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ArmadaleHibs
29-01-2019, 08:35 AM
So this word has been flung around a lot recently and has also been used in terms of Neil Lennons anger towards the board. Apparently his drive for success has not been matched by a board that lacks ambition.

So how ambitious do we have to be to become successful and what is success in Scottish football. Lennon wants to challenge Celtic and The Rangers in every aspect. That’s not being ambitious at all, that’s being optimistic at best. As much as I’d love to challenge either of the ugly sisters for the league there has to be a point of reality and perspective when you support a team like Hibs, the ****, or Aberdeen for that matter. The money generated through ticket sales for all three of those teams combined only match watch The Rangers and Celtic do alone so in terms of competing it’s practically impossible in terms of winning the league, especially when we have to play each other 4 times. Beating them once if you meet them twice in a season is competing, beating them once in four meetings is called playing catch-up. It’s innevitable in terms of outcome. Aberdeen have spent large mainly due to investment recently and came relatively close but ultimately fell short by quite a way in the end. The **** tried for 15 years to compete and got nowhere ultimately and nearly died as a club through massive overspending. Same thing with the rangers in terms of trying to stay at the top. They used to be called Glasgow Rangers but died in the process of chasing excellence. (Unlucky)

We have to live within our means or it’s curtains for clubs like us. Kilmarnock are living within there means and are showing that with a really good coach/manager you can get the best out of your resources. But we all know the likely outcome will be no more than a third or fourth place finish for them at best and no where near Celtic come the end.

We don’t lack ambition if our ambition is to win a trophy and chase a euro spot. That’s realistic in most seasons. NL wanted to push harder than that in my opinion but the reality is we don’t have the budget to do so unless you want to end up like Sevco and the erse holes across the city.

Reality is where some Hibs fans need to come back to at times. Yes we should be competing with the sheep and the PBS dwellers and for the most part we are, it’s the same for them in terms of us. It’s about having the right man at the helm and a breed of confidence running through the team that will bring success but we have to be realistic and assess what real success is and where reality and ambition meets without bankrupting our club.

GGTTH

Centre Hawf
29-01-2019, 08:45 AM
So this word has been flung around a lot recently and has also been used in terms of Neil Lennons anger towards the board. Apparently his drive for success has not been matched by a board that lacks ambition.

So how ambitious do we have to be to become successful and what is success in Scottish football. Lennon wants to challenge Celtic and The Rangers in every aspect. That’s not being ambitious at all, that’s being optimistic at best. As much as I’d love to challenge either of the ugly sisters for the league there has to be a point of reality and perspective when you support a team like Hibs, the ****, or Aberdeen for that matter. The money generated through ticket sales for all three of those teams combined alone only match watch The Rangers and Celtic do alone so in terms of competing it’s practically impossible in terms of winning the league, especially when we have to play each other 4 times. Beating them once if you meet them twice in a season is competing, beating them once in four meetings is called playing catch-up. It’s innevitable in terms of outcome. Aberdeen have spent large mainly due to investment recently and came relatively close but ultimately fell short by quite a way in the end. The **** tried for 15 years to compete and got nowhere ultimately and nearly died as a club through massive overspending. Same thing with the rangers in terms of trying to stay at the top. They used to be called Glasgow Rangers but died in the process of chasing excellence. (Unlucky)

We have to live within our means or it’s curtains for clubs like us. Kilmarnock are living within there means and are showing that with a really good coach/manager you can get the best out of your resources. But we all know the likely outcome will be no more than a third or fourth place finish for them at best and no where near Celtic come the end.

We don’t lack ambition if our ambition is to win a trophy and chase a euro spot. That’s realistic in most seasons. NL wanted to push harder than that in my opinion but the reality is we don’t have the budget to do so unless you want to end up like Sevco and the erse holes across the city.

Reality is where some Hibs fans need to come back to at times. Yes we should be competing with the sheep and the PBS dwellers and for the most part we are, it’s the same for them in terms of us. It’s about having the right man at the helm and a breed of confidence running through the team that will bring success but we have to be realistic and assess what real success is and where reality and ambition meets without bankrupting our club.

