Wholesale changes?

[SRHibs]

Will we make them when (if) we get promoted? I think we have a relatively good spine to the team with Marciano, Hanlon/McGregor, McGinn/Fyvie, and Cummings, however outside of that I believe we need to strengthen considerably. It's also like that 2/3 out of those 5 won't be here come the beginning of next season?

It's probably unpopular but I would definitely look at improving the FB position on both sides - would keep both Stevenson and Gray in the squad though.

Would be happy with retaining the core of our midfield (even Shinnie who I rate). If McGeouch can ever get himself consistently fit then our midfield would more than suffice in the SPL.

Would love to keep Marciano as he's different class.

2nd in the SPL is there for the taking so hopefully the board show a bit of ambition in the summer. Thoughts on probable changes?

[G B Young]

With the exception of Celtic, and possibly Aberdeen on a good day, the standard of the top flight is exceptionally poor. Probably as low in quality as I can recall in some 40 years of watching Scottish football.

I actually think the current Hibs squad would do quite well in the Premier League, but yes we obviously need to strengthen if we want to challenge for a European spot.

[Largshibby]

Will we make them when (if) we get promoted? I think we have a relatively good spine to the team with Marciano, Hanlon/McGregor, McGinn/Fyvie, and Cummings, however outside of that I believe we need to strengthen considerably. It's also like that 2/3 out of those 5 won't be here come the beginning of next season?

It's probably unpopular but I would definitely look at improving the FB position on both sides - would keep both Stevenson and Gray in the squad though.

Would be happy with retaining the core of our midfield (even Shinnie who I rate). If McGeouch can ever get himself consistently fit then our midfield would more than suffice in the SPL.

Would love to keep Marciano as he's different class.

2nd in the SPL is there for the taking so hopefully the board show a bit of ambition in the summer. Thoughts on probable changes?

M arciano was outstanding v Dunfermline and poor v St Mirren. If you take an average it makes him a reasonable keeper probably as good as we can have. I'd keep Hanlon and McGregor as they have demonstrated they can deal with better teams and mcgeoch (if fit) and shinnie because he has a bit of class when he tries. I think Cummings and McGINN will be sold. That should allow us to out spend all bar Celtic servo and Aberdeen so we can cherry pick players from the likes of Dundee st Johnstone etc who seem to have figured out how to stay in the top division. I think the SC winning team needs dismantled as there is a dangerthat the heart will rule the head and we persevere (no pun intended) with guys that need moved on.

[JackLadd]

I'm not sure it's that bad, just Celtic are way ahead. Aberdeen have their best squad since the 90s. The rest are much of a muchness. Our current squad is surely top six, plenty good players and the hertz game proved it. Our level is not consistent which is Lennons main problem.

[Franck Stanton]

Bit previous IMO we are not certain of promotion to the SPL. Worry about the personnel if we get there

[madhatter]

M arciano was outstanding v Dunfermline and poor v St Mirren. If you take an average it makes him a reasonable keeper probably as good as we can have. I'd keep Hanlon and McGregor as they have demonstrated they can deal with better teams and mcgeoch (if fit) and shinnie because he has a bit of class when he tries. I think Cummings and McGINN will be sold. That should allow us to out spend all bar Celtic servo and Aberdeen so we can cherry pick players from the likes of Dundee st Johnstone etc who seem to have figured out how to stay in the top division. I think the SC winning team needs dismantled as there is a dangerthat the heart will rule the head and we persevere (no pun intended) with guys that need moved on.

Are you saying if we sell Cummings and McGinn we wouldn't be able to outspend Aberdeen? That's a bit mental tbh. What are we getting for them, 200k each or something? Also keeping Shinnie is insane, he has bit of class when he tries is good enough for you? Baffling, truly baffling.

Cherry picking from St Johnstone and the like was how we got relegated - KT, Liam Craig, Maybury et al. We need to develop our youngsters and scout players around Europe in my opinion.

