Behind the goals

[Enough said]

Has there been any contact with the club on why this facility is closed after games. Had a few business colleagues at the game on Sunday , we were told it's no longe open now? Is this becuase the game was at 12pm on Sunday? Many thanks in advance.

[kennedy]

Has there been any contact with the club on why this facility is closed after games. Had a few business colleagues at the game on Sunday , we were told it's no longe open now? Is this becuase the game was at 12pm on Sunday? Many thanks in advance.

I spoke to someone in authority pre game last Sunday and was told that financially it is not worth opening after games. As a regular user post match for a couple of pints I can understand the decision as the numbers are not that great, maybe now that there are more season ticket holders it would maybe have improved this season. I was also told that they are going to review that decision soon.

[Kojock]

Has there been any contact with the club on why this facility is closed after games. Had a few business colleagues at the game on Sunday , we were told it's no longe open now? Is this becuase the game was at 12pm on Sunday? Many thanks in advance.

It's not been open after any matches this season. The reason given was that it was losing money. The people running BTG have run the place into the ground. The person responsible should have been relieved of their position long before now.

[staunchhibby]

Thought hibs had vested interst in btg

[Kojock]

Thought hibs had vested interst in btg

They do, they took it back in house but unfortunately since then the place has gone from bad to worse. Spoke to RP, Big Frank, Amit, and the woman in charge of BTG re the problems but nothing was done. Our crowd no longer go there and the club is losing around £2000 a season from us. I know lots of other regulars who no longer go for the same reasons.

[scoopyboy]

It's not been open after any matches this season. The reason given was that it was losing money. The people running BTG have run the place into the ground. The person responsible should have been relieved of their position long before now.

Hibs are running it now, have been for a wee while.

Couldn't argue about after games but must be a wee goldmine before ko.

[Kojock]

Hibs are running it now, have been for a wee while.

Couldn't argue about after games but must be a wee goldmine before ko.

It could be a wee gold mine before and after the match if run properly. The number of people attending has dropped to such an extent it is no longer exclusive to ST holders and is now open to anyone with a match ticket.

[scoopyboy]

It could be a wee gold mine before and after the match if run properly. The number of people attending has dropped to such an extent it is no longer exclusive to ST holders and is now open to anyone with a match ticket.

I think it is as busy now before games as any time I have known it G. Having said that we generally arrive at 2.30 which I appreciate was not as early as your group.

I had four gripes previously with the place;

1. Thought the beers and ciders were crap. They are certainly better now.
2. Thought it was too expensive, certainly cheaper now.
3. Queues too long and it took too long to get served.
4. IMO Hibs should have been getting the profit and not some catering crowd, this has been addressed.

Not sure if these were some of your complaints or not.

[Brightside]

Its always packed pre games...and you still need a ST. The service is shockingly slow, the beer is often off, or flat. Its really not hard to run a basic beer and bottle bar.

[Kojock]

Its always packed pre games...and you still need a ST. The service is shockingly slow, the beer is often off, or flat. Its really not hard to run a basic beer and bottle bar.

It is no longer for ST holders only and is open to anyone with a match ticket.
Agree with your comments about the service, every week there was a problem with the lager which as you say was either crap or off which meant you had to queue at the other already busy bar. TV's not working was another bug bear.

[mim]

After a cold bacon roll and a coffee on Sunday, I had an absolutely vile mouthful of John Smiths at the back of 11am.
Changed to lager, which was ok (just).
I saw that they did something about the beer, but this should have been done before opening, not after.

Very poor :rolleyes:

[Kojock]

After a cold bacon roll and a coffee on Sunday, I had an absolutely vile mouthful of John Smiths at the back of 11am.
Changed to lager, which was ok (just).
I saw that they did something about the beer, but this should have been done before opening, not after.

Very poor :rolleyes:

Agree there Mike. Food crap, lager and John Smiths crap. Every week there was a problem with the pumps that was never rectified resulting in massive queues at the other bars. If it was an ordinary business it would have closed down years ago.

[green day]

After a cold bacon roll and a coffee on Sunday, I had an absolutely vile mouthful of John Smiths at the back of 11am.
Changed to lager, which was ok (just).
I saw that they did something about the beer, but this should have been done before opening, not after.

Very poor :rolleyes:

John smiths is the beer equivalent of Tennants - I don't think a "good pint" exists !

Anywhere opening once a week is going to have crap draught beer, to be honest. If I went I would stick to bottles.

[Real Emerald]

It could make a shed load of money if run properly but they are going to lose punters if they don't up their game.

These are things I've been told so not first hand:

Staff start just before opening and have little time to set up.

If there has been a function previous evening they have that to clear up first.

Dishwasher not working for around 2 years.

This all leads to bars not being ready, beers not working or tested before opening. Queues forming due to taps being off, no glasses, wet glasses giving rubbish pints etc.

