The team that took us down

[Diclonius]

Williams, Maybury, Stevenson, Craig, Nelson, McGivern, Heffernan (Tudur Jones 83'), Robertson, Haynes (Harris 8', Thomson 68'), Stanton, Cummings. Manager: Butcher.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27464444

By christ that was a poor team - Williams, Stevenson and Cummings aside. Let's hope tomorrow's team can end this chapter in our history by finally getting us out of here. One thing's for sure, it's a far stronger team.

[Green Man]

I was going to comment on McGivern but this is a family website.

[mca]

The Dark Days.. under Butcher, Blobby, Fenlon, etc etc.. when will it End ?? :wink:

[MWHIBBIES]

Individually that team wasn't even that bad. Would've been nowhere near relegation had Fenlon stayed. Butcher crushed any confidence they had.

[heretoday]

Heffernan.

[Danderhall Hibs]

Heffernan.

Could still do a job for us?

[iwasthere1972]

Nelson. Can't remember him winning any battles.

Hoof.

[Danderhall Hibs]

Nelson. Can't remember him winning any battles.

Hoof.

If he was capable of hoofing it (either the ball or the opposition player) when we needed him to we wouldn't have been 3 years in this league.

[ehf]

I was going to comment on McGivern but this is a family website.

:agree: probably wrong to single him out amid the car crash of that season but the memory of him just giving away that early goal to Hamilton in the second leg of the play-off still makes me feel sick.

[IberianHibernian]

Individually that team wasn't even that bad. Would've been nowhere near relegation had Fenlon stayed. Butcher crushed any confidence they had.I agree . After a very short pre season after 2013 cup final , we made a bad start with Malmo fiasco and a Derby loss but recovered well from that . Easy to say team was much weaker than present one but we were playing stronger teams then .

[My_Wife_Camille]

Liam ****ing Craig

I often lie in bed awake at night with a tear in my eye wondering how that imposter was ever allowed anywhere near this football club, nevermind captain it.

[Northernhibee]

Liam ****ing Craig

I often lie in bed awake at night with a tear in my eye wondering how that imposter was ever allowed anywhere near this football club, nevermind captain it.

Liam Craig was nowhere near the worst out of that lot. In fact, when Fenlon left he was our top scorer.

[Deansy]

I was going to comment on McGivern but this is a family website.

Ditto - utter w****r ! Don't think I'ver ever despised a Hibs-player so much - he literally guaranteed at least one '******-up' per game !

[SaulGoodman]

Liam Craig was nowhere near the worst out of that lot. In fact, when Fenlon left he was our top scorer.

Had somewhat of a mini revival under Stubbs in his first season too.

[My_Wife_Camille]

Liam Craig was nowhere near the worst out of that lot. In fact, when Fenlon left he was our top scorer.
When Fenlon left, Liam Craig was on 3 league goals

He was absolutely horrific and a hat trick against a League 1 side in the cup doesn't change that. Just a shame he wasn't punted earlier along with Collins, McGivern, Nelson, Tudor Jones and that complete and utter horror show of a management team.

[iwasthere1972]

Liam ****ing Craig

I often lie in bed awake at night with a tear in my eye wondering how that imposter was ever allowed anywhere near this football club, nevermind captain it.

Not the worst player but he did miss that penalty against the Hearts in our opening game in the Championship at Tynecastle. Had he scored that when we were outplaying the Yams we might have gone on and won the game instead of losing it 2-1. Our season might have been completely different.

[MWHIBBIES]

Liam ****ing Craig

I often lie in bed awake at night with a tear in my eye wondering how that imposter was ever allowed anywhere near this football club, nevermind captain it.Probably because he wasn't an imposter. Solid player playing for a team 4th in the SPL right now.

[Northernhibee]

Michael Nelson was actually a good if limited player under Fenlon as well. McPake was either injured or offering very little and David Stephen was an absolute liability; Nelson came in and was a big, commanding centre half, even if his distribution was iffy.Like most Butcher destroyed him.

[MWHIBBIES]

Michael Nelson was actually a good if limited player under Fenlon as well. McPake was either injured or offering very little and David Stephen was an absolute liability; Nelson came in and was a big, commanding centre half, even if his distribution was iffy.Like most Butcher destroyed him.Stephens left a year before Nelson joined. It was McPake that Nelson replaced and he played alongside Hanlon or McGivern.

Stephens was 19 when he was at Hibs btw, harsh to call him a liability when he was so young playing in a terrible side under Calderwood.

[Northernhibee]

Stephens left a year before Nelson joined. It was McPake that Nelson replaced and he played alongside Hanlon or McGivern.

Stephens was 19 when he was at Hibs btw, harsh to call him a liability when he was so young playing in a terrible side under Calderwood.

My mistake, although I remember him playing under Fenlon as well under Dundee United and he was terrible then too. No positional awareness and found himself constantly out of position.

[Stevie Reid]

Lost 13 of our last 19 matches that season - no chance of that happening under Fenlon.

Anyway, all history now, and ultimately started us on the journey to the best day in the club's history.

[IGRIGI]

Poor line up but any one of us would've been able to organise it in a way to defend a 2 goal advantage at home to Hamilton.

Butcher destroyed the team mentally which consigned us to the drop, along with the fact we had 0 leadership on the park.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Poor line up but any one of us would've been able to organise it in a way to defend a 2 goal advantage at home to Hamilton.

Butcher destroyed the team mentally which consigned us to the drop, along with the fact we had 0 leadership on the park.

Well he wasn't playing Thomson was he?

[danhibees1875]

Someone posted a link to highlights of us playing Hamilton in the 90s and the highlights for this day were the next to play. I decided that I'd finally watch them after 3 years...Brutal stuff.

We've done a good job of making the best of relegation - changed backroom staff for the better, almost a complete overhaul of playing staff for the better, ST base numbers and average attendances are up, several trips to Hampden seeing us finally win the SC - but let's never do it again.

[Captain Trips]

Lost 13 of our last 19 matches that season - no chance of that happening under Fenlon.

Anyway, all history now, and ultimately started us on the journey to the best day in the club's history.

There was a chance of that happening under Fenlon. Fenlon was not good.

[Hiber-nation]

Michael Nelson was actually a good if limited player under Fenlon as well. McPake was either injured or offering very little and David Stephen was an absolute liability; Nelson came in and was a big, commanding centre half, even if his distribution was iffy.Like most Butcher destroyed him.

Hardly think an experienced pro like Nelson would have been destroyed by any manager. He was just a dreadful defender.

[3pm]

There was a chance of that happening under Fenlon. Fenlon was not good.

Kevin Thomson spoke about Fenlon the other night. Said he was good, Liam O'Brien was the problem.

Had Jimmy Nicholl been brought in earlier, would have been better for Fenlon.

[hibsbollah]

Liam Craig is my personal bugbear from that team. Technically proficient player but an absolute *****bag, took zero responsibility as captain on the pitch, out of position all the time and generally sighed and looked the other way as we sank deeper and deeper.

[vincipernoi]

I've got mcgiverns signed team shirt behind the wardrobe ......think it might be worth a few quid??

[Heisenberg]

A truly horrific Hibs team. Managed by an utter buffoon who has failed everywhere he's been (minus one season at ICT). I shudder to think what we would've become if he'd stayed. He told the majority of the squad that they were ***** and getting punted at the end of the season only to go and sign Danny Haynes and Daniel Boateng in the January window. Clueless.

Fenlon wasn't brilliant and took us to two of the worst results in our history but I don't think there's any chance he was getting us relegated that season.

[Liam89]

Just reminds me how good a job Stubbs did to turn that awful team into the one we have today.

[Steve20]

Didn't think Liam Craig was as bad as people said.

But also didn't think Ben Williams was as decent as people thought either. He wasn't better than Oxley and Oxley used to get slaughtered.

[hibee316]

Kevin Thomson spoke about Fenlon the other night. Said he was good, Liam O'Brien was the problem.

Had Jimmy Nicholl been brought in earlier, would have been better for Fenlon.

I take everything Kevin Thomson says with a pinch of salt.

[Bristolhibby]

Just reminds me how good a job Stubbs did to turn that awful team into the one we have today.

Why oh why did it take so long to sack Butcher.

Final whistle v Hamilton, he should have got his jotters.

J

[bigwheel]

I take everything Kevin Thomson says with a pinch of salt.

Dear oh Dear......


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bigwheel]

Liam Craig is my personal bugbear from that team. Technically proficient player but an absolute *****bag, took zero responsibility as captain on the pitch, out of position all the time and generally sighed and looked the other way as we sank deeper and deeper.

That is absolute nonsense....criticise his performances fair enough...but Craig never hid....always worked hard, and never shirked away from the challenge even when struggling to perform well....

He was the boo boys targets when many around him did less for the team.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[heretoday]

Owain Tudur Jones. He came on as a sub in the infamous Hamilton game and seemed to find difficulty controlling a bouncing ball. Tall bloke. Rubbish.

[hibee316]

Dear oh Dear......


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So, you take everything he says as gospel?

I didn't say I disagreed with him, however he has history.

[bigwheel]

So, you take everything he says as gospel?

I didn't say I disagreed with him, however he has history.

KT is a straight talking guy...I see no reason to think otherwise...and I suspect you still have a chip on your shoulder the way he left for Rangers


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SON OF PADDY]

So, you take everything he says as gospel?

I didn't say I disagreed with him, however he has history.



Would you care to share with us this history?
I think it would be a very interesting read.

[Sammy7nil]

KT is a straight talking guy...I see no reason to think otherwise...and I suspect you still have a chip on your shoulder the way he left for Rangers


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

For me Thomson could and should have been a modern HIBS legend but I agree with Hibbe316 when I hear quotes from him I think Meh. Neither for or against him I just don't care what he says and yes it does date back to how he left Hibs.

[easty]

Stephens was 19 when he was at Hibs btw, harsh to call him a liability when he was so young playing in a terrible side under Calderwood.

He was a complete liability. Absolutely *****.

[bigwheel]

For me Thomson could and should have been a modern HIBS legend but I agree with Hibbe316 when I hear quotes from him I think Meh. Neither for or against him I just don't care what he says and yes it does date back to how he left Hibs.

I can understand the discomfort when he left Hibs - left a bad taste in the mouth But he has signed for us 2 (or 3?) times since then. One of them he played for free when we couldn't afford another wage. His performances against Hearts alone on our run to winning the cup are, for me, enough to wipe the slate clean. That said, I still can't recall him saying anything that I felt wasn't true - never always liked what he has said - but he seems a straight talking character.

[easty]

For me Thomson could and should have been a modern HIBS legend but I agree with Hibbe316 when I hear quotes from him I think Meh. Neither for or against him I just don't care what he says and yes it does date back to how he left Hibs.

Yep, agree with this.

Plus, he actually did play quite a lot of football the season we went down. He was just as ***** as the rest of them. He did **** all. Got 50 mins in the play off game too...and did **** all.

[SChibs]

Probably because he wasn't an imposter. Solid player playing for a team 4th in the SPL right now.

This. Craig scored plenty goals before he joined hibs and he's refound his scoring form somewhat this season too. Was never a bad player it just didn't come off for him at hibs.. was a good signing at the time though as he always used to score against us!

[hibsbollah]

That is absolute nonsense....criticise his performances fair enough...but Craig never hid....always worked hard, and never shirked away from the challenge even when struggling to perform well....

He was the boo boys targets when many around him did less for the team.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I had a season ticket that season, so I'm pretty comfortable I have the evidence to slag off his performances AND his commitment, thanks. He was a total disgrace, right down there with Matt Doherty and McGivern. Captain Cataclysmic.

[bigwheel]

I had a season ticket that season, so I'm pretty comfortable I have the evidence to slag off his performances AND his commitment, thanks. He was a total disgrace, right down there with Matt Doherty and McGivern. Captain Cataclysmic.

having a ticket clearly doesn't mean you actually take in what you saw, because your wrong...not saying he was a high performer. I'm sure he would admit that he didn't perform well enough. but to question his commitment - completely wrong.

As for your comparisons - ridiculuous

[hibee316]

Would you care to share with us this history?
I think it would be a very interesting read.

The obvious one is the Rangers story. Long time ago though.

Recently, telling Dundee he wanted to quit because of injury then joining us.

It's not out and out lying from him at all, don't get me wrong, but honesty and KT are not words I would put in the same sentence.

[Cat Stanton]

Michael Nelson was actually a good if limited player under Fenlon as well. McPake was either injured or offering very little and David Stephen was an absolute liability; Nelson came in and was a big, commanding centre half, even if his distribution was iffy.Like most Butcher destroyed him.

His distribution was iffy? Now there's a beautiful understatement if ever I heard one. He was a professional footballer who couldn't kick a ball to another player on the same team. Murder.

Ps who was Haynes? I have no recollection of him at all. I was at that horrible game and I still don't remember him.

[banarc7062]

Williams, Maybury, Stevenson, Craig, Nelson, McGivern, Heffernan (Tudur Jones 83'), Robertson, Haynes (Harris 8', Thomson 68'), Stanton, Cummings. Manager: Butcher.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27464444

By christ that was a poor team - Williams, Stevenson and Cummings aside. Let's hope tomorrow's team can end this chapter in our history by finally getting us out of here. One thing's for sure, it's a far stronger team.

Got to hand it to Butcher. He certainly knew how to stick it to us.

[hibsbollah]

having a ticket clearly doesn't mean you actually take in what you saw, because your wrong...not saying he was a high performer. I'm sure he would admit that he didn't perform well enough. but to question his commitment - completely wrong.

As for your comparisons - ridiculuous

You are of course, entitled to your opinion. So just in case you missed mine, Liam Craig was the worst captain we ever had, and anyone who disagrees with me is clearly one of his relatives :na na:

[bigwheel]

You are of course, entitled to your opinion. So just in case you missed mine, Liam Craig was the worst captain we ever had, and anyone who disagrees with me is clearly one of his relatives :na na:

Lol

Just so you know I am very mature about these internet debates - Hope he signs again just to annoy you [emoji2][emoji476]

[Smartie]

That season was a disaster on a number of levels.

We were hopelessly under-prepared for it starting, and that was criminal. We had lost Griffiths and Doyle and rather than have the situation planned since about February (as we all knew in advance it was coming) we dithered about over the summer panic-buying dross. Lennon and Stubbs have, in their own ways, struggled to get us enough goals. But they have signed infinitely better players and at least come up with some sort of cohesive game plan as to how we are to get goals, albeit it hasn't always been quite enough. How on Earth were Collins and Vine ever going to get us enough goals? We had Harris and Cairney as wide players (both of whom got injured shortly after the season started) to provide creativity.

The defence in truth wasn't all that bad. Williams was a decent keeper. Maybury gave his all and did well in spite of his age and lack of pace. I never even thought Nelson was that bad - he was old and slow but reasonably reliable. McGivern went to pieces and looked a shadow of the player who joined us. Stevenson was decent and Hanlon was always excellent when he played. His injury cost us dear.

I suppose Fenlon probably wouldn't have got us relegated, although I've argued the opposite on many occasions. He would probably have been able to keep the players happy and motivated enough (many of whom didn't have the mental strength required to play for Hibs) and he would probably have found a suitable formation for his 85 defensive central midfielders and no wide players. Funny he didn't ever think to play a diamond, instead shuffling the likes of Liam Craig out wide.

Remember though - Fenlon walked. He himself thought he had lost the dressing room. We got a brief bounce under Butcher before the wheels came off. It's all ifs and buts, but if Fenlon had really lost the dressing room, as he thought he had, then that brutal slide (which happened with the same group of players) might have happened much earlier.

It's quite good to look at that team, to shudder, and to be grateful how far we've moved on as a football team, even if it is only now that we look like dragging ourselves out this division.

[Pretty Boy]

If I ever saw Owain ****ing Tudor ****ing Jones in the street I'd probably have to be physically restrained. His absolute bottle job of an attempt at a 'tackle' in the lead up to Hamiltons 2nd goal was a disgrace.

Look up wage thief in the dictionary and you'll probably see a picture of that ****.

Still we are but 90 minutes away from putting things right once and for all.

[Pretty Boy]

Just reminds me how good a job Stubbs did to turn that awful team into the one we have today.

Indeed.

I think people often underestimate the job Stubbs did in his 1st season considering the absolute disaster he inherited. It's a pity we didn't really kick on hugely in the league the following season but I can forgive him that.

[Broken Gnome]

I had a season ticket that season, so I'm pretty comfortable I have the evidence to slag off his performances AND his commitment, thanks. He was a total disgrace, right down there with Matt Doherty and McGivern. Captain Cataclysmic.

Seems to be a bit revisionism on Liam Craig. No blame on first half of that season, credible job in the first Championship season, but he was a pain in the **** as we began to sink.

And at the time was widely regarded during games and on here as a rotten captain who screamed at refs and did little else.

[bigwheel]

Seems to be a bit revisionism on Liam Craig. No blame on first half of that season, credible job in the first Championship season, but he was a pain in the **** as we began to sink.

And at the time was widely regarded during games and on here as a rotten captain who screamed at refs and did little else.

That last bit is true - but the tone on here rarely reflects reality on the pitch.

Ala Shinnie this season, Stevenson every season - fans often jump aboard general opinion ...

[essexhibee]

1Williams (Bury)
18Maybury (Retired)
16Stevenson (Hibernian)
10Craig (St Johnstone)
5Nelson (Barnet)
3McGivern (Shrewsbury Town)
24Heffernan (Unattached - last at Dumbarton)
8Robertson (Raith Rovers)
33Haynes (Cray Wanderers)
26Stanton (Hibernian - on loan at Dumbarton)
35Cummings (Hibernian)


Substitutes



7Harris (Hibernian)
11Cairney (Ayr United)
14Collins (Crawley Town)
17Tudur Jones (Retired)
21Murdoch (Dunfermline Ath)
23Forster (Hibernian)
38Thomson (Retired)

[Bostonhibby]

I've got mcgiverns signed team shirt behind the wardrobe ......think it might be worth a few quid??

Definitely is, I'll give you a few quid to leave it there, am sure bigger offers will be along:wink:

[Hiber-nation]

That is absolute nonsense....criticise his performances fair enough...but Craig never hid....always worked hard, and never shirked away from the challenge even when struggling to perform well....

He was the boo boys targets when many around him did less for the team.



I like most of your posts but I'm afraid he did hide, it was there for all to see in particular away to Partick in a 3-1 defeat when we were on a downward spiral and it's something I don't want to see again from a Hibs player. He did redeem himself though in the Championship and was a very good representative for Hibs off the park.

[bigwheel]

I like most of your posts but I'm afraid he did hide, it was there for all to see in particular away to Partick in a 3-1 defeat when we were on a downward spiral and it's something I don't want to see again from a Hibs player. He did redeem himself though in the Championship and was a very good representative for Hibs off the park.

That's fair - Can't recall that game, so no going to argue with that....and I'm not for a minute saying he did himself justice. I recall mostly though Craig working hard, trying to get things going and often struggling to get things happening...

Performance levels not strong enough, but commitment levels were there...

Ps. If I recall correctly he was also top scorer for us that season with 14/15 goals...

On your championship point - agree again - He could have gone to Aberdeen or Saints at the end of that season, yet chose to stay around and seek to get us back up.

Decent pro in my view, who didn't make it work at Hibs. For some players , Hibs can be an unforgiving place - he's one of those in my humble opinion...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[spike220]

I've got mcgiverns signed team shirt behind the wardrobe ......think it might be worth a few quid??

Yeah if the wardrobe is in reasonable condition then some punter will want it.

[Bostonhibby]

Yeah if the wardrobe is in reasonable condition then some punter will want it.

:faf::faf:

[Captain Trips]

Kevin Thomson spoke about Fenlon the other night. Said he was good, Liam O'Brien was the problem.

Had Jimmy Nicholl been brought in earlier, would have been better for Fenlon.

Good for KT, IMO Fenlon was terrible. 87 games played lost more than he won so for me dreadful.

Not as bad as TB but TB being an utter joke doesn't make PF passable in any shape.

[Tom Hart RIP]

The best two players to play against us before they signed in the summer were OTJ who bullied our midfield much live Big Marv did against Hearts and Rowan Vine who destroyed us when St J beat us 3-1. His performance that day was so good I had to find out his name as I had never heard of him.
I thought we'd won a watch when both signed. Shows what I know!!

[Newry Hibs]

All these years I've blamed mcgivern for not taking out the Hamilton plyer right at the end when he's running through. Looks like two players could've 'been professional'.

[SirDavidsNapper]

Williams, Maybury, Stevenson, Craig, Nelson, McGivern, Heffernan (Tudur Jones 83'), Robertson, Haynes (Harris 8', Thomson 68'), Stanton, Cummings. Manager: Butcher.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27464444

By christ that was a poor team - Williams, Stevenson and Cummings aside. Let's hope tomorrow's team can end this chapter in our history by finally getting us out of here. One thing's for sure, it's a far stronger team.

Looking at that team just shows the enormous task Stubbs had when he arrived. I know most of those players were gone when he arrived but he really inherited a club on its knees. Squad overhaul and a support to convince after years of regression. Forever greatfull. The change in the club since that dark day is truly unbelievable. It's actually beyond unbelievable 💚

[21.05.2016]

Dreadful team but they were just the last in a very long line of poor teams from about 2007 onwards. We had been on a slippery slope for years, a rot had set in and it gradually grew to relegation. It took finally being relegated to make those in charge realise that a huge re haul of the club from top to bottom was needed. Now, I will never claim that relegation was a good thing, this club should never have fallen that low but at least it gave us the gigantic wake up call that should have happened years before. Surviving that year may have papered over a few cracks and maybe Butcher would have been given the chance to stay and build a team (what a hellish thought!). The year before we got rele

The 3 years down here are about to come to an end and I hope to god that history never repeats itself and that huge lessons have been learned for this. A lot of wounds have been healed and a lot of trust in the club regained in this time and we have Leeann to thank for a great deal of that. We have our club back, we have a team we can be proud of. Leeann has helped re-build many burnt bridges and the club is now far more engaged with us fans.

I look back at the team that took us down and I shudder but it sums up our signing standard that had been going on for years. Absolutle no-mark, journeymen or has-beens like Maybury who are just looking for one final wage packet.

[Pretty Boy]

I don't think Craig hid but my memory of him is his shocking body language away to Ross County in the penultimate league game of that season.

