Not just a New Head Coach needed

[MinceAndTatties]

Along with many others, I have reached the conclusion that Heckingbottom was the wrong choice and should go now.
However, I feel that the problems at the club go much deeper and am hoping that the new owner will look at the failures in the recruitment process.
We are beginning to see the folly of allowing a head coach the major say in signing new players. HCs fail and are eventually sacked. Players fail and may be hanging around for a lot longer.
I don't know how it works but are HCs held sufficiently accountable for the overall balance of the squad. One of the advantages of a Director of Football with genuine clout would be to prevent an accumulation of duds and an unbalanced squad.
Is Leeann too close to George Craig?
Is she able to look critically at the football development?

My other concern is the failure of our Academy to develop first team players. Almost any other SPL club has a better record. Apart from Porteous (who may make it), nobody has broken through since Hanlon and Stevenson.
I've no recent knowledge of the youth team players. We must have had a generations which have never come within a sniff of the first team squad. Why? WTF is going on.

I'm open to reassurance that all is fine apart from Hecky.

Cheer me up, please.

[PISTOL1875]

I fell that even though we are not even into October yet and we need a complete overhaul of the coaching staff , the playing staff and the hierarchy....

[theonlywayisup]

Along with many others, I have reached the conclusion that Heckingbottom was the wrong choice and should go now.
However, I feel that the problems at the club go much deeper and am hoping that the new owner will look at the failures in the recruitment process.
We are beginning to see the folly of allowing a head coach the major say in signing new players. HCs fail and are eventually sacked. Players fail and may be hanging around for a lot longer.
I don't know how it works but are HCs held sufficiently accountable for the overall balance of the squad. One of the advantages of a Director of Football with genuine clout would be to prevent an accumulation of duds and an unbalanced squad.
Is Leeann too close to George Craig?
Is she able to look critically at the football development?

My other concern is the failure of our Academy to develop first team players. Almost any other SPL club has a better record. Apart from Porteous (who may make it), nobody has broken through since Hanlon and Stevenson.
I've no recent knowledge of the youth team players. We must have had a generations which have never come within a sniff of the first team squad. Why? WTF is going on.

I'm open to reassurance that all is fine apart from Hecky.

Cheer me up, please.

Don't think you'll be cheered up by the responses.

I fully believe that a decent manager can turn around things, so I blame Hecky for our current desperate situation 100%.

However, I think our downfall started at the end of the summer 2018 transfer window. We had just lost McGinn and had allowed Murray and Swanson leave just before the end of the window. I was very surprised that we made no attempt to bring in some replacements who could have added to what was a reasonably good, but lightweight squad. The 1st game after the window slammed shut, away to Livingston, was a shocking display by Hibs - it really surprised me after a long period of good displays to put in such a bad performance. Whilst we won our four games after that, we then went on a run of only two wins out of fourteen. I firmly believe that had we strengthened the squad at the end of the summer 2018 window, we would have had a much better season last season, building on the excellent end to the season before.

The summer 2019 transfer window also ended disappointingly. I think everyone could see that we needed to strengthen some areas of the team. I won't believe that it's Hecky's decision not to buy anyone else.

So does it lie deeper - yes, we had (have) a Hibs board that don't seem willing to re-invest the additional money that must have come into the club from biggest ever ST purchases two years running, 2018 European run, 2018 McGinn transfer, Ron Gordon clearing the debt etc.

Your other point about the football development is also 100% correct. For a team that has such excellent training facilities, we are seriously lacking compared to other teams in bringing in good quality young players.

Something is not right at Easter Road! Sacking the manager will help, but there's an awful lot still to address.

[Clarence]

Don't think you'll be cheered up by the responses.

I fully believe that a decent manager can turn around things, so I blame Hecky for our current desperate situation 100%.

However, I think our downfall started at the end of the summer 2018 transfer window. We had just lost McGinn and had allowed Murray and Swanson leave just before the end of the window. I was very surprised that we made no attempt to bring in some replacements who could have added to what was a reasonably good, but lightweight squad. The 1st game after the window slammed shut, away to Livingston, was a shocking display by Hibs - it really surprised me after a long period of good displays to put in such a bad performance. Whilst we won our four games after that, we then went on a run of only two wins out of fourteen. I firmly believe that had we strengthened the squad at the end of the summer 2018 window, we would have had a much better season last season, building on the excellent end to the season before.

The summer 2019 transfer window also ended disappointingly. I think everyone could see that we needed to strengthen some areas of the team. I won't believe that it's Hecky's decision not to buy anyone else.

So does it lie deeper - yes, we had (have) a Hibs board that don't seem willing to re-invest the additional money that must have come into the club from biggest ever ST purchases two years running, 2018 European run, 2018 McGinn transfer, Ron Gordon clearing the debt etc.