I, like others enjoy going there pre match and sometimes after but I've heard loads of people saying they're going to start going elsewhere in future due to these issues.

Another point is the advert infested TV''s. The screens are now so small you have trouble seeing what's going on.

Such a shame really 😟

[NAE NOOKIE]

In the times we have used it we usually arrive about an hour & a half before kick off, but even then its difficult to get a table and you end up standing at the windows or sitting against the wall. For the size of the place I always thought the tables could be configured to fit a lot more in. Never had any bother with the lager, but then I'm easily pleased :greengrin

When you look at how busy it usually is on matchdays I'm surprised to hear folk say that Hibs aren't making money from it. I have to say that serving booze in plastic beakers doesn't help, its a pain in the arse trying to carry a round back to the tables, I don't know why its necessary, has there ever been a fight in the bar?

The place does look a wee bit tired these days and there is a surprising lack of Hibs related memorabilia around the walls, perhaps if it was Hibbied up a bit the place would be more attractive to punters. I was in the 'restaurant' in the west stand a month or so ago and I have to say I was a bit surprised at how tired it looked, a bit like a run down wetherspoons but without the character .... time to get out the paintbrushes and invest in a new carpet IMO.

From a personal point of view I prefer the pubs around Easter Road, they have more Hibs stuff on the walls, a better atmosphere and its a hell of a lot easier to get out for a fag between pints. In a pub like Tamsons for example, it might be wee bit run down, but you can practically feel the spirits of Hibs fans gone by oozing out of the walls and for all its faults it has character, and Hibs character at that, something behind the goals strangely hasn't managed to capture for me.

[roc1]

I wrote to Leann Dempster about this after the first league match this season.

Very disappointed to say that I have not received a reply. I told Rod Petrie and a senior staff member* about it before the Ayr game but still nothing. Not great.

To cut a long story short I opened the letter with an apology for what might appear to be a minor complaint when everything else was going so well for the club (remember this was immediately after the first league game)

I said that BTG has been a shambolic set up for years and that the Club were, and are, missing out on a, potentially, great revenue stream.

I know of guys who have decided to give their beer money to Edinburgh City supporters club (The Loch Inn) and other venues instead.

I pointed out, for me, the main issue of taps running out 5 minutes after opening and not being re-stocked and that on many occasions the draught drinks were simply not available.

If the club did away with draught and went bottle only I would be disappointed but would still use it. It's a very handy pre match venue.

It is the fact that you have no idea what you are going to get when you get there that I find most frustrating.

The bar is still very busy before games but none of the issues have been addressed.

As for closing after the game I only discovered this on Sunday when we tried to go up for a pint but couldn't get in. We have a venue we use but we had been thinking of using BTG for a quick drink after the game, letting the crowd away then getting a cab to our other venue but it looks like that option is not going to be available.

* this staff member hinted that the whole place was under review but what that means I have no firm knowledge.

[Since90+2]

I'm sure I read on here not long ago that BTG will be getting closed and a new supporters bar built on the space between the corner of the East and North stands?

I have only been in BTG once and to be honest I would not be in a hurry to return. Beer was crap , no atmosphere and the whole thing just seemed very tired. I can see why its popular with people going with kids but cant see many people choosing it for a pre match pint over a boozer on Easter Road.

[Golden Bear]

Sometimes pop in about 2.15 for a pre match pint or two. The top bar is ALWAYS very busy at that time and I must admit I don't have too much to complain about. It serves a purpose and I'm happy that the income will go to the Club.

I must be easily pleased I suppose!

[#FromTheCapital]

Have been there before every game this season so far. I like it. The que can seem long when you first see it, but it goes down very quickly. It's been fairly busy before each game this season. I like the convenience of it, you can drink right up till kick off instead of having to walk for 10 minutes after finishing your pint. I wish they'd get a better choice of lager though. Fosters is rank and Heineken isn't much better!

[scoopyboy]

In the times we have used it we usually arrive about an hour & a half before kick off, but even then its difficult to get a table and you end up standing at the windows or sitting against the wall. For the size of the place I always thought the tables could be configured to fit a lot more in. Never had any bother with the lager, but then I'm easily pleased :greengrin

When you look at how busy it usually is on matchdays I'm surprised to hear folk say that Hibs aren't making money from it. I have to say that serving booze in plastic beakers doesn't help, its a pain in the arse trying to carry a round back to the tables, I don't know why its necessary, has there ever been a fight in the bar?

The place does look a wee bit tired these days and there is a surprising lack of Hibs related memorabilia around the walls, perhaps if it was Hibbied up a bit the place would be more attractive to punters. I was in the 'restaurant' in the west stand a month or so ago and I have to say I was a bit surprised at how tired it looked, a bit like a run down wetherspoons but without the character .... time to get out the paintbrushes and invest in a new carpet IMO.

