Ron Gordon Q&A

[J-C]

Tried reading all of this but skipped the last 4 pages, just the usual half dozen or so posters with an agenda seeing who can shout the loudest, which they do on every thread nowadays.

I didn't see a lot wrong with what he said in general, sticking up for his backroom guys is what you'd expect and being honest re finances with other clubs. Last couple of weeks has been a shambles, I'm willing to give LJ the 1st round of fixtures before deciding, we still need 2-3 players in, quality ones at that.

[Diego stanton]

I like Ron - we have definitely seen improvements around the stadium which were badly needed and that includes a major upgrade to hospitality. (This was well over due and hopefully Famous Five stand is next with safe standing).

Expectations have grown and rightly so - fantastic stadium, training ground and a club in a major capital city - Hibs have a lot going for it.

The part as fans we all want improved though is simply on the pitch.

I’ve said before I think they should change the structure and bring in someone to look after the football side. Let Ben run the other areas. Improving our recruitment and football structure would help.

The fans aren’t to blame for any of this - of course fans have been negative / upset over the past 12 months or so but to be fair many of the results and performances and results have simply not been good enough.

To get 11,000 ST renewals is quite remarkable considering the cost of living and cost to attend Scottish football.

The good news is everyone is setting up nicely behind the scenes for success but the product needs more attention.

We have probably spent more on upgrading hospitality / stadium improvements than getting a centre midfielder. But hopefully long term we will look back and see the importance of doing this.

You could even argue signing a 16 year old (yes with serious potential) ahead of a starting midfielder will get fans asking questions.

It’s been an embarrassing week for Hibs on and off the pitch and I hope their is a siege mentality developing to bring the group together. I just hope they care enough and understand that the fans need something to cheer and they will get brilliant support back.

First 2 league games are massive - let’s see how we get on. Looks like a near full away end in Perth and Easter Road should sell out for the derby.

LJ and the players need to get some credit in the bank but before then we need to add 2 players minimum. A left footed centre back and a central midfielder with energy and wins the ball - think Omeonga type.

None of us expect a winning team every week supporting Hibs but there are ways to perform and we shouldn’t be losing to part time lower league teams with the resources we have. Having standards isn’t a bad thing and the players and club need to realise the minimum expected.I agree

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[matty_f]

Well if you look back you will see at the start of the year I predicted a big fall in the stockmarket, rising interest rates and high inflation. That all turned out to be true.

To be fair, Joey Essex could have predicted that. It’s like predicting tomorrow being Saturday.

[Alfiembra]

Just finished listening to the podcast I have to say I am surprised how available Ron makes himself to the supporters and feel that can only be a good thing.

However I did take exception to his opinion about the league fixtures and that it was a huge blunder by the league having a derby so early in the season then the Rangers next game after that.
He said himself that the league got it all wrong that you don’t have the biggest games of the season that early. But what he’s not seeing is based on our league position last season we were an also ran, part of the dross at the wrong end of the league.
So for me in the eyes of the league we are well down in the pecking order, and Ron thinks we deserve more respect because we are Hibs than to have to be an opponent of a top six club last year so early in the campaign. Sorry Ron we have been pish for too long now for anyone to do us any favours.
If we had finished top six last year then yes, a Derby wouldn’t have come so quickly in the fixture list. Ron is definitely a glass half full guy and I hope he does see that it’s what happens on the pitch that is the single most important thing for our club and the supporters.

[matty_f]

Nothing strange. I know the entrepreneur well. He is not a football fan and did not know I was a Hibs fan. The current owners have links with Ron Gordon who is keen to be a major investor. I posted this a few weeks ago but the administration must have deleted. It was at the time of Brian Mclauglin interview with Ron who said he would sell if the right buyer came along. The owners of the business told the entrepreneur that Ron was keen to get of Hibs. Of course I was not the direct recipient of that information and I can only report it second hand. But given the entrepreneur has no knowledge of Hibs, it does seem to be true given Ron's interview with Brian McGlaughlin. I honestly can't see anybody wanting to buy us though given the shambles we have been in for a year and disquiet amongst the fan base and falling attendances.
Ron’s comment about selling the club was a bullish response to a bizarre question from the journalist. It definitely was not an indication of a desire to sell in any way, shape or form, and I'd be astonished if anytime who heard the exchange took it in any other way.

[BoomtownHibees]

Nothing strange. I know the entrepreneur well. He is not a football fan and did not know I was a Hibs fan. The current owners have links with Ron Gordon who is keen to be a major investor. I posted this a few weeks ago but the administration must have deleted. It was at the time of Brian Mclauglin interview with Ron who said he would sell if the right buyer came along. The owners of the business told the entrepreneur that Ron was keen to get of Hibs. Of course I was not the direct recipient of that information and I can only report it second hand. But given the entrepreneur has no knowledge of Hibs, it does seem to be true given Ron's interview with Brian McGlaughlin. I honestly can't see anybody wanting to buy us though given the shambles we have been in for a year and disquiet amongst the fan base and falling attendances.

He didn’t say anything like what you are stating here

[LewysGot2]

He also didn’t directly say he would sell hibs, what he said was if Brian McLaughlin could find someone more driven and focused to make hibs successful than he was he would sell it to them. different to yeah I’m
Open to selling hibs and want out.

The Jambo Journo twisted what was said for Internet traffic - it was poor stuff from a national broadcaster.

What was actually "if you can find someone mote committed than me I'll be shocked" became "I'm open to sell".

[LewysGot2]

Is the entrepreneur James Anderson?