[1van Sprou7e]

Are you saying if we sell Cummings and McGinn we wouldn't be able to outspend Aberdeen? That's a bit mental tbh. What are we getting for them, 200k each or something? Also keeping Shinnie is insane, he has bit of class when he tries is good enough for you? Baffling, truly baffling.

Cherry picking from St Johnstone and the like was how we got relegated - KT, Liam Craig, Maybury et al. We need to develop our youngsters and scout players around Europe in my opinion.

200k each? We'd get a lot more than that. We already rejected a 1.2m bid for Cummings last year

[Golden Bear]

Bit previous IMO we are not certain of promotion to the SPL. Worry about the personnel if we get there

Exactly. There's a long, long way to go yet and we all know that if there is a hard way to do something then Hibs will find it.

[lyonhibs]

200k each? We'd get a lot more than that. We already rejected a 1.2m bid for Cummings last year

I think that may have been the gentleman's point.

For sure quality, and relatively consistent quality at that, in the wide areas is an absolute must.

Although it's been that way for a decade or so mind..

[Jim44]

I was searching for the nervous giggle smiley when I read the op.:rolleyes:

[SRHibs]

I was searching for the nervous giggle smiley when I read the op.:rolleyes:
:confused:

[Jim44]

:confused:

:confused: Carry on tho'. :greengrin

[Largshibby]

Are you saying if we sell Cummings and McGinn we wouldn't be able to outspend Aberdeen? That's a bit mental tbh. What are we getting for them, 200k each or something? Also keeping Shinnie is insane, he has bit of class when he tries is good enough for you? Baffling, truly baffling.

Cherry picking from St Johnstone and the like was how we got relegated - KT, Liam Craig, Maybury et al. We need to develop our youngsters and scout players around Europe in my opinion.

Opinions eh? I've no idea how much we would get thats why i didn't quote a figure. Transfer fees are always complicated by sell on clauses, cash plus player deals etc so maybe we wouldn't get as much as we would like. Potential purchasers will also consider the quality of the league these guys are playing in. Who is KT? Liam Craig did well at St Johnstone before he came to us and when he went back to them so thats a strange example to give. Hibs made him (and others) useless. Scouting overseas players is hit and miss unless its the really good guys that we cant afford (and its a jambo policy so I'd avoid it for that reason alone). I agree about developing our own players but that takes time that most football supporters don't allow.

[Smartie]

I think this squad would do ok in the Premier League with a few (not many) additions and a couple of departures.

We're better suited to the Premier League than the Championship imo.

If we don't go up I'd be demanding wholesale changes, not just for financial reasons and because most of the players would demand to leave but because they'd have proven conclusively once and for all that they're not up to the task of winning this league.

[hibs#1]

I'd say we've got a really good Base to build on if we get promoted.I would think upfront would be the biggest over-haul and the full back positions.
Obviously we can nobody is irreplaceable.

[BoomtownHibees]

M arciano was outstanding v Dunfermline and poor v St Mirren. If you take an average it makes him a reasonable keeper probably as good as we can have. I'd keep Hanlon and McGregor as they have demonstrated they can deal with better teams and mcgeoch (if fit) and shinnie because he has a bit of class when he tries. I think Cummings and McGINN will be sold. That should allow us to out spend all bar Celtic servo and Aberdeen so we can cherry pick players from the likes of Dundee st Johnstone etc who seem to have figured out how to stay in the top division. I think the SC winning team needs dismantled as there is a dangerthat the heart will rule the head and we persevere (no pun intended) with guys that need moved on.

Probably why we wouldn't judge Marciano over just the last 2 games. He's a better goalie than "reasonable"

[Ozyhibby]

Marciano is a fine goalie and def worth keeping. A significant upgrade on Oxley.


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[Nicho87]

How we can even mention 2nd place in the league above is baffling. Yes we turn up for the big cup games. What about a freezing night in inverness on a wednesday night. These players are no where near tested enough as a squad to assume we'd get a top six spot never mind second. After our recent results i find this quite incredible.

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

With the exception of Celtic, and possibly Aberdeen on a good day, the standard of the top flight is exceptionally poor. Probably as low in quality as I can recall in some 40 years of watching Scottish football.

I actually think the current Hibs squad would do quite well in the Premier League, but yes we obviously need to strengthen if we want to challenge for a European spot.

Agreed :aok:

[RedHibby]

We are struggling to get promoted and some are talking top 6 and Europe in the league above. I want back into the Premiership just like everyone else but a reality check is required.

[Keith_M]

You have to think(hope) that there's going to be a massive clearout.


There seems to be a lot of players that either just aren't good enough, or only turn it on when they can be bothered.

[indiejak1413]

I think there's a few players on contracts with guaranteed 1st team football. Makes it difficult for the manager to drop certain players even though they're playing crap.

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[IberianHibernian]

I like to think that relative lack of signings last summer and again this winter is because club is saving up for some good signings if we go up or saving for emergency if we don`t I suppose . I`d hope we`d only keep a max of 7 or 8 of present squad if we go up and even then some of them would be as back up .

[Dashing Bob S]

I think Lennon will make big changes next year. It was almost impossible for him to dismantle the team of legends that won the Scottish Cup for the first time in 114 years. But they have fallen short in certain areas. The problem is the same one we've had over the last three seasons: we can raise to high level of performance against decent teams who play football, but struggle against committed/bus parking muppets. So a Jambos/Huns style skooshing was never really on. If we had an opposition side this term like either of those two; limited but know how to bully inferior sides, we'd be looking at the play-offs once again.

Agree with the OP's comments about the spine. Stevenson and Gray are Hibernian institutions and criticizing them makes me feel Jambo-dirty, but I'm not sure we'd be anything other than mid-table in the Premier with them in the ranks. Ditto Boyle, Graham, Holt etc.

[Forza Fred]

I think this squad would do ok in the Premier League with a few (not many) additions and a couple of departures.

We're better suited to the Premier League than the Championship imo.

.

Why?

[JackLadd]

You can't be too loyal to players who are not performing but I would not clear this side out, not if it means going back to signing the dross that we saw on the park 2007-14: journeyman signings and nobody's that eventually got us relegated.

[Smartie]

Why?

Because more Premier League teams will try to play football against us and that suits us.

Not all of them - there are a few "wee teams" up there who will park the bus like the teams in our league.

Our current players suit playing 3-5-2 and a midfield diamond that are effective at soaking up pressure and hitting teams on the break by being hard to beat.

We don't have the players to play formations that allow us to attack teams and break down packed defences.

Our fullbacks - great defensive fullbacks who will require their defensive skills more in the Premier League rather than their attacking ones. All our centre-halves should be playing at a higher level and would be good enough to do so. Fyvie, Bartley, McGinn - these are good players who play better against better players, have better defensive attributes than attacking ones. Cummings will get goals at a higher level.

[FitbaFolkKen]

I think we'll lose an awful lot of players in the summer.

There are a number of players out of contract -

Chris Humphrey
David Gray
Lewis Stevenson
Fraser Fyvie
Darren McGregor
Grant Holt
Marvin Bartley
James Keatings
Martin Boyle
Ross Laidlaw
Alex Harris
Liam Fontaine
Brain Maclean
Scott Gallacher

Loans
Ofir Marciano
Andrew Shinnie
Efe Ambrose

Cummings and McGinn are sure to attract interest from elsewhere and that may fund our revamp of the squad.

I don't think Lennon will keep Handling, Graham and McGeouch because they just haven't played enough games. 2 because of injury and Graham seems 4th or 5th in the pecking order up front.

That's 22 of our first team squad of 26 that could conceivably be moving. I think the only players I haven't highlighted are Hanlon, Forster, Crane, and Martin.

It'll be the end of an era and then we'll really see what Lennon can do I hope!

[Juice-Terry]

Whatever we do, we shouldn't offer Fyvie a new contract. He is awful - even if he did have a decent cup final.

[BoomtownHibees]

Because more Premier League teams will try to play football against us and that suits us.

Not all of them - there are a few "wee teams" up there who will park the bus like the teams in our league.

Our current players suit playing 3-5-2 and a midfield diamond that are effective at soaking up pressure and hitting teams on the break by being hard to beat.

We don't have the players to play formations that allow us to attack teams and break down packed defences.

Our fullbacks - great defensive fullbacks who will require their defensive skills more in the Premier League rather than their attacking ones. All our centre-halves should be playing at a higher level and would be good enough to do so. Fyvie, Bartley, McGinn - these are good players who play better against better players, have better defensive attributes than attacking ones. Cummings will get goals at a higher level.

The last 2 teams have played football against us and ripped us apart

[hibsbollah]

With the exception of Celtic, and possibly Aberdeen on a good day, the standard of the top flight is exceptionally poor. Probably as low in quality as I can recall in some 40 years of watching Scottish football.

I actually think the current Hibs squad would do quite well in the Premier League, but yes we obviously need to strengthen if we want to challenge for a European spot.


:agree:
Second place in Scotland is going begging for any team with the cojones to actually go for it. we're already better than Aberdeen in key positions, with further investment, either in attacking full backs if we're playing that way, or attacking wide midfielders, and at striker, we should be clearly better. Time we spent on quality, and if a few familiar faces are sacrificed that's a shame but so be it.

[Speedy]

We are struggling to get promoted and some are talking top 6 and Europe in the league above. I want back into the Premiership just like everyone else but a reality check is required.

Rangers and Hearts are both comfortably in the top 6 and we have shown we are very capable of beating teams in that division.

There is no reason at all why we couldn't be at least top 6.

[Speedy]

Whatever we do, we shouldn't offer Fyvie a new contract. He is awful - even if he did have a decent cup final.

I don't think he's awful but he's not necessarily a player for every game. He's very good at slowing the game down and taking the pressure off when we're up against it. He's not great at playing with urgency to get forward which is what we need against the smaller teams.

Whether he's good value for us depends on how much he's on. If he's a top earner then we could perhaps spend it more wisely.

[Smartie]

We are struggling to get promoted and some are talking top 6 and Europe in the league above. I want back into the Premiership just like everyone else but a reality check is required.

Are we really struggling to get promoted though?

We're on a horrible run of form yet still find ourselves comfortably top of the league.

It's not as comfortable as many of us would have liked, that's for sure, but I think it's harsh to say we're struggling to get promoted.

If we win our next game, which is very winnable, we're practically there.

[houstonhibbee]

Rangers and Hearts are both comfortably in the top 6 and we have shown we are very capable of beating teams in that division.

There is no reason at all why we couldn't be at least top 6.
apparent from the fact we're not consistent enough

cantvsee us raising our game against the likes of Killie thistle county ict Dundee etc

[silverhibee]

I think there's a few players on contracts with guaranteed 1st team football. Makes it difficult for the manager to drop certain players even though they're playing crap.

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What players would they be, I doubt Hibs would put that in to a contract.

[Forza Fred]

What players would they be, I doubt Hibs would put that in to a contract.

I don't see how ANY club can 'guarantee' first team football......I can understand how a player can be told something along the lines that he is fully expected to be in the first team, but as far as putting it in a contract, well...just dinnae see how it could be done...

[J-C]

This poor run of form ( apart from Hearts game ) only goes to show that our squad isn't as strong as people think, too many inconsistent players, or ones that are just not good enough. Thankfully most of these players are out of contract so it'll not cost us to get rid but I'd look to bring in 5-6 players with width and attacking guile a priority.

[Ozyhibby]

If we have money to spend from a big transfer fee (I think McGinn will be away in summer) would Louis Moult be outside our price range? Has there been any interest in him from down south? Only has a year left on his deal so Motherwell will take a fee if they can.
Decent striker, good age (24) and has scored a goal every two games in the premiership.


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[Speedy]

apparent from the fact we're not consistent enough

cantvsee us raising our game against the likes of Killie thistle county ict Dundee etc

Hearts, Partick and St Johnstone are also inconsistent and they manage it.

[indiejak1413]

I don't see how ANY club can 'guarantee' first team football......I can understand how a player can be told something along the lines that he is fully expected to be in the first team, but as far as putting it in a contract, well...just dinnae see how it could be done...
Let me put it this way. How can certain players perform so inconsistently,get pelters from the manager,fans and media. Every time they're picked the following week. Even players that look like they need a rest, still in the team the following week. The only conclusion I can think of is 1st team football is guaranteed to certain players or NL hasn't got the bottle to shake things up.

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[Onion]

Let me put it this way. How can certain players perform so inconsistently,get pelters from the manager,fans and media. Every time they're picked the following week. Even players that look like they need a rest, still in the team the following week. The only conclusion I can think of is 1st team football is guaranteed to certain players or NL hasn't got the bottle to shake things up.

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Probably, because the team that's garbage against Raith on the Wednesday can play Hearts off the park on Saturday. NL will simply be hoping the guys that have proven they can do it, do it.

Our pathetic last 4 league games, just proving NL was right about Hibs FC being a boy band club.

[indiejak1413]

Probably, because the team that's garbage against Raith on the Wednesday can play Hearts off the park on Saturday. NL will simply be hoping the guys that have proven they can do it, do it.

Our pathetic last 4 league games, just proving NL was right about Hibs FC being a boy band club.
Can't argue with that. But some of these guys need to realise that this is their 3rd season in this league and a lot of them are out of contract in the summer. You would think that they would up their game a bit .

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[A Hi-Bee]

Lack of quality equals a lack of consistancy, the league is a marathon, not a short sprint.
Better quality means spending money that Hibs just dont have or dont seam to want to spend if they do have.

[Dashing Bob S]

:agree:
Second place in Scotland is going begging for any team with the cojones to actually go for it. we're already better than Aberdeen in key positions, with further investment, either in attacking full backs if we're playing that way, or attacking wide midfielders, and at striker, we should be clearly better. Time we spent on quality, and if a few familiar faces are sacrificed that's a shame but so be it.

Agree 100%.

[GlasgowHibee]

:agree:
Second place in Scotland is going begging for any team with the cojones to actually go for it. we're already better than Aberdeen in key positions, with further investment, either in attacking full backs if we're playing that way, or attacking wide midfielders, and at striker, we should be clearly better. Time we spent on quality, and if a few familiar faces are sacrificed that's a shame but so be it.

No chance mate. Aberdeen are streets ahead of most teams in the top division, apart from Celtic.

I watched them play Hamilton on Tuesday and they looked like a really good side, they were just unlucky they couldn't get the ball in the back of the net.

They have players like Shinnie, Hayes, McGinn, Rooney, Jack, Kenny McLean, all who are very very good Premiership players.

A lot of our squad, including JC and SJM are relatively untested in the top division, however they play great in one-off games against the top division sides.

If we go up, we should be looking to push for 3rd place.

[greenlex]

What's the prize for finishing second? Is it worth breaking the bank for? What's the difference between the next three after first?

[SRHibs]

What's the prize for finishing second? Is it worth breaking the bank for? What's the difference between the next three after first?

The difference between a 2nd place finish (with a decent points tally) and fifth is probably thousands of season tickets. This season shows that people will go and see a winning team, so if we put together a squad with a lot of quality (relative to the SPL) that wins, then we can hopefully maintain, or even improve, our already good crowds. A period of mid-table mediocrity will see the attendances fall back to close to 10,000.

Obviously we have to be realistic, and we can't expect to finish 2nd every season, but hopefully the board back Lennon in the summer and we show a bit of ambition!

[StevieCowan]

Boyle
Shinnie
Holt
Graham
Keatings
Handling
Humphrey
Harris
Gallacher
Stanton

All in the first team squad and not good enough IMO.

[MikeyS]

Boyle
Shinnie
Holt
Graham
Keatings
Handling
Humphrey
Harris
Gallacher
Stanton

All in the first team squad and not good enough IMO.

hard to disagree but I'd perhaps give Humphrey the benefit offer season training before making a judgement.

Really do do think we can improve on the others though.