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SneakersO'Toole
20-04-2014, 09:39 AM
Below is a board statement that was posted on the official website on 28/01/2008.

I challenge anyone to read that and, with the exception of infrastructure, accept that the board have achieved what they set out to accomplish in these words. Instead, we have had near constant abject failure, disappointment and embarrassment. We, the fans, deserve so much better. So much better!

The end of statement talks about the board understanding that the Hibernian family are the one constant at the club. Do they currently understand that they have sucked the life out of the support. Hope, enjoyment, desire and inspiration have been replaced with anger, apathy, hurt and embarrassment.

Stand down Rod, you've taken the club has far as you can. Time for a new chapter at Hibernian with a new man at the helm.



Hibs FC Board Statement (29/01/08)

The following is a statement from the Board of Hibernian Football Club.

The Board’s vision for Hibernian can be defined in three words – successful, exciting and sustainable.

Successful - because the Board is determined to see Hibernian compete each year at the upper echelon of Scottish football, achieve European football on a regular basis, and remain secure for future generations with a first-class infrastructure.

Exciting - because we want to play an entertaining brand of football and thereby provide a return for every supporter who invests in a ticket for the match or a season ticket.

Sustainable - because we must always remember that the long-term stability of the club is paramount. The Board would be negligent if it tried to pursue short-term success at the expense of long-term stability. Our job is to develop the Club in a way that ensures it will be here for generations to come.

So that’s our vision – successful, exciting and sustainable football. To deliver that vision, the Board has to balance many factors. A number of key aims are contained within the Board’s strategy, these include:

* developing a first-class training centre to support the development of our talented footballers
* completing Easter Road as a top quality, modern stadium that provides the Club’s supporters with the best possible facilities
* and, of course, providing the Manager with the support he needs to build and develop his squad. This is done in an incremental and sustainable way, adding to costs when increased levels of revenue are achieved or foreseen

Football Infrastructure

In the past few weeks Hibernian has celebrated the opening of a £4.9m state-of-the-art training centre – representing the biggest single investment in the development of the football team the Club has ever made.

The provision of a training centre was identified as the top priority facing the Board by successive managers who saw the creation of a high quality training centre as the best investment the Board could make for the development of the team. That has been delivered, and the Club now owns a facility that rivals the best available anywhere for the development of players.

Stadium Development

The Club continues to work towards completing Easter Road Stadium as a top class football venue through building a new East Stand. The existing planning consent is valid until 2010 and discussions are taking place with a number of contractors. Three new stands have been built in the last twelve years and completing the fourth stand would confirm Easter Road’s status as the finest football arena in the country outside of Glasgow. No other Club outwith the Old Firm enjoys ownership of a quality stadium and a first class training centre.

Squad Development

The Club has a track record of working with the Manager to help him achieve the squad of players he wants. In the year ended 31 July 2007, the Club spent almost £1 million either bringing new players to the Club or following the Manager’s recommendations in securing players already at the Club. The ability of the Club to commit this sum reflects the improving finances and the priority given by the Board. All the key signing targets identified to the Board were secured in the summer transfer window.

The Board has now appointed Mixu Paatelainen as Manager - a bright, enthusiastic young man with good man management skills. He also happens to be a former Hibernian hero, to the delight of both the Board and the Club’s supporters.

In supporting Mixu Paatelainen, two more players have been signed so far in the January transfer window – John Rankin from Inverness Caledonian Thistle for a six figure fee, and former captain Ian Murray from Norwich City. The Board continues to seek to support the Manager in his efforts to shape the squad.

Everyone is aware that David Murphy has left for the English Premiership – one of the very few players to move from a Scottish club to England’s top flight in recent years – for a substantial fee. David was signed for no fee by former manager Tony Mowbray in 2004 and developed into an exceptional player for the Club. David had made plain his desire to return to England for personal and professional reasons. Other players have gone on loan to get first team football and Torben Joneleit is returning to AC Monaco.

The Manager has a budget and it is for the Manager to decide how that should be spent. We operate in a structured and well-managed way but we also understand the need for flexiblity. Headroom in the budget is available to the new Manager and he has funds available to help bring players to the Club if that is what he wants to do.

Trading at a loss by overspending on player costs in an attempt to buy short-term success is unsustainable and is a strategy which has been discredited.

Summary

The Board continues to believe that the Club is leading the way within Scottish football and that Hibernian is highly competitive in both sporting and financial terms.

It is now more than five years since the financial meltdown in Scottish football in 2002. During that time the Club has finished in the top half of the SPL for the last three seasons; has been to the semi finals of the Scottish Cup on three occasions; has played in two League Cup finals – winning the Cup in 2007- and has taken part in European competitions on three occasions: twice in the UEFA Intertoto Cup and once in the UEFA Cup.

Throughout that period, players have come and players have gone. Successive managers have brought through young players from the Club’s youth academy as well as bringing new players to the Club to shape their squad at the start of each season. Each of these talented and exciting teams was built within the framework of the Board’s vision.

Whilst the personnel at the Club are transient, the one constant is the extended Hibernian family, including those supporters who attend every match and those who attend less often. The players, management and everyone at the Club is grateful for the backing given to the team. The Board believes that the Hibernian family understands the need to ensure our Club is run in a way that the team’s efforts can be enjoyed not just by today’s supporters but by supporters in generations to come.

madhatter
20-04-2014, 09:44 AM
The only thing they have delivered on is sustainable. That's like saying the torture of the Hibernian Community is sustainable at this point. Excitement and challenging at the top echelons...Petrie turn your head the other way round, you've been looking upside down the whole time.

Weststandwanab
20-04-2014, 09:51 AM
Who signed that statement when it was issued ?

SneakersO'Toole
20-04-2014, 09:53 AM
The only thing they have delivered on is sustainable. That's like saying the torture of the Hibernian Community is sustainable at this point. Excitement and challenging at the top echelons...Petrie turn your head the other way round, you've been looking upside down the whole time.

Our sustainability will be seriously dented if we get relegated that's for sure.

Fans turning their back on the club caused by Petrie's shocking tenure. Aye, ticking the old sustainability boxes there also Rod!

emerald green
20-04-2014, 10:03 AM
"Successful" and "exciting". Aye, right then. That's a joke now.:grr:

Saorsa
20-04-2014, 10:28 AM
:hilarious
The Board’s vision for Hibernian can be defined in three words – successful, exciting and sustainable.If that is their vision they have proven themselves tae be totally and utterly incapable of delivering it. If anybody else had come out with a statement like that and then failed so badly does anybody think they'd still be in a job? Mr. untouchable though carries on regardless stumbling from one ****in' disaster tae another blaming everybody else along the way and letting them carry the can.

smurf
20-04-2014, 11:02 AM
"The Board continues to believe that the Club is leading the way within Scottish football"

Hubris definitely kicked in in 2008 Mr Petrie?

greenpaper55
20-04-2014, 11:07 AM
It is a crock o s*** !, they should have that posted to each board member then they should resign. They the board have been so wrong it's laughable, utter disgrace.