Hibs or football? Which actually matters more to you?

[G B Young]

Over the years I've all but drifted away from watching anything football-related with the exception of Hibs games. When I was growing up I would watch pretty much ANY football, but as the years went by I would sometimes find myself staring at a random game on TV and thinking: 'Football's not actually all it's cracked up to be. Nothing actually happens for long spells and frankly it can be rather boring.'

Which begs the question, is following Hibs about something more than football? Put it this way, if Hibs didn't exist I very much doubt I'd have any interest in the game.

[SChibs]

I quickly get bored of a game if it's not hibs.

[JXM73]

Football, but not on tv, cancelled subscriptions and got a season ticket instead. Plan on doing all scottish grounds at some point.

[makaveli1875]

Im glad its not just me :greengrin Cant remember the last time i watched an English game or a champions league game .

Only non hibs games i tried to watch recently was the old firm and it was turned off by half time

[wookie70]

Hibs, not even close

[DarlingtonHibee]

Hibs. Old firm for a laugh

[Brizo]

Gave up my Sky sports subscription years back as I just got tired of English football and I was lucky if I was watching one game a week all the way through. Hardly even watch MOTD now. Will watch the Scottish highlights on a Sunday evening but if Hibs weren't being featured probably wouldn't bother.

We can have gone from little or no live football coverage to saturation coverage and I think after years of watching every televised game I could ive just bored myself with it. Maybe its an age thing.

Hibs transcends football, its all about being there, good times and bad, being a fourth generation Hibs fan with fifth generation Hibs supporting children, part of a shared history with my mates many of whom are from childhood etc etc

[Pretty Boy]

Hibs.

I still take an interest in Newcastle as well but football is of little relevance to me aside from that.

I stopped playing for good at the end of last season so running has taken over from football as the main sport I participate in and I'd rather watch horse racing than a random non Hibs football game as a spectator.

[Barney McGrew]

Hibs. I don’t really give a monkeys about Scotland now either.

[Steve20]

Love watching football. EPL, English Championship, Champions League, La Liga. I know it's the new 'cool' thing to say that you don't like to watch football, but I still love it.

But Hibs still matter more. I'd always go to a Hibs game before watching any other game.

[Keyser Sauzee]

Only really interested in Hibs and Scotland. Only time I’ll watch football outside of these 2 is if I have a bet on it or it’s the World Cup or Euros.

[Hibernian32]

If it wasn't love for football would we still love hibs? The two together are the perfect married couple

[hibsbollah]

Both.

I watch any kind of football. Ligue 1, Scottish, English, kids in a park, my son's team. I also do a bit of coaching to exercise my inner Eddie Turnbull. At some point I'll probably lose a bit of interest as I've done at different parts of my life (when my kids were very young, when work has been intense) but at the moment I spend far too much time on it:greengrin Hibs is at the centre of it but I'm very aware we will never have really world class players because of financial realities so if I want to watch that level of performance (which I do), I need to look further than just Easter Road.

[BILLYHIBS]

HIBS or NOTHING

This thread prompted me to ask myself the question what would I have done if Wallet Mecenary had succeeded in killing off our great club back in 1990?

Would I have gone to support his Hearts United, Edinburgh City or Meadowbank/Livingston?

Naw! Being a descendant of Irish immigrants back in the 19th Century and having Hibernian Football Club in my DNA it would be a case of back to the jerseys doon in the meadows and start again playing in front of one man and a dug

Wallace Mercer did not appreciate the depth of feeling the love the bond that Hibernian fans feel for their club it is like being part of an extended family through the good times and bad through thick and thin

HIBS or NOTHING!

:scarf:

[Bangkok Hibby]

Hibs. Couldnt give a toss about any other team including Scotland. Football isnt the game I loved as a lad, its destroyed now by money and blatant cheating.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Love watching football. EPL, English Championship, Champions League, La Liga. I know it's the new 'cool' thing to say that you don't like to watch football, but I still love it.

Very much this.

[.Sean.]

Hibs. I love the whole football culture if you like, the clothes, associated musicc and the day out etc but other than Hibs I honestly don’t watch very much football. And when I do it’s a Scottish game - I’f honestly rather watch a Forfar game on Alba than some ponce rolling about during a Man City game watched by Chinese tourists in half and half scarfs and clueless folk recording the whole game for social media.

[Bangkok Hibby]

Hibs. I love the whole football culture if you like, the clothes, associated musicc and the day out etc but other than Hibs I honestly don’t watch very much football. And when I do it’s a Scottish game - I’f honestly rather watch a Forfar game on Alba than some ponce rolling about during a Man City game watched by Chinese tourists in half and half scarfs and clueless folk recording the whole game for social media.

👍🏻

[matty_f]

Hibs for me, I don't watch that much other football on tv these days. Can't remember the last time I watched 90 minutes of an EPL game - think I've not had a Sky Sports subscription for a year now, at first there was the fear of missing out when the headline games were on but in reality most of the time the biggest English games are brutal, and the highlights package on Match of the Day is plenty for me.

If Hibs have been at home I'll have watched the game in person, so watching Sportscene isn't even a given these days.

[CMurdoch]

Used to watch every televised match I could but the saturation by Sky etc scunnered me eventually of watching English teams outside the big 6 when playing each other.
European matches not involving Scottish teams have also all but disappeared from my football watching diet. Sky Sports etc have long gone from my home.
I do watch MOTD most weeks but can't even say that it is an essential watch for me.

My only real passion now is Scottish Football because that is where Hibs operate.
I take a big interest in all clubs and players in our top 2 leagues (other than Celtic and the Rangers) and watch most Scottish games available by TV and stream.
If it wasn't so expensive i would even consider having a Hearts season ticket as well as a Hibs one!!! just like guys did in the old days.
Going to matches is where it's at and folks going to see Celtic and Rangers rather than their local team is my biggest annoyance.

[Nameless]

I only watch Hibs, and even then I'd give it a miss if I had something more interesting to do. When I was younger I loved a day out at the football with my mates, it was the be all and end all. I love playing football at the park with my son, but if I was to choose my favourite sports it would be BSB, WSB, Football. Hibs means more to me than football, they are part of my history and a common bond with my friends, but if they didn't exist I'd probably never watch another game in my life.

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[Dashing Bob S]

Used to be Hibs and football. Now its just Hibs. Non Hibs football, apart from occasionally getting caught up in the overhyped media spectacle of a big tournament (always against my better judgement) pretty much bores me and I now struggle to take an interest. It's turned into the ugliest and most exploitative industry on the planet and represents everything crass and ugly about the doomed social and economic epoch we are living through.

[Northernhibee]

Hibs, though I occasionally enjoy a bit of Highland league. Proper fitbaw.

[lyonhibs]

I watch the odd football game as a social conduit for meeting up with mates and having a couple of jars, but the football isn't the main point. I'll happily watch a EPL game properly if someone im with supports one of the teams involved.

The days of planning my weekend and midweek around pub telly sessions are long gone though.

[offshorehibby]

If Hibs are not involved then i have no interest. Used to be an avid Scotland fan home and away, i rarely tune into that anymore. GGTTH

[NAE NOOKIE]

Hibs certainly transcend my overall love of the beautiful game …. I'll watch practically anything football related, but Hibs are the fulcrum for all of that and if they didn't exist I doubt I would have the same level of engagement. If Hibs did bite the dust I would almost certainly be at Gala Fairydean Rovers every Saturday rather than watch random televised matches where I don't have a dog in the fight.

[Stuart93]

Hibs of course but I usually still watch whatever games on tele to be honest

[Wakeyhibee]

Over the years I've all but drifted away from watching anything football-related with the exception of Hibs games. When I was growing up I would watch pretty much ANY football, but as the years went by I would sometimes find myself staring at a random game on TV and thinking: 'Football's not actually all it's cracked up to be. Nothing actually happens for long spells and frankly it can be rather boring.'

Which begs the question, is following Hibs about something more than football? Put it this way, if Hibs didn't exist I very much doubt I'd have any interest in the game.

Yes, I think it's tribal and once in your system stays with you in one form or another for life in most cases.l

[One Day Soon]

Hibs.

I still take an interest in Newcastle as well but football is of little relevance to me aside from that.

I stopped playing for good at the end of last season so running has taken over from football as the main sport I participate in and I'd rather watch horse racing than a random non Hibs football game as a spectator.

Do you play fives?

