. HIM employing the wrong manager too many times. He wants some **** to blame, all he needs to buy is a mirror.

**** off Petrie and take most of yer patronising cronnies wi ye.

ENDOF
It seems to me the blame game is being played by the fans. There has to be blame apportioned so they can say **** of.

[ahibby]

To be fair though, it cant be easy picking the right manager for an SPL club like Hibs. Do you stick with a proven Scottish manager from the SPL (like Williamson or Hughes?) or try for one that's doing well in the 1st Div (like Mixu?). As far as I can see at the moment, there's only Butcher that seems to be punching above his weight and even he would be a gamble. Craig Brown seems to have flopped at Aberdeen and every other team is going through managers almost as often as us.

The next step would be England, and on our budget we're either looking for a young untried manager (like Mowbray or Calderwood) or its the lower divisions. Whatever way you look at it, there's no guarantees with managers.

Okay taking your point but there can be no excuse for the other teams outside the of being able to bring in the right managers who in turn bring in effective players, while we don't.

[StevieC]

Nothing has changed. This reminds me of the nineties when we had 8.5k crowds and Sir Tom made a statement that the fans should come and support the team instead of whining. The fans did come back then but I can't see it happening a second time.

Some of the best football I've watched at ER was in the period since the 90's, so if it worked the last time why wouldn't it work again?


It's time the board realised and admitted that the drop off is their fault and their fault alone. If they hadn't made a mess of managers and sanctioning some of the dross that has come to our club in the last six years then we might not be in this situation.

Sorry but need to disagree. There is no way that a board should be intervening in transfers and decided which ones the manager is, or isn't, allowed. If its within budget then the board should let the manager decide. There would be an uproar, and the board getting it tight, if it was any other way.


I hope they realise that they have to find the money from somewhere and then get it back from the fans because the missing fans are tired of wasting their money. Hibs have to waste someone else's money now.

And where is this pot of gold that we need to dip into?

[StevieC]

Okay taking your point but there can be no excuse for the other teams outside the of being able to bring in the right managers who in turn bring in effective players, while we don't.

What teams are these and what managers are you talking about?

:dunno:

Apart from maybe Butcher and Levein, I cant think of any other teams/managers that have been consistent and played attractive football.

[Bad Martini]

You saw what you wanted to see.

No. What I seen, was a man with little time for punters on saturday. Maybe he does normally. Maybe he doesnt. I dont give a **** tho. If you act hollier than thou ,apportion blame onto those who keep the club going and generally piss people off ,then you arent allowed to behave in such a. Manner. Still im sure he is a busy man....

I call how it is. I dont really care how popular that is....I dont, see what i want to see.

Fact.

[FitbaFolkKen]

By gum he's a perspicacious fellow, is our Rod. No flies on him. A year in which we managed not one memorable result was 'bad'. Following a year in which we managed all of one memorable results. What treats lie in store in 2012?


I would love to know at what point, in your opinion, will it be 'merited' to get on the backs of the board?

I would suggest the managerial appointments, my point is that everyone is up in arms over an attempted positive statement.

[Hibbyradge]

No. What I seen, was a man with little time for punters on saturday. Maybe he does normally. Maybe he doesnt. I dont give a **** tho. If you act hollier than thou ,apportion blame onto those who keep the club going and generally piss people off ,then you arent allowed to behave in such a. Manner. Still im sure he is a busy man....

I call how it is. I dont really care how popular that is....I dont, see what i want to see.

Fact.

What do you see as his redeeming qualities?

[ahibby]

Some of the best football I've watched at ER was in the period since the 90's, so if it worked the last time why wouldn't it work again?



Sorry but need to disagree. There is no way that a board should be intervening in transfers and decided which ones the manager is, or isn't, allowed. If its within budget then the board should let the manager decide. There would be an uproar, and the board getting it tight, if it was any other way.



And where is this pot of gold that we need to dip into?

Stevie you just need to look back at John Collins statement to see that the board have been interfering a lot in many aspects of the managers role. Also you can see from certain players who have come in that they were not sought after by the manager. Colin Calderwood was I am sure responsible for Agogo, Osborne and Thornhill but I doubt if the others were his idea. Can you honestly see CC going to the board to ask for Ivan Sproule for example? This debate was started a while back and some of us believe that the board is simply listening to the manager about the type of player he needs and then the scouts and board find some which match. However they haven't been doing it effectively hence our league position. John Collins is on record saying that he was asked to write a list of players he would like for a postion and he ordered them in preference one to five. He stated he never got his first or second choices but sometimes his third choice but more often his fourth. I don't know where the pot of gold is going to come from and don't care. I don't expect the board to come and do my job and I won't do theirs. I just know as a fan when they have completely cocked things up, and I know it now again. It won't work this time because the missing fans are sick tired of giving money to a board for them to go and waste it which is what has been happening over the last four or five years. If the board is capable of getting it right then why don't they invest in the club. I'm sure that all those years of earning circa £100,000 a year must have resulted in them having a nice bank balance, so if they are capable of getting it right then let them put their money in to the club and when they get it right I'm sure the missing fans will come back. When that happens they'll get their money back.

[Bad Martini]

What do you see as his redeeming qualities?

Maybe he can write a nice., well balanced letter of resignation and can take a hint????? Hopefully. Doubt it tho. Theres mair chance of us signing Messi than there is of him pissing off soon and/or not pissing people off whilst he is here.

[ahibby]

No. What I seen, was a man with little time for punters on saturday. Maybe he does normally. Maybe he doesnt. I dont give a **** tho. If you act hollier than thou ,apportion blame onto those who keep the club going and generally piss people off ,then you arent allowed to behave in such a. Manner. Still im sure he is a busy man....

I call how it is. I dont really care how popular that is....I dont, see what i want to see.

Fact.

I wonder how Petrie get's to this point. He has overseen some good Hibs times and yet hasn't seemed to be able to recognise over the past four or so seasons a steady decline. I'm sure most fans could have pointed problems out to him a few seasons ago that still haven't been rectified. However the most important issue for me is that he doesn't seem to be able to see things from a footballing angle, only the money side of things. This is perhaps why smaller clubs look like they can overtake us in fan base fairly soon if things don't pick up. I find that disgraceful that the people in charge can't stop Hibs from falling from grace in such an alarming way. The club hasn't coped with less cash coming in as well as smaller clubs have. That's not our fault that is their fault.

[sparkiedelpaco7]

The board have gave us a new manager and are in talks to buy us new players

They are right. If we are not going to buy tickets then we cannot moan that players are not coming in

Rod is doing the job that STF has asked him to do. He was told to get rid of the debt. That is what he is doing.

Unless STF allows him to spend money again then it is not up to Petrie.

We need to get off the boards back because it aint gonna change and get back in the stadium

If you are able to get to the Hibs game on a saturday and choose not to then get off this board because you are no longer a supporter.

[Bad Martini]

What do you see as his redeeming qualities?

Maybe he can write a nice., well balanced letter of resignation and can take a hint????? Hopefully. Doubt it tho. Theres mair chance of us signing Messi than there is of him pissing off soon and/or not pissing people off whilst he is here.

[blackpoolhibs]

Do we know if Petrie made the decisions about the infrastructure, or was he only following STF's instructions? :dunno:

[ahibby]

The board have gave us a new manager and are in talks to buy us new players

They are right. If we are not going to buy tickets then we cannot moan that players are not coming in

Rod is doing the job that STF has asked him to do. He was told to get rid of the debt. That is what he is doing.

Unless STF allows him to spend money again then it is not up to Petrie.

We need to get off the boards back because it aint gonna change and get back in the stadium

If you are able to get to the Hibs game on a saturday and choose not to then get off this board because you are no longer a supporter.

