May 10th 2014

[GreenNWhiteArmy]

Saturday May 10th 2014: heading along to Easter Road for what felt like the 100th time and saying "we just need a win and we're safe"

What happened in the 90 minutes and the following couple of weeks was the inevitable. Hibernian FC - relegated! At the time I struggled to take it all in and reacted worse to this than the 2012 cup final.

As a club, we were at rock bottom and if you'd told me at that point we'd spend the next 3 years in the championship I'd have believed you

but as is said in The Dark Knight. The night is darkest before the dawn. And what a dawn it's been. The club had completely transformed from a selling club in free fall signing journeymen to have a core of Scottish players fighting for the jersey.

A chief exec that has galvanised the support and a manager that will fight our corner. Not to mention that glorious cup win on 21/05/16.

The last 3 years have bought low points as always being a hibs fan. But we're back where we deserve to be with a record high crowd and a derby record that makes the jambos **** their pants at the thought of another Edinburgh derby.

Roll on 2017/18

[yonder1875]

Saturday May 10th 2014: heading along to Easter Road for what felt like the 100th time and saying "we just need a win and we're safe"

What happened in the 90 minutes and the following couple of weeks was the inevitable. Hibernian FC - relegated! At the time I struggled to take it all in and reacted worse to this than the 2012 cup final.

As a club, we were at rock bottom and if youd told me at that point we'd spend the next 3 years in the championship I'd havd believed you

but as is said in The Dark Knight. The night is darkest before the dawn. And what a dawn it's been. The club had completely transformed from a selling club in free fall signing journeymen to have a core of Scottish players fighting for the jersey.

A chief exec that has galvanised the support and a manager that will fight our corner. Not to mention that glorious cup win on 21/05/16.

The last 3 years have bought low points as always being a hibs fan. But we're back where we deserve to be with a record high crowd and a derby record that makes the jambos **** their pants at the thought of another Edinburgh derby.

Roll on 2017/18

Good post mate.

Must say I have thouroughly enjoyed the last 3 years if I'm honest, far more than the previous 3 years before that anyway when we were in the top league. Always had something to play for, always fighting near the top of the league and we are in the strongest position we have been in now, for a very long time.

[RoYO!]

I genuinely read that as "as I said in the dark knight".

I was thinking... Bat...man?

Ohhhh batman is a hibby,
He wears a pointy hat...
:P

[Bishop Hibee]

Only 3 years! Seems like an age ago. The atmosphere after Hamilton's equaliser is the strangest of any game I've been to. Virtually every Hibs fan knew it was curtains even with extra time and penalties left. Dempster taking heed of the strength of feeling at the fans protest that summer set us on the right course though. The work to promote Hibs in the community helped by the cup win has been phenomenal.

Most of the games I've been to in the Championship have been dour affairs brightened up by great cup performances and pumping of The Rangers. Delighted to be up.

[18Hibee75]

Saturday May 10th 2014: heading along to Easter Road for what felt like the 100th time and saying "we just need a win and we're safe"

What happened in the 90 minutes and the following couple of weeks was the inevitable. Hibernian FC - relegated! At the time I struggled to take it all in and reacted worse to this than the 2012 cup final.

As a club, we were at rock bottom and if you'd told me at that point we'd spend the next 3 years in the championship I'd have believed you

but as is said in The Dark Knight. The night is darkest before the dawn. And what a dawn it's been. The club had completely transformed from a selling club in free fall signing journeymen to have a core of Scottish players fighting for the jersey.

A chief exec that has galvanised the support and a manager that will fight our corner. Not to mention that glorious cup win on 21/05/16.

The last 3 years have bought low points as always being a hibs fan. But we're back where we deserve to be with a record high crowd and a derby record that makes the jambos **** their pants at the thought of another Edinburgh derby.

Roll on 2017/18
Spot on mate! Doesn't seem like three years ago either, seems at least ten. I think there is no one who deserves more praise than Leann Dempster! What she's put into this club is incredible, the appointments of AS and NL have been brilliant and I am excited for the next season for the first time in a while.

Seems silly to say but I think relegation is the best thing that's happened to us in years. It was the kick up the arse we needed. There have been some real low points while being down here - Falkirk 3-2 play offs, getting beat by rangers in play offs and the teams we've had to play... But there's also been some unbelievable high points, hammering the huns 4-0, ruining hearts title party at ER, the title winning game at ER, and obviously coming down from 2-0 against hearts to get to 2-2 and then pumping them out at our place, to having an unknown unknown overweight keeper send us to a Scottish cup final, to then... Win that final 3-2 in the last minute of the game.

I agree with you, that if someone told me when we got relegated that we would be down here for three years I would definitely believe them. But if they told me how much our club will turn round and we would pump hearts out the Scottish cup Twice, and we would win a Scottish cup for the first time in 114 years, I would wake them up.


GGTTH

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[franks]

I've never felt worse at a football match than I did at the Accies relegation game. If we had a game at ER the next week I wouldn't have gone and I go to every home game I possibly can and have done for over 50 years. Attended the protest but to be honest my heart wasn't in it.

Contrast that with 21 May. Best ever match attended and possibly best ever weekend of my life.

I suppose that's what attracts us to football and Hibs but that was taking emotions to the extreme, worst ever to best ever within 2 years.

[Seveno]

I felt sick to the bottom of my stomache from the moment that Hamilton scored their first goal. I just knew that we were doomed.

I am still full of anger at what Butcher did to us and his pig-headed stubbornness not to play Thomson and McPake.

[Diclonius]

Aside from 12-13, which was pretty fun, the four years leading up to relegation were utterly forgettable seasons for us. We finished selling all of our good players by the start of 10-11 and point blank refused to replace them, buying players like Duffy, Hart, Dickoh, Agogo, Osbourne, Doherty et al. After a semi decent season thanks to Griffiths we replaced him with Vine and Collins.

The only highlights I can remember is a solitary win each v the OF, the two cup runs and the odd win v Hearts (though most of it consisted of that ridiculous run of not beating them). Compare that to the last three years: winning almost every week, only losing to top division opposition twice in cups, unbeaten in almost three years v Hearts, players like Allan/McGinn/Cummings/McGregor, reaching two finals, beating Rangers 7 (SEVEN) times in two years, and of course winning the Holy Grail.

Next season has a lot to live up for..

[Houchy]

What about today, for a while we sing "Leeann Dempsters green and white army" just to show how much she's appreciated. She's been our best signing IMO, in the last few years.

[IanM]

I genuinely read that as "as I said in the dark knight".

I was thinking... Bat...man?

Ohhhh batman is a hibby,
He wears a pointy hat...
:P


His best friend is a robin
and a female cat

He doesn't like the joker
Or the riddler too
But he'd rather **** the penguin
Than go to gorgie zoo

I'm outta here

[HoboHarry]

His best friend is a robin
and a female cat

He doesn't like the joker
Or the riddler too
But he'd rather **** the penguin
Than go to gorgie zoo

I'm outta here
Good. And don't come back ya bam........

:greengrin

[hibee_girl]

We were in Lanzarote as we'd booked months beforehand not thinking we'd need to worry about the play offs!

Watched the first leg in the pub, felt reasonably confident about the 2nd leg. Went back to the same pub and half way through the 2nd half in walks a few Hamilton fans! Was not fun.

[21.05.2016]

That day against Hamilton was a dark dark day in this clubs history. An embarrassment.

Incredible how far we have came since then. The club has been completely re-born. Hopefully massive lessons have been learnt and we never ever find ourselves in that position again.

[Northernhibee]

That day against Hamilton was a dark dark day in this clubs history. An embarrassment.

Incredible how far we have came since then. The club has been completely re-born. Hopefully massive lessons have been learnt and we never ever find ourselves in that position again.

Terry Butcher was a Sportscene pundit when we won the cup, at least on the highlights package. It warms the cockles of my heart to know that he had to see what a modern, progressive manager can achieve when not bullying young players compared to his incredible achievement of relegating us from a totally safe upper-mid table position.

[21.05.2016]

Terry Butcher was a Sportscene pundit when we won the cup, at least on the highlights package. It warms the cockles of my heart to know that he had to see what a modern, progressive manager can achieve when not bullying young players compared to his incredible achievement of relegating us from a totally safe upper-mid table position.

Absolutely. Butcher and his horrible wee sidekick Malpas are dinosaurs. **** knows how he still gets a punditry gig, the guys ****ing clueless. Guess it just shows how you can live off being an ex hun.

[G B Young]

I felt sick to the bottom of my stomache from the moment that Hamilton scored their first goal. I just knew that we were doomed.

Yep, you just sensed what was going to happen as soon as that first Hamilton goal went in and I don't mind admitting I'd already left the ground before the late Hamilton equaliser. That may sound daft given that we were just a couple of minutes from safety when they did finally score but the sense of impending doom in the ground that day was one that only those who were there can really appreciate and I didn't have the stomach to stick around. It was a scarring experience and I said to somebody later that day that we could easily find ourselves down for several years.

Personally I'm glad in hindsight that it's taken us three years to go back up. We do as a completely different club, one in a far healthier and stronger state in every aspect.

[21.05.2016]

Aside from 12-13, which was pretty fun, the four years leading up to relegation were utterly forgettable seasons for us. We finished selling all of our good players by the start of 10-11 and point blank refused to replace them, buying players like Duffy, Hart, Dickoh, Agogo, Osbourne, Doherty et al. After a semi decent season thanks to Griffiths we replaced him with Vine and Collins.

The only highlights I can remember is a solitary win each v the OF, the two cup runs and the odd win v Hearts (though most of it consisted of that ridiculous run of not beating them). Compare that to the last three years: winning almost every week, only losing to top division opposition twice in cups, unbeaten in almost three years v Hearts, players like Allan/McGinn/Cummings/McGregor, reaching two finals, beating Rangers 7 (SEVEN) times in two years, and of course winning the Holy Grail.

Next season has a lot to live up for..

Christ, its actually frightening how bad our signings pre-relegation were. Absolutely brutal. Names like Alan O'Brien, Rowan Vine, Ryan McGivern, Kujabi etc still give me nightmares!

The season before we were relegated, we were saved by Griffiths goals. THATS when all the top to bottom changes should have happened, thats when we should have had the wake up call but instead we were just relieved to survive and glad the season was over so it was brushed aside and ignored. Thats why I think that relegation had to happen. I will never say relegation was a good thing because a club of this size should never have been anywhere near that but if we had survived, even by the skin of our teeth, I think it may have just papered over some of the cracks like the previous season. I know LD was coming in regardless and would have made big changes but would the fans have been rallying outside ER demanding change? Probably not. We would just have been massively relieved and grateful we still had PL status.

To a certain extent, we had come to accept mediocracy. We were accepting going season after season, buying ***** players, bottom 6, expecting to be beaten in derbies etc. I'm not saying we were happy with it but we got ourselves into a horrible rut where we were going season after season actually just looking forward to the season ending. So many players and mangers we had back then that not only weren't good enough but actually looked disinterested (Matt Doherty said as much after the 2012 final).

I hope huge lessons have been learnt from relegation and that we never ever let our standards slip so low again. Walking away after being beaten by Hamilton that day was a real dark day and it was very hard to convince myself to re-new my ST as I was completely disheartened and demoralised but I did in the end. I can see why the ST sales in the years leading to relegation gradually got lower and lower, there was very little to temp people along. The entire atmosphere around the club was down, I remember walking away from the ground and there was a real eery silence, nobody knew what to say. Compare that to know, the crowds are back in force, we have a team and a manager that are passionate, we have LD who listens to the fans and gets the fans engaged with the club and of course there is silverware back at ER.

So proud of how far we've come since that horrible day :flag: