every chance of things being very different by September 20th

[worcesterhibby]

With last season fresh in the memory and many of last seasons players still on the books, the beginning of this season was always going to be difficult. Alan Stubbs is busy not only trying to completely change the way we play, but also install some much needed confidence into a side that had no confidence whatsoever by the end of the last campaign. Unfortunately the fixture list was not kind to us, three of our first four games of the season were against the three best sides in the league. If we could have started the season with matches against Dumbarton, Cowdenbeath and Alloa, then I'm pretty confident we would have 9 points now.
The key question is, do the players have enough semblance of confidence to get a win Tomorrow night against Dumbarton in the cup ? If we can get a win, we have something to build on as the next three games after that against Alloa, Cowdenbeath and QOS are eminently winnable. Come September 20th we SHOULD have 12 points and still be in the league cup. That would put us in the top 4 and in a very different place mentally before we have to head over to Hunbrox again on September 29th.
It's easy to feel anger and see no progress being made and of course we would stand a better chance if we could bring in a couple of extra players if they were of the right calibre. Whether we can manage that will be down to LD.
C'mon Hibs. lets hit Dumbarton with a whirlwind of attacking, positive football, get a three goal win and finally build some desperately needed momentum.

[truehibernian]

With last season fresh in the memory and many of last seasons players still on the books, the beginning of this season was always going to be difficult. Alan Stubbs is busy not only trying to completely change the way we play, but also install some much needed confidence into a side that had no confidence whatsoever by the end of the last campaign. Unfortunately the fixture list was not kind to us, three of our first four games of the season were against the three best sides in the league. If we could have started the season with matches against Dumbarton, Cowdenbeath and Alloa, then I'm pretty confident we would have 9 points now.
The key question is, do the players have enough semblance of confidence to get a win Tomorrow night against Dumbarton in the cup ? If we can get a win, we have something to build on as the next three games after that against Alloa, Cowdenbeath and QOS are eminently winnable. Come September 20th we SHOULD have 12 points and still be in the league cup. That would put us in the top 4 and in a very different place mentally before we have to head over to Hunbrox again on September 29th.
It's easy to feel anger and see no progress being made and of course we would stand a better chance if we could bring in a couple of extra players if they were of the right calibre. Whether we can manage that will be down to LD.
C'mon Hibs. lets hit Dumbarton with a whirlwind of attacking, positive football, get a three goal win and finally build some desperately needed momentum.

I think this season, and next, we will see some fantastic results and some right sickeners......the wholesale changes behind the scenes are getting done at whirlwind pace and that will bring some inconsistency, though of course striving for solidity and consistency in the mid to long term.

Last week I spoke with someone who has already been approached (and has started) scouting for us - seems Stubbs and his team are identifying proper scouting and networking as key to our future success. I'm going to try and get him to persuade a young The Rangers starlet to sign for his beloved Hibs too :greengrin

The Spartans link cannot be underestimated in our pursuit of young local talent.

The 'positive coaching' seems worlds apart from what went on last season - some of our young players need that 'cuddle' after pretty much being torn a strip by old school approaches. Again, the rewards will be seen once the management team get proper time to work with them, and we as fans give them that time and don't allow ourselves to become irrational and impatient.

I myself have said a few choice things in the heat of the moment - sometimes you need to step away from the keyboard after games as emotions run high. I do think that last season under Butcher had a far more damaging effect than we have been all let on to - cannot imagine it would have been easy or indeed something to look forward to, coming into work to be told how crap you are. The mental side of the game is often ridiculed and overlooked.

For the first time in a long time it looks like Hibs are going to do a lot of research and due diligence into our signing targets. My worry however is there is no money - which means that our youth coaches and young players are going to have to work hard and train hard to perhaps fill that gap. Players like Allan, Todd, Gardiner, Crane and Mulhall might see this as a great opportunity - hope they seize it :aok:

[lord bunberry]

I hope so because the club is tearing itself apart with all the infighting. The fans need a team to get behind and to turn up at er in an expectant frame of mind.