GGTTH

A really good post. Don’t disagree with any of that. Id say in regards to Europe we have been ambitious. I can’t remember a Hibs Manager being given the funds to sign players like Lennon has. We used to make huge song n dances whenever we did spend money. Now we’ve done it on multiple deals in one window.

DetroitHibs
29-01-2019, 08:46 AM
I think we should be challenging in the top 4 most seasons in the league and making the odd semi final and final. Europe should always be our aim. Unfortunately out average league position for the past 20 years has been bottom six stuff. That in my opinion is not good enough. Somebody somewhere is failing.

hibee-boys
29-01-2019, 08:48 AM
If Lennon honestly thought he was coming to Hibs to consistently challenge Celtic/The Rangers then he was delusional. It's a bit like me going out on a Saturday night and expecting to pull Jennnifer Lawrence, yes i'd like it to happen but realisticly it never will! Strange analogy, but it works for me.

I've been more concerened with our recent inability to compete with St Johnstone, Hearts etc, nevermind the 'what was' Old Firm.

ArmadaleHibs
29-01-2019, 08:49 AM
I think we should be challenging in the top 4 most seasons in the league and making the odd semi final and final. Europe should always be our aim. Unfortunately out average league position for the past 20 years has been bottom six stuff. That in my opinion is not good enough. Somebody somewhere is failing.

I don’t disagree with you at all. We should be doing better and more consistently. With players brought in by Lennon this season we should still be up and around the top 4/5.

ArmadaleHibs
29-01-2019, 08:53 AM
If Lennon honestly thought he was coming to Hibs to consistently challenge Celtic/The Rangers then he was delusional. It's a bit like me going out on a Saturday night and expecting to pull Jennnifer Lawrence, yes i'd like it to happen but realisticly it never will! Strange analogy, but it works for me.

I've been more concerened with our recent inability to compete with St Johnstone, Hearts etc, nevermind the 'what was' Old Firm.


The reality is that Jennifer Lawrence always turns out to be Subo (and without the voice)

But I agree we have failed to meet or reach a level of where we should on quite a regular basis

Pretty Boy
29-01-2019, 08:56 AM
I broadly agree.

I think it's easy to confuse ambition with fantasy. I've always thought of ambition as a drive to be the best you can be. For Hibs, if we are being realistic, that really means competing in the latter rounds of the cups and battling for the European spots on a regular basis. In that regard we have delivered in recent years, admittedly it has been an either or in some of those seasons. I also think if you are staying in the realms of reality you have to accept seasons like this one will happen from time to time; success at Hibs ultimately leads to clubs with far greater budgets and higher realistic ambitions coveting our players and that leads to rebuilds. The aim then has to be to ensure it is only one season rather than long spells of mediocrity as has happened in the past. Again that, in my opinion, is ambition tempered by reality.

It has been 34 years since the league trophy left Glasgow and since 1970 it's only left for a total of 4 seasons. Is it really a realistic ambition for anyone to believe they can wrestle the league away? How many times has it even been close in that period? On the flip side in the last 10 years the Scottish Cup has been won by 7 different clubs and the League Cup by 6. Competing to reach the finals of and win those trophies really should be a driving force within the club to push forward as it's far more realistic and achievable.

ArmadaleHibs
29-01-2019, 08:58 AM
I broadly agree.

I think it's easy to confuse ambition with fantasy. I've always thought of ambition as a drive to be the best you can be. For Hibs, if we are being realistic, that really means competing in the latter rounds of the cups and battling for the European spots on a regular basis. In that regard we have delivered in recent years, admittedly it has been an either or in some of those seasons. I also think if you are staying in the realms of reality you have to accept seasons like this one will happen from time to time; success at Hibs ultimately leads to clubs with far greater budgets and higher realistic ambitions coveting our players and that leads to rebuilds. The aim then has to be to ensure it is only one season rather than long spells of mediocrity as has happened in the past. Again that, in my opinion, is ambition tempered by reality.