You don't have to be a supporter just a fan to comment on Hibs. The Hibs fans are not to blame for the position nor the mistrust that exists in the board. The board have created the problem which they should know occurrs when a board makes a bad job of bringing success to a football club. The drop off in supporters at ER is down to the board and they expect the supporters to come back anyway. That simply won't happen. To entice the lost supporters back they have to give them something to come back to. The board has had supporters cash before and look what it has come to. Are supporters going to keep propping them up and keeping them in a job no matter what the results are. No I don't think so.

[Lucius Apuleius]

Stevie you just need to look back at John Collins statement to see that the board have been interfering a lot in many aspects of the managers role. Also you can see from certain players who have come in that they were not sought after by the manager. Colin Calderwood was I am sure responsible for Agogo, Osborne and Thornhill but I doubt if the others were his idea. Can you honestly see CC going to the board to ask for Ivan Sproule for example? This debate was started a while back and some of us believe that the board is simply listening to the manager about the type of player he needs and then the scouts and board find some which match. However they haven't been doing it effectively hence our league position. John Collins is on record saying that he was asked to write a list of players he would like for a postion and he ordered them in preference one to five. He stated he never got his first or second choices but sometimes his third choice but more often his fourth. I don't know where the pot of gold is going to come from and don't care. I don't expect the board to come and do my job and I won't do theirs. I just know as a fan when they have completely cocked things up, and I know it now again. It won't work this time because the missing fans are sick tired of giving money to a board for them to go and waste it which is what has been happening over the last four or five years. If the board is capable of getting it right then why don't they invest in the club. I'm sure that all those years of earning circa £100,000 a year must have resulted in them having a nice bank balance, so if they are capable of getting it right then let them put their money in to the club and when they get it right I'm sure the missing fans will come back. When that happens they'll get their money back.

Wow, so earning 100k per annum means you have a big bank balance? And they should then put this back into the club? A club from which he no longer draws a salary?

[ahibby]

Wow, so earning 100k per annum means you have a big bank balance? And they should then put this back into the club? A club from which he no longer draws a salary?

Well yes doesn't it. Of course I don't know for sure as I have never earned that kind of money. Are you saying that RP is not a millionaire then? I take it you agree with his statement that the fans should come back and pay for crap, maybe leaving themselves skint in the process while he is sitting with a nice bank balance. Please don't tell me he isn't sitting pretty with cash.

[Hibbyradge]

Maybe he can write a nice., well balanced letter of resignation and can take a hint????? Hopefully. Doubt it tho. Theres mair chance of us signing Messi than there is of him pissing off soon and/or not pissing people off whilst he is here.

So, your "bumping into him" had nothing to do with your opinion of him, did it?

If he'd been giving away fivers and kissing babies you would still have found something to dislike him for. (Eating babies and stealing fivers, mair like!)

He's the bad guy. Boo hiss, boo hiss. :wink:

Being pissed of by him is a choice, by the way.

[sparkiedelpaco7]

You don't have to be a supporter just a fan to comment on Hibs. The Hibs fans are not to blame for the position nor the mistrust that exists in the board. The board have created the problem which they should know occurrs when a board makes a bad job of bringing success to a football club. The drop off in supporters at ER is down to the board and they expect the supporters to come back anyway. That simply won't happen. To entice the lost supporters back they have to give them something to come back to. The board has had supporters cash before and look what it has come to. Are supporters going to keep propping them up and keeping them in a job no matter what the results are. No I don't think so.


I will admit that Calderwood and Yogi were bad decisions but JC and Mixu should not have been that bad but they didnt work out due to some bad signings and lack of tactics.

I just feel that you cant blame Petrie for doing his job just because it is not the job we want him to be doing. STF has told him to get rid of that debt. the only way for him to do that was sell players and bring down the wage bill.

I, along with everyone else, want to see players coming in and start moving up the table, but I also feel that I would much rather be in this situation than the situation Hearts and Rangers are in where they have spent money they dont have, built up the debt and could well go under.

[Lucius Apuleius]

Well yes doesn't it. Of course I don't know for sure as I have never earned that kind of money. Are you saying that RP is not a millionaire then? I take it you agree with his statement that the fans should come back and pay for crap, maybe leaving themselves skint in the process while he is sitting with a nice bank balance. Please don't tell me he isn't sitting pretty with cash.

Earning 100k does not make you a millionaire very quickly. He has been paid the going rate for doing a job. I am saying what I said. Don't try and read anything else into it. Personally I do and will continue to go to every Hibs game I possibly can.

[Bad Martini]

So, your "bumping into him" had nothing to do with your opinion of him, did it?

If he'd been giving away fivers and kissing babies you would still have found something to dislike him for. (Eating babies and stealing fivers, mair like!)

He's the bad guy. Boo hiss, boo hiss. :wink:

Being pissed of by him is a choice, by the way.

Actually naw, I wouldnae.

Due to the fact Im not physcotic with irrational tendencies or such like.

Bottom line for me is, as I already said; I call it as I see it. Every situation is different. Dont tell me how I would behave under x circumstance and with y variables because you dont KNOW that and you have no factual basis to pronounce your "fact" (which is nothing more than your OPINION). Ill continue to disagree with you, in spite of, and regardless of, your perceptions of my thoughts on Petrie.

I trust others sharing their opinions ,based on facts and experiences is OK with yourself though if not ,mind and tell us eh? Actually, dinnae bother.

ENDOF

[down the slope]

The board have gave us a new manager and are in talks to buy us new players

They are right. If we are not going to buy tickets then we cannot moan that players are not coming in

Rod is doing the job that STF has asked him to do. He was told to get rid of the debt. That is what he is doing.

Unless STF allows him to spend money again then it is not up to Petrie.

We need to get off the boards back because it aint gonna change and get back in the stadium

If you are able to get to the Hibs game on a saturday and choose not to then get off this board because you are no longer a supporter.


But the debt is going up !, why should supporters start going back ? the board have shown themselves incapable of running a football club or was the last few years just for practice ?, they have shown that time after time they get it wrong and now they send out the begging letter to try to cover their erchies !. By the way your bit on supporters who chose to stay away is right out of order , i know Hibbies that are staying away and i bet every one of them has seen more Hibs games than you will ever see . Great to see it's the fans fault again that we find ourselves in a relegation fight, how come ST J who's fans chose to stay away to the tune of home crowds of 3k are in the running for Europe which kinda blows your argument away ?.

[Hibbyradge]

Actually naw, I wouldnae.

Due to the fact Im not physcotic with irrational tendencies or such like.

Bottom line for me is, as I already said; I call it as I see it. Every situation is different. Dont tell me how I would behave under x circumstance and with y variables because you dont KNOW that and you have no factual basis to pronounce your "fact" (which is nothing more than your OPINION). Ill continue to disagree with you, in spite of, and regardless of, your perceptions of my thoughts on Petrie.

I trust others sharing their opinions ,based on facts and experiences is OK with yourself though if not ,mind and tell us eh? Actually, dinnae bother.

ENDOF

I don't think I suggested anything I said was a fact. All I know about your opinion of Rod Petrie, is what I read from you on here.

Unless I'm mistaken, you've never had a good word to say about him and really, he can't be all bad.

However, you choose to write stuff like **** off Petire. Arrogant...Patronising...Cronies, ending it with the redundant and, if I may say, highly arrogant little ditty you seem to like so much, "ENDOF".

I'm not sure what impression you want people get when that's what you post.

I'm not really arguing with you though.

Merely sharing my opinions, based on my experiences. I'm sure you approve of that. In FACT, I know you do.

[greenlex]

Okay taking your point but there can be no excuse for the other teams outside the of being able to bring in the right managers who in turn bring in effective players, while we don't.

Who has the right manager?
Ask Killie fans. Might get some nut most would say not (they haver just been pumped by the SPL wipping boys.)
Motherwell fans. Some definately want McCall out.
St Johnstone arguably have but lets wait and see on that one. Lomas may have inherited a legacy from Coyle and McIness.(either of them would have caused an amount of upraor if they had been appointed at Hibs initially by the way
St Mirren Fans wanted Lennon out just last season but seems to be getting plaudits this season.
Inverness seem to have it right but are not that much better of than us.
Hearts? This season/6 monthly appointment seems to be getting the best out of what he has. or is he? they play better when not getting paid. Are they playing for him or their futures?
Aberdeen? Nuff said and folk wanted him at ER too.
Yes you could say each and every one are doing better than us right now but few of them do it consistently.
Picking the right man for the job is easy. Whether it works or not is far from it.
But lets get stuck in and play the blame game.
A new board or leader will not change the way the club is run financially. The quicker we all accept that the better for our club.

[RiseAbove]

From what I have heard on the grapevine Petrie and Farmer would like out of Hibs but it's going to take a bid of somewhere in the region of £4.5million, in today's economic climate that just isn’t going to happen, I believe that there was an interested party towards the end of last season but poor performances on the pitch on low attendances put them off. I think we have to accept that we are stuck with Petrie and Farmer for the foreseeable future.

No one can accuse the Board of not backing our managers over the last few years however there does seem to be an issue with the players that we sign, some of them have been absolute rank. Perhaps we should go down the route of a Director of Football, the manager picks out the players that he wants and the DoF does his research or a Committee decides in conjunction with the manager if the player is good enough for us?

[blackpoolhibs]

http://search.thompson-morgan.com/search?p=Q&lbc=thompson-morgan&uid=756747041&ts=custom&w=grape&af=cat:fruitplants%20tab:products&isort=score&method=and&view=grid&source=google&gclid=COv3vrW75q0CFQELfAod3ReC9Q

£4.5m is far too much?

[RiseAbove]

http://search.thompson-morgan.com/search?p=Q&lbc=thompson-morgan&uid=756747041&ts=custom&w=grape&af=cat:fruitplants tab:products&isort=score&method=and&view=grid&source=google&gclid=COv3vrW75q0CFQELfAod3ReC9Q

£4.5m is far too much?

Possibly why a buyer can't be found.

[blackpoolhibs]

Possibly why a buyer can't be found.

Go on then, tell us i know you want to. Which grapevine have you been listening to, that tells you STF want out and would accept £4.5m?

[marinello59]

I read several pages of responses on here before I read the statment. It really wasn't what I was expecting to see. I was hoping for at least one threat to eat our children if we didn't drag them along to Easter Road. All he has really done is state the bleeding obvious. Looks like it's the messenger rather than the message that has upset some peoples delicate sensitivies.

[Captain Trips]

From memory, he apologised for Calderwood at the AGM but caveated it by saying that Calderwood's failure was nothing to do with the Board/him and that they acted decisively when they needed to sack him.

Incidentally, he says that it's easy to speculate that results are driving supporters away as if it's not entirely accurate. However, he speculated that results were leading to reduced attendances to justify the £900k loss in the last accounts.


Did they or do they think that? Acted decisivley, they made a pigs ear of it is what they did. If they acted as they seem to think we would have had a new manager in at start of season able to sign players for some sort of long term plan. As it happens he didnt and we now find ourselves thanks to the boards seriously dreadful judgement we are reduced to being excited about some loan players whom have barely kicked a ball between them over last few months guys whom would be lucky to get a contract, on top of that all the fees and wages spent on getting out this mess will be lost.

Petrie has made one mistake to many for me has has cost the club the chance to have a fresh start at seasons beginning but as he did not manage to act decisivley we are in a relegation dogfight with a team of some pretty awful players and the great hope are some loans whom struggle to start a match for their respective clubs.

#his next message should be sorry im away.

[DanHFC1875]

Wow, just wow. Pinning the blame for our problems on the fans who have stopped attending is typical of the Hibs board, why can't they take a bit of responsibility for it themselves instead of pointing fingers at everyone else.

How do they seriously expect us to convince anyone to pay money to come and watch our team lose match after match at home? I find it difficult enough to convince myself to go along and I have a season ticket.

This is fact, not speculation.

So does mis-management of the club allowing a downward spiral to continue year after year.

I'm sorry but the time has come to borrow some cash and spend it on the team, sometimes you need to invest to prevent the risk of losing a huge amount (i.e. relegation will cost us a lot more than say an extra million quid to invest in the team).

At the moment we don't, and until the product on offer improves drastically and our spl status is made very safe we won't have.

Aiming to stay in the spl and improve the team would be a better objective IMO, the rest will follow.


agreed:thumbsup:

[PaulSmith]

For me there comes a time when someone has been at the helm for too long, gets stuck in their ways and maybe has a little arrogance that they are right.

Petrie may not have been a football person but having now been involved in the game for what 15/20 years and has probably seen more Hibs games over that period than anyone of us so that doesn't really wash anymore.

I respect him and understand what he is saying but as per his communication skills seem to have allowed his message to come across in the wrong way.

For us to be truely united as a support we need to start next season , in the spl, with Pat Fenlon and with a heavy heart Rod no longer at the club.

[EasterRoad4Ever]

When I read the OP, I was convinced it was a spoof, made up by some long-suffering Hibby with a dry sense of humour.

But now it appears that Petrie actually issued this piece of nonsense under the Hibs Board name ? If so, they need to be removed. They are totally incompetent and completely out of touch with the sentiment of the Hibs support. They think, with the usual pish we've had thrown at us for the last 4 years, all will be right. It's up to us to bail these buggers out from the sorry messy THEY have got us into. Let's be quite clear here. The Hibs fans are completely blameless in the situation we find ourselves in. Yet, no acknowledgement of that from Petrie, no acceptance of accountability by the board, no clear articulation of a sensible strategy to get us out of this mess, and no steely determination to make things right.

"The thrashings of a dying man" springs to mind when I read that clap-trap. Desperation ouses from every word.

Of course, you would normally expect the club to prosper and flourish if the fans turned up in numbers - in their time of need. HOWEVER, there is simply no confidence that this Board and Petrie is particular know how to manage a football club. Every penny we invest in Hibs is a lottery with a less than 50/50 chance that it will be wisely used.

Chick and Egg, Mr Petrie. The club will prosper when YOU are out of the way. Stick around and keep doing what you are doing, and HFC will bleed to death. As soon as he and his useless, unambition, unimaginative, incompetent bean counters are out of the way, Hibs FC will be reborn. the fans will return and we can then - and only then - start on the long road to recovery. Maybe we have more uncommon with the Yams than we'd like to think. We're both dying a slow death, with idiots in charge of our destiny - hoping that somehow things will get better. Hmmm.

[Speedway]

I think that the big problem for me is when you read inbetween the lines and Rod is clearly saying that those with challenging physical or mental disabilities are paying for their sins from a previous life.

I think that in this time of global recession only 50+ years after a world war, making an inferrence of that nature is wholly inappropriate and suggests that he is completely out of touch with how the whiner in the stand feels.

Surely, it's time for him to go after doing something like that in a programme before a real potential 3 pointer of a match.

[Hibbyradge]

I think that the big problem for me is when you read inbetween the lines and Rod is clearly saying that those with challenging physical or mental disabilities are paying for their sins from a previous life.

I think that in this time of global recession only 50+ years after a world war, making an inferrence of that nature is wholly inappropriate and suggests that he is completely out of touch with how the whiner in the stand feels.

Surely, it's time for him to go after doing something like that in a programme before a real potential 3 pointer of a match.

:not worth

[Sergy Pie]

I think that the big problem for me is when you read inbetween the lines and Rod is clearly saying that those with challenging physical or mental disabilities are paying for their sins from a previous life.

I think that in this time of global recession only 50+ years after a world war, making an inferrence of that nature is wholly inappropriate and suggests that he is completely out of touch with how the whiner in the stand feels.

