Next Season and onward

[BegbieHSC]

I'm not gonna lie, I've had so much fun in the stands with Hibs for the past 3 years. I genuinely think that we are at the beginning of a new era for our club, and challenging for top 3 in the coming years could become the norm if we execute everything correctly.

In truth, I bought my first Hibs season ticket after years on the fence when we got relegated in 2014, as this was a time when the club really needed our support. The fans have come to the club the past couple of years, and shown how much potential we have. This league has been a nightmare, but at the same time, what a rollercoaster journey! From beating Sevco to second place in 2015, to the lows of the play offs last year and the subsequent Scottish Cup triumph to dragging ourselves over the line this year and getting back to where we belong.

Years of mid-table obscurity, under-investment in the first time saw enthusiasm dwindle, and gate receipts fall until our eventual relegation. I genuinely believe that we have risen from the ashes, and it is now up to us as fans and those in charge of our club to help us reach our potential as a club. Relegation could have been a blessing in disguise, and we could be on the verge of something new.

What do we need to do right now to continue on our journey? What kind of first-team investment whilst balancing the books is required? How do we continue to grow our season-ticket base?

This is a long post, but I can't help but express my enthusiasm for our club's future, and would really like to know if others feel the same, and have thoughts on how we can harness this moment?

[hibs0666]

Indeed mate. There is no doubt that, despite adversity, the club is now way way stronger than it was three years ago. For me its not about harnessing the moment, it's about not giving them any reason to break the habit of attending that has been renewed in many over the last season.

And the best way I see if doing that is to win home games and win them well.

[Unseen work]

I feel if we go up we will be in a very strong position.

Already getting 15k at games.

Our recruitment and direction under Dempster has been very good and we seem to use our budget a lot better than before.

I feel we will be able to cherry pick a lot of players now and provide serious competition within the top 6 for next season.

[munchar]

Consistently, as we are currently doing, getting to semis & finals. Keeps the season alive and the feel good factor going. Also keeps a togetherness in the squad, & attracts new players.

[CMurdoch]

We need to continue to make steady progress year on year adding 3 starter quality players a season e.g. Moult, Mallen and Ambrose this close season
Keep the quality players we have e.g. McGregor and Fyvie this close season
Sell our best players at the right time for the right money e.g. McGinn for £2.5 million, so that we can fund our improvement
Hearts have a stand to pay for and Aberdeen a new stadium to build leaving us in the box seat for 3rd place in the SPL and European Football each season.
Happy days.

[HibsNutter]

The most important thing is to not sell our best players west at the drop of a hat and act like a feeder club. If we do this we will return to the same mediocrity that the club has suffered for a lot of the time throughout history. We need to be constantly progressing as a club and looking at ways we can challenging the clubs above us rather than thinking that top four is the most that we can achieve.

[The Leith Dutch]

I feel if we go up we will be in a very strong position.

Already getting 15k at games.

Our recruitment and direction under Dempster has been very good and we seem to use our budget a lot better than before.

I feel we will be able to cherry pick a lot of players now and provide serious competition within the top 6 for next season.

I really really hope so and certainly have a lot of faith in Dempster.

My biggest concern is with the cherry picking in that we seem to have a knack for bringing out the worst in a lot of players that look great elsewhere.

I'm hoping it's my poor memory or neg-ferret tendencies but I can think of a lot of players who were excellent for their previous Scottish team and have gone on to be bang average or poor with us and not many examples the other way around.

[The Leith Dutch]

The most important thing is to not sell our best players west at the drop of a hat and act like a feeder club. If we do this we will return to the same mediocrity that the club has suffered for a lot of the time throughout history. We need to be constantly progressing as a club and looking at ways we can challenging the clubs above us rather than thinking that top four is the most that we can achieve.

While I'd prefer not to I think the important thing is to ensure that the business is done in a way to benefit Hibs.

The Scott Allan deal was incredibly well handled by the club imo given that it was a monumental **** sandwich they got handed.
I think we got a good deal (it would have been an exceptional deal had McGeogh not been made of glass).

Similarly the Scott Brown deal was a good wedge.

Yes - sell down South if we get the chance rather than to the West (or more precisely Celtic since sevco don't have a pot to piss in right now) but if we can turn a few million for Cummings or McGinn and if the money is re-invested in players - and crucially available for players early in a window and not right at the end - then we will progress as a club.

Good business deals and good recruitment are what will push us forward imo.

[NAE NOOKIE]

Provided promotion is clinched we are looking at a bright short term future ....... The relationship between the club and the fans is night and day from 3 years ago .... we are looking at record ST sales as well.

The thing we must ensure we do is to reinvest any transfer fees gained in quality players .... we always were and always will be a selling club, just like 99% of all the worlds clubs, the difference is that in the past we have failed to reinvest that money in quality players ... we must ensure we have a rock solid process for identifying the right players to replace the ones we lose.