It has been 34 years since the league trophy left Glasgow and since 1970 it's only left for a total of 4 seasons. Is it really a realistic ambition for anyone to believe they can wrestle the league away? How many times has it even been close in that period? On the flip side in the last 10 years the Scottish Cup has been won by 7 different clubs and the League Cup by 6. Competing to reach the finals of and win those trophies really should be a driving force within the club to push forward as it's far more realistic and achievable.

Great post

jakedance
29-01-2019, 09:01 AM
The minimum of our ambitions should be relative to our budget, which should average us out at 5th in the league and top six most seasons. Finishing below the likes of St Johnstone, Killie or Motherwell should be the exception rather than the norm. We’ve underperformed most seasons in the 25 years I’ve been going.

I don’t expect us to challenge for the league consistently but Killie has shown what can be done with limited resources.

Speedway
29-01-2019, 09:36 AM
We have to be ambitious to find investment.

That is the primary obstacle between us and becoming a regular fixture in European competition.

hibbysam
29-01-2019, 09:45 AM
Our infrastructure is basically complete, as we’ve been told many times. That means the majority of any funds brought in should be recycled into the playing squad to keep improving. The money made from SJM’s sale still hasn’t been made available, yes we spent some money, however, Kamberi was funded from Murray’s sale, and Flo was already here last season so we didn’t improve the squad from last year with that signing, we signed Mallan, but to replace McGinn Mcgeouch and Allan we needed proper funds and that wasn’t afforded. There’s absolutely no reason to bank circa £3m when the squad clearly needed upgrading. Couple that with our injury situation and it’s clear we needed to spend money.

Sioux
29-01-2019, 11:04 AM
Our infrastructure is basically complete, as we’ve been told many times. That means the majority of any funds brought in should be recycled into the playing squad to keep improving. The money made from SJM’s sale still hasn’t been made available, yes we spent some money, however, Kamberi was funded from Murray’s sale, and Flo was already here last season so we didn’t improve the squad from last year with that signing, we signed Mallan, but to replace McGinn Mcgeouch and Allan we needed proper funds and that wasn’t afforded. There’s absolutely no reason to bank circa £3m when the squad clearly needed upgrading. Couple that with our injury situation and it’s clear we needed to spend money.

Where's the evidence that the club 'banked', as you put it, £3m?

Our accounts for the last few years show losses and the odd small profit. Not history of 'banking' money. McGinn left towards the end of the transfer window, we don't know how much was paid up front or when, and I think I'd caution against spending your £3m on one player, even if we did have that money in the bank.

where'stheslope
29-01-2019, 12:14 PM
Most posters need to look at our history, rather than rant about "we should be in the top 4 every season".
Yes, we have a really good set up at the club, better than ever for years, but like most Premiership Clubs out with Celtic and Rangers, you get a spell when you get up amongst the two and then fall away!
Aberdeen may be the only team presently trying to stay with them, but they had 5 years with only Celtic to contend with.
Kilmarnock are putting together a good team, but I doubt it will last more than a couple of seasons.
Yams had 1 season in the top 4 then fell away, the same this season, they won the league then somehow managed to throw it away again???
Motherwell is another, could have been good then implode after 1 good season???
St Johnstone, got a cup win and wee trip in Europe, then became a midtable team again.
So, I ask what makes everyone think we will be the exception to all this history?
Its good to dream, but most border on delusional!!!!

MrRobot
29-01-2019, 03:55 PM
I think we should be challenging in the top 4 most seasons in the league and making the odd semi final and final. Europe should always be our aim. Unfortunately out average league position for the past 20 years has been bottom six stuff. That in my opinion is not good enough. Somebody somewhere is failing.

Every season IMO. Not to say that we get in the top 4 every season but we should be challenging to be there - we have the budget and facilities so we shouldnt settle for less.

hibee316
29-01-2019, 04:04 PM
I think we should be challenging in the top 4 most seasons in the league and making the odd semi final and final. Europe should always be our aim. Unfortunately out average league position for the past 20 years has been bottom six stuff. That in my opinion is not good enough. Somebody somewhere is failing.

It would be nice if you could post something positive every once and a while. Life's to short to be so pessimistic all the time :)

The Modfather
29-01-2019, 04:08 PM
Our infrastructure is basically complete, as we’ve been told many times. That means the majority of any funds brought in should be recycled into the playing squad to keep improving. The money made from SJM’s sale still hasn’t been made available, yes we spent some money, however, Kamberi was funded from Murray’s sale, and Flo was already here last season so we didn’t improve the squad from last year with that signing, we signed Mallan, but to replace McGinn Mcgeouch and Allan we needed proper funds and that wasn’t afforded. There’s absolutely no reason to bank circa £3m when the squad clearly needed upgrading. Couple that with our injury situation and it’s clear we needed to spend money.

Are we not paying £1m for an indoor pitch to meet Project Brave criteria?

matty_f
29-01-2019, 04:14 PM
I think we should be challenging in the top 4 most seasons in the league and making the odd semi final and final. Europe should always be our aim. Unfortunately out average league position for the past 20 years has been bottom six stuff. That in my opinion is not good enough. Somebody somewhere is failing.

Historically, probably - but realistically, we were 4th last season, having been promoted the season before, when we also tasted European football after winning the Scottish Cup the season before that.

This season isn't over yet.

IMHO it's too early to say that's failure. Relegation was failure but we've different people running the club now (as in the day to day operations) and the general direction has been very positive.

As for ambition - I posted about this on the Galbraith thread. I think we are ambitious. I think this is evidenced in the quality of the training centre and the staff that have been recruited, and in the managers that we've hired, and with the players we've recruited.

With the players, although it's clear that some haven't panned out as we hoped, they were good signings on paper and definitely were a level above the Owain Tudor-Jones or Thierry Gattusi's of previous years.

I would say it's undeniable that the board are more ambitious than our league position suggests. I don't think you'll find anyone at the club who is satisfied with the current position.

The lack of ambition chat is (IMHO) nothing but tired, lazy cliche that doesn't stand up to even a modicum of scrutiny.

You might get someone saying that we took x amount for McGinn (and the x will always be quoted higher than we probably got for him, in this argument) so we should be spending that - but selling a player for £2-4m doesn't mean you can replace them with a player for £2-4m.

Hibs are ambitious, we're not reckless, however.

cabbageandribs1875
29-01-2019, 04:18 PM
I think we should be challenging in the top 4 most seasons in the league and making the odd semi final and final. Europe should always be our aim. Unfortunately out average league position for the past 20 years has been bottom six stuff. That in my opinion is not good enough. Somebody somewhere is failing.


Every season IMO. Not to say that we get in the top 4 every season but we should be challenging to be there - we have the budget and facilities so we shouldnt settle for less.



agree with this, a club our size and support should always be there or thereabouts 3rd/4th and i've thought this for many MANY years before Neil Lennon even stepped through the door :agree: and yes i'm well aware always paying the 4th/5th highest salaries doesn't guarantee always finishing in 4th/5th place, aint that a fact

ScottB
29-01-2019, 04:44 PM
'Ambition' is to do the best we can with the resources we have. That doesn't mean settling for Top 6, it just means we have to be clever. Killie are fighting for the title at the moment, do they have more ambition than we do?

Ambition doesn't really mean anything, in the context of Lennon, it seems to be code for 'I think they should spend more' but, if there is no more to spend, is that a lack of ambition? Would putting the club into debt be more ambitious?

I suppose there's an element of this in that, I imagine most SPL clubs do set targets like 'qualify for Europe' or 'finish in the top 6' rather than 'fight for the title' which, while unlikely, Leicester down south showed the unlikely can still happen, and Kilmarnock are making a pretty good fist of it up here, all things considered.

We should approach every season, every game, with the intent of being the best, whether we can actually achieve that is irrelevant, but that certainly isn't linked to how much money we have available to spend.

DH1875
29-01-2019, 05:07 PM
We should be pushing for top 4 minimum and challenging in the cups, semis/finals. Always does my head in when fans think scraping into the top 6 is acceptable.

Sioux
29-01-2019, 05:48 PM
'Ambition' is to do the best we can with the resources we have. That doesn't mean settling for Top 6, it just means we have to be clever. Killie are fighting for the title at the moment, do they have more ambition than we do?

Ambition doesn't really mean anything, in the context of Lennon, it seems to be code for 'I think they should spend more' but, if there is no more to spend, is that a lack of ambition? Would putting the club into debt be more ambitious?

I suppose there's an element of this in that, I imagine most SPL clubs do set targets like 'qualify for Europe' or 'finish in the top 6' rather than 'fight for the title' which, while unlikely, Leicester down south showed the unlikely can still happen, and Kilmarnock are making a pretty good fist of it up here, all things considered.

We should approach every season, every game, with the intent of being the best, whether we can actually achieve that is irrelevant, but that certainly isn't linked to how much money we have available to spend.

You're right. When we see the word 'ambition' it can be easily replaced by 'spend more'.

DetroitHibs
29-01-2019, 06:26 PM
It would be nice if you could post something positive every once and a while. Life's to short to be so pessimistic all the time :)

It's just the reality mate. I don't think we have a devine right to be challenging every season, but a club like ours should be on average a top 4/5 club, not bottom 6. And I definitely don't think a club the size of ours should be anywhere near relegation, never mind suffer that twice in the past 20 years. Maybe my expectations are too high.

mcfly
29-01-2019, 06:38 PM
If Lennon honestly thought he was coming to Hibs to consistently challenge Celtic/The Rangers then he was delusional. It's a bit like me going out on a Saturday night and expecting to pull Jennnifer Lawrence, yes i'd like it to happen but realisticly it never will! Strange analogy, but it works for me.

I've been more concerened with our recent inability to compete with St Johnstone, Hearts etc, nevermind the 'what was' Old Firm.

Good post

We should be aiming to be best of the rest every season and challenge for the cups.

cardrosshibbe
29-01-2019, 08:46 PM
So this word has been flung around a lot recently and has also been used in terms of Neil Lennons anger towards the board. Apparently his drive for success has not been matched by a board that lacks ambition.

So how ambitious do we have to be to become successful and what is success in Scottish football. Lennon wants to challenge Celtic and The Rangers in every aspect. That’s not being ambitious at all, that’s being optimistic at best. As much as I’d love to challenge either of the ugly sisters for the league there has to be a point of reality and perspective when you support a team like Hibs, the ****, or Aberdeen for that matter. The money generated through ticket sales for all three of those teams combined only match watch The Rangers and Celtic do alone so in terms of competing it’s practically impossible in terms of winning the league, especially when we have to play each other 4 times. Beating them once if you meet them twice in a season is competing, beating them once in four meetings is called playing catch-up. It’s innevitable in terms of outcome. Aberdeen have spent large mainly due to investment recently and came relatively close but ultimately fell short by quite a way in the end. The **** tried for 15 years to compete and got nowhere ultimately and nearly died as a club through massive overspending. Same thing with the rangers in terms of trying to stay at the top. They used to be called Glasgow Rangers but died in the process of chasing excellence. (Unlucky)

We have to live within our means or it’s curtains for clubs like us. Kilmarnock are living within there means and are showing that with a really good coach/manager you can get the best out of your resources. But we all know the likely outcome will be no more than a third or fourth place finish for them at best and no where near Celtic come the end.

We don’t lack ambition if our ambition is to win a trophy and chase a euro spot. That’s realistic in most seasons. NL wanted to push harder than that in my opinion but the reality is we don’t have the budget to do so unless you want to end up like Sevco and the erse holes across the city.

Reality is where some Hibs fans need to come back to at times. Yes we should be competing with the sheep and the PBS dwellers and for the most part we are, it’s the same for them in terms of us. It’s about having the right man at the helm and a breed of confidence running through the team that will bring success but we have to be realistic and assess what real success is and where reality and ambition meets without bankrupting our club.

GGTTH

100% agree with everything. If you look at our performances against **** and Aberdeen, apart from that 4-1 game a while ago, we have never really been "Outclassed" and for a club our size it shows. Lennon has been an excellent manager and anyone who says otherwise is watching different games than us. Killie are a perfect example that you don't need lots of money to show your class. Its simply the manager you have and what he can do with the resources given. Would love to see Clarke at Hibs but couldn't see him leaving Killie for some reason.
GGTTH

tamig
29-01-2019, 09:04 PM
It would be nice if you could post something positive every once and a while. Life's to short to be so pessimistic all the time :)

Have the car companies not gone from Detroit now? Maybe something to do with it.

DetroitHibs
29-01-2019, 09:44 PM
Have the car companies not gone from Detroit now? Maybe something to do with it.

Could be the fact I'm baw deep in snow makes me a miserable prick :confused:

21632

SquashedFrogg
29-01-2019, 10:14 PM
Could be the fact I'm baw deep in snow makes me a miserable prick :confused:

21632

Does is snow 365 days of the year there? 😀

One Day Soon
29-01-2019, 10:18 PM
Does is snow 365 days of the year there? 😀

It definitely doesn't snow 365 days on this side of the water so some posters have no excuse...:greengrin

DetroitHibs
29-01-2019, 10:29 PM
Does is snow 365 days of the year there? 😀

Haha :na na:

hibbysam
29-01-2019, 11:15 PM
Where's the evidence that the club 'banked', as you put it, £3m?

Our accounts for the last few years show losses and the odd small profit. Not history of 'banking' money. McGinn left towards the end of the transfer window, we don't know how much was paid up front or when, and I think I'd caution against spending your £3m on one player, even if we did have that money in the bank.

No one is asking for it to be spent on one player, but the way our club works, or should be working, selling one ‘star’ player for multi millions should mean you can strengthen many areas of the squad with good quality. Our accounts for a few years show losses because of the level we played at and a lack of income from transfer activity. Regardless of ho late we sold McGinn the money should have been made available to strengthen a weakened squad, and even more so early in January where our squad is as depleted as I’ve ever known.

If we haven’t ‘banked’ the money then I’m curious as to where it’s gone.

CropleyWasGod
29-01-2019, 11:17 PM
No one is asking for it to be spent on one player, but the way our club works, or should be working, selling one ‘star’ player for multi millions should mean you can strengthen many areas of the squad with good quality. Our accounts for a few years show losses because of the level we played at and a lack of income from transfer activity. Regardless of ho late we sold McGinn the money should have been made available to strengthen a weakened squad, and even more so early in January where our squad is as depleted as I’ve ever known.

If we haven’t ‘banked’ the money then I’m curious as to where it’s gone.

The chances are we haven't received it all yet.

Stonewall
29-01-2019, 11:28 PM
No one is asking for it to be spent on one player, but the way our club works, or should be working, selling one ‘star’ player for multi millions should mean you can strengthen many areas of the squad with good quality. Our accounts for a few years show losses because of the level we played at and a lack of income from transfer activity. Regardless of ho late we sold McGinn the money should have been made available to strengthen a weakened squad, and even more so early in January where our squad is as depleted as I’ve ever known.

If we haven’t ‘banked’ the money then I’m curious as to where it’s gone.

Well for a start we probably got less than 3 million, a third (per speculation) went to St Mirren, the fee may be payable in instalments, then there’s increase in the salary levels, signing on fees for the like of Milligan, maybe a reserve held back for the January window, the trip to Dubai etc.

CmoantheHibs
29-01-2019, 11:33 PM
Does is snow 365 days of the year there? 😀

Made me chuckle. If negativity had a warming effect then Detroit would flood.

Wakeyhibee
30-01-2019, 07:32 AM
I broadly agree.

I think it's easy to confuse ambition with fantasy. I've always thought of ambition as a drive to be the best you can be. For Hibs, if we are being realistic, that really means competing in the latter rounds of the cups and battling for the European spots on a regular basis. In that regard we have delivered in recent years, admittedly it has been an either or in some of those seasons. I also think if you are staying in the realms of reality you have to accept seasons like this one will happen from time to time; success at Hibs ultimately leads to clubs with far greater budgets and higher realistic ambitions coveting our players and that leads to rebuilds. The aim then has to be to ensure it is only one season rather than long spells of mediocrity as has happened in the past. Again that, in my opinion, is ambition tempered by reality.

It has been 34 years since the league trophy left Glasgow and since 1970 it's only left for a total of 4 seasons. Is it really a realistic ambition for anyone to believe they can wrestle the league away? How many times has it even been close in that period? On the flip side in the last 10 years the Scottish Cup has been won by 7 different clubs and the League Cup by 6. Competing to reach the finals of and win those trophies really should be a driving force within the club to push forward as it's far more realistic and achievable.

Agree with this. But note that for a large period of those 30 years there was a bigger than normal disparity in money terms (reasons well known). A wee dip from Celtic and some improvements elsewhere are delivering a challenge of 4 teams.

It will in all likelihood end the same way. But the days of 2 teams being 20-30 points ahead seem to have diminished for a while. I think the league is equally important and had other things conspired we might have been in amongst it too.

Scotty Leither
30-01-2019, 09:25 AM
I think last year in the head-to-head fixtures with other top 6 clubs, it was only Aberdeen that we had an inferior record against?

So to talk of us never mounting a league challenge as it's inconceivable or some such is throwing the towel in, to a certain extent. There's always been a massive latent support out there choking on a decent Hibs team punching its weight; the cup win and the galvanising effect that's had on the club proved that in the uplift of our attendances.

Were we to mount a sustained season-long challenge, then 20k crowds would be the norm at every home game, revenues would grow as well with a bit more imaginative and attractive marketing, too.

Just once in a while i'd like to see us up the ante and really go for it, and that doesn't mean "breaking the bank for players" or "putting the club's future at risk" etc...it means taking a calculated risk now and again, but that's not the "Hibs way".

RIP
30-01-2019, 09:55 AM
I’m not convinced that the turnover of head coaches that we’ve had since 2007 gives us the stability to challenge regularly for top 4.

At Saints they have a small board and a manager. Not a ‘Head Coach’ but a manager. Geoff Brown, Roddy Grant, Alex Cleland, Alistair Stevenson are a tight unit and the club is a well run business despite a small catchment area and support. They combine the ‘living within your means’ philosophy of Farmer and Petrie with a pragmatic entrepreneurship that produces superior results for a club of their size.

Hibs revolving door of head coaches results in a team in constant rebuild and an undue focus on transfer windows which rarely deliver long term benefit. Stable clubs view constant personnel changes as undesirable whereas at Hibs we appear to tolerate or even relish the discarding of last year’s signing in favour of the next unknown.

I appreciate that times have changed since my first Hibs game in 1961. But these last fifteen years have been way too changeable for my liking.

The_Exile
30-01-2019, 03:12 PM
We can't buy our way to a domestic treble, but we could develop our own players to a domestic treble. I know it sounds like something out of football manager but I'm a firm believer in playing your own players that you develop into a club ethos is the only real way of running a successful club. Barcelona do it at one extreme of the scale. It just requires patience and strong leadership. It's no coincidence we got our 'Golden Generation' during a period where we had no option but to play the kids.

Our next managerial appointment is likely going to be the most important in the clubs history.

HibeeHibernian4
30-01-2019, 03:37 PM
I think last year in the head-to-head fixtures with other top 6 clubs, it was only Aberdeen that we had an inferior record against?

Aberdeen were a constant thorn in our side under Lennon. He managed just one win in eight games against them.