A win that night would have as good as seen as safe. We lost 1-0 but even then could have salvaged the situation against Kilmarnock. When the captain should have been rousing his team mates and lifting their heads, at the final whistle Craig sat on the ground with his head in his hands and much of the rest of the team followed his lead.

Myself and a few hundred others had travelled over a hundred miles and several hours to witness another inept display and we shouldn't have seen that from any Hibs player let alone the captain.

[vincipernoi]

[QUOTE=spike220;5009757]Yeah if the wardrobe is in reasonable condition then some punter will want it.[/QUOTE

10/10.

Got cernys top as well but its behind the bookcase (mint condition)

[supermcginn]

Michael Nelson was actually a good if limited player under Fenlon as well. McPake was either injured or offering very little and David Stephen was an absolute liability; Nelson came in and was a big, commanding centre half, even if his distribution was iffy.Like most Butcher destroyed him.
Really? In the top 5 worst hibs players ever, absolutely awful every week.

[21.05.2016]

I don't think Craig hid but my memory of him is his shocking body language away to Ross County in the penultimate league game of that season.

A win that night would have as good as seen as safe. We lost 1-0 but even then could have salvaged the situation against Kilmarnock. When the captain should have been rousing his team mates and lifting their heads, at the final whistle Craig sat on the ground with his head in his hands and much of the rest of the team followed his lead.

Myself and a few hundred others had travelled over a hundred miles and several hours to witness another inept display and we shouldn't have seen that from any Hibs player let alone the captain.

Craig was a very poor captain, not leader materiel at all. Spent most time on the pitch shouting in the refs face. As you say, when we were fighting for our lives, the captain should have been rallying everyone together. Totally uninspiring captain.

[Smartie]

I remember hearing from a "friend of a friend" of Craig's that it was a nightmare being a Hibs player, let alone captain under Butcher.

Butcher was urging the players to lump the ball long, work the channels and whenever they did the crowd would get on their backs. If they defied instructions and played football they would get abuse from Butcher/ dropped (as KT found out).

There was a horrible atmosphere around the whole club and Craig was made captain mainly because he was the one most prepared to follow his manager's orders.

There was so much wrong with the club at that time it was unbelievable.

Craig was very poor in the relegation season but imo he did redeem himself a bit the following year. After a shaky start under Stubbs, we found a bit of form from late October of that season and actually started to play some really nice stuff. It mainly came as a result of Scott Allan getting into his stride, but the football that the team played when we had Craig, Allan and Handling playing in midfield, Malonga and Cummings up front and Gray and Stevenson pushing up from the fullback positions was as consistently good as we've seen in a long time.

[Hiber-nation]

That's fair - Can't recall that game, so no going to argue with that....and I'm not for a minute saying he did himself justice. I recall mostly though Craig working hard, trying to get things going and often struggling to get things happening...

Performance levels not strong enough, but commitment levels were there...

Ps. If I recall correctly he was also top scorer for us that season with 14/15 goals...

On your championship point - agree again - He could have gone to Aberdeen or Saints at the end of that season, yet chose to stay around and seek to get us back up.

Decent pro in my view, who didn't make it work at Hibs. For some players , Hibs can be an unforgiving place - he's one of those in my humble opinion...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

:aok:

[Drumlanrig]

I had a season ticket that season, so I'm pretty comfortable I have the evidence to slag off his performances AND his commitment, thanks. He was a total disgrace, right down there with Matt Doherty and McGivern. Captain Cataclysmic.

Does your seat face he pitch?

Never ever a disgrace! The guy tried his guts out, grafted , scored and gave his best for the jersey. May not quite have worked out for him but a solid player who never hid!

Get a grip!

[.Sean.]

Where's the link to what Thomson said about Fenlon?

[21.05.2016]

I don't think Craig hid but my memory of him is his shocking body language away to Ross County in the penultimate league game of that season.

A win that night would have as good as seen as safe. We lost 1-0 but even then could have salvaged the situation against Kilmarnock. When the captain should have been rousing his team mates and lifting their heads, at the final whistle Craig sat on the ground with his head in his hands and much of the rest of the team followed his lead.

Myself and a few hundred others had travelled over a hundred miles and several hours to witness another inept display and we shouldn't have seen that from any Hibs player let alone the captain.

Craig was a very poor captain, not leader materiel at all. Spent most time on the pitch shouting in the refs face. As you say, when we were fighting for our lives, the captain should have been rallying everyone together. Totally uninspiring captain.

[Eyrie]

Craig was a very poor captain, not leader materiel at all. Spent most time on the pitch shouting in the refs face. As you say, when we were fighting for our lives, the captain should have been rallying everyone together. Totally uninspiring captain.

And yet people support Lennon having a go at officials because it's about time we stood up to them and highlighted their poor decisions.

Craig's time here was disappointing, given his performances for St Johnstone either side of his stint here, but he wasn't as bad as his critics want to pretend.

[Danderhall Hibs]

And yet people support Lennon having a go at officials because it's about time we stood up to them and highlighted their poor decisions.

Craig's time here was disappointing, given his performances for St Johnstone either side of his stint here, but he wasn't as bad as his critics want to pretend.

Yip. "I want a captain that shouts and that"

"But not at the ref"

[lyonhibs]

Just a horrendous team and "management" duo. Awful, awful, awful.

Nothing will ever convince me that getting relegated was somehow "good for the club" as Dempster was already appointed when we went down so Butcher was never seeing the next season either way.

But the way it's panned out, I'll take it.

Ryan ******g McGivern 😥😥😥

[Pretty Boy]

Really? In the top 5 worst hibs players ever, absolutely awful every week.

Not sure he was in the worst 5 ever, there's a few contenders!

He was utter pish though and anything else is revisionism. Someone like Craig was judged harshly, McGivern clearly showed something initially before falling away but Nelson went from obviously limited and average to obviously limited and rubbish within a matter of weeks.

[greenlex]

Dreadful team but they were just the last in a very long line of poor teams from about 2007 onwards. We had been on a slippery slope for years, a rot had set in and it gradually grew to relegation. It took finally being relegated to make those in charge realise that a huge re haul of the club from top to bottom was needed. Now, I will never claim that relegation was a good thing, this club should never have fallen that low but at least it gave us the gigantic wake up call that should have happened years before. Surviving that year may have papered over a few cracks and maybe Butcher would have been given the chance to stay and build a team (what a hellish thought!). The year before we got rele

The 3 years down here are about to come to an end and I hope to god that history never repeats itself and that huge lessons have been learned for this. A lot of wounds have been healed and a lot of trust in the club regained in this time and we have Leeann to thank for a great deal of that. We have our club back, we have a team we can be proud of. Leeann has helped re-build many burnt bridges and the club is now far more engaged with us fans.

I look back at the team that took us down and I shudder but it sums up our signing standard that had been going on for years. Absolutle no-mark, journeymen or has-beens like Maybury who are just looking for one final wage packet.
It didn't take relegation to realise things were needing a change from top to bottom. Dempster was appointed before relegation.

[hibsbollah]

Does your seat face he pitch?

Never ever a disgrace! The guy tried his guts out, grafted , scored and gave his best for the jersey. May not quite have worked out for him but a solid player who never hid!

Get a grip!

There's a lot of the Craig family on the board today. If you occasionally put down your knitting during the game and paid a bit of attention you'd see your grandson was gash for us.

[21.05.2016]

And yet people support Lennon having a go at officials because it's about time we stood up to them and highlighted their poor decisions.

Craig's time here was disappointing, given his performances for St Johnstone either side of his stint here, but he wasn't as bad as his critics want to pretend.

Not got a problem with us standing up for ourselves and even getting a bit nasty at times as for way too long hibs were far too nicey nicey soft touch and we were bullied to often, particularly when it came to the likes of hearts. However, Craig spent more time in the face of the ref than anything else. When things get heated in a game, of course you want your captain to be up their defending his teammates but you also need a captain who is going to try and calm the team. He wasn't a bad player, far from the worst in fact but I felt personally that he was a weak captain.

[sleeping giant]

I was really pleased when we signed Hefferen :greengrin

He had scored bucket loads for Kilmarnock and I thought he'd do the same for us.

[emerald green]

Williams, Maybury, Stevenson, Craig, Nelson, McGivern, Heffernan (Tudur Jones 83'), Robertson, Haynes (Harris 8', Thomson 68'), Stanton, Cummings. Manager: Butcher.

It's only when I look back at that team that I see just how poor they really were. Throw in Butcher & Malpas leading them :rolleyes:, and it's no wonder they took this club down.

The other crucial point in this sorry saga is Hibs player recruitment policy at that time. Who at the club really seriously thought that dross like Nelson, McGivern, Heffernan, Tudor-Jones, Haynes, Harris, to name a few were ever of a good enough standard and ability to play in the top league in Scotland for a club like Hibs?

I don't think that team would be in the top 4 of today's Championship.

[BigT-Hibeez]

Liam ****ing Craig

I often lie in bed awake at night with a tear in my eye wondering how that imposter was ever allowed anywhere near this football club, nevermind captain it.

Me too

[Waxy]

Seems a long time now since that day against Hamilton. Thank we're back.

[Northernhibee]

Really? In the top 5 worst hibs players ever, absolutely awful every week.

Not even remotely close.

[GreenLake]

Seems a long time now since that day against Hamilton. Thank we're back.

I was just remembering that game against Hamilton and how things seemed at an all time low.

It is great to be back and worth waiting a wee bit longer to win that Scottish Cup and ram 1902 up the Jambos.

[Waxy]

Imo the team that took us down had chucked it because they didnt like the manager and the fans were giving them a hard time every match.
They should have tried for us. They didnt.
Wouldnt include every player in that but half that team should forever be ashamed.
If i didnt know any better i'd swear some of that team actually wanted us down.
Hey ho we're a million miles from that now and with the Scottish cup.
Guess it's like karma.

[cammy1969]

In the clear light of day it scares me to think we're our club would be at this time had we stayed up as much as it hurt us all at the time I don't think we'd be anywhere near the club we are now we not been relegated.

I think we're stronger and tougher from top to bottom Leann Lennon and the players the clubs no longer a pushover


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[brog]

My mistake, although I remember him playing under Fenlon as well under Dundee United and he was terrible then too. No positional awareness and found himself constantly out of position.

I thought when we signed Stephens he was exactly the right type of signing for our club, in fact I still do. Unfortunately,he was horrendous, his best skill was running backwards away from tackles. However Fenlon must accept some responsibility for the debacle & way his Hibs career ended. IIRC DS played in every pre season game & didn't look convincing in any. Despite this he played in our 1st game at Tannadice, had an absolute mare & was released soon after. It's not often a player goes from 1st choice to free transfer in the space of a week!

[silverhibee]

Liam ****ing Craig

I often lie in bed awake at night with a tear in my eye wondering how that imposter was ever allowed anywhere near this football club, nevermind captain it.


Amen bro.

[cmcd]

For me Thomson could and should have been a modern HIBS legend but I agree with Hibbe316 when I hear quotes from him I think Meh. Neither for or against him I just don't care what he says and yes it does date back to how he left Hibs.

In that case you need to grow up

[Sir David Gray]

1Williams (Bury)
18Maybury (Retired)
16Stevenson (Hibernian)
10Craig (St Johnstone)
5Nelson (Barnet)
3McGivern (Shrewsbury Town)
24Heffernan (Unattached - last at Dumbarton)
8Robertson (Raith Rovers)
33Haynes (Cray Wanderers)
26Stanton (Hibernian - on loan at Dumbarton)
35Cummings (Hibernian)


Substitutes



7Harris (Hibernian)
11Cairney (Ayr United)
14Collins (Crawley Town)
17Tudur Jones (Retired)
21Murdoch (Dunfermline Ath)
23Forster (Hibernian)
38Thomson (Retired)


Seeing some of these names brings back some awful memories.

What exactly was the point in Danny ****ing Haynes?

The fact he plays for Cray Wanderers now, a team I've just had to Google to find out which league they play in, says it all.

[kevinc]

If I ever saw Owain ****ing Tudor ****ing Jones in the street I'd probably have to be physically restrained. His absolute bottle job of an attempt at a 'tackle' in the lead up to Hamiltons 2nd goal was a disgrace.

Look up wage thief in the dictionary and you'll probably see a picture of that ****.

Still we are but 90 minutes away from putting things right once and for all.

Great post��Once you had been unrestrained I'm sure OWT would put you on your arse. *****in clown. How about you set about Butcher who got us relegated champ?

[Andy74]

That season was a disaster on a number of levels.

We were hopelessly under-prepared for it starting, and that was criminal. We had lost Griffiths and Doyle and rather than have the situation planned since about February (as we all knew in advance it was coming) we dithered about over the summer panic-buying dross. Lennon and Stubbs have, in their own ways, struggled to get us enough goals. But they have signed infinitely better players and at least come up with some sort of cohesive game plan as to how we are to get goals, albeit it hasn't always been quite enough. How on Earth were Collins and Vine ever going to get us enough goals? We had Harris and Cairney as wide players (both of whom got injured shortly after the season started) to provide creativity.

The defence in truth wasn't all that bad. Williams was a decent keeper. Maybury gave his all and did well in spite of his age and lack of pace. I never even thought Nelson was that bad - he was old and slow but reasonably reliable. McGivern went to pieces and looked a shadow of the player who joined us. Stevenson was decent and Hanlon was always excellent when he played. His injury cost us dear.

I suppose Fenlon probably wouldn't have got us relegated, although I've argued the opposite on many occasions. He would probably have been able to keep the players happy and motivated enough (many of whom didn't have the mental strength required to play for Hibs) and he would probably have found a suitable formation for his 85 defensive central midfielders and no wide players. Funny he didn't ever think to play a diamond, instead shuffling the likes of Liam Craig out wide.

Remember though - Fenlon walked. He himself thought he had lost the dressing room. We got a brief bounce under Butcher before the wheels came off. It's all ifs and buts, but if Fenlon had really lost the dressing room, as he thought he had, then that brutal slide (which happened with the same group of players) might have happened much earlier.

It's quite good to look at that team, to shudder, and to be grateful how far we've moved on as a football team, even if it is only now that we look like dragging ourselves out this division.

Fenlon never said he lost the dressing room. He said he had lost the fans, rightly or wrongly.

In the year and a bit he started with his team after avoiding the relegation Caldwerwood had us looking at we averaged a position at between 4th and 5th if you take our position after each game.

We spent virtually no time in bottom six on average although the way we did have our dip right before split, with a couple of dodgy ref decisions thrown in, meant we finished there that first full season.

Mind you we had a good set of results in the bottom six games, went the season unbeaten v Hearts and made a second Scottish Cup final in a row.

[IberianHibernian]

Fenlon never said he lost the dressing room. He said he had lost the fans, rightly or wrongly.

In the year and a bit he started with his team after avoiding the relegation Caldwerwood had us looking at we averaged a position at between 4th and 5th if you take our position after each game.

We spent virtually no time in bottom six on average although the way we did have our dip right before split, with a couple of dodgy ref decisions thrown in, meant we finished there that first full season.

Mind you we had a good set of results in the bottom six games, went the season unbeaten v Hearts and made a second Scottish Cup final in a row.Yes . Reasons for Fenlon`s departure are still not clear and never will be but November departures before AGM seemed to be normal for managers at the time and rapid appointment of Butcher suggests something had been planned for a while . I still think Fenlon was a good appointment though like all managers who are appointed mid season he had hard times ( Mowbray , Stubbs and Lennon all started in summer when all clubs are starting planning ) and perhaps he suffered from not having a strong back up team . Lot of criticism here of some of his signings too but forgetting that they had done well with their previous clubs and that with Hibs were playing in a higher league than present team .

[hfc rd]

http://www.hibs.net/showthread.php?284185-Hibernian-0-v-2-Hamilton-(agg-2-2)-(Hamilton-win-on-pens)

Reading some pages of that above match day thread really shows how much of a mess we were in back then. LD really is the greatest thing to happen to Hibs. If she never came in, I'd hate to think what would have happened.

[Pretty Boy]

Great post��Once you had been unrestrained I'm sure OWT would put you on your arse. *****in clown. How about you set about Butcher who got us relegated champ?

:faf:

I think you might be taking this internet thing a bit too seriously.

[hibsbollah]

:faf:

I think you might be taking this internet thing a bit too seriously.

Some bizarrely heightened levels of keyboard aggression and general rudeness on here these days.

[21.5.16]

Individually that team wasn't even that bad. Would've been nowhere near relegation had Fenlon stayed. Butcher crushed any confidence they had.
This

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

[heretoday]

I was really pleased when we signed Hefferen :greengrin

He had scored bucket loads for Kilmarnock and I thought he'd do the same for us.

Whadda mistakada make!!! :faf:

[Drumlanrig]

There's a lot of the Craig family on the board today. If you occasionally put down your knitting during the game and paid a bit of attention you'd see your grandson was gash for us.

Never met hm in my life mate but I cant be doing with you sweetie sookers who don't understand the game and pick on a guy who was trying for our club!

[kevinc]

:faf:

I think you might be taking this internet thing a bit too seriously.

Great insight.........from the boy with 30k plus posts on a football forum:faf:

[hibsbollah]

Never met hm in my life mate but I cant be doing with you sweetie sookers who don't understand the game and pick on a guy who was trying for our club!

Dear Mrs Craig, I don't understand this banter anymore. Is a 'sweetie sooker' a bit of Paul Hartley/Vladimir Romanov type innuendo? Yours in shock, Mr M. Bates, Stroud.

[bigwheel]

Never met hm in my life mate but I cant be doing with you sweetie sookers who don't understand the game and pick on a guy who was trying for our club!

[emoji122][emoji122][emoji122]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[hibsbollah]

[emoji122][emoji122][emoji122]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Sweetie sooker.

[loanheadhibby]

If I ever saw Owain ****ing Tudor ****ing Jones in the street I'd probably have to be physically restrained. His absolute bottle job of an attempt at a 'tackle' in the lead up to Hamiltons 2nd goal was a disgrace.

Look up wage thief in the dictionary and you'll probably see a picture of that ****.

Still we are but 90 minutes away from putting things right once and for all.

hear hear. All he had to do was make challenge or at least commit a foul but the big Jessie jumped out the way! On the face of it he looked a decent signing, up there with Lee Power and Paul Tosh.

Mind you if we had survived and Butcher/Malpas remained in charge, we'd have likely been relegated the next season.

[McD]

Great insight.........from the boy with 30k plus posts on a football forum:faf:



As opposed to you, the 'Johnny-come-lately' with 165 posts coming on calling folk all sorts...:bitchy:

[bigwheel]

Sweetie sooker.

your banter is definitely better than your football knowledge - that's for sure [emoji106]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[hibsbollah]

your banter is definitely better than your football knowledge - that's for sure [emoji106]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It really isn't. My patter is terrible, folk just walk away from me at the bar and everything. I know tonnes about football though.

[bigwheel]

It really isn't. My patter is terrible, folk just walk away from me at the bar and everything. I know tonnes about football though.

You really don't....and nae patter either ??? No way. #prayforhibsbollah


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Keith_M]

As I've been accused of being negative on some other threads, I've decided not to dwell on the past, so....


Let's just move on and look to the future.

:wink:

[emerald green]

It really isn't. My patter is terrible, folk just walk away from me at the bar and everything. I know tonnes about football though.

The first bit in bold - I agree.

The second bit in bold - you don't. :aok:

[hibsbollah]

The first bit in bold - I agree.

The second bit in bold - you don't. :aok:

Someone never got an Easter egg.

[emerald green]

Someone never got an Easter egg.

Wrong again hibsbollah. I got a KitKat Chunky Easter egg. Looking forward to scoffing that later. :greengrin

[oldbutdim]

I was really pleased when we signed Hefferen :greengrin

He had scored bucket loads for Kilmarnock and I thought he'd do the same for us.

I thought it was a great signing too. In his first game (was it away to St J?) he showed a couple of class touches and great movement.
I remember saying to my son "He's a proper footballer. He'll get the fans on their feet".

In a way I was right with the latter part.

[hibsbollah]

Wrong again hibsbollah. I got a KitKat Chunky Easter egg. Looking forward to scoffing that later. :greengrin

Happy Easter:aok:

[emerald green]

Happy Easter:aok:

Thanks, and you too.

[GreenOnions]

Really? In the top 5 worst hibs players ever, absolutely awful every week.

Sad - but I'm afraid I have to agree re big Nelson. I would never question his attitude but OMG he was never going to help us.

I think he may be one of those signings made when a manager/coach who's been out of the "scouting" business for a while is asked to help identify players and he suggests some he's previously worked with based on their performances several years ago.

It was alarming to say the least when, in the first game of that season (v Motherwell?), he was caught out by a simple ball over the top and then ran more slowly than any player I've ever seen to recover the situation. I remember saying to my son at that moment that big Nelson was a very worrying sign about the likely quality of our signings in general that summer. We even paid a fee for him I believe :tee hee:

Changed days now - Hanlon, McGregor, Fontaine, Forster plus big Efe on loan :greengrin

[kevinc]

As opposed to you, the 'Johnny-come-lately' with 165 posts coming on calling folk all sorts...:bitchy:

How ironic, I am sure PB can look after himself, without ou piling in doing exactly what you accuse me of:aok:

[Waxy]

http://www.hibs.net/showthread.php?284185-Hibernian-0-v-2-Hamilton-(agg-2-2)-(Hamilton-win-on-pens)

Reading some pages of that above match day thread really shows how much of a mess we were in back then. LD really is the greatest thing to happen to Hibs. If she never came in, I'd hate to think what would have happened.
Thank luck that guy never started another match day thread.

[weecounty hibby]

I met Liam Craig on the morning of the 21st May 2016 as my son a as playing in Stenhousemuir before we went to Hampden. Was glowing about Hibs, was saying things like "WE won't get a better chance to win as rangers are average" it was all "we" when talking about Hibs. Said he would struggle to watch on TV as he would be so nervous and that he had texted his best wishes to the staff and players that morning. It didn't work out for him at ER but he never said anything detriment about Hibs, the club or fans. And I have said many times he is a regular in the team 4th in the league we have been promoted to so can't be as bad as some on here would have you believe. There were many players over the relegation season that you could criticise before him

[Mr White]

I met Liam Craig on the morning of the 21st May 2016 as my son a as playing in Stenhousemuir before we went to Hampden. Was glowing about Hibs, was saying things like "WE won't get a better chance to win as rangers are average" it was all "we" when talking about Hibs. Said he would struggle to watch on TV as he would be so nervous and that he had texted his best wishes to the staff and players that morning. It didn't work out for him at ER but he never said anything detriment about Hibs, the club or fans. And I have said many times he is a regular in the team 4th in the league we have been promoted to so can't be as bad as some on here would have you believe. There were many players over the relegation season that you could criticise before him

:agree: I don't hold any grudge against him. It didn't work out for him at Hibs but I don't agree with anyone saying that was due to a lack of effort or commitment on his part. I met him at a Hibs kids do once and he was brilliant with the kids and I got the impression he really cared about the club and was proud to represent us as captain of the side.

[Jones28]

Liam ****ing Craig

I often lie in bed awake at night with a tear in my eye wondering how that imposter was ever allowed anywhere near this football club, nevermind captain it.

Liam Craig was the last thing wrong with that Hibs team.

[givescotlandfreedom]

I met Liam Craig on the morning of the 21st May 2016 as my son a as playing in Stenhousemuir before we went to Hampden. Was glowing about Hibs, was saying things like "WE won't get a better chance to win as rangers are average" it was all "we" when talking about Hibs. Said he would struggle to watch on TV as he would be so nervous and that he had texted his best wishes to the staff and players that morning. It didn't work out for him at ER but he never said anything detriment about Hibs, the club or fans. And I have said many times he is a regular in the team 4th in the league we have been promoted to so can't be as bad as some on here would have you believe. There were many players over the relegation season that you could criticise before him

I agree. Get torn into the ones that didn't try. Craig had some bad bad games but I thought put in a lot of error and never hid.

[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

Liam Craig was the last thing wrong with that Hibs team.

Scapegoat

[pacorosssco]

Scapegoat
Suffered as always seemed play well v us and score when at St J. Hibs at time sadly were a step down playing wise and management wise for him and he was easy target. Was bad time to be at Hibs. He never hid when form suffered and took abuse on chin. He was proud to captain play for Hibs.

[greenlex]

I met Liam Craig on the morning of the 21st May 2016 as my son a as playing in Stenhousemuir before we went to Hampden. Was glowing about Hibs, was saying things like "WE won't get a better chance to win as rangers are average" it was all "we" when talking about Hibs. Said he would struggle to watch on TV as he would be so nervous and that he had texted his best wishes to the staff and players that morning. It didn't work out for him at ER but he never said anything detriment about Hibs, the club or fans. And I have said many times he is a regular in the team 4th in the league we have been promoted to so can't be as bad as some on here would have you believe. There were many players over the relegation season that you could criticise before him

He was at Lewis Stevensons testimonial dinner too. He didn't have to do that but was there.

[My_Wife_Camille]

I met Liam Craig on the morning of the 21st May 2016 as my son a as playing in Stenhousemuir before we went to Hampden. Was glowing about Hibs, was saying things like "WE won't get a better chance to win as rangers are average" it was all "we" when talking about Hibs. Said he would struggle to watch on TV as he would be so nervous and that he had texted his best wishes to the staff and players that morning. It didn't work out for him at ER but he never said anything detriment about Hibs, the club or fans. And I have said many times he is a regular in the team 4th in the league we have been promoted to so can't be as bad as some on here would have you believe. There were many players over the relegation season that you could criticise before him
This story sums up Liam Craig perfectly.

Off the pitch he's a very decent individual who is respectful towards Hibs and always comes across well.

Unfortunately, on the pitch he was absolutely dreadful and a complete and utter shambles as a captain.

He he had a handful of half decent games against lower league opposition which has helped to redeem him in the eyes of some people. In the fickle world of football I can understand that but there is no doubt at all that he was one of the key reasons why we were relegated that season.

[Robinho08]

Dreadful team but they were just the last in a very long line of poor teams from about 2007 onwards. We had been on a slippery slope for years, a rot had set in and it gradually grew to relegation. It took finally being relegated to make those in charge realise that a huge re haul of the club from top to bottom was needed. Now, I will never claim that relegation was a good thing, this club should never have fallen that low but at least it gave us the gigantic wake up call that should have happened years before. Surviving that year may have papered over a few cracks and maybe Butcher would have been given the chance to stay and build a team (what a hellish thought!). The year before we got rele

The 3 years down here are about to come to an end and I hope to god that history never repeats itself and that huge lessons have been learned for this. A lot of wounds have been healed and a lot of trust in the club regained in this time and we have Leeann to thank for a great deal of that. We have our club back, we have a team we can be proud of. Leeann has helped re-build many burnt bridges and the club is now far more engaged with us fans.

I look back at the team that took us down and I shudder but it sums up our signing standard that had been going on for years. Absolutle no-mark, journeymen or has-beens like Maybury who are just looking for one final wage packet.

Exactly, 100% agree.

On another note. Got to feel sorry for Craig. Missed out on a Scottish cup winner's medal with St Johnstone then us.

[greenlex]

This story sums up Liam Craig perfectly.

Off the pitch he's a very decent individual who is respectful towards Hibs and always comes across well.

Unfortunately, on the pitch he was absolutely dreadful and a complete and utter shambles as a captain.

He he had a handful of half decent games against lower league opposition which has helped to redeem him in the eyes of some people. In the fickle world of football I can understand that but there is no doubt at all that he was one of the key reasons why we were relegated that season.

One of the key reasons? Behave yourself. The key reasons were the managerial appointment and the board taking their eye of the football side of the business in general over the years.

[Stevie Reid]

There was a chance of that happening under Fenlon. Fenlon was not good.

No there wasn't. When he left we had played everyone in the league once, and had 15 points from 11 games, lying 6th in the the league. Our points per game ratio meant we were on track for 52 points. It would have been a long, dull season, but we would have finished around 7th again.

We had won four, lost four and drawn three when Fenlon left. Butcher managed us for 25 league games, and managed to win a further four games (as many in that time as Fenlon did in 11) and lost 13 of them - including eight of the last nine league games (drawing one). He amassed a total of 20 points from 25 SPL games, a pitiful 0.8 points per game. There were individual games that were a nightmare under Fenlon, but never bad runs anything in the same stratosphere as Butcher's disaster.

I've debated for hours on this forum about Pat so I can't be bothered going much further here - but the idea that relegation was in any way in people's minds when he left is an incredibly fanciful notion. That is not only based on his own record, but also the fact that even after the most ridiculous implosion that I've ever seen from a Hibs team under Butcher, we were still only confirmed in the play off position after the last league game.

[Hibernia&Alba]

Williams, Maybury, Stevenson, Craig, Nelson, McGivern, Heffernan (Tudur Jones 83'), Robertson, Haynes (Harris 8', Thomson 68'), Stanton, Cummings. Manager: Butcher.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27464444

By christ that was a poor team - Williams, Stevenson and Cummings aside. Let's hope tomorrow's team can end this chapter in our history by finally getting us out of here. One thing's for sure, it's a far stronger team.

Some bang average players right enough, but that team should have been better than 13 defeats in 19 matches. The main responsibility, of course, lies with that big clueless clown in the dugout, Butcher. He was like a deer in the headlights as we slid towards the abyss; totally incapable of doing anything about it. Big gormless waste of space who cost us three years in the Championship. I will never forgive him.

[21.05.2016]

One of the key reasons? Behave yourself. The key reasons were the managerial appointment and the board taking their eye of the football side of the business in general over the years.