That aside the biggest thing we must do is to ensure we don't stand still on or off the park ..... nothing should ever be 'good enough' and that should apply to everything from the kids teams to the stadium. Yes the first team is rightly always the number one priority, but that shouldn't mean that we allow other things to be neglected, we must work from a standpoint that everything about the whole club can and should be improved and that includes the stadium ..... its a back burner issue for sure, but filling in the corners should always be on the table ...... Easter Road is a very good stadium as it stands just now, it could be a magnificent one, and I don't think that is something we should lose sight of.

The connect between the club and the fans is vital to our future and recently a few things that have happened have, if not taken it backwards, then at least made it wobble a bit ..... I think BTG was a good way to make the fans feel included in the fabric of the club by having their own dedicated area within the stadium, to not replace it would return us to a scenario where its like the old days where the stadium was for the owners and club staff and the only time the 'customers' got a look in was paying at the turnstiles or as corporate fans paying extra for hospitality. IMO its a huge deal that fans feel part of the club 24/7 not just as paying customers on a Saturday and a dedicated fans bar goes a long way towards making fans feel included .... I hope Hibs realise that and address this issue.

Whatever happens .............. At the moment its a good time to be a Hibby :thumbsup:

[1van Sprou7e]

I really really hope so and certainly have a lot of faith in Dempster.

My biggest concern is with the cherry picking in that we seem to have a knack for bringing out the worst in a lot of players that look great elsewhere.

I'm hoping it's my poor memory or neg-ferret tendencies but I can think of a lot of players who were excellent for their previous Scottish team and have gone on to be bang average or poor with us and not many examples the other way around.

We did, but has that happened since we brought Demptser in?

[Onion]

Agree we are in a much stronger position going forward, than 3 yrs ago. The deadwood has gone, the Board and players are in tune with the fans, and we have shed a huge monkey off our backs.

We cannot get too comfortable though, as history shows when Hibs do well the vultures start circling. Granted the Huns are zombie of their former selves and Celtic are fishing bigger pools these days, but the establishment and media love to bust our bubbles when we're a threat to the OF, Yams and Dons. The last 3 yrs has been a blessed relief from this, but they'd like nothing better that to slap us down.

We simply must hold on to LD.

[Ozyhibby]

Every year we need to be competing for the signatures of the best young players coming through in Scotland. That means the guys who have 50-100 first team games on the board, not u20 games. Just now its Mallan, Sibbald, Morgan, Devlin etc but there new ones every year. This will involve paying fees but should also result in us taking in bigger fees in the future.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lucky]

I have faith in LD & NL but in my opinion our club changed direction when SDG scored the winner at Hampden. Without that cup win our crowds would be way down and I'm not convinced we'd be top the league now. But next season is pivotal we need to retain JC and SJM and bring in 5 1st team players.

[The Leith Dutch]

I have faith in LD & NL but in my opinion our club changed direction when SDG scored the winner at Hampden. Without that cup win our crowds would be way down and I'm not convinced we'd be top the league now. But next season is pivotal we need to retain JC and SJM and bring in 5 1st team players.

Might be controversial - I don't think we *need* to retain them.

I think retaining McGinn would obviously be good but that said I think the money / exhange we would likely get if he left may actually contribute to an overall improvement in the team. You'd fancy us to get either a very large fee or cut a deal with someone like Celtic for some decent player(s) plus cash.

With Cummings it's an odd one.

Clearly he's the only player in the current team that has scored goals consistently (though fair play to Boyle for a decent return from a guy who's not an out and out striker) but that said his returns in this division haven't been as good as they should be. He should be scoring more than 18 a season in the league at this level.

You'd sense he's a good bet for goals in the league above (especially with his record against SPL teams while we've been slumming it) but I'm not sure that he's an absolute stick on for 15+ goals and I feel we do need a forward who will deliver that. If we're looking at players we think will deliver that anyone I suspect a bit of £2million or more would be taken to finance those kind of deals.

Course you might say we should be looking to finance those deals without selling him but will be interesting to see.

Agree on the 5 first team players though wondering where you see them.
For me they're all midfield and strikers with the majority of the former attacking.

I think if we kept Marciano I'd be more than happy to have a first team starting with:

Marciano

Gray
McGregor
Hanlon
Stevenson

Bartley

[cammy1969]

15,000 average gates give or take a few in this league considering performances in a lot of games is unbelievable backing from the fans. If we can keep that up next season brings in a lot of revenue for manager to spend imo more than half the teams are very poor and would struggle big time to get out the championship next season.

As crazy as it sounds I think we will find it a little easier next season as we won't face teams shutting up shop every week like this season our record against teams from pl has been fantastic over last 3 seasons only lost once I think in LC final and we should've won that.

So I think with 2 or 3 key signings we could have a big big season pushing for top 4 imo.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk