Hibernian Emotional Breakdown (a message to Terry)

[One Day Soon]

Last week I started a thread titled 'Hibernian Emotional Overload'. So this is the sequel and is aimed primarily at Terry Butcher who, we are told, reads .net.

I want to try to describe where I am in relation to my club now that the season is over and the very worst has happened. Maybe it is where a lot of other Hibernian brothers and sisters are too. It is important that you understand what we are feeling and why.

Many supporters no longer want you as manager, others do. Either way, ultimately whether you stay on or not can only be decided by Rod Petrie and/or Leanne Dempster. This is written on the assumption that you are staying.

The anger towards you is partly because of what has happened to us this season obviously, but it goes far deeper than that. You are paying a price for relegation, for eye-bleedingly awful football and for the successive failure of the last few years. In other words it isn't just what has happened on your watch, it is also an accumulated anger and hurt in relation to what has happened under the preceding managers.

I'm not going to presume to tell you how to manage the team, train players etc. That's your job and you know it far better than me.

What I am going to talk about is what we the fans need if trust is going to be re-established in some way.

1. If I were you I would make my 'marquee' signings early (assuming that there are to be any). We need a statement of intent from the club but, unfortunately, an actual 'statement' isn't going to do it. In fact words of any sort will simply aggravate the situation. So, actions speak louder than words.

2. Very smart start on the clear out.

3. Football on the deck. If you want to buy some early good will then the fastest route to our restless Hibernian football souls is to clearly demonstrate that hoofball is dead and a passing game with width and pace is what we are getting next. I don't know how you deliver that or the players to do it, but believe me that is where the sweet spot is.

4. Have a word with the marketing people. No more overblown and cliched campaigns on the season ticket front. This is a classic example of where less is more. I'd go for 'Easter Road - Redemption'. Easter is about redemption, Easter Road is where we play and the club needs to redeem itself. It strikes the right contrite tone too.

5. You should consider writing into the contracts of all new players that they are expected not to use social media to in any way discuss the club.

6. A series of regular meet the fans open days might not be a bad idea, for you and the squad. Partly to build direct connections and to let people understand what you are about but also for a more significant reason. We really need to see that the players understand what the fans are all about and what we feel for the club. We need to see that the players aren't just wage takers, separated from the passion of the supporters for the club.

7. We have in the past been fobbed off - or feel that we have - by vague allusions to long term plans. This is now a world where people are far more informed and far better connected to one another though, so we see through that sort of thing right away. It is a hostage to fortune but you should think about setting out some clear and explicit goals. Knowing what exactly you are working toward and over what timescale makes it a lot easier for us to support that path, even if we don't fully agree with it. Tell us nothing and we start to make our own assumptions.

8. This last part is the hardest and by far the most important. I don't have any idea how you achieve it. It feels as though the spirit of our club is damaged. As supporters we cannot see an energetic, unified, purposeful club that is being lead strongly in all departments on and off the pitch. In other words, this is a battlefield where we cannot see our standard so that we can rally to it. We need a leadership that we can stand fast to and feel proud of. You need to find a way to give this club back its footballing soul and self belief.

I took my children to their first Hibs game on Sunday. I could not believe that they witnessed such an awful display. I felt betrayed by it. I place most of the blame for that on the shoulders of the squad that has served us so poorly this season. What troubled me far, far more than anything else though was the effect of that game and everything that led up to it on such a loyal support. People looked bewildered. They looked - and sounded afterwards in conversation - as though their emotional bond with the club was shattered. And that I think is the core challenge here - restoring faith. We need something to believe in again.

So like all good leaders the need falls to point the way and inspire belief. Here is your biggest challenge. Tell us now what your story of Hibernian is. Not big talk or big claims, not just what you want to achieve - tell us how you plan to get there, tell us what the journey is that you intend to take us on, and how.

We have travelled a long road and as supporters we know what our story of Hibernian is. We know it and can remember it from hundreds of moments - from our first game through to Sunday's painful debacle. The joy and the pain shared along the way with friends, relatives and - sometimes in those great wild goal scoring moments - shared too with complete strangers wearing Hibs colours.

Our club, its reputation, its history and its future is a very precious thing to us. It is in our life stories, in the stories of those who went before us and will be in the stories of those who will follow after us. We don't just 'go to the game' on a Saturday afternoon as a lifestyle choice. This club helps to define who we are and we in turn as a family of Hibernian supporters are the spirit of our club. So we need to be able to believe that it is held in hands that feel the rhythmic pulse of Hibernian blood flowing through its past, present and future.

Over to you Terry.

[nic81]

Last week I started a thread titled 'Hibernian Emotional Overload'. So this is the sequel and is aimed primarily at Terry Butcher who, we are told, reads .net.

I want to try to describe where I am in relation to my club now that the season is over and the very worst has happened. Maybe it is where a lot of other Hibernian brothers and sisters are too. It is important that you understand what we are feeling and why.

Many supporters no longer want you as manager, others do. Either way, ultimately whether you stay on or not can only be decided by Rod Petrie and/or Leanne Dempster. This is written on the assumption that you are staying.

The anger towards you is partly because of what has happened to us this season obviously, but it goes far deeper than that. You are paying a price for relegation, for eye-bleedingly awful football and for the successive failure of the last few years. In other words it isn't just what has happened on your watch, it is also an accumulated anger and hurt in relation to what has happened under the preceding managers.

I'm not going to presume to tell you how to manage the team, train players etc. That's your job and you know it far better than me.

What I am going to talk about is what we the fans need if trust is going to be re-established in some way.

1. If I were you I would make my 'marquee' signings early (assuming that there are to be any). We need a statement of intent from the club but, unfortunately, an actual 'statement' isn't going to do it. In fact words of any sort will simply aggravate the situation. So, actions speak louder than words.

2. Very smart start on the clear out.

3. Football on the deck. If you want to buy some early good will then the fastest route to our restless Hibernian football souls is to clearly demonstrate that hoofball is dead and a passing game with width and pace is what we are getting next. I don't know how you deliver that or the players to do it, but believe me that is where the sweet spot is.

4. Have a word with the marketing people. No more overblown and cliched campaigns on the season ticket front. This is a classic example of where less is more. I'd go for 'Easter Road - Redemption'. Easter is about redemption, Easter Road is where we play and the club needs to redeem itself. It strikes the right contrite tone too.

5. You should consider writing into the contracts of all new players that they are expected not to use social media to in any way discuss the club.

6. A series of regular meet the fans open days might not be a bad idea, for you and the squad. Partly to build direct connections and to let people understand what you are about but also for a more significant reason. We really need to see that the players understand what the fans are all about and what we feel for the club. We need to see that the players aren't just wage takers, separated from the passion of the supporters for the club.

7. We have in the past been fobbed off - or feel that we have - by vague allusions to long term plans. This is now a world where people are far more informed and far better connected to one another though, so we see through that sort of thing right away. It is a hostage to fortune but you should think about setting out some clear and explicit goals. Knowing what exactly you are working toward and over what timescale makes it a lot easier for us to support that path, even if we don't fully agree with it. Tell us nothing and we start to make our own assumptions.

8. This last part is the hardest and by far the most important. I don't have any idea how you achieve it. It feels as though the spirit of our club is damaged. As supporters we cannot see an energetic, unified, purposeful club that is being lead strongly in all departments on and off the pitch. In other words, this is a battlefield where we cannot see our standard so that we can rally to it. We need a leadership that we can stand fast to and feel proud of. You need to find a way to give this club back its footballing soul and self belief.

I took my children to their first Hibs game on Sunday. I could not believe that they witnessed such an awful display. I felt betrayed by it. I place most of the blame for that on the shoulders of the squad that has served us so poorly this season. What troubled me far, far more than anything else though was the effect of that game and everything that led up to it on such a loyal support. People looked bewildered. They looked - and sounded afterwards in conversation - as though their emotional bond with the club was shattered. And that I think is the core challenge here - restoring faith. We need something to believe in again.

So like all good leaders the need falls to point the way and inspire belief. Here is your biggest challenge. Tell us now what your story of Hibernian is. Not big talk or big claims, not just what you want to achieve - tell us how you plan to get there, tell us what the journey is that you intend to take us on, and how.

We have travelled a long road and as supporters we know what our story of Hibernian is. We know it and can remember it from hundreds of moments - from our first game through to Sunday's painful debacle. The joy and the pain shared along the way with friends, relatives and - sometimes in those great wild goal scoring moments - shared too with complete strangers wearing Hibs colours.

Our club, its reputation, its history and its future is a very precious thing to us. It is in our life stories, in the stories of those who went before us and will be in the stories of those who will follow after us. We don't just 'go to the game' on a Saturday afternoon as a lifestyle choice. This club helps to define who we are and we in turn as a family of Hibernian supporters are the spirit of our club. So we need to be able to believe that it is held in hands that feel the rhythmic pulse of Hibernian blood flowing through its past, present and future.

Over to you Terry.

:top marks:tbgwa:

[GlasgowHibee]

Best post I've read on this forum.

[Hibby_Paul]

Great post, you should print that off and post it to Hibs marked for butchers attention.

Would hope he take's the great and balanced points on board, you'd deserve a reply too!

[truehibernian]

Brilliant post that :aok:

Can we please please please get that wee Irish lad to do Hibs TV and media ? I need some cheeky chappiness, some Irish cheer and wit, some youthful energy on the screen.........not a guy who sounds like a drugged version of Barry Scott from the Cillit Bang ads :rolleyes::greengrin

[Beefster]

Well said, ODS.

[Pretty Boy]

I seriously hope TB reads that post.

[Kaiserclem]

Great post. Here's hoping. Butcher reads this or is shown it anyway as I totally agree with the clear out today and good on him for it. Phase 1 complete (nearly) so now over to phase 2. He does say in yesterday's statement that he assures us we will see different performance next season, that May or may not mean style but we need to let him get his players in. Don't get me wrong, his tactics and subs have been dire. Harris is simply not good enough and should never have featured the last few months. Come on Terry / Malpas, get them signed ASAP!

[stoneyburn hibs]

Excellent post ODS, hopefully it is read by the hierarchy.

[JBloggs1875]

Last week I started a thread titled 'Hibernian Emotional Overload'. So this is the sequel and is aimed primarily at Terry Butcher who, we are told, reads .net.

I want to try to describe where I am in relation to my club now that the season is over and the very worst has happened. Maybe it is where a lot of other Hibernian brothers and sisters are too. It is important that you understand what we are feeling and why.

Many supporters no longer want you as manager, others do. Either way, ultimately whether you stay on or not can only be decided by Rod Petrie and/or Leanne Dempster. This is written on the assumption that you are staying.

The anger towards you is partly because of what has happened to us this season obviously, but it goes far deeper than that. You are paying a price for relegation, for eye-bleedingly awful football and for the successive failure of the last few years. In other words it isn't just what has happened on your watch, it is also an accumulated anger and hurt in relation to what has happened under the preceding managers.

I'm not going to presume to tell you how to manage the team, train players etc. That's your job and you know it far better than me.

What I am going to talk about is what we the fans need if trust is going to be re-established in some way.

1. If I were you I would make my 'marquee' signings early (assuming that there are to be any). We need a statement of intent from the club but, unfortunately, an actual 'statement' isn't going to do it. In fact words of any sort will simply aggravate the situation. So, actions speak louder than words.

2. Very smart start on the clear out.

3. Football on the deck. If you want to buy some early good will then the fastest route to our restless Hibernian football souls is to clearly demonstrate that hoofball is dead and a passing game with width and pace is what we are getting next. I don't know how you deliver that or the players to do it, but believe me that is where the sweet spot is.

4. Have a word with the marketing people. No more overblown and cliched campaigns on the season ticket front. This is a classic example of where less is more. I'd go for 'Easter Road - Redemption'. Easter is about redemption, Easter Road is where we play and the club needs to redeem itself. It strikes the right contrite tone too.

5. You should consider writing into the contracts of all new players that they are expected not to use social media to in any way discuss the club.

6. A series of regular meet the fans open days might not be a bad idea, for you and the squad. Partly to build direct connections and to let people understand what you are about but also for a more significant reason. We really need to see that the players understand what the fans are all about and what we feel for the club. We need to see that the players aren't just wage takers, separated from the passion of the supporters for the club.