From a personal point of view I prefer the pubs around Easter Road, they have more Hibs stuff on the walls, a better atmosphere and its a hell of a lot easier to get out for a fag between pints. In a pub like Tamsons for example, it might be wee bit run down, but you can practically feel the spirits of Hibs fans gone by oozing out of the walls and for all its faults it has character, and Hibs character at that, something behind the goals strangely hasn't managed to capture for me.

If you go up the stairs you get the beer / cider in glasses, no children allowed however.

[Brooster]

Poor service and severe lack of offerings. If it wasn't Hibs I wouldn't go anywhere near the place. Hibs should really be looking to upgrade.

[NAE NOOKIE]

If you go up the stairs you get the beer / cider in glasses, no children allowed however.

Yeh, we always have kids with us so the upstairs bar is a no go area, I have had a look in and it does seem a bit more salubrious than the downstairs bar.

[NAE NOOKIE]

I'm sure I read on here not long ago that BTG will be getting closed and a new supporters bar built on the space between the corner of the East and North stands?

I have only been in BTG once and to be honest I would not be in a hurry to return. Beer was crap , no atmosphere and the whole thing just seemed very tired. I can see why its popular with people going with kids but cant see many people choosing it for a pre match pint over a boozer on Easter Road.

I think that's only a rumour based on the fact that Hibs are giving over areas in the FF to this new initiative with the NHS etc ..... How much of the FF and whether it will include all or any of the area currently occupied by BTG nobody seems to know.

The East stand AFAIK has facility for an additional floor to be built half way up and in view of that I cant see Hibs creating a whole new building between the FF and East for a supporters bar when it would probably cost a lot less to develop the existing East stand and knock a few windows into the rear facing onto Rod Petrie plaza. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see them do both and have a building which completely fills the gap and also incorporates the east stand ..... it would be a step closer to having a stadium where you could walk in the front door and go all around it without having to go outside.

[Kojock]

Poor service and severe lack of offerings. If it wasn't Hibs I wouldn't go anywhere near the place. Hibs should really be looking to upgrade.

That's the reason we kept going as the money was going to Hibs, however there's only so much crap you can take before calling it a day. I paid £25 for a membership at Edinburgh City. If Hibs upgraded BTG got their act together and charged a membership fee, I would happily pay it.

[linlithgowhibbie]

That's the reason we kept going as the money was going to Hibs, however there's only so much crap you can take before calling it a day. I paid £25 for a membership at Edinburgh City. If Hibs upgraded BTG got their act together and charged a membership fee, I would happily pay it.

Why not just join the Hibs supporters club?
:thumbsup:

[Carheenlea]

I wish they'd get a better choice of lager though. Fosters is rank and Heineken isn't much better!

The Hibs Club do a very nice pint of Innis & Gunn if lager's your tipple.

[3pm]

Hibs should get in touch with the boys that run Pilot brewing on Jane Street.

Sell some local brew!

[ian cruise]

Anything where the lines for free pour are only used once a week, maybe twice a month, is going to taste terrible. They've make it a better experience and easier on themselves by doing bottles only.

[Leithwalk]

I did a bit of a campaign on this with Them Upstairs a couple of years back, trying to get a decent bottled beer provided as an alternative.

The situation explained to me was that Carlsberg had put in new piping and had exclusive rights. They gave me a list of the bottled beers available, other than the obvious. The options were three Dutch beers with alcoholic strength well into "There's only two Jason Cummings" territory and two New Zealand beers which had terrible online reviews. It's a pity given the number of good local breweries that would give excellent options for a pint before and after the game. I forgot to ask how long the contract lasts.

[Onceinawhile]

I did a bit of a campaign on this with Them Upstairs a couple of years back, trying to get a decent bottled beer provided as an alternative.

The situation explained to me was that Carlsberg had put in new piping and had exclusive rights. They gave me a list of the bottled beers available, other than the obvious. The options were three Dutch beers with alcoholic strength well into "There's only two Jason Cummings" territory and two New Zealand beers which had terrible online reviews. It's a pity given the number of good local breweries that would give excellent options for a pint before and after the game. I forgot to ask how long the contract lasts.

Given it was branded as "crabbies behind the goals" recently, it must have run out?

Fwiw I've only been in btg a few times and it's always been rammed. Queues are a problem - but where near easter Road isn't at that time on a Saturday?

The only concern I've ever had was them running totally out of change at about half two which was just bonkers.

[lyonhibs]

Given it was branded as "crabbies behind the goals" recently, it must have run out?

Fwiw I've only been in btg a few times and it's always been rimmed. Queues are a problem - but where near easter Road isn't at that time on a Saturday?

The only concern I've ever had was them running totally out of change at about half two which was just bonkers.

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[Onceinawhile]

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Hahaha autocorrect can be a pain. Edited now...