No he's a philanthropist 😂

Entrepreneurs are on The Apprentice or Dragons Den 😂

[Pretty Boy]

Nothing strange. I know the entrepreneur well. He is not a football fan and did not know I was a Hibs fan. The current owners have links with Ron Gordon who is keen to be a major investor. I posted this a few weeks ago but the administration must have deleted. It was at the time of Brian Mclauglin interview with Ron who said he would sell if the right buyer came along. The owners of the business told the entrepreneur that Ron was keen to get of Hibs. Of course I was not the direct recipient of that information and I can only report it second hand. But given the entrepreneur has no knowledge of Hibs, it does seem to be true given Ron's interview with Brian McGlaughlin. I honestly can't see anybody wanting to buy us though given the shambles we have been in for a year and disquiet amongst the fan base and falling attendances.

If I was Ron Gordon and was considering becoming a major investor in a project and I became aware that the person I was planning on investing with was discussing my other business interests with another party, who then proceeded to share that information with the customers of said other business on a public forum I'd be seriously reconsidering my investment.

Doesn't exactly scream professionalism and discretion.

[flash]

If I was Ron Gordon and was considering becoming a major investor in a project and I became aware that the person I was planning on investing with was discussing my other business interests with another party, who then proceeded to share that information with the customers of said other business on a public forum I'd be seriously reconsidering my investment.

Doesn't exactly scream professionalism and discretion.
No it screams absolute bollocks as per from our far east correspondent.

[bigwheel]

If I was Ron Gordon and was considering becoming a major investor in a project and I became aware that the person I was planning on investing with was discussing my other business interests with another party, who then proceeded to share that information with the customers of said other business on a public forum I'd be seriously reconsidering my investment.

Doesn't exactly scream professionalism and discretion.

I’d be looking out that NDA I Signed …..

[Mrimbetween]

Fair play to Ron he doesnt hide and says it as it is whats not to like !!

[PeeJay]

Was quite impressed by the Q&A - Gordon seems on top of things to me ... some fair and honest comments on what's good and bad

[Dmas]

Twice surely? He’s been here 3 seasons and we’ve finished 7th, 3rd and 8th under Ron Gordon.

Aye? forgot the 7th season I admit, was that not the season he came in replaced hecky with Ross? probably should start using Google instead of relying on memory

[MWHIBBIES]

Aye? forgot the 7th season I admit, was that not the season he came in replaced hecky with Ross? probably should start using Google instead of relying on memory

Yes, the one in which we were actually 6th when it finished.

[.Sean.]

Listened to half it on my way in to work this morning. He may have a lot of failings but I like how he certainly never goes into hiding. Would’ve been quite easy for him to have been on the first flight back to America yesterday but instead he’s on a zoom call with supporters. That doesn’t exactly scream to me someone without the best intentions of the club in mind.

I only hope for his sake he sees the mistakes on the playing side regarding who he has in place with recruitment and addresses this before he gets past the point of no return with some supporters.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Aye? forgot the 7th season I admit, was that not the season he came in replaced hecky with Ross? probably should start using Google instead of relying on memory

Yup that’s the one.

[NC1875]

To be fair, Joey Essex could have predicted that. It’s like predicting tomorrow being Saturday.

Only in some parts of the world 😂

[offshorehibby]

Just finished listening to the podcast I have to say I am surprised how available Ron makes himself to the supporters and feel that can only be a good thing.

However I did take exception to his opinion about the league fixtures and that it was a huge blunder by the league having a derby so early in the season then the Rangers next game after that.
He said himself that the league got it all wrong that you don’t have the biggest games of the season that early. But what he’s not seeing is based on our league position last season we were an also ran, part of the dross at the wrong end of the league.
So for me in the eyes of the league we are well down in the pecking order, and Ron thinks we deserve more respect because we are Hibs than to have to be an opponent of a top six club last year so early in the campaign. Sorry Ron we have been pish for too long now for anyone to do us any favours.
If we had finished top six last year then yes, a Derby wouldn’t have come so quickly in the fixture list. Ron is definitely a glass half full guy and I hope he does see that it’s what happens on the pitch that is the single most important thing for our club and the supporters.

Even finishing bottom half of the table, Hibs/hearts, Hibs/huns are 2 of the biggest games in the SPFL calendar. His main point about herts game was he had asked the league to take into consideration that we had some major works ongoing in the main stand. As it happens if everything goes to plan this work is due to complete days before the heats game.

[offshorehibby]

I actually feel a bit sorry for him.

Since last time he spoke to everyone he’s brought in a new management team, we’ve signed about 11 new players and we’ve made lots of improvements to the stadium.

We’re out the league cup already which is awful, no doubts about it.

But we’ve yet to see if half our our new players/management team are good or not, we’re claiming we don’t have x,y and z but realistically we might or we might in the process of signing one (as alluded to with a centre back).

He’s getting the same stick despite a lot having changed at the club, but because of a poor start people are still saying the same.

Let’s see in a couple of months time if it’s the same or improved.

Kensell gets loads of stick but realistically who knows how good he is/what he does?

I think there is loads of good things being done at the club and we probably are a lot healthier than previous years, but fans will always base it on the on pitch performance, rightly so.

Recruitment again get loads of stick but since January,

Rocky - Now getting alot of praise since settling and getting pre season
Melkersen - Looks a new player after pre season
Henderson - Looks a new and potentially key player
Clarke - Looked a very good addition before leaving
Mitchell - Looked good before injuries
Marshall - Looks a great addition

That’s without the unknown quantities of Tavares, Youan, Cabraja, Bojang, Kenneh, Miller and then McGeady is getting sharper every game.

The recruitment team could have played a blinder 😅 we just don’t know yet.

Get all them fit, sharp, time to settle along with this new centre half and other signing and let’s see where we’re at.


I didn't listen to the podcast till this morning and then scrolled though this thread. I enjoyed it, I enjoy hearing things about my club. You've posted my opinion to a tee above.

RG can't win what every he says. If he's open and transparent, he gets slated, if he says nothing slated again.

I agree with your BK point. We don't know what he does or achieves behind the scenes. He probably meets all the targets/KP's put in front of him but some people wont rid cause they don't like him.

While we are all hurting at the manner we got humped out the cup, we are only 5 weeks into a new era. I have seen in the press LJ saying give us till September before you start seeing the best from his squad but going by the posts, a section on here will probably explode before then.

New players, new players we are yet to see and hopefully a couple of quality additions, lets give them time to click.

[WhileTheChief..]

You just need to watch the podcast to see that RGs enthusiasm is still there. He's going nowhere.

[HFC93]

You can throw a lot of things at Ron Gordon but one you can’t accuse him of is hiding away.

[BroxburnHibee]

Nothing strange. I know the entrepreneur well. He is not a football fan and did not know I was a Hibs fan. The current owners have links with Ron Gordon who is keen to be a major investor. I posted this a few weeks ago but the administration must have deleted. It was at the time of Brian Mclauglin interview with Ron who said he would sell if the right buyer came along. The owners of the business told the entrepreneur that Ron was keen to get of Hibs. Of course I was not the direct recipient of that information and I can only report it second hand. But given the entrepreneur has no knowledge of Hibs, it does seem to be true given Ron's interview with Brian McGlaughlin. I honestly can't see anybody wanting to buy us though given the shambles we have been in for a year and disquiet amongst the fan base and falling attendances.

Utter utter BS.

That McLaughlin interview you're focusing on was a disgrace. He wasn't interested in a word Ron said. Just wanted his "Hibs for Sale" quote. Every club is for sale at the right price which is exactly what Ron said.

[hfcok]

You just need to watch the podcast to see that RGs enthusiasm is still there. He's going nowhere.

Defo agree, he knows what he wants to do, it’s achieving it as quick as possible, which Is the bug bear for the fans. We need to be patient.

[Hibs90]

I am working on a project with an entrepreneur. The entrepreneur says Ron is keen to invest in and wants out of Hibs. If true can hardly blame him given the attacks on him by many Hibs fans.


Nothing strange. I know the entrepreneur well. He is not a football fan and did not know I was a Hibs fan. The current owners have links with Ron Gordon who is keen to be a major investor. I posted this a few weeks ago but the administration must have deleted. It was at the time of Brian Mclauglin interview with Ron who said he would sell if the right buyer came along. The owners of the business told the entrepreneur that Ron was keen to get of Hibs. Of course I was not the direct recipient of that information and I can only report it second hand. But given the entrepreneur has no knowledge of Hibs, it does seem to be true given Ron's interview with Brian McGlaughlin. I honestly can't see anybody wanting to buy us though given the shambles we have been in for a year and disquiet amongst the fan base and falling attendances.

:faf:

[sleeping giant]

Nothing strange. I know the entrepreneur well. He is not a football fan and did not know I was a Hibs fan. The current owners have links with Ron Gordon who is keen to be a major investor. I posted this a few weeks ago but the administration must have deleted. It was at the time of Brian Mclauglin interview with Ron who said he would sell if the right buyer came along. The owners of the business told the entrepreneur that Ron was keen to get of Hibs. Of course I was not the direct recipient of that information and I can only report it second hand. But given the entrepreneur has no knowledge of Hibs, it does seem to be true given Ron's interview with Brian McGlaughlin. I honestly can't see anybody wanting to buy us though given the shambles we have been in for a year and disquiet amongst the fan base and falling attendances.
You clearly have not seen the interview with Brian McLaughlan.
He said no such thing. Not in the way you are spinning it anyway.

[CL0762]

Nothing strange. I know the entrepreneur well. He is not a football fan and did not know I was a Hibs fan. The current owners have links with Ron Gordon who is keen to be a major investor. I posted this a few weeks ago but the administration must have deleted. It was at the time of Brian Mclauglin interview with Ron who said he would sell if the right buyer came along. The owners of the business told the entrepreneur that Ron was keen to get of Hibs. Of course I was not the direct recipient of that information and I can only report it second hand. But given the entrepreneur has no knowledge of Hibs, it does seem to be true given Ron's interview with Brian McGlaughlin. I honestly can't see anybody wanting to buy us though given the shambles we have been in for a year and disquiet amongst the fan base and falling attendances.

I was on that call (albeit accidentally) and first thing, it wasn’t an ‘interview with Brian McLaughlin’ it was a conference call to journalists in the aftermath of Maloney being sacked.

Secondly, he never once said he was interested in selling it was a tongue in cheek response to the jambo helmet trying to get a headline - he even jokingly suggest Brian put his hand in his pocket to buy the club such was the jokey way in which he responded.

So stop talking pish.

[sleeping giant]

Well if you look back you will see at the start of the year I predicted a big fall in the stockmarket, rising interest rates and high inflation. That all turned out to be true.

Predicted 🤣

[NC1875]

I was on that call (albeit accidentally) and first thing, it wasn’t an ‘interview with Brian McLaughlin’ it was a conference call to journalists in the aftermath of Maloney being sacked.

Secondly, he never once said he was interested in selling it was a tongue in cheek response to the jambo helmet trying to get a headline - he even jokingly suggest Brian put his hand in his pocket to buy the club such was the jokey way in which he responded.

So stop talking pish.

Yup, exactly as I remember it. Basically said find someone who’ll put more effort and resources in as him and he’ll sell to them.

Was defo tongue in cheek. And after the interview yesterday, it’s clear he sees himself here for the long term.