Your other point about the football development is also 100% correct. For a team that has such excellent training facilities, we are seriously lacking compared to other teams in bringing in good quality young players.

Something is not right at Easter Road! Sacking the manager will help, but there's an awful lot still to address.

Spot on. That Livi game really stood out to me as a turning point.

[CMac1988]

Don't think you'll be cheered up by the responses.

I fully believe that a decent manager can turn around things, so I blame Hecky for our current desperate situation 100%.

However, I think our downfall started at the end of the summer 2018 transfer window...

...Sacking the manager will help, but there's an awful lot still to address.

This, this, this, this, this!

Same thing happened with the 'golden generation'. Window after window succeeding the sale of our best and most promising players we brought in replacements that were nowhere near the same quality. Infrastructure was the primary excuse and we all know how that ended up after years of mediocrity. It honestly feels like we're regressing back to that time with funds being diverted to the indoor pitch at the training centre which hasn't developed a player beyond that which we were developing without it.

It's this that needs addressed along with the current head coach.

[LeithMike]

Don't think you'll be cheered up by the responses.

I fully believe that a decent manager can turn around things, so I blame Hecky for our current desperate situation 100%.

However, I think our downfall started at the end of the summer 2018 transfer window. We had just lost McGinn and had allowed Murray and Swanson leave just before the end of the window. I was very surprised that we made no attempt to bring in some replacements who could have added to what was a reasonably good, but lightweight squad. The 1st game after the window slammed shut, away to Livingston, was a shocking display by Hibs - it really surprised me after a long period of good displays to put in such a bad performance. Whilst we won our four games after that, we then went on a run of only two wins out of fourteen. I firmly believe that had we strengthened the squad at the end of the summer 2018 window, we would have had a much better season last season, building on the excellent end to the season before.

The summer 2019 transfer window also ended disappointingly. I think everyone could see that we needed to strengthen some areas of the team. I won't believe that it's Hecky's decision not to buy anyone else.

So does it lie deeper - yes, we had (have) a Hibs board that don't seem willing to re-invest the additional money that must have come into the club from biggest ever ST purchases two years running, 2018 European run, 2018 McGinn transfer, Ron Gordon clearing the debt etc.

Your other point about the football development is also 100% correct. For a team that has such excellent training facilities, we are seriously lacking compared to other teams in bringing in good quality young players.

Something is not right at Easter Road! Sacking the manager will help, but there's an awful lot still to address.Fully agree. I genuinely wish I was wrong but I get the impression that Hibs are a poorly run club. The cup win was the best day of my life but I think it created a false impression about the management of the club. A lot of the upwards spiral was actually down to that win and the goodwill from the fans afterwards. It feels like it's been washed away.

I think I'd look at getting a few ex players on board to look at things like the youth set up. John Collins could surely contribute here, Paul Kane too. I'd probably also trust these guys to pick the right manager too.

Sad times.


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[ScottB]

I think the club have invested significant funds in the last few transfer windows, you could however absolutely question how well they spent it; £350k for Doidge wasn’t it?

I’m not sure the club are sitting on some hidden pile of cash, hoping not to use it, more that the manager / scouts / DoF etc have failed to find the next McGinn type signing.

[Unseen work]

I think the club have invested significant funds in the last few transfer windows, you could however absolutely question how well they spent it; £350k for Doidge wasn’t it?

I’m not sure the club are sitting on some hidden pile of cash, hoping not to use it, more that the manager / scouts / DoF etc have failed to find the next McGinn type signing.

I actually think Doidge will come good and has enough about him. He’s got off to a really bad start here missing the pen on his debut then missing a couple of really good chances vs st Mirren.

But he seems to get in good areas, win a fair few headers and has shown he is capable of a good goal or two.

Imo he’s just lacking a bit of confidence and needs a run in the team, I think he will start tomorrow going by Heckingbottoms latest interview.

Look at Cosgrove for Aberdeen, for 14 months he was a donkey and has scored 1 goal now he’s one of the most prolific striker in Scotland.

The only difference is whether we give Doidge time.

[Stuart93]

I actually think Doidge will come good and has enough about him. He’s got off to a really bad start here missing the pen on his debut then missing a couple of really good chances vs st Mirren.

But he seems to get in good areas, win a fair few headers and has shown he is capable of a good goal or two.

Imo he’s just lacking a bit of confidence and needs a run in the team, I think he will start tomorrow going by Heckingbottoms latest interview.

Look at Cosgrove for Aberdeen, for 14 months he was a donkey and has scored 1 goal now he’s one of the most prolific striker in Scotland.

The only difference is whether we give Doidge time.

He needs a chance. Mental he’s barely played. Him and kamberi up top could be a decent partnership