[we are hibs]

Don't know if it's just me but most games I watch on tv these days bore me to death. No atmosphere and too much square passing. You get the odd good game and the odd great game but the majority range between alright and awful.

[Lago]

Love watching football. EPL, English Championship, Champions League, La Liga. I know it's the new 'cool' thing to say that you don't like to watch football, but I still love it.

But Hibs still matter more. I'd always go to a Hibs game before watching any other game.
With you 110%

[SRHibs]

Up until recently it was just Hibs, but I’ve started going to a few Newcastle games recently. I would never just sit and watch a random game of football though, unless it was the later stages of the CL where it’s worth watching for the quality alone.

[Onceinawhile]

Hibs.

Still watch the odd non hibs game, but I make a lot less time for it than I used to.

Having said that, I've started coaching my son's team, so I suppose that's taking up some of the time I would have dedicated to other football previously.

[Pretty Boy]

Do you play fives?

I was playing 7s until last summer with a group of guys, we had all played together for years but it started to get harder to get players as everyone had bairns, work commitments, moved away etc.

The biggest issue I had with 11s was getting motivated. I was steadily working down the levels from pro youth to East of Scotland and junior to Saturday amateur then to Sunday amateur as I devoted less time to football and more to other things. The truth is I couldn't be ersed turning out at that level and didn't really care enough. It was just a bit disrespectful to guys who are knocking their pans in at that level so I called it a day.

I've got a couple of coaching badges and I'm planning to start my goalkeeping coaching pathway this year so hopefully that stirs up a bit enthusiasm from somewhere for me.

[esjorto]

Football til I was about twelve, then only Hibs after that.

[HibeeHibernian4]

Used to consume an eye-watering amount of football per week up until about 2012-13. Slowly but surely the leagues and games I used to insist on watching have fallen by the wayside. I still like watching SPFL Premiership/Scottish Cup games because I feel there's an element of it mattering to Hibs in some shape or form. Watch most of the national team games too but it's not got that same feeling.

In general, it really is Hibs or bust. I'll never get the same feeling going to any other ground as I do when I'm walking up St Clair Street and see the stadium come into view, particularly when the floodlights are on. I'll never get the same feeling as I do when another team scores a goal, or wins a game.

[givescotlandfreedom]

There is no football without Hibs.

[hibbydog]

It’s a really good question.

I’m stuck with this problem:

Hibs. I really care about the result. But the quality of play and entertainment is generally poor.

Other Football - EPL etc. I couldn’t give a flying one about whether one bunch of millionaires wins or the other. No emotional investment at all. Good quality stuff and excellent sport, but I wouldn’t plan my weekend around it.

If I had to choose one over the other it would be hibs. Generally hibs give me More frustration than pleasure, but then again, on the rare occasions when it clicks you get days like 21/05/16....

[Bishop Hibee]

Hibs but not by much. I love football and will watch pretty much any game.

[The Harp]

Hibs is much more than just a football club, it's a way of life. I met most of my pals when I joined the supporters club (St. Giles branch) in '63. Some of them attended the same school as me (St. Anthony's). We're still in touch and still regulars at ER.
Can't imagine life without the Hibs, but football in general doesn't hold my interest the way it used to.

[rotherhamrob]

Just hibs for me, I genuinely can't remember the last time I watched motd or champions league.
I do watch the occasional Sunday league game if I'm out with the dog,sometimes it's so bad that it's enjoyable if that makes sense.

[Scouse Hibee]

Football, if the game ceased to be I would be lost. If Hibs went out of existence, I would be gutted but get over it.

[Johnny Clash]

Sometimes I get offered freebies for games in London but I never take them. Just can’t be bothered watching teams I don’t care about. Quite happy to train it up to ER to see Hibs v Elgin City!

[bigwheel]

Hibs are the only team I love ..But I also love football - don’t watch many ( non Hibs) games, but do like to see the highlights, love the passion and nuance of games , tactics and trivia ...wonderful sport .....football has the ability to give joy and connection in my life in a way perhaps only Music can match

[heid the baw]

I really enjoy watching Champions League. Hibs will always be my team but Scottish football is dross. The league set up is ridiculous and it is difficult to get too exited about it these days. Maybe it's an age thing.

[brianmc]

Hibs are always priority number 1 for me.

I do still have the full Sky Sports and BT Sport package - though I rarely watch a game. (*Soon to be cancelled).

I also have an online subscription to Eleven Sports for their La Liga coverage, which I love.

Offer me a choice of Celtc v the rangers, Manchester United v Manchester City, Liverpool v Everton or for instance Sevilla v Real Betis and I'd choose the Seville Derby every time.

As an aside: I've had a season ticket in all the variations of the East every year since 1989. In this time I've never been a member of a Hibs Supporters Club or set foot in the HSC at Sunnyside.🤔

(Though I am a member of a Barcelona supporters club and have been attending their games, when finances allow, since 2007).

[Mango Man]

Hibs all the way.

And for the last few years I have only been watching Scottish games, no time for the EPL at all, does nothing for me. It's good to check out the teams that Hibs play on a regular basis and I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable on most SPFL sides.

[Lancs Harp]

I'm football mad and always have been, from being a nipper filmed on my Dads old cine camera kicking ball round the garden aged about 3 to the present day. Its a debate I've had many times with friends of many footballing persuasions and I'm usually in the minority to say football first. The way I view it, no football, no Hibs. If there was no Hibs there would still be football. I just love the game and always have done. Travel and football my life passions.

I'd kick a ball about until past dark as a youngster, play imaginary games in the garden if I couldnt find anyone else to play with. If it was raining I'd kick a balloon or even an old sponge around the house. My toys were divided into football teams. By my teens I would have memorised every score in the English and Scottish leagues by about 15 minutes after the games had ended. I'd study the league tables in Dads sunday paper and know every teams leagues position and who they were playing the following week. I had several scrap books mainly assembled from Shoot magazine, I still remember my John Blackley, Pat stanton and Hibs team pics circa 1972. I must have had about 20 Subbuteo teams, floodlights, scoreboard referees the lot.

To this day I cant walk past a park without stopping to watch a kids game or a sunday league match and have recently had a very enjoyable walking football experience. I drink my tea out of a Hibs mug, I proudly wear a variety of Hibs gear down the gym, no matter what Im doing or where Ive travelled to around the world, saturday afternoon Uk time is still football time. I follow the game from Argentina to Japan from Italy to Germany.

I've been the World cup, the European Championships, the FA Cup final, the League cup final, the Scottish league cup final of course the Scottish Cup final. I just love the game and always will. Its a real life soap opera.

And of all my footballing experiences, nothing but nothing comes close to 21-5-16.

[Eyrie]

Over the years I've come to the conclusion that football is an interest of mine but Hibs are part of how I define myself.

[G B Young]

It’s a really good question.

I’m stuck with this problem:

Hibs.I really care about the result. But the quality of play and entertainment is generally poor.

Other Football - EPL etc. I couldn’t give a flying one about whether one bunch of millionaires wins or the other. No emotional investment at all. Good quality stuff and excellent sport, but I wouldn’t plan my weekend around it.

If I had to choose one over the other it would be hibs. Generally hibs give me More frustration than pleasure, but then again, on the rare occasions when it clicks you get days like 21/05/16....

I think that's it in a nutshell for me. When all's said and done, all I really want from football is for Hibs to win, or at least not to lose. How they achieve it is secondary. The fact I have no control over this is a constant source of frustration, even though I'm old enough to know we shouldn't invest so much emotion in something we can't control.

In essence, the fact Hibs are playing the sport of football isn't especially relevant. I simply look to them to provide a positive result in order to enhance my sense of day to day wellbeing.

Looking at it that way, I would probably be happier if I didn't actually support any club and simply viewed football in the way I view numerous other sports ie largely neutral and able to enjoy the sport for its own sake!

[Sir David Gray]

I'll watch football matches that don't involve Hibs but I can't say that I give many of them my full attention.

The Hibs games are really all that matters to me.

[birdspotter]

I just watch Hibs at home, occasionally away but never live footy on the telly, unless I am in the pub at the time.
Last season though I tried an English Premiership game for the first time, Newcastle v Southampton which was a great day out, but having been at the recent Hertha Berlin v Bayern cup game I plan to go to see more German games in the future.
Nothing other than an Edinburgh Derby compares to the atmosphere of a big German game for me!
A great experience that every football fan should at least try once!