Surely, it's time for him to go after doing something like that in a programme before a real potential 3 pointer of a match.

The problem Rod has is a number of people are at a point where he's damned if he does and he's damned if he don't. You have to do a fair number of perceived wrong doings to be in that position in any business.

Unfortunately for Rod a large number of his paying customer's are of the ilk you allude to above. It appears Rod is insensitive to those people. This is the world he moves in and this is how his customer's are reacting to his statements, it doesn't matter how insignificant you deem this to be in the grand scale of things because a large number of people deem it significant.

[Speedway]

The problem Rod has is a number of people are at a point where he's damned if he does and he's damned if he don't. You have to do a fair number of perceived wrong doings to be in that position in any business.

Unfortunately for Rod a large number of his paying customer's are of the ilk you allude to above. It appears Rod is insensitive to those people. This is the world he moves in and this is how his customer's are reacting to his statements, it doesn't matter how insignificant you deem this to be in the grand scale of things because a large number of people deem it significant.

A large number of people are idiots.

[Sergy Pie]

A large number of people are idiots.

I can see that was what you were trying to say and I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you on the idiot statement. What I was trying to say is that's the way it is though for Rod.

Maybe Rod is the biggest idiot for not realising he reaches out to idiots?

[Kaiser_Sauzee]

A large number of people are idiots.

And a number of those people are large idiots. :smokin

[--------]

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.




The man's off the planet. It's the fans' fault the club's in the mire, is it?

Poor run of results in 2011? The club's been drifting downwards for years.

Let me get this right - he expects me to lash out £20-30 to sit in the freezing cold to watch rubbish once a fortnight, while he and the board and the owner enjoy the warm glow of feeling that all's for the best in best of all possible worlds? He and the board and the owner have NO responsibility to put a decent team on the pitch for me to watch? Aye, right. If Framer had applied THAT logic to Kwik-Fit and his other businesses he'd never have made the money to bail Hibs out in the first place.

That confirms it - until Petrie's gone, never to return, neither he nor his boss Farmer gets a penny of my money, not though the turnstiles, not in the shop, not now, not ever.

[Speedway]

I can see that was what you were trying to say and I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you on the idiot statement. What I was trying to say is that's the way it is though for Rod.

Maybe Rod is the biggest idiot for not realising he reaches out to idiots?


And a number of those people are large idiots. :smokin

:agree: I think Rod knows exactly who he is reaching out to and therefore knows that he is stuffed no matter what.


The man's off the planet. It's the fans' fault the club's in the mire, is it?

Poor run of results in 2011? The club's been drifting downwards for years.

Let me get this right - he expects me to lash out £20-30 to sit in the freezing cold to watch rubbish once a fortnight, while he and the board and the owner enjoy the warm glow of feeling that all's for the best in best of all possible worlds? He and the board and the owner have NO responsibility to put a decent team on the pitch for me to watch? Aye, right. If Framer had applied THAT logic to Kwik-Fit and his other businesses he'd never have made the money to bail Hibs out in the first place.

That confirms it - until Petrie's gone, never to return, neither he nor his boss Farmer gets a penny of my money, not though the turnstiles, not in the shop, not now, not ever.

What makes you think Petrie's successor would be better. Will you never return ever until someone you rate is the chairman/owner?

[HFC 0-7]

The board have gave us a new manager and are in talks to buy us new players

They are right. If we are not going to buy tickets then we cannot moan that players are not coming in

Rod is doing the job that STF has asked him to do. He was told to get rid of the debt. That is what he is doing.

Unless STF allows him to spend money again then it is not up to Petrie.

We need to get off the boards back because it aint gonna change and get back in the stadium

If you are able to get to the Hibs game on a saturday and choose not to then get off this board because you are no longer a supporter.

No he isnt, we have debts in the form of mortgages on the stands and we incurred a 900K loss last year which will probably be double this year. He reduced the debt by selling anything we had, we now dont have anything to sell. we are losing money big time now, yes the fans not attending will effect it more but its not the fans fault. the fans have left because we are getting worse with no clear sign that it will get better. The club has to make the fans WANT to come back. The only way to do it is to show ambition and spend money, yes it will be money that we dont have at present but its still what needs to be done now.

Some fans are more loyal than others and would buy a ST because its better for the club, but the reality is that there are a lot of fans that wont do it for the club they will do whats best for them financially. They will pick and choose games and it will work out cheaper for them. Like it or not, rightly or wrongly thats the reality. Understand your customer, thats something every business needs to do, Hibs dont understand all their customers and its just making the disconnect between fans and board bigger. That statement would have went down better if the board took the blame for the current problems.

[down the slope]

The man's off the planet. It's the fans' fault the club's in the mire, is it?

Poor run of results in 2011? The club's been drifting downwards for years.

Let me get this right - he expects me to lash out £20-30 to sit in the freezing cold to watch rubbish once a fortnight, while he and the board and the owner enjoy the warm glow of feeling that all's for the best in best of all possible worlds? He and the board and the owner have NO responsibility to put a decent team on the pitch for me to watch? Aye, right. If Framer had applied THAT logic to Kwik-Fit and his other businesses he'd never have made the money to bail Hibs out in the first place.

That confirms it - until Petrie's gone, never to return, neither he nor his boss Farmer gets a penny of my money, not though the turnstiles, not in the shop, not now, not ever.


I agree with your every word, we have become one of Farmers other small business interests that he has put on the back burner. I expect Rod has been told to keep the thing going- i nearly said at all cost but that would be wrong but to keep the thing going without it costing STF any more cash and if you Rod put your wee pile in to buy some shares you can sit on the gravy train for years . This has worked quite well until a few years ago with young players coming through to sell and it was a no brainer for accountants to run a football club until now when the talent conveyor belt stopped working. Now he has to try to act like other chairmen but here's where it all goes Ertha Kits up, he know zero about football !. As someone mentioned on another thread Farmer /Petrie would not be to bothered if we do get relegated, we would cut our costs and still be in being but it would be like a patient on a life support machine , deed in every other way. Our great club has been hijacked by dafties and it will be a miracle if we survive this season in the top flight but even if we do it will all happen year after year until we get the idiots out.

[Peevemor]

I agree with your every word, we have become one of Farmers other small business interests that he has put on the back burner. I expect Rod has been told to keep the thing going- i nearly said at all cost but that would be wrong but to keep the thing going without it costing STF any more cash and if you Rod put your wee pile in to buy some shares you can sit on the gravy train for years . This has worked quite well until a few years ago with young players coming through to sell and it was a no brainer for accountants to run a football club until now when the talent conveyor belt stopped working. Now he has to try to act like other chairmen but here's where it all goes Ertha Kits up, he know zero about football !. As someone mentioned on another thread Farmer /Petrie would not be to bothered if we do get relegated, we would cut our costs and still be in being but it would be like a patient on a life support machine , deed in every other way. Our great club has been hijacked by dafties and it will be a miracle if we survive this season in the top flight but even if we do it will all happen year after year until we get the idiots out.

Except you've conveniently forgotten that STF chucked in a couple of million quid last year.

[--------]

:agree: I think Rod knows exactly who he is reaching out to and therefore knows that he is stuffed no matter what.

What makes you think Petrie's successor would be better. Will you never return ever until someone you rate is the chairman/owner?


What I said - Petrie's had long enough time to achieve whatever he thinks he's achieving. Time for someone else to take over. If farmer doesn't see that, he's either not looking, or he doesn't care.

Actually, you've given me an idea. You don't by any chance have the telephone number of a competent taxidermist? :devil:

[sadtom]

Except you've conveniently forgotten that STF chucked in a couple of million quid last year.

On what?

[Saorsa]

On what?On propping up the loss making business he thinks Petrie is doing a good job of running? Seems a bit odd that, don't you think? Having tae dip in tae his pocket tae help get us out of a position that Petrie has steered us towards, yet he thinks he's doing a good job.

[greenlex]

It was heartening to see 3,500 Hibernian fans attend East End Park last Saturday and dominate the atmosphere. Many of you were there. You saw what it meant to the players. Hopefully today we can see a big crowd and create a daunting atmosphere within Easter Road Stadium. The team needs support home and away, but it is only attendances at home that add to our revenues.
Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.


The team is in transition - we all know that. The players and the coaching staff need encouragement and support. We can approach each game with confidence knowing that they are fully committed and determined to make great strides forward in 2012.



I have not read the full article in the programme and have cut and pasted the two quotes from it together as I assume it was written rather than the OP in isolation. Can someone correct it if its wrong please?

Can someone point me to any part of this where the fans are blamed? If someone can or indeed post the full article correctly and show me then I will gladly back down. If not can we just hit this fans are to blame for the mess we are in nonsense once and for all? Thanks in advance.

[Baldy Foghorn]

It was heartening to see 3,500 Hibernian fans attend East End Park last Saturday and dominate the atmosphere. Many of you were there. You saw what it meant to the players. Hopefully today we can see a big crowd and create a daunting atmosphere within Easter Road Stadium. The team needs support home and away, but it is only attendances at home that add to our revenues.
Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.


The team is in transition - we all know that. The players and the coaching staff need encouragement and support. We can approach each game with confidence knowing that they are fully committed and determined to make great strides forward in 2012.



I have not read the full article in the programme and have cut and pasted the two quotes from it together as I assume it was written rather than the OP in isolation. Can someone correct it if its wrong please?

Can someone point me to any part of this where the fans are blamed? If someone can or indeed post the full article correctly and show me then I will gladly back down. If not can we just hit this fans are to blame for the mess we are in nonsense once and for all? Thanks in advance.

The reach out to like minded fans comment sums it up for me, we can't take people to the matches kicking and screaming, there needs to be a product on the park to entice these lost fans to come back, if not the Club might lose some fans forever

[Andy74]

It was heartening to see 3,500 Hibernian fans attend East End Park last Saturday and dominate the atmosphere. Many of you were there. You saw what it meant to the players. Hopefully today we can see a big crowd and create a daunting atmosphere within Easter Road Stadium. The team needs support home and away, but it is only attendances at home that add to our revenues.
Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.


The team is in transition - we all know that. The players and the coaching staff need encouragement and support. We can approach each game with confidence knowing that they are fully committed and determined to make great strides forward in 2012.



I have not read the full article in the programme and have cut and pasted the two quotes from it together as I assume it was written rather than the OP in isolation. Can someone correct it if its wrong please?

Can someone point me to any part of this where the fans are blamed? If someone can or indeed post the full article correctly and show me then I will gladly back down. If not can we just hit this fans are to blame for the mess we are in nonsense once and for all? Thanks in advance.

Don't you be getting in the way of a good old witch hunt. :wink:

[JimBHibees]

It was heartening to see 3,500 Hibernian fans attend East End Park last Saturday and dominate the atmosphere. Many of you were there. You saw what it meant to the players. Hopefully today we can see a big crowd and create a daunting atmosphere within Easter Road Stadium. The team needs support home and away, but it is only attendances at home that add to our revenues.
Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.


The team is in transition - we all know that. The players and the coaching staff need encouragement and support. We can approach each game with confidence knowing that they are fully committed and determined to make great strides forward in 2012.



I have not read the full article in the programme and have cut and pasted the two quotes from it together as I assume it was written rather than the OP in isolation. Can someone correct it if its wrong please?

Can someone point me to any part of this where the fans are blamed? If someone can or indeed post the full article correctly and show me then I will gladly back down. If not can we just hit this fans are to blame for the mess we are in nonsense once and for all? Thanks in advance.

Oh right, so that is the whole statement that was in the programme on Saturday rather than the carefully selected bit on the opening post. Dear oh dear, some people really need to get a life. Actually seems a very reasonable statement to make in the circumstances. The team is in transition with a new manager the team need our support, if we can replicate the support that was at Dunfermline and encourage others to come back we are more likely to do better. Hardly we will fight them on the beaches but decent statement nonetheless.

You would have thought RP had been found in bed with somebody's wife given some of the reactions on here.

[blackpoolhibs]

Oh right, so that is the whole statement that was in the programme on Saturday rather than the carefully selected bit on the opening post. Dear oh dear, some people really need to get a life. Actually seems a very reasonable statement to make in the circumstances. The team is in transition with a new manager the team need our support, if we can replicate the support that was at Dunfermline and encourage others to come back we are more likely to do better. Hardly we will fight them on the beaches but decent statement nonetheless.

You would have thought RP had been found in bed with somebody's wife given some of the reactions on here.

I think with some folk there's no going back regarding Petrie, even if its to the detriment of the club?

He can do no right in some folks eyes, and they are looking for fault in every word he says or action he does.

Personally i think he in the last chance saloon, but cant see anything wrong in this statement?

[Mikey]

I think with some folk there's no going back regarding Petrie, even if its to the detriment of the club?

He can do no right in some folks eyes, and they are looking for fault in every word he says or action he does.




Spot on.

[JimBHibees]

I think with some folk there's no going back regarding Petrie, even if its to the detriment of the club?

He can do no right in some folks eyes, and they are looking for fault in every word he says or action he does.

Personally i think he in the last chance saloon, but cant see anything wrong in this statement?

Completely agree.

[Hibbyradge]

It was heartening to see 3,500 Hibernian fans attend East End Park last Saturday and dominate the atmosphere. Many of you were there. You saw what it meant to the players. Hopefully today we can see a big crowd and create a daunting atmosphere within Easter Road Stadium. The team needs support home and away, but it is only attendances at home that add to our revenues.
Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.


The team is in transition - we all know that. The players and the coaching staff need encouragement and support. We can approach each game with confidence knowing that they are fully committed and determined to make great strides forward in 2012.



I have not read the full article in the programme and have cut and pasted the two quotes from it together as I assume it was written rather than the OP in isolation. Can someone correct it if its wrong please?

Can someone point me to any part of this where the fans are blamed? If someone can or indeed post the full article correctly and show me then I will gladly back down. If not can we just hit this fans are to blame for the mess we are in nonsense once and for all? Thanks in advance.

There is absolutely nothing wrong or even mildly controversial in that statement.

As I pointed out in another thread, people see what they want to see.

[--------]

Oh right, so that is the whole statement that was in the programme on Saturday rather than the carefully selected bit on the opening post. Dear oh dear, some people really need to get a life. Actually seems a very reasonable statement to make in the circumstances. The team is in transition with a new manager the team need our support, if we can replicate the support that was at Dunfermline and encourage others to come back we are more likely to do better. Hardly we will fight them on the beaches but decent statement nonetheless.

You would have thought RP had been found in bed with somebody's wife given some of the reactions on here.




The team is in transition? When has it ever been in anything but transition these past few years, Jim?

OK, the statement reads a bit better if you read it all than if you only read the passage quoted in the OP, but still - this is essentially a 'trust me' appeal from a man whose record as Chairman and CEO of Hibernian FC while more than satisfactory in the areas of finance and stadium/East Mains development really doesn't stand up all that well when it comes to what is, after all the be-all and end-all of a football club - the teams sent out on the pitch match-day by match-day.

Petrie forfeited my support a long time ago, but I still came around the games, hoping that things would change, that at some point he would not only appoint the right man as manager, but also do what was necessary to stop the club's long slow slide into the League basement and yet another relegation fight. I accepted that if we were to balance the books and build the stadium and training facilities necessary to the club in the 21st century, we had to accept plain fare today, on the promise of something more exciting later on. But how much 'later' is 'later on' going to be? We've been living on plain and plainer fare, and pretty miserable scraps of it, too, for far too long now.

Collins was appointed on 31 October 2006 (we should have taken note that it was Hallowe'en) and left on the 20 December 2007 - less than 14 months. Mixu was appointed on 10 January 2008, and left 'by mutual consent' at the end of May 2009 - after just over 16 months in the job. John Hughes came in on 10 June - lasting until 4 October 2010, a stay of 16 months again. Calderwood arrived a fortnight later, on October 18, and left on 6 November 2011, after just over a year. In a period of one week over five years, Petrie was instrumental in making four appointments to the post of team manager. None of the men he appointed stayed even 18 months.

Maybe we should also remember the appointment of Tommy Craig as JC's 'mentor' - I've never been able to work out what that was about.

Unsurprisingly the team's play suffered. Each manager inherited a difficult situation; his predecessor's squad, a highly demanding set of supporters, a budget that, whatever its size, is controlled fairly rigidly by the CEO - Petrie. Maybe he was unlucky - he just happened to be confronted by a series of managers all of whom interviewed really well, but proved incompetent once they were in the job. Or maybe it was the fact that each manager had to work with Rod Petrie that was the problem. Maybe there's a problem with the corporate ethos at ER - maybe it's the wrong priorities being set by the owner and CEO (that's my bet, TBH); maybe the fans are too demanding (I'd go along with that a bit, too); maybe we're just unlucky that the problems have mounted up at a time when the economy's depressed and money's scarce (though one or two other clubs seem to be able to get a decent team together without breaking the bank and without the facilities which, to be fair, Petrie and Farmer have provided at Hibs.

But we're going through managers at the rate of one every 15 months, which is totally destructive to any hope of progress on the field. FIVE years of 'transition' for which Petrie himself bears a large slice of responsibility, and we're in a far worse position now than when we started. (Ironically, the one time Petrie tried to hold onto a manager was the one time he should have let him go - thanks, Colin, we quite understand - family concerns and all that, grateful for all you've done - now I'll just pop round and put the compensation cheque safely into the bank. Oh, and we let Derek Adams go and kept Calderwood, and look how well he's doing now at Ross County - we'll be able to wave to him as we pass them in May - they're coming up and we're going down, looks like.

The support is divided between those like myself, totally brassed-off with the way Petrie and the board seem to lead us unerringly from one crisis to another; the happy-clappies who still don't think there's anything really seriously wrong at the club; and those who aren't happy but are willing to give Farmer and Petrie another chance. And we squabble bitterly among ourselves. This isn't fun any longer - not in any shape or form is it fun.

Over half a century I've seen some bad times at ER, but I'm beginning to think that this time could be the worst, because if the club's situation really disintegrates, we're relegated, and the money problems get even worse, who's going to be the White Knight this time around? Or maybe I'm just tired of being taken for a mug.

And PLEASE don't say that none of this is down to Petrie - he's been CEO, chairman, the man who makes decisions with Tom Farmer's support and blessing. If the buck doesn't stop with Petrie, who DOES it stop with? Tom Farmer?

[Dirkster23]

I think with some folk there's no going back regarding Petrie, even if its to the detriment of the club?

He can do no right in some folks eyes, and they are looking for fault in every word he says or action he does.

Personally i think he in the last chance saloon, but cant see anything wrong in this statement?

Spot on BH :agree:

[Sir David Gray]

I have not read the full article in the programme and have cut and pasted the two quotes from it together as I assume it was written rather than the OP in isolation. Can someone correct it if its wrong please?

Can someone point me to any part of this where the fans are blamed? If someone can or indeed post the full article correctly and show me then I will gladly back down. If not can we just hit this fans are to blame for the mess we are in nonsense once and for all? Thanks in advance.[/B]

The bit in the article that really annoyed me was the following;


It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team.

This line, I think, implies that the mess the club is currently in is, at least partly, down to the supporters who have been gradually turning away for the last couple of years.

The fact that there was no direct admission from him that the awful form that we have been in for two years now is almost entirely responsible for the massive drop in attendance figures suggested to me that he was saying that people are turning away from the club for other reasons as well and these people are damaging the club and the team.

"Easy to speculate that poor results has kept supporters away."

Aye ok, Rod. :aok:

[Hibbyradge]

The team is in transition? When is it ever in anything but transition, Jim?

OK, the statement reads a bit better if you read it all than if you only read the passage quoted in the OP, but still - this is essentially a 'trust me' appeal from a man whose record as Chairman and CEO of Hibernian FC while more than satisfactory in the areas of finance and stadium/East Mains development really doesn't stand up when it comes to what is, after all the be-all and end-all of a football club - the teams sent out on the pitch match-day by match-day.

Petrie forfeited my support a long time ago, but I still came around the games, hoping that things would change, that at some point he would not only appoint the right man as manager, but also do what was necessary to stop the club's long slow slide into the League basement and yet another relegation fight. I accepted that if we were to balance the books and build the stadium and training facilities necessary to the club in the 21st century, we had to accept plain fare today, on the promise of something more exciting later on. But how much 'later' is 'later on' going to be? We've been living on plain and plainer fare, and pretty miserable scraps of it, too, for far too long now.

Collins was appointed on 31 October 2006 (we should have taken note that it was Hallowe'en) and left on the 20 December 2007 - less than 14 months. Mixu was appointed on 10 January 2008, and left 'by mutual consent' at the end of May 2009 - after just over 16 months in the job. John Hughes came in on 10 June - lasting until 4 October 2010, a stay of 16 months again. Calderwood arrived a fortnight later, on October 18, and left on 6 November 2011, after just over a year. In a period of one week over five years, Petrie was instrumental in making four appointments to the post of team manager. None of the men he appointed stayed even 18 months.

Maybe we should also remember the appointment of Tommy Craig as JC's 'mentor' - I've never been able to work out what that was about.

Unsurprisingly the team's play suffered. Each manager inherited a difficult situation; his predecessor's squad, a highly demanding set of supporters, a budget that, whatever its size, is controlled fairly rigidly by the CEO - Petrie. Maybe he was unlucky - he just happened to be confronted by a series of managers all of whom interviewed really well, but proved incompetent once they were in the job. Or maybe it was the fact that each manager had to work with Rod Petrie that was the problem. Maybe there's a problem with the corporate ethos at ER - maybe it's the wrong priorities being set by the owner and CEO (that's my bet, TBH); maybe the fans are too demanding (I'd go along with that a bit, too); maybe we're just unlucky that the problems have mounted up at a time when the economy's depressed and money's scarce (though one or two other clubs seem to be able to get a decent team together without breaking the bank and without the facilities which, to be fair, Petrie and Farmer have provided at Hibs.

But we're going through managers at the rate of one every 15 months, which is totally destructive to any hope of progress on the field. FIVE years of 'transition' for which Petrie himself bears a large slice of responsibility, and we're in a far worse position now than when we started. (Ironically, the one time Petrie tried to hold onto a manager was the one time he should have let him go - thanks, Colin, we quite understand - family concerns and all that, grateful for all you've done - now I'll just pop round and put the compensation cheque safely into the bank. Oh, and we let Derek Adams go and kept Calderwood, and look how well he's doing now at Ross County - we'll be able to wave to him as we pass them in May - they're coming up and we're going down, looks like.

The support is divided between those like myself, totally brassed-off with the way Petrie and the board seem to lead us unerringly from one crisis to another; the happy-clappies who still don't think there's anything really seriously wrong at the club; and those who aren't happy but are willing to give Farmer and Petrie another chance. And we squabble bitterly among ourselves. This isn't fun any longer - not in any shape or form is it fun.

Over half a century I've seen some bad times at ER, but I'm beginning to think that this time could be the worst, because if the club's situation really disintegrates, we're relegated, and the money problems get even worse, who's going to be the White Knight this time around? Or maybe I'm just tired of being taken for a mug.