[JammyDoidger]

Not sure if there's a thread on this, but just had an 0131 number phoning me every day for weeks and decided to answer it today, to my surprise it was Hibs trying to sell me a season ticket, asked why I haven't renewed and what they could do to entice me into buying one, so suppose Ron is right when he says comms are much better, i did say I'm looking to go to the derby, the response was 'the only way to guarantee a ticket is to buy a season ticket' aye ok haha, I basically just told them spend some money and put a decent team on the park and I'll get one again. Appreciated the effort though.

[Bostonhibby]

To be fair, Joey Essex could have predicted that. It’s like predicting tomorrow being Saturday.I'm thinking of changing financial adviser, are you saying this Essex guy is any good?[emoji16]

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[CropleyWasGod]

I'm thinking of changing financial adviser, are you saying this Essex guy is any good?[emoji16]

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It's the only way.

[Bostonhibby]

It's the only way.Well, I could stick with the Racing Post.[emoji16]

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[overdrive]

I take it back calling Ron deluded. The Hearts Sporting Director (or whatever they actually call the role) says Hearts will win the league :faf:

[hfcok]

Listening to the podcast, Ron doesn’t shirk any of the questions asked, he sounds very honest in my opinion.

[Billy Whizz]

Not sure if there's a thread on this, but just had an 0131 number phoning me every day for weeks and decided to answer it today, to my surprise it was Hibs trying to sell me a season ticket, asked why I haven't renewed and what they could do to entice me into buying one, so suppose Ron is right when he says comms are much better, i did say I'm looking to go to the derby, the response was 'the only way to guarantee a ticket is to buy a season ticket' aye ok haha, I basically just told them spend some money and put a decent team on the park and I'll get one again. Appreciated the effort though.

Called me a few days ago as well. It was an American lad called Alex. He was actually calling to speak to my youngest daughter, who left the house 8/9 years ago
She stopped going around 2014 or so as she worked weekends

[Lago]

You just need to watch the podcast to see that RGs enthusiasm is still there. He's going nowhere.
I hope your right 👍

[HendoDelivered]

I take it back calling Ron deluded. The Hearts Sporting Director (or whatever they actually call the role) says Hearts will win the league :faf:

He never actually said that btw. He said they want to aim for that in a few years and try and sell that idea to the new signings (to split the OF). The boy Savage said it was a long shot but said they aim to be ambitious. Don’t see much wrong with that IMO.

[Heisenberg]

He never actually said that btw. He said they want to aim for that in a few years and try and sell that idea to the new signings (to split the OF). The boy Savage said it was a long shot but said they aim to be ambitious. Don’t see much wrong with that IMO.

Pretty much what Ron said previously and gets ripped apart by some for doing so.

[BILLYHIBS]

Pretty much the same as last time

Ron answers all questions truthfully to the best of his knowledge with great patience and never shirks any

He has our best interests at heart

There will be many bumps along the way but I am confident we will get there in the end

Pretty sure his pockets are deeper than many think and he has probably spent a not inconsiderable amount already with little thanks

We are lucky to have him as custodian of our great club

[Pretty Boy]

Pretty much what Ron said previously and gets ripped apart by some for doing so.

It's the one thing I would never have a go at anyone at Hibs, Hearts or Aberdeen for. To say that their ultimate ambition would be to win the league and a slightly more realistic one would be to split the OF.

Of course it's unrealistic and no manager should ever be given that as a primary target but it's preferable to the 'finishing 3rd is the best we can ever hope for' narrative that dominates Scottish football. Obviously all your models and structures should be based on competing for European football but if anyone was able to consistently finish 3rd and make the European group stages for a sustained period then it would be a platform to try to close that gap. None of us are close to it currently but there's nothing wrong with aiming for it.

We need to get the basics right first but if we are looking a decade down the line then I hope it's something we are aspiring to even if it is a long shot.

[KWJ]

There’s something a bit Donald Trump esque about how he responds to some of the questions, that same deflect / not really answer style mixed with things like ‘we’ve hired good people, the best people’ type exaggeration.

An interesting listen, as much for picking out the things he didn’t really answer as the stuff he did.

Sadly, there's definitely a bit of that about him. His voice and the way he gets wrapped up in some things like the fixture scheduling. I appreciate the words and passion but there is that ickyness of Trump to them.

That said, I think Ron clearly cares for the club, wants the best and is putting his all into it. I believe him that the other staff are too and while things may be improving off the pitch there are going to be mistakes made along the way. It's taking longer than we'd hope to get success on the pitch and they've taken and accepted plenty blame on that front but are now optimistic. I can see reasons for the optimism but they've got to get the fans on board and behind the team and sadly that'll only really happen when the team are playing well consistently. I think the trick will be when we do get it right on the pitch is keeping that going with the right signings and manager appointments going on from that as we clearly have the infrastructure around the club for continued success.

And as others have said, fair play to him for fronting up. I don't think there can be any doubts that he is trying to get the club to succeed on and off the pitch. It's just that off is a bit more straight forward.

[weecounty hibby]

As depressing as this may sound, there will never be a non OF team wins the Scottish top division again. The caveat to that is unless someone comes in and pumps silly money into a club. And by silly I mean upwards of 100m and instantly.

[Ozyhibby]

Just listened to this just now and I’m reasonably happy with how he is running the club. Sacking JR was an error and he has fessed up to this. The business side of the club has been a total transformation and anyone visiting Easter road must be able to see this. According to RG that has allowed for a 40% lift in the player budget and over time, that is the biggest indicator of how well a club does. He has lifted us far above what Petrie was ever capable of doing.
On the recruitement, I don’t actually think it’s that bad and I think if it wasn’t for centre mid, we would have a decent squad. I’m less concerned about centre half and centre forward than most. At centre half we have options and our defence was decent last season and upfront with Doidge, Melkerson, Youan, Bojang and Nisbet to come back, I think there are good choices there. If he signs a decent centre mid and Kyle Magennis comes back (massive long shot) then I think everything is there for a successful season. Fix the midfield and get the team playing at a quicker tempo and showing for the ball and a lot of other things will change.