7. We have in the past been fobbed off - or feel that we have - by vague allusions to long term plans. This is now a world where people are far more informed and far better connected to one another though, so we see through that sort of thing right away. It is a hostage to fortune but you should think about setting out some clear and explicit goals. Knowing what exactly you are working toward and over what timescale makes it a lot easier for us to support that path, even if we don't fully agree with it. Tell us nothing and we start to make our own assumptions.

8. This last part is the hardest and by far the most important. I don't have any idea how you achieve it. It feels as though the spirit of our club is damaged. As supporters we cannot see an energetic, unified, purposeful club that is being lead strongly in all departments on and off the pitch. In other words, this is a battlefield where we cannot see our standard so that we can rally to it. We need a leadership that we can stand fast to and feel proud of. You need to find a way to give this club back its footballing soul and self belief.

I took my children to their first Hibs game on Sunday. I could not believe that they witnessed such an awful display. I felt betrayed by it. I place most of the blame for that on the shoulders of the squad that has served us so poorly this season. What troubled me far, far more than anything else though was the effect of that game and everything that led up to it on such a loyal support. People looked bewildered. They looked - and sounded afterwards in conversation - as though their emotional bond with the club was shattered. And that I think is the core challenge here - restoring faith. We need something to believe in again.

So like all good leaders the need falls to point the way and inspire belief. Here is your biggest challenge. Tell us now what your story of Hibernian is. Not big talk or big claims, not just what you want to achieve - tell us how you plan to get there, tell us what the journey is that you intend to take us on, and how.

We have travelled a long road and as supporters we know what our story of Hibernian is. We know it and can remember it from hundreds of moments - from our first game through to Sunday's painful debacle. The joy and the pain shared along the way with friends, relatives and - sometimes in those great wild goal scoring moments - shared too with complete strangers wearing Hibs colours.

Our club, its reputation, its history and its future is a very precious thing to us. It is in our life stories, in the stories of those who went before us and will be in the stories of those who will follow after us. We don't just 'go to the game' on a Saturday afternoon as a lifestyle choice. This club helps to define who we are and we in turn as a family of Hibernian supporters are the spirit of our club. So we need to be able to believe that it is held in hands that feel the rhythmic pulse of Hibernian blood flowing through its past, present and future.

Over to you Terry.

Read this and was in tears! :top marks:tbgwa:

[Kevinb]

Well said, we need players like Sauzee. Heart ,soul and passion

[Alfred E Newman]

Well said.

[Alfred E Newman]

Read this and was in tears! :top marks:tbgwa:

Aye?

[bawheid]

Great post ODS and I feel sorry for you that your kids first Hibs game was that one. Awful.

My concern is that we had all of this after May 2012. The promises of change... never again... etc etc. Well the club has only gone and dished out something 100 times worse.

There's a real job to be done to get this club back on its feet.

[ArmadaleHibs]

That is by far in a way THE best post I've ever read on this site. 10/10

It's exactly how everyone of us feel and exactly what we want to hear.

Well done

[JBloggs1875]

Aye?

Aye, struck a cord for me! I would have thought that would bring the emotion out in anyone no?

[Hibby Gav]

I just hope this gets to him...please print and post....
thanks ODS !

[Ship Hibs]

Never congratulated someone on a thread before but that's poetry mate. If anyone lives near Butcher that should be printed off and put through his letterbox :top marks

[nic81]

Aye, struck a cord for me! I would have thought that would bring the emotion out in anyone no?

It did with me too, lump in the throat

[Springbank]

Excellent post.

As for the footballers in our team since 2009 at least, I struggle to consider them as sportsmen.

The bigger the support they got the more they shrank, the more they looked like they'd been found out, as frauds more interested in expensive champagne corks than champagne football.

Whether its terry or not, and I'd be inclined to keep him, let's get back to playing sport, to win, to play football, find a man, try a trick, pass, move, maybe even score.

Hibernian FC, from the Capital

[WhileTheChief..]

Terry, if you've read this far, i'll keep it simple, resign.