Sorry, Doddie, it looks like you've taken a stance and you're going to stubbornly defend it. Either that or you've completely over reacted.

I don't read any "trust me" plea at all. I read a fairly bland statement written to fill his wee column in the programme.

I'm not even convinced it was designed to get a reaction.

You clearly feel strongly and you're entitled to hold those views, but Petrie isn't deserving of criticism for his programme article.

[Hibbyradge]

The bit in the article that really annoyed me was the following;



This line, I think, implies that the mess the club is currently in is, at least partly, down to the supporters who have been gradually turning away for the last couple of years.

The fact that there was no direct admission from him that the awful form that we have been in for two years now is almost entirely responsible for the massive drop in attendance figures suggested to me that he was saying that people are turning away from the club for other reasons as well and these people are damaging the club and the team.

"Easy to speculate that poor results has kept supporters away."

Aye ok, Rod. :aok:

Don't you agree that reduced attendances are damaging the club? I do.

Don't you think bad results are keeping supporters away? I do.

He's 100% right.

[JimBHibees]

The team is in transition? When has it ever been in anything but transition these past few years, Jim?

OK, the statement reads a bit better if you read it all than if you only read the passage quoted in the OP, but still - this is essentially a 'trust me' appeal from a man whose record as Chairman and CEO of Hibernian FC while more than satisfactory in the areas of finance and stadium/East Mains development really doesn't stand up all that well when it comes to what is, after all the be-all and end-all of a football club - the teams sent out on the pitch match-day by match-day.

Petrie forfeited my support a long time ago, but I still came around the games, hoping that things would change, that at some point he would not only appoint the right man as manager, but also do what was necessary to stop the club's long slow slide into the League basement and yet another relegation fight. I accepted that if we were to balance the books and build the stadium and training facilities necessary to the club in the 21st century, we had to accept plain fare today, on the promise of something more exciting later on. But how much 'later' is 'later on' going to be? We've been living on plain and plainer fare, and pretty miserable scraps of it, too, for far too long now.

Collins was appointed on 31 October 2006 (we should have taken note that it was Hallowe'en) and left on the 20 December 2007 - less than 14 months. Mixu was appointed on 10 January 2008, and left 'by mutual consent' at the end of May 2009 - after just over 16 months in the job. John Hughes came in on 10 June - lasting until 4 October 2010, a stay of 16 months again. Calderwood arrived a fortnight later, on October 18, and left on 6 November 2011, after just over a year. In a period of one week over five years, Petrie was instrumental in making four appointments to the post of team manager. None of the men he appointed stayed even 18 months.

Maybe we should also remember the appointment of Tommy Craig as JC's 'mentor' - I've never been able to work out what that was about.

Unsurprisingly the team's play suffered. Each manager inherited a difficult situation; his predecessor's squad, a highly demanding set of supporters, a budget that, whatever its size, is controlled fairly rigidly by the CEO - Petrie. Maybe he was unlucky - he just happened to be confronted by a series of managers all of whom interviewed really well, but proved incompetent once they were in the job. Or maybe it was the fact that each manager had to work with Rod Petrie that was the problem. Maybe there's a problem with the corporate ethos at ER - maybe it's the wrong priorities being set by the owner and CEO (that's my bet, TBH); maybe the fans are too demanding (I'd go along with that a bit, too); maybe we're just unlucky that the problems have mounted up at a time when the economy's depressed and money's scarce (though one or two other clubs seem to be able to get a decent team together without breaking the bank and without the facilities which, to be fair, Petrie and Farmer have provided at Hibs.

But we're going through managers at the rate of one every 15 months, which is totally destructive to any hope of progress on the field. FIVE years of 'transition' for which Petrie himself bears a large slice of responsibility, and we're in a far worse position now than when we started. (Ironically, the one time Petrie tried to hold onto a manager was the one time he should have let him go - thanks, Colin, we quite understand - family concerns and all that, grateful for all you've done - now I'll just pop round and put the compensation cheque safely into the bank. Oh, and we let Derek Adams go and kept Calderwood, and look how well he's doing now at Ross County - we'll be able to wave to him as we pass them in May - they're coming up and we're going down, looks like.

The support is divided between those like myself, totally brassed-off with the way Petrie and the board seem to lead us unerringly from one crisis to another; the happy-clappies who still don't think there's anything really seriously wrong at the club; and those who aren't happy but are willing to give Farmer and Petrie another chance. And we squabble bitterly among ourselves. This isn't fun any longer - not in any shape or form is it fun.

Over half a century I've seen some bad times at ER, but I'm beginning to think that this time could be the worst, because if the club's situation really disintegrates, we're relegated, and the money problems get even worse, who's going to be the White Knight this time around? Or maybe I'm just tired of being taken for a mug.

And PLEASE don't say that none of this is down to Petrie - he's been CEO, chairman, the man who makes decisions with Tom Farmer's support and blessing. If the buck doesn't stop with Petrie, who DOES it stop with? Tom Farmer?

Personally thought it was more of a support the club and get behind the team sort of thing rather than trust me. Managers dont always work that is just the way of football and to be honest at Hibs managers either get sacked or are nicked by another bigger club. The managerial appointments havent been good since Mowbray (some will say Collins not personally convinced of that though he gave us one of the best Hibs supporting days ever).

I think the latter part of the Hughes reign and the whole of the Calderwood reign were very, very poor indeed with the standard of football absolutely awful. Personally dont think the opportunity was there for him to be punted in the summer as dont think Birmingham offered any compensation as they knew that CC was working his ticket and would be sacked (a 0-0 draw against Dunfermline at home would have been a good result indeed).

I dont think anyone is saying we arent in an awful position however personally I think Fenlon at least gives the impression of knowing what he is doing as evidenced by the sorts of players he is looking at and bringing in.

You are right it is ultimately his responsibility if the club go down however it is imperative that the club, players, support etc dont panic at present as that and internal feuds are more likely to bring relegation than anything else any other club does IMO.

[greenlex]

The team is in transition? When has it ever been in anything but transition these past few years, Jim?

OK, the statement reads a bit better if you read it all than if you only read the passage quoted in the OP, but still - this is essentially a 'trust me' appeal from a man whose record as Chairman and CEO of Hibernian FC while more than satisfactory in the areas of finance and stadium/East Mains development really doesn't stand up all that well when it comes to what is, after all the be-all and end-all of a football club - the teams sent out on the pitch match-day by match-day.


Collins was appointed on 31 October 2006 (we should have taken note that it was Hallowe'en) and left on the 20 December 2007 - less than 14 months. Mixu was appointed on 10 January 2008, and left 'by mutual consent' at the end of May 2009 - after just over 16 months in the job. John Hughes came in on 10 June - lasting until 4 October 2010, a stay of 16 months again. Calderwood arrived a fortnight later, on October 18, and left on 6 November 2011, after just over a year. In a period of one week over five years, Petrie was instrumental in making four appointments to the post of team manager. None of the men he appointed stayed even 18 months.

Unsurprisingly the team's play suffered. Each manager inherited a difficult situation; his predecessor's squad, a highly demanding set of supporters, a budget that, whatever its size, is controlled fairly rigidly by the CEO - Petrie. Maybe he was unlucky - he just happened to be confronted by a series of managers all of whom interviewed really well, but proved incompetent once they were in the job. Or maybe it was the fact that each manager had to work with Rod Petrie that was the problem. Maybe there's a problem with the corporate ethos at ER - maybe it's the wrong priorities being set by the owner and CEO (that's my bet, TBH); maybe the fans are too demanding (I'd go along with that a bit, too); maybe we're just unlucky that the problems have mounted up at a time when the economy's depressed and money's scarce (though one or two other clubs seem to be able to get a decent team together without breaking the bank and without the facilities which, to be fair, Petrie and Farmer have provided at Hibs.

