How many potential first picks should the manager have at his disposal?

[Scotty Leither]

16/17?

Or 8 or 9 that he looks to have to call on just now? We've signed two full backs cum wing backs, one of whom doesn't even make the matchday squad, all the while we're short on forward options should anyone get injured or suspended...is our much lauded recruitment team doing their job correctly, or are we just buying jersey fillers again because we simply will not spend anything approaching meaningful money to give us a chance of competing at the top end of the table?

(Where we should be every year.)

[matty_f]

How much money do you think Hibs have to spend?

Since last season, Lennon has brought in:
Goalkeeper from Liverpool (internationalist) as cover for our internationalist goalkeeper
Australian Captain (internationalist)
Australian centre forward (internationalist)
Irish internationalist from the English Championship
Kamberi
Internationalist on loan from Man City
Dutch internationalist
Greek internationalist
Scottish under 21 internationalist
American internationalist on loan from Bournemouth

Lennon signed the two forwards he was desperate to sign.

I'm interested to understand how folk think there must be money left after all that.

[Smartie]

Having a small but strong squad worked for us last year.

It's not working so well for us this year.

[neil7908]

How much money do you think Hibs have to spend?

Since last season, Lennon has brought in:
Goalkeeper from Liverpool (internationalist) as cover for our internationalist goalkeeper
Australian Captain (internationalist)
Australian centre forward (internationalist)
Irish internationalist from the English Championship
Kamberi
Internationalist on loan from Man City
Dutch internationalist
Greek internationalist
Scottish under 21 internationalist
American internationalist on loan from Bournemouth

Lennon signed the two forwards he was desperate to sign.

I'm interested to understand how folk think there must be money left after all that.

I think we've brought good players in but the squad looks very imbalanced in the last couple of games.

Right now we have as many first team goalkeepers as forwards. The club did brilliantly to get Kamberi and McLaren in over the summer but we have gambled on keeping them both fit.

Unfortunately that's failed over the last couple of games.

That doesn't mean our season is over, we will be a much better outfit once they are both back into the first 11.

But where will we be if, God forbid, Kamberi breaks his leg at training on Monday?

[Scotty Leither]

Whatever the personnel, they're not good enough. I'm sick of watching the same game where we are bullied off the park by ***** industrial-football teams like Hearts and St Johnstone.

I think in terms of personnel we're lower in numbers than last year, the international players you mention can barely make the matchday squad, but hey they're internationals, so the club can t be criticised?

If they're signed as simply squad p!ayers a la Rherras, and aren't going to be providing competition for the first eleven, then they shouldn't be anywhere Easter Road, it's as simple as that, "internationals" or not.

It's sticking out a week that we need at least one other forward that gives us something different, and has been the case for long enough, but no, let's stick to just getting by, that's served us really well in the past, eh?

[matty_f]

Whatever the personnel, they're not good enough. I'm sick of watching the same game where we are bullied off the park by ***** industrial-football teams like Hearts and St Johnstone.

I think in terms of personnel we're lower in numbers than last year, the international players you mention can barely make the matchday squad, but hey they're internationals, so the club can t be criticised?

If they're signed as simply squad p!ayers a la Rherras, and aren't going to be providing competition for the first eleven, then they shouldn't be anywhere Easter Road, it's as simple as that, "internationals" or not.

It's sticking out a week that we need at least one other forward that gives us something different, and has been the case for long enough, but no, let's stick to just getting by, that's served us really well in the past, eh?

Why have you put the word "internationals" in inverted commas?

I feel we go around in circles with this arguement and I'm yet to read a good explanation of where we're being short changed. The manager has been backed, the standard of player we are signing is improving.

We had better players than St Johnstone all over the pitch today but we didn't play well enough to win - in fact they had three that Hibs let go and nobody complained that we let them go.

Hibs have a finite budget, the board and manager have to decide how best to prioritise that money - clearly Lennon felt it more important to get in Kamberi and Maclaren than to get more players in that weren't at that level.

He can't do anything about Maclaren's injury or Flo's suspension.

[FitbaFolkKen]

Whatever the personnel, they're not good enough. I'm sick of watching the same game where we are bullied off the park by ***** industrial-football teams like Hearts and St Johnstone.

I think in terms of personnel we're lower in numbers than last year, the international players you mention can barely make the matchday squad, but hey they're internationals, so the club can t be criticised?

If they're signed as simply squad p!ayers a la Rherras, and aren't going to be providing competition for the first eleven, then they shouldn't be anywhere Easter Road, it's as simple as that, "internationals" or not.

It's sticking out a week that we need at least one other forward that gives us something different, and has been the case for long enough, but no, let's stick to just getting by, that's served us really well in the past, eh?

The fact that they are internationals means they have pedigree, which in turn means they cost more money, which in turn contradicts your point about meaningful money being spent.Would I agree they are under performing at the minute and the squad looks a bit imbalanced? Probably aye.

I didn't see us get bullied on Wednesday either? However I do think we need someone up front in the Grant Holt mould to let others play off him.

[Scotty Leither]

Why have you put the word "internationals" in inverted commas?

I feel we go around in circles with this arguement and I'm yet to read a good explanation of where we're being short changed. The manager has been backed, the standard of player we are signing is improving.

We had better players than St Johnstone all over the pitch today but we didn't play well enough to win - in fact they had three that Hibs let go and nobody complained that we let them go.

Hibs have a finite budget, the board and manager have to decide how best to prioritise that money - clearly Lennon felt it more important to get in Kamberi and Maclaren than to get more players in that weren't at that level.

He can't do anything about Maclaren's injury or Flo's suspension.

We've been short of options up front since January 2018 when we played that mob in the cup and asked Shaw to play a role that he is not physically equipped for.

Eleven months on, two transfer windows come and gone, big transfer fees and record season ticket sales into the club, CEO telling us that we're "in the black financially", and an injury and suspension to our front players, and we can't supplement/counter that by spending some meaningful money?

And the point stands 're the international players, if they're not good enough to even make the squad, why bring them in,hence the "internationals" in quotes.

[matty_f]

We've been short of options up front since January 2018 when we played that mob in the cup and asked Shaw to play a role that he is not physically equipped for.

Eleven months on, two transfer windows come and gone, big transfer fees and record season ticket sales into the club, CEO telling us that we're "in the black financially", and an injury and suspension to our front players, and we can't supplement/counter that by spending some meaningful money?

And the point stands 're the international players, if they're not good enough to even make the squad, why bring them in,hence the "internationals" in quotes.
How much money have we spent?

This is the bit that baffles me - all of the evidence points to meaningful money being spent.

Celtic and Rangers have scored more than us in the league this season, that's it. Last season we were third top scorers behind those two teams as well (and they spend many times our budget).

[Scotty Leither]

How much money have we spent?

This is the bit that baffles me - all of the evidence points to meaningful money being spent.

Celtic and Rangers have scored more than us in the league this season, that's it. Last season we were third top scorers behind those two teams as well (and they spend many times our budget).

So you think we've spent anywhere near what we've brought in and by extension shifted off the wage bill?

If the club's financial model is not to have any borrowings beyond what we owe Farmer, then fine, but if that's the case why run a surplus?

Should they not seek to break even or have a small reserve of cash as a buffer? Or do we go in ever decreasing circles and never take any calculated risk which was their m.o. in the past, and that served us really well didn't it?

[matty_f]

So you think we've spent anywhere near what we've brought in and by extension shifted off the wage bill?

If the club's financial model is not to have any borrowings beyond what we owe Farmer, then fine, but if that's the case why run a surplus?

Should they not seek to break even or have a small reserve of cash as a buffer? Or do we go in ever decreasing circles and never take any calculated risk which was their m.o. in the past, and that served us really well didn't it?
We've run losses the last three years iirc, while the last set of accounts showing a modest profit for the first time since before we were relegated.

How far do you think that money that comes in goes?

Let's say we cleared £2m for McGinn - we spend say £100k on Kamberi (not sure if that figure is high or low compared to what we really paid, but for arguments sake I'll go with that).

He's on a 4 year deal iirc, let's say that he's on £3k/week which I don't think will be far from it. That's £624k over the course of his deal, just on wages. We also need to give him a pension and there will be other benefits a player will get as part of their employment at Hibs.

I'd imagine there was a signing on fee, and an agent fee to pay as well. We might have to house Kamberi for a while as well. How much of that £2m is left? That's looking at one player deal, never mind the other ones we've financed.

We signed Horgan from the English Championship. Usually deals between the Scottish Premiership and the Championship, where a few is involved as it was in our case with Horgan, are players leaving Scotland to go to England.

So again, a transfer fee, wages, signing on fee, relocation expenses etc.

The money goes, it's not unlimited.