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[Sir David Gray]

Listened to half it on my way in to work this morning. He may have a lot of failings but I like how he certainly never goes into hiding. Would’ve been quite easy for him to have been on the first flight back to America yesterday but instead he’s on a zoom call with supporters. That doesn’t exactly scream to me someone without the best intentions of the club in mind.

I only hope for his sake he sees the mistakes on the playing side regarding who he has in place with recruitment and addresses this before he gets past the point of no return with some supporters.

I don't think he's doing anything sinister (although the nepotism with his son being head of recruitment has never sat well with me from the moment I heard about it) I just don't think he has a scooby about running a football club.

[superfurryhibby]

Well done to all concerned for getting the interview and getting it out so quickly.

I thought Gordon came across well enough, good for him. It's a level of communication we would rarely get from the old board.

He certainly has a vision of where he wants to go with Hibs and it sounds like he's invested in a strategy to shake up the club, root and branch.

The ultimate test is on the field though.

The board need to really back the manager and get a decent first team on the pitch. Give him licence to do a bit wheeling and dealing (would the club actively discourage trying to move players on who are known to be lacking, but on long contracts?) and invest in another three or so key players.

For me this is a crucial few weeks, Gordon loses credibility if we have another crazy season. Time for the board to back Johnson and get more quality in. Fans will get right behind a side that performs well, with a bit of style added in. They will also forgive the odd lapse when they truly believe we're building something good (especially as hoped, some of the young players rise to prominence over the next couple of seasons).

Make it happen, Ron Gordon, over to you Hibs

[patlowe]

Ron speaks quite openly, which is great, but because he talks in a style and language we are unaccustomed to in Scottish football (perhaps too business-oriented?) it gives an opportunity for folk on here to jump on anything they can to cast aspersions about his motivations or ambitions. It was quite obvious he was talking about revenue in relation to Hearts and Aberdeen - and he is correct of course.

That is not to say I agree with everything he says. I think putting so much of an emphasis on off the field progress (which I'm sure is very true in terms of corporate revenue/matchday experience etc) risks turning off the fans, who at the end of the day will always judge based on what they can see in front of them. And if he keeps saying everything is in place off-field, investment in the squad is great etc, then if I was Lee Johnson I would be concerned about my long-term job prospects. There is a danger we just continue burning through managers if Ron says everything is great but in reality every manager is having to deal with a bloated, unbalanced squad filled with the dregs of previous failures and the recruitment eccentricities of Ian Gordon. More introspection required IMO.

Same goes for the Hearts/Rangers fixture moan - I guess it kind of makes sense from a business perspective but it's not going to sit well with fans who just want to see a team that's ready to go for the league season, regardless of fixtures.

[Oscar T Grouch]

Took me until today to watch the interview and as ever he comes across as genuinely caring about Hibs and you can see he wants the best for the club, even if the ultimate aim is to increase the value of his asset. I was really angry on Wednesday night, a bit calmer on Thursday but stilled peeved until the news of the admin error came up and I was raging again. Today I am much more philosophical about it. We are not a bad team but without another couple to three signings we will struggle for top 6 this season. I want to stick with a manager for a while, I wouldn't mind that manager being LJ, he comes across well enough and I am sure he will come good. I am even over the error that was made in the league cup, it is a bit of an irrelevance, we should have won all those games so it was the football side that lost it, not some guy working the admin out for the team. Looking at what has been done since RG came into the club it is impossible to deny that he has made a lot of positive changes, he has made errors but he has taken responsibility for them and while folk can accuse him of lots, he never hides away when the brown stuff hits the spinny thing. I have reset my 'Irate and Hibs' button and I am looking forward to Sundays game and the start of the new season, since we ballsed up the league cup we better just roll the sleeves up and get the Scottish in the bag again. As ever GGTTH

[Basildon Hibs]

Again, loads of posters falling for the 'he comes across well' pish. That won't change what is glaringly obvious.
We need some seasoned pros in the middle of the park ASAP.
Maybe Ron could tell his laddie/LJ...🤔

[brog]

Again, loads of posters falling for the 'he comes across well' pish. That won't change what is glaringly obvious.
We need some seasoned pros in the middle of the park ASAP.
Maybe Ron could tell his laddie/LJ...🤔


JDH and Joe Newell have nearly 500 games between them, how much seasoning do you want? :greengrin

[Libby Hibby]

Great listen. He comes across transparent, honest and approachable.

I think he gets us. I really do.

I like Ron.

[NAE NOOKIE]

Not had time to read the thread, so this is just my opinion with no outside influences :greengrin

I still think he want's the best for Hibs and his commitment to making us a successful club is absolutely genuine. I do not think his commitment to off field activities is misplaced, as he sees it it's all part of improving the club's ability to compete and I can't see any reason to argue with that.

I do think he is a wee bit defensive when it comes to criticism of how the football side is going, getting pumped out of the league cup isn't a glitch, it's a big financial wound that was absolutely unnecessary, failing to get out of a group like the one we were in is unacceptable. No matter what state the first team was in we should have been good enough and we weren't ..... he did express his disappointment over it, but should have far more forcefully acknowledged that the players and manager needed to perform far better than they did, transitional period or not.