But we're going through managers at the rate of one every 15 months, which is totally destructive to any hope of progress on the field. FIVE years of 'transition' for which Petrie himself bears a large slice of responsibility, and we're in a far worse position now than when we started. (Ironically, the one time Petrie tried to hold onto a manager was the one time he should have let him go - thanks, Colin, we quite understand - family concerns and all that, grateful for all you've done - now I'll just pop round and put the compensation cheque safely into the bank. Oh, and we let Derek Adams go and kept Calderwood, and look how well he's doing now at Ross County - we'll be able to wave to him as we pass them in May - they're coming up and we're going down, looks like.

The support is divided between those like myself, totally brassed-off with the way Petrie and the board seem to lead us unerringly from one crisis to another; the happy-clappies who still don't think there's anything really seriously wrong at the club; and those who aren't happy but are willing to give Farmer and Petrie another chance. And we squabble bitterly among ourselves. This isn't fun any longer - not in any shape or form is it fun.

Over half a century I've seen some bad times at ER, but I'm beginning to think that this time could be the worst, because if the club's situation really disintegrates, we're relegated, and the money problems get even worse, who's going to be the White Knight this time around? Or maybe I'm just tired of being taken for a mug.

And PLEASE don't say that none of this is down to Petrie - he's been CEO, chairman, the man who makes decisions with Tom Farmer's support and blessing. If the buck doesn't stop with Petrie, who DOES it stop with? Tom Farmer?

So hibs are on their 5th manager since 2006.So what for a club that has struggled for most of that its hardly earth shattering and not unusual IMO
In the interests of balance here are the other SPL clubs figures.
Celtic 3rd
Rangers 4th
Hearts 7th (its actually 9 since 2005 but agree they are a special case.:greengrin)
Motherwell 5th
Kille 4th (includes Jumbo jim from 2002 - 2010)
St Mirren 2nd (includes Gus Mcpherson form 2003-2010)
D Utd 4th
St Johnstone 3rd
Aberdeen 3rd (includes Tangoman from 2004 -2009)
Inverness 4th
Dunfermline 3rd
In short 5 sounds a lot but its not really considering is it?

[Mikey]

It was heartening to see 3,500 Hibernian fans attend East End Park last Saturday and dominate the atmosphere. Many of you were there. You saw what it meant to the players. Hopefully today we can see a big crowd and create a daunting atmosphere within Easter Road Stadium. The team needs support home and away, but it is only attendances at home that add to our revenues.
Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.


The team is in transition - we all know that. The players and the coaching staff need encouragement and support. We can approach each game with confidence knowing that they are fully committed and determined to make great strides forward in 2012.



I have not read the full article in the programme and have cut and pasted the two quotes from it together as I assume it was written rather than the OP in isolation. Can someone correct it if its wrong please?

Can someone point me to any part of this where the fans are blamed? If someone can or indeed post the full article correctly and show me then I will gladly back down. If not can we just hit this fans are to blame for the mess we are in nonsense once and for all? Thanks in advance.


Jings, this thread's gone awfy quiet since you posted up the WHOLE statement :wink:

[BEEJ]

Jings, this thread's gone awfy quiet since you posted up the WHOLE statement :wink:
I did try to set out the other part of the Chairman's message way back on post #40.

:greengrin

[Mikey]

I did try to set out the other part of the Chairman's message way back on post #40.

:greengrin

Twas a valiant effort :greengrin

[Captain Trips]

Rather have the chairman from Iron Chef than Petrie the now.

[BEEJ]

I have not read the full article in the programme and have cut and pasted the two quotes from it together as I assume it was written rather than the OP in isolation. Can someone correct it if its wrong please?
Right, let me set it out in it's entirety and in order. :wink:

Starting with the intro para that has not yet been quoted on this thread:
------------------------------------

Let me welcome you, the supporters to Easter Road Stadium for another vital match in the Clydesdale Bank SPL. You make a difference to the team and to the Club. You are here and we thank you for lending your support. You play a vital role at all times and especially just now.

Together we must reach out to other like-minded supporters, who for whatever reason are not here today. For the team to progress and for the club to flourish we need everyone on board for the journey.

It is easy to speculate that the poor run of results in 2011 has kept supporters away. Reduced attendances damage the club therefore also damage the team. We have to be self sustaining - there is no-one out there who wants to subsidise the cost of our football. So what we have we generate from our own efforts. We have the ability to be the third best attended stadium in the SPL. We should aim to fulfil that potential in 2012.

It was heartening to see 3,500 Hibernian fans attend East End Park last Saturday and dominate the atmosphere. Many of you were there. You saw what it meant to the players. Hopefully today we can see a big crowd and create a daunting atmosphere within Easter Road Stadium. The team needs support home and away, but it is only attendances at home that add to our revenues.

The team is in transition - we all know that. The players and the coaching staff need encouragement and support. We can approach each game with confidence knowing that they are fully committed and determined to make great strides forward in 2012.

[There is then a section welcoming St Johnstone. Followed by reference to O'Connor's recent trial by the media for apparent diving, all stemming from the incident when the clubs met previously at ER. There is a call for conistency and objectivity in these matters.]

Our Club is a great club. It means so much to so many people in Leith, in Edinburgh, in Scotland and across the world. The performance of the team will fluctuate but our passion for our Club must endure to sustain it at all times. We must all work together to achieve the success we want for our Club and our team.

Enjoy the game!

Rod Petrie, Chairman
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Can someone point me to any part of this where the fans are blamed? If someone can or indeed post the full article correctly and show me then I will gladly back down. If not can we just hit this fans are to blame for the mess we are in nonsense once and for all? Thanks in advance.
They're not.

I might have worded a few points differently and been more open to past failings in certain executive decisions (usually that kind of admission has the effect of pulling folks together for a common cause).

However, that aside you cannot argue with anything the man says there. :dunno:

[Davy Mac]

Corporate puff speak.

If people are gullliaabbblle to take in this drivel then fine be my guest.

Sincere or insincere?

Heard it all before.........

[Jack]

Corporate puff speak.

If people are gullliaabbblle to take in this drivel then fine be my guest.

Sincere or insincere?

Heard it all before.........

What did you expect the next Harry Potter novel?

[Saorsa]

Personally i think he in the last chance saloonAs far as I'm concerned Colin Deadwood should have been Petrie's last mistake (he'd made enough before it), by the end of last season most people could see that Driftwood was a bigger dumplin' than Hughes but Petrie nailed his colours firmly tae the mast of a sinking ship. Then we had sweetiegate which was a complete and utter farce. He should have been emptied in the summer and the new manager installed. Instead much of the pre-season was wasted and he was left in place tae sign more mainly poor players that the current manger now had/has tae work with until he can get rid and get his own in.

I dinnae ken if Petrie actually thought Deadwood was a good manager (in which case you really have tae wonder) or if he was trying tae bluff other teams in tae paying money for him tae recoup the losses for his latest dud or if it was just plainly his unwillingness tae admit tae appointing yet another lemon, but either way it was an epic (monumental) fail and we are now left paying the price for it and could yet pay an even bigger penalty. If we do pay that price and get relegated will Petrie be accepting the blame for that or will somebody else carry the can for him?

[Mikey]

The biggest mistake the board have made here is saying anything at all. There are still far too many people who are quick to twist what's been said to show them in a bad light. The selective quoting of RP's statement is a prime example.

They need to keep their heads down until we've actually turned the corner. Until then it doesn't matter what they say, it'll be turned against them.

[Davy Mac]

What did you expect the next Harry Potter novel?

Aye, pretty much, the Harry Potter novel is more believeable

Seriously, time for a fresh prospective on the club.

[AlbertK86]

Aye, pretty much, the Harry Potter novel is more believeable

Seriously, time for a fresh prospective on the club.

100% correct