How far can jack ross take us?

[AugustaHibs]

This is in no way a dig at ross as I think on the whole we’ve done well under him.

However, how far can people believe he can take us? I think 4th/5th will be the ceiling as I think we struggle in big games.

His results against the rest though are (usually) very good and seems to be building a settled side.

The style is one thing that concerns me, but I think a few more transfer windows and we may play a lot more positively?

[Franck Stanton]

Think you are correct in saying he needs a few more transfer windows. If his future recruitment is as good as it has been so far, think we will be consistently challenging for at least 3rd & have good, solid cup runs & with a wee bit luck in the draws who knows.

[Jones28]

We need players. Being linked with Cadden and Irvine is a strong start to the window.

[jacomo]

All the way baby. All the way.

[Carheenlea]

Jack Rossi’s a more than competent manager and through time is capable of building a side which can regularly be up challenging at the top end of table. Derek McInnes has had time to gel together a strong Aberdeen and I can see Jack Ross doing similar. The downside is that like Aberdeen, it might not be swashbuckling football, but for us that kind of all out open and attacking style always carries the risk of losing games when we don’t quite click.

Jack Ross is a safe pair of hands who adopts a bit more of a pragmatic approach than some of our previous managers with the players at our disposal. By adding the right kind of player we can certainly improve and become more attractive. I don’t actually think it’s that shabby at the moment and it’s a decent platform to build on.

[Shrekko]

However, how far can people believe he can take us? I think 4th/5th will be the ceiling as I think we struggle in big games.



A lot of Hibs fans desperate to give him a reputation as not doing it in big games.. We're our own worst enemy at times.

We compete well and positively in every game we play under Jack Ross except when the players under-perform.

Being 3rd is effectively winning the league for Hibs - we can do that under him and also do well in Cups which we have done so far.

[Stevie Reid]

Been 14 months in the job, though there were three months where he couldn’t work with the players at all. He has improved us, and in that context, quite quickly really.

In 52 games he has a 50% win ratio, 27% loss. Not that many draws, which he was criticised for at Sunderland.

The semi final is an obvious disappointment, and unfortunately has forever tarnished him for a lot of our support. I don’t buy into the cautious, boring characterisation of him - though undoubtedly there have been some uninspiring performances, and a couple of truly awful ones just the other week. I do genuinely believe that he is trying to build an exciting team though.

He’s taken a risk with slimming the squad to pay for the quality of signing that we’ve gone for, and that’s caught up with us a bit over the busy Christmas schedule. I think more time, and more transfer windows will see us improve further.

We are where we deserve to be at the moment, and Aberdeen are not as far ahead of us in terms of quality as I though they were earlier in the season.

Pretty optimistic in terms of our future.

[SMAXXA]

A lot of Hibs fans desperate to give him a reputation as not doing it in big games.. We're our own worst enemy at times.

We compete well and positively in every game we play under Jack Ross except when the players under-perform.

Being 3rd is effectively winning the league for Hibs - we can do that under him and also do well in Cups which we have done so far.

Correct, drew twice with Celtic should have won the first, drew with Rangers and ran them close second time and lets not forget we were were the better side against hearts and a missed penalty away from a final. Aberdeen games are the ones that disappoint me

[SMAXXA]

Been 14 months in the job, though there were three months where he couldn’t work with the players at all. He has improved us, and in that context, quite quickly really.

In 52 games he has a 50% win ratio, 27% loss. Not that many draws, which he was criticised for at Sunderland.

The semi final is an obvious disappointment, and unfortunately has forever tarnished him for a lot of our support. I don’t buy into the cautious, boring characterisation of him - though undoubtedly there have been some uninspiring performances, and a couple of truly awful ones just the other week. I do genuinely believe that he is trying to build an exciting team though.

He’s taken a risk with slimming the squad to pay for the quality of signing that we’ve gone for, and that’s caught up with us a bit over the busy Christmas schedule. I think more time, and more transfer windows will see us improve further.

We are where we deserve to be at the moment, and Aberdeen are not as far ahead of us in terms of quality as I though they were earlier in the season.

Pretty optimistic in terms of our future.

100% agree Stevie. This is phase 1 of a longer term project and we are in a good place, couple more windows keep strengthening and lets see where it takes us.

[Vini1875]

I like Jack Ross, he comes across as a sound guy with his feet on the ground, but so did Pat Fenlon. This I think is the comparison Pat took us to cup finals and had some decent signings but ultimately failed. Jack ross I fear will go the same way. He is trying to get the best from players who simply don't have that little bit extra to win things. The problem with being a sound guy is that he is not cut throat enough to get rid of guys who won't elevate us to 3rd, to winning a trophy and to progressing in Europe.

I don't think he would be able to even if we had a budget on par with aberdeen. We should be on course to get 3rd and win the league cup this season, but it is far more likely that we will be 5th and win nothing.

[HibeeHibernian4]

I like Jack Ross, he comes across as a sound guy with his feet on the ground, but so did Pat Fenlon. This I think is the comparison Pat took us to cup finals and had some decent signings but ultimately failed. Jack ross I fear will go the same way. He is trying to get the best from players who simply don't have that little bit extra to win things. The problem with being a sound guy is that he is not cut throat enough to get rid of guys who won't elevate us to 3rd, to winning a trophy and to progressing in Europe.

I don't think he would be able to even if we had a budget on par with aberdeen. We should be on course to get 3rd and win the league cup this season, but it is far more likely that we will be 5th and win nothing.

I'm sorry but that is an absolutely absurd post. :confused:

Fenlon had us (narrowly) avoid relegation and finish 7th in a Rangersless top flight. Ross has already surpassed that.

[hibbysam]

I like Jack Ross, he comes across as a sound guy with his feet on the ground, but so did Pat Fenlon. This I think is the comparison Pat took us to cup finals and had some decent signings but ultimately failed. Jack ross I fear will go the same way. He is trying to get the best from players who simply don't have that little bit extra to win things. The problem with being a sound guy is that he is not cut throat enough to get rid of guys who won't elevate us to 3rd, to winning a trophy and to progressing in Europe.

I don't think he would be able to even if we had a budget on par with aberdeen. We should be on course to get 3rd and win the league cup this season, but it is far more likely that we will be 5th and win nothing.

We’re 2 winnable games away from winning a trophy and well on course for getting into Europe. With those players... I’ve no doubt Ross is capable of moving players on when required and upgrading. It’s a long term project and we’ve took a huge leap in the right direction. Thankfully there’s no chance of our board making knee jerk decisions for the sake of it.

[Unseen work]

I’ve no doubt he will do for us what McInnes has done for Aberdeen.

Best outwith the old firm consistently.

[AgentDaleCooper]

I like Jack Ross, he comes across as a sound guy with his feet on the ground, but so did Pat Fenlon. This I think is the comparison Pat took us to cup finals and had some decent signings but ultimately failed. Jack ross I fear will go the same way. He is trying to get the best from players who simply don't have that little bit extra to win things. The problem with being a sound guy is that he is not cut throat enough to get rid of guys who won't elevate us to 3rd, to winning a trophy and to progressing in Europe.

I don't think he would be able to even if we had a budget on par with aberdeen. We should be on course to get 3rd and win the league cup this season, but it is far more likely that we will be 5th and win nothing.

the only thing that fenlon and ross have in common is that they are sound, and you're suggesting that reflects badly on ross :confused:

i don't think it was fenlon's soundness that lost him those two cup finals. the first one, our squad was hoaching with average midfielders and players with ability but didn't care enough. the second one, we were just a long way off being as good as that cellic team. fenlon's transfer skills were certainly not a strength of his. signing better players would have put us in a much better position, rather than if fenlon had just decided to be a mean ****.

also...why should we be on course to beat aberdeen to 3rd spot? i'm not saying we shouldn't be aiming for it, we absolutely should be, but suggesting that failure to achieve this is in itself an outright failure is just daft - long term, we need to build to the point that our resources match theirs, but when they keep nabbing our first choice transfer targets, it's no great shock that they are ahead of us in the league. this is my head speaking, not my heart, i should add - i'm gutted that we're not doing better, but we've got to be thinking long term, and i can't think of anyone realistic that i'd rather have than jack ross at the helm to do that.

[mim]

Dingwall

[calumhibee1]

A lot of Hibs fans desperate to give him a reputation as not doing it in big games.. We're our own worst enemy at times.

We compete well and positively in every game we play under Jack Ross except when the players under-perform.

Being 3rd is effectively winning the league for Hibs - we can do that under him and also do well in Cups which we have done so far.

He’s earned that reputation himself. It’s not the fault of Hibs fans that he has a pretty bad record in big games. By all accounts he had that issue in his previous post as well.

I think 4th/5th will be his ceiling. Cant win enough against any of the other teams our size or bigger which will mean we can’t go any further. 4th would be a decent season this season, 5th would be a bit of a failure imo.

[Since452]

3rd and a cup win with a couple of rounds in Europe would be the best Ross, Guardiola or anyone could do. That would be a big ask for anyone.

If he finished 4th and won the league cup it would go down as one of the best seasons in our history.

[Skol]

Get rid of Jack Ross and risk another calderwood butcher or Fenlon. Sone people are fools

[Big_Franck]

A lot of Hibs fans desperate to give him a reputation as not doing it in big games.. We're our own worst enemy at times.

We compete well and positively in every game we play under Jack Ross except when the players under-perform.

Being 3rd is effectively winning the league for Hibs - we can do that under him and also do well in Cups which we have done so far.

Totally agree, especially with the first sentence. We've taken points off the old firm 3 times this season and we were very unlucky not to do so at Ibrox recently. It's just a talking point that some fans want to repeat time after time despite the positive results. They are the 'big games' for a reason, because we are playing quality sides, of course we're going to lose a few of them.

[theonlywayisup]

Get rid of Jack Ross and risk another calderwood butcher or Fenlon. Sone people are fools

You forgot to add in Heckingbottom!

I'm more than happy with Jack Ross.

If there's a fault with Hibs at the moment, it's because we've chosen to operate with such a small squad this season. I don't believe for a second that that is Jack Ross's wish. Getting rid of reasonable back up players (Murray, Jackson, Horgan, Stirling, Shaw etc) and replacing them with gap fillers/injured players has contributed to our poor displays.

[calumhibee1]

Get rid of Jack Ross and risk another calderwood butcher or Fenlon. Sone people are fools

There may have been the odd post here and there although even then I can’t recall seeing one, but I don’t think anybody is really advocating getting rid of him :confused:

[Silky]

There may have been the odd post here and there although even then I can’t recall seeing one, but I don’t think anybody is really advocating getting rid of him :confused:

There have been posts suggesting he is emptied. All of us who use this forum know that. Off the top of my head, I remember seeing a poster state that last night's result meant that his job is safe "for now", and then a fair amount suggesting that his time was up after the semi.

To be fair, I think a lot of it is bluster. Nobody ever mentions a credible alternative. I think he's doing fine.

[Skol]

The forum is full of people casting doubt on jack Ross. We are fourth FFS which hadn’t happened often. Why can’t we just get behind Ross and give him time to see where he takes us.

[superfurryhibby]

I think anyone who knows anything about football would say that a manager needs more than two transfer windows to build a side ( unless they are a total disaster).

Ross has the team heading in the right direction.

[blackpoolhibs]

When you think of how often we finish 4th or better, he's doing very well. Give the bloke time ffs, stop being unhappy at 4th place and give him time to build a better team that might challenge 3rd.

I don't know where this self entitlement has come from, why can't we enjoy the good times, as these are the good times.

Some people are only happy when we are struggling, and some even when we are not. :faf:

[The Spaceman]

He's got a great chance of leading us to major silverware in his first full season for us and getting us into Europe as well.

I'd say that would be classed as a remarkable and highly successful season in the context of our past 20-30 years.

Anyone (to be fair I don't think there are genuinely many at all right now) who wants Jack Ross out now simply has not a single clue about football or an ability to reflect/understand past trends.

[calumhibee1]

He's got a great chance of leading us to major silverware in his first full season for us and getting us into Europe as well.

I'd say that would be classed as a remarkable and highly successful season in the context of our past 20-30 years.

Anyone (to be fair I don't think there are genuinely many at all right now) who wants Jack Ross out now simply has not a single clue about football or an ability to reflect/understand past trends.

If we win the cup and qualify for Europe then it’ll have been a great season.

However, past trends/reflection should have no bearing on where we should be going forward. Especially when we’ve underachieved for so long.

By that logic the Man City fans should just be happy with survival in the top tier each season.

[Jones28]

You can't give a manager a ceiling of 4th/5th when they're only going in to their third transfer window - and lets not forget the circumstances of the summer window as well, where we didn't know what football was going to look like in the near future - although we did make some really good signings in that window too.

With different players coming in styles will change and being linked with Irivine and Cadden is a good start. Irivine especially is the kind of signing we have been crying out for...you know, the same way that Gogic was the signing we were crying out for...

Aberdeen are where they are because they have given the manager time, and they have built themselves in to a strong 3rd placed team. They do it in a certain styles but maybe Mccinnes is being pragmatic? Not playing great football but winning games is not something I particularly want to see at Hibs, I'd rather do both, but being 4th in the circumstances, and still well in the hunt for 3rd is pretty good for me. If we get the signings right we will be able to get 3rd and maybe push Celtic for second.

[Daniel 1875]

I think given the circumstances Jack Ross is doing a decent job. 14ish months in the role and 9 months with a pandemic and huge cost cutting to deal with. We’re sitting 4th in the league and in another domestic semi final, which realistically would be a good season all things considered.

There’s been some critical of the style of play, especially at home, but I think with a few decent additions in the transfer window we’ll push on. We’re struggling to break teams down at Easter Road who sit in and try and play on the counter but our best creative player (Allan) has been unavailable for most of the season so far and Murphy/Boyle have contributed in fits and starts.

The ‘can’t do it in big games’ stuff is a bit tiresome to be honest - Jack Ross kept St Mirren up and then got them promoted and got Sunderland to Wembley twice, with a makeshift squad within a whisker of winning the play-offs in his only full season - were there not big games to be won to achieve those things?

We’ve had a couple of bad results at home in recent weeks and we need to find a way to get the better of Aberdeen in those games but I’ve got every faith Ross will be able to get us to that level.

[The Modfather]

When you think of how often we finish 4th or better, he's doing very well. Give the bloke time ffs, stop being unhappy at 4th place and give him time to build a better team that might challenge 3rd.

I don't know where this self entitlement has come from, why can't we enjoy the good times, as these are the good times.

Some people are only happy when we are struggling, and some even when we are not. :faf:

I wish the good times were more enjoyable, the football feels effective but sterile a lot of the time IMO.

I think Ross will leave good foundations for the next man and hopefully leave a cup legacy, I just hope the next man, whenever that is, is a bit more swashbuckling.

[Northernhibee]

I wish the good times were more enjoyable, the football feels effective but sterile a lot of the time IMO.

I think Ross will leave good foundations for the next man and hopefully leave a cup legacy, I just hope the next man, whenever that is, is a bit more swashbuckling.

TBF I think a lot of that is down to the lack of crowds and their reactive noise.

[wookie70]

I think he can take us to where we should be, consistently between 3rd and 5th in the league and regular semi finals and finals. The football isn't great and he does seem to be quite cautious in later stages of games where we have points or a point to hold on to but no-one would have bothered about that if we had held on to those points. I think he is doing a decent job and the thing I like most is we seem to have reverted to the type of signing policy we had under Stubbs. There is also signs that we are trying to rebuild properly with long term contracts for key players. Everything is fine in my view, we are doing what we should in the league and are about to play our second semi final in a row. He needs to have a look at how we close out games and also needs to think about our style of play going forward. The squad is small and the injuries have been devastating so this season is more about getting into Europe and continuing to get the blend of the squad right

[hibbydog]

Been 14 months in the job, though there were three months where he couldn’t work with the players at all. He has improved us, and in that context, quite quickly really.

In 52 games he has a 50% win ratio, 27% loss. Not that many draws, which he was criticised for at Sunderland.

The semi final is an obvious disappointment, and unfortunately has forever tarnished him for a lot of our support. I don’t buy into the cautious, boring characterisation of him - though undoubtedly there have been some uninspiring performances, and a couple of truly awful ones just the other week. I do genuinely believe that he is trying to build an exciting team though.

He’s taken a risk with slimming the squad to pay for the quality of signing that we’ve gone for, and that’s caught up with us a bit over the busy Christmas schedule. I think more time, and more transfer windows will see us improve further.

We are where we deserve to be at the moment, and Aberdeen are not as far ahead of us in terms of quality as I though they were earlier in the season.

Pretty optimistic in terms of our future.

Well balanced post.

I think the perception of Jack is overly biased because of generally poor Results in big games (Aberdeen, derbies and the old firm). A couple of big results (hopefully in the league cup!) should put that right.

[Keith_M]

Dingwall


And don't get me started on our results against Ross County!!!



:grr: :fuming: :jamboak: :take that :sick: :timebomb: :turnevil:

[Pretty Boy]

I think Ross is looking to mould us into a team similar to Aberdeen.

It is, and will be, effective but much like at Aberdeen there will always be a low level rumbling of discontent about the pragmatic style.

I said last night our performance was functional and playing the percentages. We came away with a point and that looked like exactly what we went for. Had we had a bit more of a go 3 points where there for the taking, we saw that in the opening spell and again at the end when we got in Celtic's faces. Of course the flip side of that is you leave yourself more open to conceding as well. Sit off and try to play on the break without over committing and you leave yourself with a decent chance of taking a point. Again that's reminiscent of Aberdeen. They generally take care of the teams they should do and they generally don't win many games against Celtic or Rangers.

Ross will have us hovering about 4th for as long as he's here. We might have a go at 3rd one year but we could equally drop to 5th the next. He'll be a manager who's record you struggle to argue against but one who probably won't be eulogised in years to come either.

[hibbyfraelibby]

Jack will get us to the Champions League🙃🙃🙃

[Andy74]

When you think of how often we finish 4th or better, he's doing very well. Give the bloke time ffs, stop being unhappy at 4th place and give him time to build a better team that might challenge 3rd.

I don't know where this self entitlement has come from, why can't we enjoy the good times, as these are the good times.

Some people are only happy when we are struggling, and some even when we are not. :faf:

Agree - we are doing well overall and we are still very much in the fight for third.

There have been much, much worse times. I can’t recall so much questioning and criticism when we are actually doing well.

We can always do better and we all want that but it has gone too far towards trying to destabilise everything again I feel.

[HibeeHibernian4]

If we win the cup and qualify for Europe then it’ll have been a great season.

However, past trends/reflection should have no bearing on where we should be going forward. Especially when we’ve underachieved for so long.

By that logic the Man City fans should just be happy with survival in the top tier each season.

Well no because Man City’s budget has increased astronomically since the early 2000s and they now spend more than almost any club in the world whereas ours has barely changed at all and is still much smaller than the Old Firm’s?

[Since452]

People need to remember where we were when Jack Ross came in little over 12 months ago

[calumhibee1]

Well no because Man City’s budget has increased astronomically since the early 2000s and they now spend more than almost any club in the world whereas ours has barely changed at all and is still much smaller than the Old Firm’s?

Of course. But our budget is still much bigger than everybody’s outwith the top 4 and as such we should be getting into the top 4 as a minimum, regardless of the fact we’ve struggled to do it previously.

[H18S NX]

I think he is ok,but i would like to see us more attack minded and less passive,all IMO.

[EI255]

With our budget, I think a 3rd or 4th place is perfectly acceptable for Hibs. To be any higher is fantasy.

Also, I think Jack Ross is one of the best young managers we've had in many a year. Semi final and recent poor home defeats aside, he's doing a fantastic job with limited resources.

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

[Zambernardi1875]

Agree - we are doing well overall and we are still very much in the fight for third.

There have been much, much worse times. I can’t recall so much questioning and criticism when we are actually doing well.

We can always do better and we all want that but it has gone too far towards trying to destabilise everything again I feel.

Apart from sitting 4th, which seems to be an achievement, what is the team actually doing well at. Watching style of football jack has us playing it’s gona be a hell of a job to get season tickets sold regardless of Covid

[Jones28]

Apart from sitting 4th, which seems to be an achievement, what is the team actually doing well at. Watching style of football jack has us playing it’s gona be a hell of a job to get season tickets sold regardless of Covid

Winning games? Accumulating points? KN is joint top scorer?

[Skol]

My point is that it is unusual to see a step change overnight and people who are finding fault now need to see the bigger picture.

We have progressed under Jack Ross and there are positive signs about where we could go. We need to give him time, consolidate and build. While things are not perfect as shown by our recent form, we are in a much better position than we were.

Settling for 4th a and a cup run this season is not bad IMO and if it happened to end up being 3rd and/or a cip win that would be pretty good. Then we re-set and look to next season where we hopefully have europe and can build.

The challenge we have though is that having aspirations to be top 2 are highly unlikely given the finances unless you have an exceptional manager and if you do have such a thing they will not last long at Hibs

[Keith_M]

I feel like Ross has tried to give us a basis for improvement: picking up a higher number of points, regularly beating the bottom eight sides, and firming up our defensive play (with obvious recent exceptions).

I realise there's a range of ways people are expressing the point but I'm sure we all agree that we could do with some additions to our side, especially in a creative/attacking sense.

We actually have a couple of players that are capable of doing that but are sadly out of action at the moment, so it depends if we actually have the funds to add more creative players in this transfer window, or if we'll have to just wait until we get back to some sense of normality.

[James Stephen]

I think with a bit of time and a bit of luck Ross will do a good job for Hibs. He is clearly a good coach, and Hibs have been as well set up under him as under any gaffer since McLeish.

The real question, i would suggest, is what do some Hibernian fans expect?

Because if transforming a struggling side into genuine cup and european challengers and taking results from the OF in 3 out of 5 games, inside the space of a (severely disrupted) year isn't enough for some fans, then im not sure what would be?

[James Stephen]

Well no because Man City’s budget has increased astronomically since the early 2000s and they now spend more than almost any club in the world whereas ours has barely changed at all and is still much smaller than the Old Firm’s?

I would imagine we are spending a helluva lot less relatively, than we did in the early 2000s.

[James Stephen]

Apart from sitting 4th, which seems to be an achievement, what is the team actually doing well at. Watching style of football jack has us playing it’s gona be a hell of a job to get season tickets sold regardless of Covid

Are Hibs not 3rd top scorers in league also?

[Tyler Durden]

Apart from sitting 4th, which seems to be an achievement, what is the team actually doing well at. Watching style of football jack has us playing it’s gona be a hell of a job to get season tickets sold regardless of Covid

Apart from winning games what are we good at? Ok mate

[Zambernardi1875]

Are Hibs not 3rd top scorers in league also?

3 ahead of livi and Aberdeen, they have 2 games in hand. Is that right! I’m sure we have the biggest goalie too.

[Zambernardi1875]

Apart from winning games what are we good at? Ok mate

Destined for a job on sportsound with that insight.

[HibeeHibernian4]

I would imagine we are spending a helluva lot less relatively, than we did in the early 2000s.

Well yes there's that too. :greengrin

[superfurryhibby]

3 ahead of livi and Aberdeen, they have 2 games in hand. Is that right! I’m sure we have the biggest goalie too.

Wrong. You could at least bother to look at the table:rolleyes:

The Livi games in hand are apparently v Aberdeen and Celtic, Their freakish winning streak will end and they will resort back to inconsistent form.

[Not In The Know]

People need to remember where we were when Jack Ross came in little over 12 months ago

Exactly the team was shambles.

He just needs that "big win" everything else he has done so far is more than acceptable.

I do feel he's the right man for the job. its going to be a slow and steady improvement. With a tiny set back here or there on the way, as its football not science.

Prolonged 3/4th place in the league is a must with European footy and he looks like the right man for that job.

European places will generate a lot more income = better players, better stadium etc.

[matty_f]

Winning games? Accumulating points? KN is joint top scorer?

I can't remember the specific stats, but I think we are the third top scorers in the league, have scored 3 goals or more on 7 occasions this season, have the joint top scorer in the league...

[Zambernardi1875]

Wrong. You could at least bother to look at the table:rolleyes:

The Livi games in hand are apparently v Aberdeen and Celtic, Their freakish winning streak will end and they will resort back to inconsistent form.

We were talking about goals scored. Hibs have 31 Aberdeen and livi 28. Both with 2 games in hand.

[Keith_M]

We were talking about goals scored. Hibs have 31 Aberdeen and livi 28. Both with 2 games in hand.

Both have a game in hand v Celtic and one against each other.

Should be interesting to see where we are once these games are all played.

[offshorehibby]

He'll take us eventually to a level where we should be performing regularly. As Blackpool said, when have we finished 4th or there abouts on a regular basis, a long long time ago.

Obviously Covid hasn't helped this season with RG's AGM statement of where he sees us commercially and on the field.

Where we need to be is finishing in a European spot year on year, with finals and semies thrown in as well. JR will get us performing consistently but given time.

[Jones28]

I can't remember the specific stats, but I think we are the third top scorers in the league, have scored 3 goals or more on 7 occasions this season, have the joint top scorer in the league...

Yeah but Matty you're forgetting we aren't actually progressing.

Take me back to the days were we had a revolving door of managers that culminated in relegation.

[jacomo]

My point is that it is unusual to see a step change overnight and people who are finding fault now need to see the bigger picture.

We have progressed under Jack Ross and there are positive signs about where we could go. We need to give him time, consolidate and build. While things are not perfect as shown by our recent form, we are in a much better position than we were.

Settling for 4th a and a cup run this season is not bad IMO and if it happened to end up being 3rd and/or a cip win that would be pretty good. Then we re-set and look to next season where we hopefully have europe and can build.

The challenge we have though is that having aspirations to be top 2 are highly unlikely given the finances unless you have an exceptional manager and if you do have such a thing they will not last long at Hibs


Agree with all this, although in the context of our history, a cup win isn’t ‘pretty good’ but exceptional.

People say it’s knock out football and anything can happen, but if so how come we haven’t won more? One semi final per season is not an unreasonable target for us but we rarely win two further games from there.

[James Stephen]

3 ahead of livi and Aberdeen, they have 2 games in hand. Is that right! I’m sure we have the biggest goalie too.

You asked a question and i gave you an answer, dont think the attitude is called for.

So,apart from winning games, scoring goals and being fairly solid at the back, what are we good at?

I think youre at it.

[Allez Hibs]

Can someone do a poll please to gauge the approval rating of Jack Ross?

I've been critical of Jack Ross but would now rather have stability with him in charge for 5 or so years having had a chance to build a whole squad which can be competitive like Derek McInnes at Aberdeen.

Also, way the league season is going and being managed by the SPFL. I would settle for winning the League Cup if it means we fell away in the League. That would be a good season under the circumstances and would give Jack Ross a solid platform to build from as a League Cup winning manager.

[Crab apple]

After the Heckingbottom failure I’m more than pleased with the progress made under JR. We are reasonably consistent in beating teams we should be beating. We’re going far in the cups. We’re well organised and JR appears to have a good eye for new players. However, there are some element of his reign which remind me of the Alex Miller days. Safe, sometimes insipid football and so far not a great record against the ****bos. The next couple of transfer windows will go a long way to determining how JR’s reign plays out. A cup win would help!

[ancient hibee]

He’s earned that reputation himself. It’s not the fault of Hibs fans that he has a pretty bad record in big games. By all accounts he had that issue in his previous post as well.

I think 4th/5th will be his ceiling. Cant win enough against any of the other teams our size or bigger which will mean we can’t go any further. 4th would be a decent season this season, 5th would be a bit of a failure imo.

Any manager finishing 4th/5th with Hibs every season would be number 2 in our best all time managers since 1945.

[superfurryhibby]

We were talking about goals scored. Hibs have 31 Aberdeen and livi 28. Both with 2 games in hand.

Ah, humblest apologies. My superfuddy powers of observation missed that.

[HibeeHibernian4]

Any manager finishing 4th/5th with Hibs every season would be number 2 in our best all time managers since 1945.

:greengrin Careful, the anti-Ross brigade don't like to be told the facts about our league positions.

[lucky]

JR is learning and will get better and will build a decent Hibs team. I’m extremely happy with the progress we’ve made. Since he’s arrived we’ve got the third highest amount of points in the premiership. We’ve got a LC semi coming up, we’ve got a great chance to win it. Looks like he’s adding strength with Cadden and Irvine, both decent premiership players. Hibs are moving forward I just wished we’d humped Hearts

[Stevie Reid]

JR is learning and will get better and will build a decent Hibs team. I’m extremely happy with the progress we’ve made. Since he’s arrived we’ve got the third highest amount of points in the premiership. We’ve got a LC semi coming up, we’ve got a great chance to win it. Looks like he’s adding strength with Cadden and Irvine, both decent premiership players. Hibs are moving forward I just wished we’d humped Hearts

This is a key point that I was going to make in response to an earlier post but decided I couldn't be bothered. At 44 he is still pretty young for a manager - December 2020 saw him reach his fifth year as a manager, only four of them as a full time one.

This is the highest level he has managed at so far, and as I say, he has only had about 11 months to work with the squad. Sunderland fans would argue that he didn't get them to where he was supposed to, but at every club he's been at so far, he's arrested a major slide and then improved them quickly - including with us.

Like the way he conducts himself and really pleased to have him as our manager.

[Since452]

This is a key point that I was going to make in response to an earlier post but decided I couldn't be bothered. At 44 he is still pretty young for a manager - December 2020 saw him reach his fifth year as a manager, only four of them as a full time one.

This is the highest level he has managed at so far, and as I say, he has only had about 11 months to work with the squad. Sunderland fans would argue that he didn't get them to where he was supposed to, but at every club he's been at so far, he's arrested a major slide and then improved them quickly - including with us.

Like the way he conducts himself and really pleased to have him as our manager.

They've gone backwards alarmingly since sacking him. Starting to look like he did a pretty good job there.

[chrisski33]

For Me its 4th place. I think he is a safe pair of hands at Hibs and certainly dont think he should go and be given another season

[Stevie Reid]

They've gone backwards alarmingly since sacking him. Starting to look like he did a pretty good job there.

Funnily enough, I was just having a look at that, currently 10th in League One with 7 wins from 19 games.

Ross sacked with a record of P 76 W 39 D 27 L 10

Parkinson sacked with P 48 W 19 D 15 L 14

[Smartie]

No evidence to back this up, but my hunch is that over the next few years we'll start to see the Premier League split into sections based on finance more than ever before.

Rangers and Celtic will be miles out in front if they can get their paws on Champions league money and fill out their much bigger grounds.

Aberdeen and Hearts will take hold of 3rd and 4th based on owners, benefactors and supporter contributions.

We'll probably be a bit behind them, putting the odd challenge in for top 4 but mainly battling for top 6 with whoever happens to be the "best of the rest" a season at a time.

Not really sure or interested what happens below that.

I'd be amazed if we found ourselves getting involved in a relegation tailspin any time soon but equally, I don't see us achieving much other than to hang onto the coat tails of those above us and scrape into Europe where we can.

We'll probably get all hot and bothered about who the manager is etc but ultimately it won't matter all that much. Ross is probably as good as anyone but I'm not really finding all that much to be either optimistic or pessimistic about right now. We're a bit comfy, ploddy, mid-tabley, some but not many decent young players, some disappearing over the hill, a few middle of the road plodders and no real feeling that we're going to anything other than somewhere that fairly average players pass through for a couple of years at a time.

[blackpoolhibs]

He'll take us eventually to a level where we should be performing regularly. As Blackpool said, when have we finished 4th or there abouts on a regular basis, a long long time ago.

Obviously Covid hasn't helped this season with RG's AGM statement of where he sees us commercially and on the field.

Where we need to be is finishing in a European spot year on year, with finals and semies thrown in as well. JR will get us performing consistently but given time.

I don’t know how hard it is to build a team that play like the tornadoes and qualify for Europe regularly, but even they didn't last that long. We all want everything yesterday, and even good progress is seen now as what we should be achieving anyway. 😂 I will take steady progress like we currently have, and look forward to seeing it regularly with a manager who seems to in the main signing players that have improved us. If he keeps doing that maybe we will stop those who want everything yesterday moaning.

[Stevie Reid]

No evidence to back this up, but my hunch is that over the next few years we'll start to see the Premier League split into sections based on finance more than ever before.

Rangers and Celtic will be miles out in front if they can get their paws on Champions league money and fill out their much bigger grounds.

Aberdeen and Hearts will take hold of 3rd and 4th based on owners, benefactors and supporter contributions.

We'll probably be a bit behind them, putting the odd challenge in for top 4 but mainly battling for top 6 with whoever happens to be the "best of the rest" a season at a time.

Not really sure or interested what happens below that.

I'd be amazed if we found ourselves getting involved in a relegation tailspin any time soon but equally, I don't see us achieving much other than to hang onto the coat tails of those above us and scrape into Europe where we can.

We'll probably get all hot and bothered about who the manager is etc but ultimately it won't matter all that much. Ross is probably as good as anyone but I'm not really finding all that much to be either optimistic or pessimistic about right now. We're a bit comfy, ploddy, mid-tabley, some but not many decent young players, some disappearing over the hill, a few middle of the road plodders and no real feeling that we're going to anything other than somewhere that fairly average players pass through for a couple of years at a time.

This, and Pretty Boy's earlier post that has also already mapped out the next few years for us, is depressing to read. Let's see what happens. If the improvement continues at the current rate for the next couple of years then continuing to challenge for 3rd is well on the cards.

Hearts have shown in recent years that all their extra revenue is far from a guarantee of success.

[Andy74]

This, and Pretty Boy's earlier post that has also already mapped out the next few years for us, is depressing to read. Let's see what happens. If the improvement continues at the current rate for the next couple of years then continuing to challenge for 3rd is well on the cards.

Hearts have shown in recent years that all their extra revenue is far from a guarantee of success.

It is a bit needlessly depressing really.

No reason to believe we should do anything other than build from here.

In a difficult environment we’ve shown we can go out and buy good local talent - Ron’s plans are ambitious to grow further.

Hearts are run habitually by idiots and remains to be seen what happens when fans get more involved. More financial issues there can’t be ruled out given the way their stand project went and still overpaying for their squad.

Aberdeen still have to find their way through funding a stadium.

With good coaching I don’t think we will be sitting behind these 2 in the pecking order. This is a good point to pushing to get ahead of them.

Anyway, Hearts have a bit to go before they can show they can get back in and stay in the league before thinking about 3rd.

[ahibby]

This is in no way a dig at ross as I think on the whole we’ve done well under him.

However, how far can people believe he can take us? I think 4th/5th will be the ceiling as I think we struggle in big games.

His results against the rest though are (usually) very good and seems to be building a settled side.

The style is one thing that concerns me, but I think a few more transfer windows and we may play a lot more positively?

Depends on the quality of player we can bring in. I di feel that the current team has started to under perform now. Whether thats all down to him , who can really tell but buck stops at thw manager.

[Since452]

I think Ross is looking to mould us into a team similar to Aberdeen.

It is, and will be, effective but much like at Aberdeen there will always be a low level rumbling of discontent about the pragmatic style.

I said last night our performance was functional and playing the percentages. We came away with a point and that looked like exactly what we went for. Had we had a bit more of a go 3 points where there for the taking, we saw that in the opening spell and again at the end when we got in Celtic's faces. Of course the flip side of that is you leave yourself more open to conceding as well. Sit off and try to play on the break without over committing and you leave yourself with a decent chance of taking a point. Again that's reminiscent of Aberdeen. They generally take care of the teams they should do and they generally don't win many games against Celtic or Rangers.

Ross will have us hovering about 4th for as long as he's here. We might have a go at 3rd one year but we could equally drop to 5th the next. He'll be a manager who's record you struggle to argue against but one who probably won't be eulogised in years to come either.

Probably sums it up pretty accurately. Hibs are probably the most inconsistent "big club" I can think of over my lifetime and probably most peoples. Four or five seasons of around 4th place would make him one of our most successful managers ever especially if a cup was thrown in. I'd quite happily take a period of consistently finishing around 4th, establishing ourselves there and continue to grow off the park under Ron. Gives us a platform. Consistency is certainly not something any of us are used to being Hibs fans unless its consistently being let down!

[Keith_M]

You asked a question and i gave you an answer, dont think the attitude is called for.

So,apart from winning games, scoring goals and being fairly solid at the back, what are we good at?

I think youre at it.


What have The Romans ever done for us


:greengrin

[Smartie]

It is a bit needlessly depressing really.

No reason to believe we should do anything other than build from here.

In a difficult environment we’ve shown we can go out and buy good local talent - Ron’s plans are ambitious to grow further.

Hearts are run habitually by idiots and remains to be seen what happens when fans get more involved. More financial issues there can’t be ruled out given the way their stand project went and still overpaying for their squad.

Aberdeen still have to find their way through funding a stadium.

With good coaching I don’t think we will be sitting behind these 2 in the pecking order. This is a good point to pushing to get ahead of them.

Anyway, Hearts have a bit to go before they can show they can get back in and stay in the league before thinking about 3rd.

Some fair points in here tbh.

I do think that we're slightly at the mercy of Hearts getting their act together. The toxically destructive axis of Budge/ Levein has been disrupted, and given where they left themselves as the Covid crisis took hold they were always going to be in a relatively vulnerable position to that. The money differential between the 2 clubs is really pretty big now though, and whilst we have obviously done it to great effect in recent years, we can surely only rely on doing stuff much better than them relative to budget for so long.

Aberdeen do indeed have a big stadium challenge ahead. They have benefitted from being able to consolidate their position in the top league whilst we were dicking around in the Championship, so they should have relatively broad shoulders upon which to carry out such a big step. Their owner appears to be wealthy, enthusiastic and competent and their fans are plunging in a lot of cash so I'd expect them to continue to do well.

I'm just struggling to find much to be wildly optimistic about with Hibs whilst acknowledging that we're not exactly struggling. Doig, Nisbet and Porteous are cracking prospects. Our recent transfer business has been decent. We've gone toe to toe with the OF and given them a decent game each time. Ross looks like he can generally organise a defence. Oh, and we're two winnable games away from winning a trophy.

Could be much worse, I suppose.

[Pretty Boy]

This, and Pretty Boy's earlier post that has also already mapped out the next few years for us, is depressing to read. Let's see what happens. If the improvement continues at the current rate for the next couple of years then continuing to challenge for 3rd is well on the cards.

Hearts have shown in recent years that all their extra revenue is far from a guarantee of success.

I don't think my post was particularly depressing.

Regular 4th place finishes would be about as good as we have achieved in my lifetime. I also think it's fairly realistic. We have just come out of something of a boom time for the club with record breaking ST sales and a lingering goodwill based on the cup win and a solitary 4th place finish was the best we managed in the league. Bearing in mind some would have you believe that was under the best manager we could ever hope to attract in the modern era and I think that again points to hovering between 3rd and 5th as being pretty good going.

The point of my post was more that consistently decent league finishes is no guarantee of a manager being popular. Football fans will always moan. Aberdeen have achieved a consistency we can only dream of in terms of European qualification and have coupled that with a trophy and regular appearances in semi finals and finals yet their manager is far from popular with the fanbase.

The biggest consideration is there really is nowhere else to go beyond being there or thereabouts in the top half of the league. As I said in my post a good season might see us pushing for 3rd, a bad one dropping to 5th or worse. What other options are there? Absolutely no one is getting near Rangers or Celtic for the foreseeable short of another financial collapse. I suppose in that sense my post is depressing but for us, Aberdeen and a promoted Hearts it's also realistically where we sit in the pecking order.

[JimBHibees]

This is a key point that I was going to make in response to an earlier post but decided I couldn't be bothered. At 44 he is still pretty young for a manager - December 2020 saw him reach his fifth year as a manager, only four of them as a full time one.

This is the highest level he has managed at so far, and as I say, he has only had about 11 months to work with the squad. Sunderland fans would argue that he didn't get them to where he was supposed to, but at every club he's been at so far, he's arrested a major slide and then improved them quickly - including with us.

Like the way he conducts himself and really pleased to have him as our manager.

Very much mirrors my thoughts. Delighted he is our manager. Looks like he has an eye for a decent player and is improving us slowly but surely. Think some fans need to give him a break to be honest we will only get better if he is supported.

[Smartie]

Can I revise my opinion now we've got a shiny new midfielder?

[superfurryhibby]

This is a key point that I was going to make in response to an earlier post but decided I couldn't be bothered. At 44 he is still pretty young for a manager - December 2020 saw him reach his fifth year as a manager, only four of them as a full time one.

This is the highest level he has managed at so far, and as I say, he has only had about 11 months to work with the squad. Sunderland fans would argue that he didn't get them to where he was supposed to, but at every club he's been at so far, he's arrested a major slide and then improved them quickly - including with us.

Like the way he conducts himself and really pleased to have him as our manager.

I’ve made this point before myself. Ross is a relatively inexperienced manager. He hasn’t really been anywhere long enough to see a project through to its natural conclusion. IIRC he was assistant manager to Ian Murray at Alloa for a couple of seasons before landing that job himself. He’s gained experience at very different clubs in a short time and up to a point, he is still learning his trade. The Sunderland job was always a bit of a poisoned chalice and if the dafties on their board hadn’t parted with their main striker enough of those draws could have been wins and promotion.

Barring disaster, I think we will know how good he is by this time next year. He needs time to build on his promising start at Hibs. You still can’t say this is fully his team yet and we all know there will be a lot of goings and comings between now and the start of next season.

Like you, I find his demeanour and style pleasing. He should be given every opportunity to take Hibs forward. I remain confident that he can do that.

[HibeeHibernian4]

Probably sums it up pretty accurately. Hibs are probably the most inconsistent "big club" I can think of over my lifetime and probably most peoples. Four or five seasons of around 4th place would make him one of our most successful managers ever especially if a cup was thrown in. I'd quite happily take a period of consistently finishing around 4th, establishing ourselves there and continue to grow off the park under Ron. Gives us a platform. Consistency is certainly not something any of us are used to being Hibs fans unless its consistently being let down!

Maybe we're not that big of a club then?:duck:

[Stevie Reid]

I don't think my post was particularly depressing.

Regular 4th place finishes would be about as good as we have achieved in my lifetime. I also think it's fairly realistic. We have just come out of something of a boom time for the club with record breaking ST sales and a lingering goodwill based on the cup win and a solitary 4th place finish was the best we managed in the league. Bearing in mind some would have you believe that was under the best manager we could ever hope to attract in the modern era and I think that again points to hovering between 3rd and 5th as being pretty good going.

The point of my post was more that consistently decent league finishes is no guarantee of a manager being popular. Football fans will always moan. Aberdeen have achieved a consistency we can only dream of in terms of European qualification and have coupled that with a trophy and regular appearances in semi finals and finals yet their manager is far from popular with the fanbase.

The biggest consideration is there really is nowhere else to go beyond being there or thereabouts in the top half of the league. As I said in my post a good season might see us pushing for 3rd, a bad one dropping to 5th or worse. What other options are there? Absolutely no one is getting near Rangers or Celtic for the foreseeable short of another financial collapse. I suppose in that sense my post is depressing but for us, Aberdeen and a promoted Hearts it's also realistically where we sit in the pecking order.

It was the apparent banality of what you had described, and your characterisation of Ross, that I thought to be quite depressing. I was initially going to reply and state that what you had projected were pretty good seasons for Hibs, so I'm glad I didn't as I agree with that and everything else that you have said in the post above. And to be clear, I don't find the thought of battling Aberdeen and Hearts for the best of the rest, whilst hopefully winning the odd trophy, to be a depressing one.

As for you what you said about Ross not being one who will be eulogised about in the future, are our managers ever really? I've seen Hibs win three major trophies in my lifetime, and there are many on here who seriously deride all three managers. I honestly thought that the manager who finally won the holy grail for us would truly be held up by everyone, but clearly that hasn't been the case.

[Pretty Boy]

It was the apparent banality of what you had described, and your characterisation of Ross, that I thought to be quite depressing. I was initially going to reply and state that what you had projected were pretty good seasons for Hibs, so I'm glad I didn't as I agree with that and everything else that you have said in the post above. And to be clear, I don't find the thought of battling Aberdeen and Hearts for the best of the rest, whilst hopefully winning the odd trophy, to be a depressing one.

As for you what you said about Ross not being one who will be eulogised about in the future, are our managers ever really? I've seen Hibs win three major trophies in my lifetime, and there are many on here who seriously deride all three managers. I honestly thought that the manager who finally won the holy grail for us would truly be held up by everyone, but clearly that hasn't been the case.

I think your last paragraph is why I don't think Ross will be eulogised. Alan Stubbs achieved the remarkable and is still treated with disdain by a noisy minority. There is no precedent for a manger to be universally lauded by the Hibs support.

I think that is largely down to the fact that the expectations of Hibs fans doesn't always tally with how humdrum supporting us can be. 4th place finishes are actually somewhere north of average for us (I think we are 6th in the all time Premier table). I'm as guilty of that as anyone, I want better than 4th but I grudgingly accept it's a good outcome for us. Perhaps that's why my earlier post suggested banality. I know 4th is good, I want it to be better and I'm frustrated it's probably not consistently going to be.

[Stevie Reid]

I think your last paragraph is why I don't think Ross will be eulogised. Alan Stubbs achieved the remarkable and is still treated with disdain by a noisy minority. There is no precedent for a manger to be universally lauded by the Hibs support.

I think that is largely down to the fact that the expectations of Hibs fans doesn't always tally with how humdrum supporting us can be. 4th place finishes are actually somewhere north of average for us (I think we are 6th in the all time Premier table). I'm as guilty of that as anyone, I want better than 4th but I grudgingly accept it's a good outcome for us. Perhaps that's why my earlier post suggested banality. I know 4th is good, I want it to be better and I'm frustrated it's probably not consistently going to be.

Fair enough, man.

[ahibby]

Maybe we're not that big of a club then?:duck:

I think we are less resilient than Aberdeen and Hearts due to funding sources and unless we achieve something a bit special this season our ST sales could dip significantly. Our policy of keeping older players despite them not contributing much might have to be looked at but the issue
Is affording a different approach meaning having players competing for game time every week. I hope players like Magennis and Jackson can stay fit enough for selection from now to end because that will effect what we achieve and therefore could help ST sales. Then we might push for 3rd.

[Keith_M]

Maybe we're not that big of a club then?:duck:


I know you're not being entirely serious but it's actually quite an accurate assessment.


We finally caught up with the Queens Park in the number of major honours won in 2016... about 120 years after their last Scottish Cup win.

We had one period of relative 'dominance' in Scottish Football (alongside Rangers) that lasted about 7 or 8 years. Even then, we couldn't win the Scottish or League Cup.

Outside a couple of spells (e.g. 1950s, early 1970s), our home attendances against teams other than Rangers, Celtc and Hearts have mostly been below the 10k mark, with long spells where we would have around 4-5k at home games.

In the above regard, we've under achieved just as much as Hearts or Aberdeen in regards to our potential (probably even a bit more), given the population of the city we play in.



Makes you wonder why we bother :greengrin

[matty_f]

I think what needs to be taking into consideration with how far Jack Ross can take us, is the impact that Ron Gordon will have on things. Just as Stubbs was able to deliver the Scottish Cup and European football, and Lennon our highest placing in modern history under Dempster/STF's charge, those achievements were attained in a period where the financial goal of the club was to break even.

We now have an owner who has higher ideas for the club, he wants us to be profitable and has set out his plans to achieve this (increase revenue through sponsorship, better player trading through shrewd signings (as evidenced with Nisbet and Magennis, for example) and a plan to double the playing budget within a few years.

The background support that Jack Ross is getting/going to get gives him an opportunity to push past a regular 4th with the odd 3rd and occasional 5th monotony.

Considering the cuts to the squad that Ross has had to make this season, to have us where we are is a good achievement, there shouldn't be any doubt about that.

As Andy mentioned above, we are well placed to push ahead of Aberdeen. We're already well ahead of Hearts at this moment in time.

[Stevie Reid]

I think your last paragraph is why I don't think Ross will be eulogised. Alan Stubbs achieved the remarkable and is still treated with disdain by a noisy minority. There is no precedent for a manger to be universally lauded by the Hibs support.

I think that is largely down to the fact that the expectations of Hibs fans doesn't always tally with how humdrum supporting us can be. 4th place finishes are actually somewhere north of average for us (I think we are 6th in the all time Premier table). I'm as guilty of that as anyone, I want better than 4th but I grudgingly accept it's a good outcome for us. Perhaps that's why my earlier post suggested banality. I know 4th is good, I want it to be better and I'm frustrated it's probably not consistently going to be.

Just been having a look and Hibs finished 4th the season that I was born in, and I had finished sixth year at school in 1995 when we finished 3rd - we hadn't matched 4th in in any of the intervening years. Since then we've been 3rd twice and 4th three times. So seven times we've been in the top 4 in my lifetime. Spent five years in the First Division in the same time period.

Pretty much wishing I hadn't looked now.

[Stevie Reid]

I think what needs to be taking into consideration with how far Jack Ross can take us, is the impact that Ron Gordon will have on things. Just as Stubbs was able to deliver the Scottish Cup and European football, and Lennon our highest placing in modern history under Dempster/STF's charge, those achievements were attained in a period where the financial goal of the club was to break even.

We now have an owner who has higher ideas for the club, he wants us to be profitable and has set out his plans to achieve this (increase revenue through sponsorship, better player trading through shrewd signings (as evidenced with Nisbet and Magennis, for example) and a plan to double the playing budget within a few years.

The background support that Jack Ross is getting/going to get gives him an opportunity to push past a regular 4th with the odd 3rd and occasional 5th monotony.

Considering the cuts to the squad that Ross has had to make this season, to have us where we are is a good achievement, there shouldn't be any doubt about that.

As Andy mentioned above, we are well placed to push ahead of Aberdeen. We're already well ahead of Hearts at this moment in time.

Very much agree with this, Matty. Whilst it's frustrating that the pandemic has curtailed Ron's ambitious plans for the club (for the moment, at least), we are still in a very strong relative position thanks to the fact that he bought us.

[matty_f]

I know you're not being entirely serious but it's actually quite an accurate assessment.


We finally caught up with the Queens Park in the number of major honours won in 2016... about 120 years after their last Scottish Cup win.

We had one period of relative 'dominance' in Scottish Football (alongside Rangers) that lasted about 7 or 8 years. Even then, we couldn't win the Scottish or League Cup.

Outside a couple of spells (e.g. 1950s, early 1970s), our home attendances against teams other than Rangers, Celtc and Hearts have mostly been below the 10k mark, with long spells where we would have around 4-5k at home games.

In the above regard, we've under achieved just as much as Hearts or Aberdeen in regards to our potential (probably even a bit more), given the population of the city we play in.



Makes you wonder why we bother :greengrin

It's grim, eh? :greengrin

There's tons of potential at Hibs, we saw what the Scottish Cup win did for the club, imagine if we could hit that kind of success regularly?!

Hibs have a massive support, a lot of it inactive, but we see from Hampden trips etc what the potential is when those inactive fans mobilise.

Obviously Easter Road is too small for this as it is at the moment, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility that a successful Hibs could attract 40k on a regular basis.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

When you think of how often we finish 4th or better, he's doing very well. Give the bloke time ffs, stop being unhappy at 4th place and give him time to build a better team that might challenge 3rd.

Is this you advocating the fact we should show a little patience? 😉

[blackpoolhibs]

Just been having a look and Hibs finished 4th the season that I was born in, and I had finished sixth year at school in 1995 when we finished 3rd - we hadn't matched 4th in in any of the intervening years. Since then we've been 3rd twice and 4th three times. So seven times we've been in the top 4 in my lifetime. Spent five years in the First Division in the same time period.

Pretty much wishing I hadn't looked now.

Mad isn't it, yet get a manager in who dare's to give us a 5th place finish and the hordes will want him out. :greengrin

[Steve88]

This is in no way a dig at ross as I think on the whole we’ve done well under him.

However, how far can people believe he can take us? I think 4th/5th will be the ceiling as I think we struggle in big games.

His results against the rest though are (usually) very good and seems to be building a settled side.

The style is one thing that concerns me, but I think a few more transfer windows and we may play a lot more positively?

I'll share my opinion at the end of the transfer window...

[MWHIBBIES]

I think what needs to be taking into consideration with how far Jack Ross can take us, is the impact that Ron Gordon will have on things. Just as Stubbs was able to deliver the Scottish Cup and European football, and Lennon our highest placing in modern history under Dempster/STF's charge, those achievements were attained in a period where the financial goal of the club was to break even.

We now have an owner who has higher ideas for the club, he wants us to be profitable and has set out his plans to achieve this (increase revenue through sponsorship, better player trading through shrewd signings (as evidenced with Nisbet and Magennis, for example) and a plan to double the playing budget within a few years.

The background support that Jack Ross is getting/going to get gives him an opportunity to push past a regular 4th with the odd 3rd and occasional 5th monotony.

Considering the cuts to the squad that Ross has had to make this season, to have us where we are is a good achievement, there shouldn't be any doubt about that.

As Andy mentioned above, we are well placed to push ahead of Aberdeen. We're already well ahead of Hearts at this moment in time.

Agree with the rest but bolded is surely false? Mowbray is recent history.

[Walter]

I think we need to leave him alone other than support him, and let him build Rome

[Keith_M]

It's grim, eh? :greengrin
...



Very!

:greengrin

[matty_f]

Agree with the rest but bolded is surely false? Mowbray is recent history.

I stand corrected, i should have said highest points tally. :agree:

[jacomo]

It is a bit needlessly depressing really.

No reason to believe we should do anything other than build from here.

In a difficult environment we’ve shown we can go out and buy good local talent - Ron’s plans are ambitious to grow further.

Hearts are run habitually by idiots and remains to be seen what happens when fans get more involved. More financial issues there can’t be ruled out given the way their stand project went and still overpaying for their squad.

Aberdeen still have to find their way through funding a stadium.

With good coaching I don’t think we will be sitting behind these 2 in the pecking order. This is a good point to pushing to get ahead of them.

Anyway, Hearts have a bit to go before they can show they can get back in and stay in the league before thinking about 3rd.


I much prefer this way of looking at things.

[Hibs2105]

For me Jack Ross is performing how he should. He’s had a bit of money to spend but challenging circumstances to contend with. I think as time goes on Ross will have more of an opportunity to develop the squad hopefully with fans behind him.


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