Yep. The team were a rotten bunch but still more than able of staying up. The free fall from about January onwards which eventually led to relegation was Butchers fault. Telling the majority of players that they were no good and that they were out the door at the next opportunity absolutely killed any team morale and the players no longer wanted to fight. The players should have still wanted to fight for the club regardless of that clown Butcher and have a bit of pride in themselves so they aren't completely blameless but it must have been very demoralising for them. Butcher should have been rallying everyone together, doing everything he could to keep the confidence up and have everybody well up for the fight.

Butcher and his horrible wee sidekick Malpase can GTF. Thank god we got Leeann in who got these two out the door, I honestly shudder to think what state we'd be in if we had just decided to keep them on.

[My_Wife_Camille]

One of the key reasons? Behave yourself. The key reasons were the managerial appointment and the board taking their eye of the football side of the business in general over the years.
Another key reason was the performances of the players on the pitch. That's what it all comes down to and as a senior player and club captain Liam Craig was a huge part of our failure that year.

[Stranraer]

I'll never forgive Butcher for what he did to us but the idea of Heffernan wearing the green makes me sick, what a poor team. Thank God those days are well and truly over.

[jacomo]

No there wasn't. When he left we had played everyone in the league once, and had 15 points from 11 games, lying 6th in the the league. Our points per game ratio meant we were on track for 52 points. It would have been a long, dull season, but we would have finished around 7th again.

We had won four, lost four and drawn three when Fenlon left. Butcher managed us for 25 league games, and managed to win a further four games (as many in that time as Fenlon did in 11) and lost 13 of them - including eight of the last nine league games (drawing one). He amassed a total of 20 points from 25 SPL games, a pitiful 0.8 points per game. There were individual games that were a nightmare under Fenlon, but never bad runs anything in the same stratosphere as Butcher's disaster.

I've debated for hours on this forum about Pat so I can't be bothered going much further here - but the idea that relegation was in any way in people's minds when he left is an incredibly fanciful notion. That is not only based on his own record, but also the fact that even after the most ridiculous implosion that I've ever seen from a Hibs team under Butcher, we were still only confirmed in the play off position after the last league game.


Don't worry mate, you are spot on, as usual.

Pat was Antonio Conte compared to Butcher who was, well, Butcher.

[MWHIBBIES]

I'll never forgive Butcher for what he did to us but the idea of Heffernan wearing the green makes me sick, what a poor team. Thank God those days are well and truly over.Heffernan was injured a lot and scored some important goals when fit. Why does he make you sick? Far from the worst in that side.

[Smartie]

Heffernan had an excellent pedigree prior to joining us, did very well for Kilmarnock and seemed to score a bucketload against Hearts.

His main problem was injury, but he didn't even get close to making the impact for Hibs that he should have.

He's up there with Alan O'Brien in that when he signed, his reputation suggested he'd really do the business for us when in fact he made very few positive contributions.

[The Green Goblin]

Ah I have really missed threads like this. Hasn't been one for a while, it has to be said. Only on here would you get folk swinging handbags at each other over who was the biggest fanny in the team that got us relegated three years ago....two days after we got promoted again. :faf: Love it! :thumbsup:

[Hibernia&Alba]

Ah I have really missed threads like this. Hasn't been one for a while, it has to be said. Only on here would you get folk swinging handbags at each other over who was the biggest fanny in the team that got us relegated three years ago....two days after we got promoted again. :faf: Love it! :thumbsup:

:greengrin

That disastrous period remains an open wound.

[supermcginn]

Heffernan was injured a lot and scored some important goals when fit. Why does he make you sick? Far from the worst in that side.

He was a non trier, walked around with his cuffs over his hands looking freezing and not interested in the slightest.

[basehibby]

Michael Nelson was actually a good if limited player under Fenlon as well. McPake was either injured or offering very little and David Stephen was an absolute liability; Nelson came in and was a big, commanding centre half, even if his distribution was iffy.Like most Butcher destroyed him.

Nelson was awful if you ask me - honest tryer but basically abysmal - could not pass water and hence a liability. Not the only one in that team mind - McGivern was ultimately gash as well after what seemed like a promising start to his Hibs career. Rowan Vine an imposter, Tudor-Jones a waste of space - just a few that spring to mind out of a sea of mediocrity.

Fenlon was responsible for bringing in the majority of the above but at least he had them trying whereas the idiot Butcher managed to puncture what little confidence they had.

The likes of Maybury, Williams, Craig, Stevenson, Hanlon - all good players along with youngsters Stanton and Cummings - were ultimately dragged down by the weight of the mediocrity around them along with Butcher's incompetence.

[houstonhibbee]

Ah I have really missed threads like this. Hasn't been one for a while, it has to be said. Only on here would you get folk swinging handbags at each other over who was the biggest fanny in the team that got us relegated three years ago....two days after we got promoted again. :faf: Love it! :thumbsup:
:top marksBrilliant made me laugh......

[basehibby]

Craig was a very poor captain, not leader materiel at all. Spent most time on the pitch shouting in the refs face. As you say, when we were fighting for our lives, the captain should have been rallying everyone together. Totally uninspiring captain.

:agree: Agreed - I thought he was a decent player who was effectively distracted from playing his best game by being appointed captain. On his good game he was great at ghosting into space to receive the ball which is how he scored quite a few goals. Going about shouting at the ref after every bad decision (ie about half the game if you play for the Hibees) is not conducive to ghosting anywhere.

Craig's appointment as captain also had the effect of increasing fan's expectations - ie as well as a goal scoring midfielder he was also now expected to be a rip roaring tackler and Mr motivator. Upon failing to meet these expectations he would then try too hard - ie shouting at the ref even more and focusing even less on playing his game.

Of course there were not many great candidates for captain in that team - Maybury? Robertson? Nelson?(argh cannot believe I'm even contemplating that!). Shows just how bad these bad old days were - thank fluck they are well far behind us now

[green.oracle]

Williams, Maybury, Stevenson, Craig, Nelson, McGivern, Heffernan (Tudur Jones 83'), Robertson, Haynes (Harris 8', Thomson 68'), Stanton, Cummings. Manager: Butcher.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/27464444

By christ that was a poor team - Williams, Stevenson and Cummings aside. Let's hope tomorrow's team can end this chapter in our history by finally getting us out of here. One thing's for sure, it's a far stronger team.

Dont know how williams always escapes criticism that season. He could not catch a cold after christmas (or stop a shot)!!!!!!!!!!

[Lago]

So has anyone taken the time to go through that relegation team and do a, where are they now ? Be interesting to see how they all fared in their careers.

[Diclonius]

The team that took us up:

Marciano, Gray, McGregor, Ambrose, Stevenson, Shinnie (Harris 66'), McGeouch (Bartley 83'), Fyvie, McGinn, Cummings, Boyle (Keatings 75'). Manager: Lennon.

Like night and day.

[WeeRussell]

Dont know how williams always escapes criticism that season. He could not catch a cold after christmas (or stop a shot)!!!!!!!!!!

Someone mentioned earlier that Oxley was a better keeper, which i disagree with entirely. However I don't think he was as good as many like to make out... perhaps a couple of early penalty saves and him telling us he was a good keeper helped his case in that regard.

[tamig]

Someone mentioned earlier that Oxley was a better keeper, which i disagree with entirely. However I don't think he was as good as many like to make out... perhaps a couple of early penalty saves and him telling us he was a good keeper helped his case in that regard.

Williams was much better than some of the stuff we saw post Daniel Anderson. But that was as motley a crew of keepers as have ever darkened our doors. Stack the only exception. Williams was a superstar in comparison but he was no more than an average keeper imo.