[trev the hat]

Fantastic post

[VivaHiberña]

Excellent post: laid out what has to change and how, didn't just scream for blood. You made it sound that simple I'm almost thinking its doable. :pray:

[MacGruber]

Great post. Replying to say completely agree and also to bump it back up to the top of the page! Hope this reaches Terry. :top marks

[Centre Hawf]

:top marks

[Hibernia&Alba]

Tremendous work, ODS. You've covered many pertinent points.

Terence, if you do read the forum and if you're a man of honour, you must leave now. Your tenure has been a shambles.

[nellio]

Fantastic post. Well thought out and well written. Well done.

[The_Horde]

Oh what the hell. LTYF!












Just kidding, cracking post my friend.

[The Green Goblin]

Great post. Superb. Please print it and send it to TB at the club.

[GreenLake]

Thank you for taking the time to write this. Your kids are very lucky.:top marks

[h185forever]

Fantastic post ! ...all it needs now is someone at ER to read it ...and care !!

[ACLeith]

I played golf yesterday with friends who happen to support another Edinburgh team and whom I have known for a very long time. Before we started I said to them that it's OK to talk about the "elephant in the room", so to speak. But there was no banter as we agree that neither of our teams has anything to be proud of and they knew I was hurting more than them right now and our friendship does matter. Later on, I was asked if I wanted the manager to stay or go - my honest answer was "I don't know" and I gave my reasons for sitting on the fence. Like everyone else I know, I possess an honours degree in Hindsight, but finding a crystal ball right now is tougher.

And just to make matters worse, looks likely I will be speaking to a Killie fan tonight who will probably ask me the same question.

But ODS, you have articulated what I have been feeling since Sunday, thank you for putting down such a constructive message, you have lifted my spirit a fraction. I hope you do send it in to the club.

[the da]

Thanks for this should be printed and sent to butcher

[Leith Mo]

Excellent post - amongst the best I've ever seen on here and which tocuhed very much the raw emotions of the last few days.

Butcher and his Boys (for I refuse to believe that there are many of us left in the support who would be happy to have that tag) and Petrie should have received a short brief telephone call on Sunday evening. Your message sums it up in more words but is excellent.

[Keith_M]

I'd add that we are sick to the back teeth of excuses. What we have seen at Easter Road in the last seven years or so has been an acceptance of failure. Here's some additional points....


- If the players are cr*p during a match, I have no desire to hear how well they perform on the training pitch. Failure to bring that to the game is just that, failure. No excuses!

- The derby is NOT just another game, it is much more than three points. If anyone at the club cannot accept that, they shouldn't be there.

- "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser" (Vince Lombardi). I want this to be the mantra of our club, from top to bottom.

- No more 'Mr Nice Guy'. I don't give a toss about what anyone else says about Hibs. If we are cheated during a game by a referee, I don't want to hear 'oh well, these things even themselves out', I want to hear Neil Lennon level of whingeing about it, a siege mentality worthy of Alex Ferguson.

[jakeshibs]

Last week I started a thread titled 'Hibernian Emotional Overload'. So this is the sequel and is aimed primarily at Terry Butcher who, we are told, reads .net.

I want to try to describe where I am in relation to my club now that the season is over and the very worst has happened. Maybe it is where a lot of other Hibernian brothers and sisters are too. It is important that you understand what we are feeling and why.

Many supporters no longer want you as manager, others do. Either way, ultimately whether you stay on or not can only be decided by Rod Petrie and/or Leanne Dempster. This is written on the assumption that you are staying.

The anger towards you is partly because of what has happened to us this season obviously, but it goes far deeper than that. You are paying a price for relegation, for eye-bleedingly awful football and for the successive failure of the last few years. In other words it isn't just what has happened on your watch, it is also an accumulated anger and hurt in relation to what has happened under the preceding managers.

I'm not going to presume to tell you how to manage the team, train players etc. That's your job and you know it far better than me.

What I am going to talk about is what we the fans need if trust is going to be re-established in some way.

1. If I were you I would make my 'marquee' signings early (assuming that there are to be any). We need a statement of intent from the club but, unfortunately, an actual 'statement' isn't going to do it. In fact words of any sort will simply aggravate the situation. So, actions speak louder than words.

2. Very smart start on the clear out.

3. Football on the deck. If you want to buy some early good will then the fastest route to our restless Hibernian football souls is to clearly demonstrate that hoofball is dead and a passing game with width and pace is what we are getting next. I don't know how you deliver that or the players to do it, but believe me that is where the sweet spot is.

4. Have a word with the marketing people. No more overblown and cliched campaigns on the season ticket front. This is a classic example of where less is more. I'd go for 'Easter Road - Redemption'. Easter is about redemption, Easter Road is where we play and the club needs to redeem itself. It strikes the right contrite tone too.

5. You should consider writing into the contracts of all new players that they are expected not to use social media to in any way discuss the club.

6. A series of regular meet the fans open days might not be a bad idea, for you and the squad. Partly to build direct connections and to let people understand what you are about but also for a more significant reason. We really need to see that the players understand what the fans are all about and what we feel for the club. We need to see that the players aren't just wage takers, separated from the passion of the supporters for the club.

7. We have in the past been fobbed off - or feel that we have - by vague allusions to long term plans. This is now a world where people are far more informed and far better connected to one another though, so we see through that sort of thing right away. It is a hostage to fortune but you should think about setting out some clear and explicit goals. Knowing what exactly you are working toward and over what timescale makes it a lot easier for us to support that path, even if we don't fully agree with it. Tell us nothing and we start to make our own assumptions.

8. This last part is the hardest and by far the most important. I don't have any idea how you achieve it. It feels as though the spirit of our club is damaged. As supporters we cannot see an energetic, unified, purposeful club that is being lead strongly in all departments on and off the pitch. In other words, this is a battlefield where we cannot see our standard so that we can rally to it. We need a leadership that we can stand fast to and feel proud of. You need to find a way to give this club back its footballing soul and self belief.

I took my children to their first Hibs game on Sunday. I could not believe that they witnessed such an awful display. I felt betrayed by it. I place most of the blame for that on the shoulders of the squad that has served us so poorly this season. What troubled me far, far more than anything else though was the effect of that game and everything that led up to it on such a loyal support. People looked bewildered. They looked - and sounded afterwards in conversation - as though their emotional bond with the club was shattered. And that I think is the core challenge here - restoring faith. We need something to believe in again.

So like all good leaders the need falls to point the way and inspire belief. Here is your biggest challenge. Tell us now what your story of Hibernian is. Not big talk or big claims, not just what you want to achieve - tell us how you plan to get there, tell us what the journey is that you intend to take us on, and how.

We have travelled a long road and as supporters we know what our story of Hibernian is. We know it and can remember it from hundreds of moments - from our first game through to Sunday's painful debacle. The joy and the pain shared along the way with friends, relatives and - sometimes in those great wild goal scoring moments - shared too with complete strangers wearing Hibs colours.

Our club, its reputation, its history and its future is a very precious thing to us. It is in our life stories, in the stories of those who went before us and will be in the stories of those who will follow after us. We don't just 'go to the game' on a Saturday afternoon as a lifestyle choice. This club helps to define who we are and we in turn as a family of Hibernian supporters are the spirit of our club. So we need to be able to believe that it is held in hands that feel the rhythmic pulse of Hibernian blood flowing through its past, present and future.

Over to you Terry.

Fantastic post well said

[ALF TUPPER]

Now that IS Hibs class. Excellent post.

Thanks for taking the time to do it. Great read. I agree, send it into TB. :thumbsup:

[Bad Martini]

I'd add that we are sick to the back teeth of excuses. What we have seen at Easter Road in the last seven years or so has been an acceptance of failure. Here's some additional points....


- If the players are cr*p during a match, I have no desire to hear how well they perform on the training pitch. Failure to bring that to the game is just that, failure. No excuses!

- The derby is NOT just another game, it is much more than three points. If anyone at the club cannot accept that, they shouldn't be there.

- "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser" (Vince Lombardi). I want this to be the mantra of our club, from top to bottom.

- No more 'Mr Nice Guy'. I don't give a toss about what anyone else says about Hibs. If we are cheated during a game by a referee, I don't want to hear 'oh well, these things even themselves out', I want to hear Neil Lennon level of whingeing about it, a siege mentality worthy of Alex Ferguson.


Agree with the original poster. Agree with this too.

And would add, we want a chairman, a manager and players who GIVE A TOSS. I appreciate we cannot fill the team with Hibs fans, Riordan's and Sparky's...fair dues. But we need players who actually give a ****.

Fill the team with journeymen and we'll get nowhere.

I despise hearts. What did they have this year that we didnt? Unity. They had a bunch of players and management who fought for their club. I dont like them or their club and know why they are in the mess they are but you know what, they at least went down ****ing fighting. And that REALLY pisses me off.

The Famous Five would turn in their graves witnessing this mediocre pish. There will never be a five again. Nor will their be a tornadoes. However, we could have 11 players fighting for the shirt and trying to bust their baws making their own name......thats the very least our ticket price should guarantee us.

Get that, and it'll ALL fall into place. Had we gone down fighting, seriously fighting, we would not have gone down. Too many big **** off egos at Easter Road...none of them worthy of having such an ego. From top, to bottom.

Not unlike the crisis at Anfield a few seasons ago when the support was divided, the club was in freefall and the yanks almost bust us. Such **** is bad. It's not wanted. If turned around, it CAN bring you back together and stronger than ever. We need our club filled with people who think like us. Without that, we're **** all but a "business" and in fact, we are where we are now because too many people have run a football club like some regular business...doesnt work like that.

ENDOF

[Abbeyhill41]

Fantastic last paragraph.

[Dave-O]

Wow.............:top marks

[One Day Soon]

Thanks for the positive replies. I don't know if Butcher will remain manager or not but I am tempted to send it through to him (or his successor if that happens).

Does anyone have an email address that gets to him?

[Captain Trips]

Last week I started a thread titled 'Hibernian Emotional Overload'. So this is the sequel and is aimed primarily at Terry Butcher who, we are told, reads .net.

I want to try to describe where I am in relation to my club now that the season is over and the very worst has happened. Maybe it is where a lot of other Hibernian brothers and sisters are too. It is important that you understand what we are feeling and why.

Many supporters no longer want you as manager, others do. Either way, ultimately whether you stay on or not can only be decided by Rod Petrie and/or Leanne Dempster. This is written on the assumption that you are staying.

The anger towards you is partly because of what has happened to us this season obviously, but it goes far deeper than that. You are paying a price for relegation, for eye-bleedingly awful football and for the successive failure of the last few years. In other words it isn't just what has happened on your watch, it is also an accumulated anger and hurt in relation to what has happened under the preceding managers.

I'm not going to presume to tell you how to manage the team, train players etc. That's your job and you know it far better than me.

What I am going to talk about is what we the fans need if trust is going to be re-established in some way.

1. If I were you I would make my 'marquee' signings early (assuming that there are to be any). We need a statement of intent from the club but, unfortunately, an actual 'statement' isn't going to do it. In fact words of any sort will simply aggravate the situation. So, actions speak louder than words.

2. Very smart start on the clear out.

3. Football on the deck. If you want to buy some early good will then the fastest route to our restless Hibernian football souls is to clearly demonstrate that hoofball is dead and a passing game with width and pace is what we are getting next. I don't know how you deliver that or the players to do it, but believe me that is where the sweet spot is.

4. Have a word with the marketing people. No more overblown and cliched campaigns on the season ticket front. This is a classic example of where less is more. I'd go for 'Easter Road - Redemption'. Easter is about redemption, Easter Road is where we play and the club needs to redeem itself. It strikes the right contrite tone too.

5. You should consider writing into the contracts of all new players that they are expected not to use social media to in any way discuss the club.

6. A series of regular meet the fans open days might not be a bad idea, for you and the squad. Partly to build direct connections and to let people understand what you are about but also for a more significant reason. We really need to see that the players understand what the fans are all about and what we feel for the club. We need to see that the players aren't just wage takers, separated from the passion of the supporters for the club.

7. We have in the past been fobbed off - or feel that we have - by vague allusions to long term plans. This is now a world where people are far more informed and far better connected to one another though, so we see through that sort of thing right away. It is a hostage to fortune but you should think about setting out some clear and explicit goals. Knowing what exactly you are working toward and over what timescale makes it a lot easier for us to support that path, even if we don't fully agree with it. Tell us nothing and we start to make our own assumptions.

8. This last part is the hardest and by far the most important. I don't have any idea how you achieve it. It feels as though the spirit of our club is damaged. As supporters we cannot see an energetic, unified, purposeful club that is being lead strongly in all departments on and off the pitch. In other words, this is a battlefield where we cannot see our standard so that we can rally to it. We need a leadership that we can stand fast to and feel proud of. You need to find a way to give this club back its footballing soul and self belief.

I took my children to their first Hibs game on Sunday. I could not believe that they witnessed such an awful display. I felt betrayed by it. I place most of the blame for that on the shoulders of the squad that has served us so poorly this season. What troubled me far, far more than anything else though was the effect of that game and everything that led up to it on such a loyal support. People looked bewildered. They looked - and sounded afterwards in conversation - as though their emotional bond with the club was shattered. And that I think is the core challenge here - restoring faith. We need something to believe in again.

So like all good leaders the need falls to point the way and inspire belief. Here is your biggest challenge. Tell us now what your story of Hibernian is. Not big talk or big claims, not just what you want to achieve - tell us how you plan to get there, tell us what the journey is that you intend to take us on, and how.

We have travelled a long road and as supporters we know what our story of Hibernian is. We know it and can remember it from hundreds of moments - from our first game through to Sunday's painful debacle. The joy and the pain shared along the way with friends, relatives and - sometimes in those great wild goal scoring moments - shared too with complete strangers wearing Hibs colours.

Our club, its reputation, its history and its future is a very precious thing to us. It is in our life stories, in the stories of those who went before us and will be in the stories of those who will follow after us. We don't just 'go to the game' on a Saturday afternoon as a lifestyle choice. This club helps to define who we are and we in turn as a family of Hibernian supporters are the spirit of our club. So we need to be able to believe that it is held in hands that feel the rhythmic pulse of Hibernian blood flowing through its past, present and future.

Over to you Terry.

Excellent post but for me the door is open in it for TB so this is where I disagree. For me this post should be shown to our new manager not Terry. Terry should not be in charge for another minute. Posts like yours show what we are all about and how much of a let down Terry and co have been.

Good post though

[InterviewLoI]

Brilliant post that :aok:

Can we please please please get that wee Irish lad to do Hibs TV and media ? I need some cheeky chappiness, some Irish cheer and wit, some youthful energy on the screen.........not a guy who sounds like a drugged version of Barry Scott from the Cillit Bang ads :rolleyes::greengrin

I would love to get to cover Hibs more. This has been one of the toughest seasons to endure as a sports fan myself and I hope we can bounce straight back up.

Props to thr OP as well. Emotional stuff. Terry get reading!

[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

I would love to get to cover Hibs more. This has been one of the toughest seasons to endure as a sports fan myself and I hope we can bounce straight back up.

Props to thr OP as well. Emotional stuff. Terry get reading!

You need to be the new media guy for us pal, you are fantastic.

[InterviewLoI]

You need to be the new media guy for us pal, you are fantastic.

Sometimes I post on here just for the cobfidence boost :P

Seriously thanks so much but my involvment would be limited co sidering my location and age :P

[Cameron1875]

Get this thread blooming bumped. Its the best post Ive read on .net and sums up the feelings of the vast majority of the fans.

Hurting like hell still but needs to be a way forward rather than just wallowing in self-pity. PERSEVERE

[Deansy]

Dear Terry - the points 'Carlsberg' raised plus bullet McGivern & Nelson.

[RIP Bestie]

One day soon, I think you have said more in your post than could ever be said at any demonstration or rally.
I notice you are the same age as me and we have maybe ridden the same roller coaster together.
It hurts me to see so many people suffering the way they are. It hurts me that the guys that I have gone to the football with over the years has slowly diminished over the years. It hurts me that my first daughter gave up coming with me after one season. It hurts me that my second daughter didn't come back after her first game. It hurts me that my Hearts friends don't even slag me anymore, it hurts me that they show me sympathy.
I could never have captured my feelings the way that you have and I am truly grateful to you for your post.