As for his criticism of the fixture schedule. He is absolutely unequivocally right and he is fully justified in his anger about it. This is exactly the sort of stuff that Barry Hearn was talking about when he castigated the SFA / SPFL for being amateurish after being invited to address them. The whole lot of them don't have a business brain between them ... This is a business where maximising income is paramount, especially here where paying fans are the biggest source of income for every club.
How is it that a guy with three years experience in the game can recognise that the first home game of the season can attract 2 or 3 thousand more fans than usual for the likes of us, no matter who the opposition is, and as a result making it a game you are likely to sell out anyway is simply chucking away thousands of pounds worth of income? ... How can he recognise the folly of that and they cant?

In this country's football where money is tight for every club this isn't just a guy moaning about a small thing, it is and should be a huge deal and if any more proof was needed that our game is run by idiots then look no further.

[cocteautwin]

As depressing as this may sound, there will never be a non OF team wins the Scottish top division again. The caveat to that is unless someone comes in and pumps silly money into a club. And by silly I mean upwards of 100m and instantly.

You are correct it would have to be crazy money needed to challenge the OF properly in the league. Hearts have spent over £40m of extra cash the past few years and haven’t won a trophy never mind challenge in the league. The interesting fact is that if Hearts don’t win a trophy this season they’ll probably get to £50m extra spent without silverware.

[Turkish Green]

Good podcast so far. Think Ron can talk but strikes me as full of waffle.

When you made your $$$$ selling Peruvian gold to the yanks you need to have a good spiel.

[The Harp Awakes]

Interesting listen and thought the guys were spot on with their questions which were direct and to the point.

As ever RG talked well and I have no worries that he wants the best for the club. I do get the bit about growing revenue being the foundations for being successful on the pitch.

On the footballing side though, he seemed very defensive and his praise of BK and the football department doesn't make any sense, when he admitted success on the park was a key performance indicator.

Performances have been shambolic for a year now, so how does that add up with having a great CEO and football department? Or does he blame everything on Jack Ross and Shaun Maloney?

[Turkish Green]

I still think he want's the best for Hibs and his commitment to making us a successful club is absolutely genuine. I do not think his commitment to off field activities is misplaced, as he sees it it's all part of improving the club's ability to compete and I can't see any reason to argue with that.


I agree that RG wants the best, but he has no experience on how to achieve it on-field and his temperament is leading him to rash decisions.

[WhileTheChief..]

I'm thinking of changing financial adviser, are you saying this Essex guy is any good?[emoji16]

Sent from my SM-A750FN using Tapatalk

Just do the opposite of whaterer Filipinohibs suggests and you'll be fine:wink:

[GreenGray]

Just caught up, I don’t mind Ron but I think his rant about the scheduling of the fixtures after someone had asked about the lack of players we have in their prime says it all.

He’s more concerned about turnover and money than performance on the pitch, no matter what he says.


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[SChibs]

Just caught up, I don’t mind Ron but I think his rant about the scheduling of the fixtures after someone had asked about the lack of players we have in their prime says it all.

He’s more concerned about turnover and money than performance on the pitch, no matter what he says.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What's the script regarding the west stand and the Derby. I feel like I've missed something as Ron says we are missing out on 4000 or 5000 attendance due to ongoing works on the West Stand.

[Mikey_1875]

What's the script regarding the west stand and the Derby. I feel like I've missed something as Ron says we are missing out on 4000 or 5000 attendance due to ongoing works on the West Stand.

Ron said the works on hospitality would only be finished just before the Derby. The loss in attendance reference was due to the fact that the first home game always gets a few extra thousand through the gate regardless of the opponent. Now that it is a derby fixture it is costing us potentially two big attendances for the price of one.

[Wheat Hound]

Ron said the works on hospitality would only be finished just before the Derby. The loss in attendance reference was due to the fact that the first home game always gets a few extra thousand through the gate regardless of the opponent. Now that it is a derby fixture it is costing us potentially two big attendances for the price of one.

I think he meant that the first home game of the season normally brings an extra few thousand when we will likely have a full house Vs Hearts so we miss that first game benefit that we would have against a Ross County, for example.....I think!

[Dmas]

Just caught up, I don’t mind Ron but I think his rant about the scheduling of the fixtures after someone had asked about the lack of players we have in their prime says it all.

He’s more concerned about turnover and money than performance on the pitch, no matter what he says.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What’s he spending on experienced players? Juice bottles? He hires other people for the football side his expertise is business

[Gloucester Hibs]

I think he meant that the first home game of the season normally brings an extra few thousand when we will likely have a full house Vs Hearts so we miss that first game benefit that we would have against a Ross County, for example.....I think!

It’s a fair criticism but is has ever been thus and Ron should’ve been aware of this. I can remember 2 opening day fixtures v Hearts at the PBS since the millennium for example. Still worth raising though as Scottish football doesn’t help itself in self promotion a lot of the time

[familyman]

Ron met with the various Hibs podcasts to discuss the state of the club at the moment:

https://youtu.be/q-FOOhigQYQ
Thanks to Ron for such an open conversation.....getting there and a different level sounds right but payer efforts MUST reflect that or they must go.
We have ideal start in my view to face the auld enemy straight away normally would be a real kick start in any season but EFFORT must be demonstrated
Reassured by Ron that he will indeed push people to give 100%
Lets avoid more bumps in the road!

[Tambo]

So anything less than 4th place then Johnson is gone?

Like I said before on this thread I like Ron and I'm sure he means well but he needs some people that know about Hibs and football working for him.

[SMAXXA]

Just caught up, I don’t mind Ron but I think his rant about the scheduling of the fixtures after someone had asked about the lack of players we have in their prime says it all.

He’s more concerned about turnover and money than performance on the pitch, no matter what he says.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Isn’t that the point that both are intrinsically linked 🙈

[bigwheel]

Isn’t that the point that both are intrinsically linked [emoji85]

They are - although (and maybe most football investors need to think this way ) his language on the podcast certainly seemed to state that the overall goal was growth , fulled by sporting success, rather than the other way around …

[007]

Is the entrepreneur James Anderson?

No, it's the ghost of Wallace Mercer.

[IberianHibernian]

Enjoyed the interview . Now 11 pages of comments here , the first few pages seemed to be almost all negative comments from people who will probably never accept RG in charge or at least always be sceptical about him but the final pages seem far more positive or at least shows some people are prepared to accept he`s doing some good work .

RG seems to be often criticised for not being realistic with ideas but in 2 major things he certainly is .
1. Recruitment . He`s seen we ( and all other non OF Scottish clubs ) can`t hope to sign decent players cause there aren`t many good Scottish players and will only get leftovers from lower English leagues . Solution - widen the net - Gambia , Portugal , Norway etc and sign more young players with potential . In the short term this isn`t popular and may not be effective . i think it will be very effective but we won`t see results for a few years .
2. Increasing revenue . Fans have been complaining for years that we`ve been outbid by Aberdeen while their crowds are much lower than ours . Or that Hearts`income has been much higher than ours despite crowds being similar - not talking of their foundation thing or benefactor but higher hospitality revenue etc . Now , in a relatively short time we have increased hospitality and other commercial income significantly . Maybe demonstrates the poor job the commercial team did before RG took over .

[007]

Sadly, there's definitely a bit of that about him. His voice and the way he gets wrapped up in some things like the fixture scheduling. I appreciate the words and passion but there is that ickyness of Trump to them.

That said, I think Ron clearly cares for the club, wants the best and is putting his all into it. I believe him that the other staff are too and while things may be improving off the pitch there are going to be mistakes made along the way. It's taking longer than we'd hope to get success on the pitch and they've taken and accepted plenty blame on that front but are now optimistic. I can see reasons for the optimism but they've got to get the fans on board and behind the team and sadly that'll only really happen when the team are playing well consistently. I think the trick will be when we do get it right on the pitch is keeping that going with the right signings and manager appointments going on from that as we clearly have the infrastructure around the club for continued success.

And as others have said, fair play to him for fronting up. I don't think there can be any doubts that he is trying to get the club to succeed on and off the pitch. It's just that off is a bit more straight forward.

"Ickyness of Trump" isn't doing Trump justice. He is a narcissistic, sociopathic, pathological liar with blood on his hands. He acts like a mob boss and thinks he is above the law. He is a sexual predator and he grifts millions off his supporters. He is a traitor to his own country who hopefully one day gets his comeuppance, though I fear he never will.

Ron Gordon is nothing like him (though I imagine some supporters, like the guy wanting to cancel his season ticket, might currently think they're being grifted).

[Pagan Hibernia]

I haven’t listened to it yet but did anything ever come out of that Independent review on the SPFL that Ron was leading?

[B.H.F.C]

Enjoyed the interview . Now 11 pages of comments here , the first few pages seemed to be almost all negative comments from people who will probably never accept RG in charge or at least always be sceptical about him but the final pages seem far more positive or at least shows some people are prepared to accept he`s doing some good work .

RG seems to be often criticised for not being realistic with ideas but in 2 major things he certainly is .
1. Recruitment . He`s seen we ( and all other non OF Scottish clubs ) can`t hope to sign decent players cause there aren`t many good Scottish players and will only get leftovers from lower English leagues . Solution - widen the net - Gambia , Portugal , Norway etc and sign more young players with potential . In the short term this isn`t popular and may not be effective . i think it will be very effective but we won`t see results for a few years .
2. Increasing revenue . Fans have been complaining for years that we`ve been outbid by Aberdeen while their crowds are much lower than ours . Or that Hearts`income has been much higher than ours despite crowds being similar - not talking of their foundation thing or benefactor but higher hospitality revenue etc . Now , in a relatively short time we have increased hospitality and other commercial income significantly . Maybe demonstrates the poor job the commercial team did before RG took over .

Not seeing results for a few years isn’t really an acceptable plan though. Don’t expect Hibs to win every game, not even close. But folk won’t continue to shell out a lot of money in the hope of results in a few years time.
There are also a hell of a lot of Scottish players who could have improved us beyond what we’ve seen over the last year.

[007]

I haven’t listened to it yet but did anything ever come out of that Independent review on the SPFL that Ron was leading?

Was wondering the same. Latest info I've found is from a couple of months ago saying the report would be published this month, at the latest.

https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/spfl/scottish-premiership/ron-gordon-drops-deloitte-review-24032061

[jakeshibs]

Good podcast so far. Think Ron can talk but strikes me as full of waffle.


Why do you say that as he has backed his words with financial backing
think he is honest and wears his heart on his sleeve.

[1875Sean]

So anything less than 4th place then Johnson is gone?

Like I said before on this thread I like Ron and I'm sure he means well but he needs some people that know about Hibs and football working for him.

He never said that, asked what his aim for he said top 4 maybe top 5 but he never said LJ will get sacked

[IberianHibernian]

Not seeing results for a few years isn’t really an acceptable plan though. Don’t expect Hibs to win every game, not even close. But folk won’t continue to shell out a lot of money in the hope of results in a few years time.
There are also a hell of a lot of Scottish players who could have improved us beyond what we’ve seen over the last year.Understand first bit which is why League Cup exit is so bad as our great cup runs this century under numerous managers have helped forget poor league form and also helped financially . If we`re going to have a seriously strong and entertaining team from say 2024 / 25 people might accept midtable league positions in next 2 saons if we`re not relegated , do something in cups and progress can be seen eg Melkerson scoring 10 this season , 15 next year . Remember strong ( meaning challenging for top 2 not just occasional top 3 ) team would be made up of players fans have watched develop over several years so with a strong affinity to our club .
As for Scottish players , who are you talking about ? Players who would have accepted our wages and improved the squad immediately .

[Lago]

Great listen. He comes across transparent, honest and approachable.

I think he gets us. I really do.

I like Ron.
I like him as well, unfortunately some don't, never have and never will, they use any excuse to put him down.

[B.H.F.C]

Understand first bit which is why League Cup exit is so bad as our great cup runs this century under numerous managers have helped forget poor league form and also helped financially . If we`re going to have a seriously strong and entertaining team from say 2024 / 25 people might accept midtable league positions in next 2 saons if we`re not relegated , do something in cups and progress can be seen eg Melkerson scoring 10 this season , 15 next year . Remember strong ( meaning challenging for top 2 not just occasional top 3 ) team would be made up of players fans have watched develop over several years so with a strong affinity to our club .
As for Scottish players , who are you talking about ? Players who would have accepted our wages and improved the squad immediately .

If any of these young prospects show promise over the next couple of seasons, they won’t be here in 24/25. They’re here to use us as a stepping stone (which I don’t have a problem with). But if they’re any good, they won’t stay together so we need the core of a good team now and supplement it with these players with potential.

Any Hibs team that does well has a core of Scottish (or at least players who understand the Scottish game) in it. And a lot of them wouldn’t be fashionable, high profile signings. The team that finished third under Ross, fourth under Lennon and won the cup under Stubbs all had it. Go even further back to the the McLeish days and he signed guys like Smith, Fenwick and O’Neil to compliment the top players we had a t the time. At the moment, we don’t have a solid enough spine to allow all these players with potential were bringing in to flourish IMO.

Sometimes you need a player to come in with a view to just doing it for you now and not looking at all this ‘adding value’ stuff. I think it’s an absolute stick on that the best of our summer signings will be the Scottish goalie. There are dozens of players we could have got in to give us that more immediate impact that we desperately need.

[One Day Soon]

If any of these young prospects show promise over the next couple of seasons, they won’t be here in 24/25. They’re here to use us as a stepping stone (which I don’t have a problem with). But if they’re any good, they won’t stay together so we need the core of a good team now and supplement it with these players with potential.

Any Hibs team that does well has a core of Scottish (or at least players who understand the Scottish game) in it. And a lot of them wouldn’t be fashionable, high profile signings. The team that finished third under Ross, fourth under Lennon and won the cup under Stubbs all had it. Go even further back to the the McLeish days and he signed guys like Smith, Fenwick and O’Neil to compliment the top players we had a t the time. At the moment, we don’t have a solid enough spine to allow all these players with potential were bringing in to flourish IMO.

Sometimes you need a player to come in with a view to just doing it for you now and not looking at all this ‘adding value’ stuff. I think it’s an absolute stick on that the best of our summer signings will be the Scottish goalie. There are dozens of players we could have got in to give us that more immediate impact that we desperately need.

Excellent post and right on the money.

[matty_f]

Thoughts on this having reflected on it:

- undeniable progress off the park, for all not many of us actually care about training centre canteens or surveys, the work done to increase revenue is key to ultimately getting a better team on the pitch. Ron's point about completing a high percentage of the steroids set out in his first AGM stands up to scrutiny.

-. Squad isn't where it needs to be, my own view is that I think we'll see it improve over the season and we'll have a strong finish. I don't think it's going to be fun while we reach that point though.

- strategy to buy sellable players relies heavily on having an impeccable eye for a player, Johnson has previous for spotting a player so it will be interesting to see there impact and influence he has on the recruitment team. Too early to pass judgement on the new signings at this stage, either good or bad

- prospects for the season - Ron's top 4 but would accept 5th 'target' is probably realistic. Aberdeen have spent big and Hearts are building from a strong foundation (as we should have been after our third place finish) so I would expect them to be in the mix for positions 3-5 as well and I think it'll take an exceptional season from someone to get 3rd.

[Clarence]

It’s a fair criticism but is has ever been thus and Ron should’ve been aware of this. I can remember 2 opening day fixtures v Hearts at the PBS since the millennium for example. Still worth raising though as Scottish football doesn’t help itself in self promotion a lot of the time

I think it’s good that he challenges the daft things that go on in Scottish football

[bigwheel]

Well one thing for sure, we can’t complain about not knowing what the plan is with our club. Ron has been clear and consistent around this for a couple of years now.

Increased revenue: he’s taking the tried and tested route of American sports and driving corporate revenue to a completely different level. As well as sponsorship relationships , game day ad revenue - which are creating much higher income levels, they’ve growing up to 40 corporate partnerships a year. Together these things will give us millions of pounds a year more income than before. A real credit to his thinking and the approach. Add to that a major drive of increased revenue per fan..and it’s coming together in a much more commercial way for us.

Improved infrastructure and facilities - he’s delivering big time on this stuff…HTC, sports science, stadium, etc etc. we can’t complain about that - can only help us going forward.

Transfer policy : this season they’ve continued to widen the search to different geographies . To get more value per pound. Hard to argue with that. He recognises it comes with a risk. Players won’t know the league and culture. Could take them longer to settle and perhaps the hit rate could be less than locally sourced players..but we can afford more of them. We are seeing some of that just now. He also acknowledged that the experience / inexperience balance isn’t quite right, but states that a couple more experienced players are being targeted. Get them right, it could make a big difference to our first team.

Selling players each season : the Peter Lawwell strategy…wants to create decent transfer income each year. Hence the focus on young emerging talent. Could be a winner, but will come at a price. Dev team investment costs before they are playing lots of first team games. Will need patience to see if that works for us .

He clearly feels LJ is a better appointment this time around. Over 400 games as a manger, hard to disagree with that. I still feel he will change his transfer approach to a few more proven players this time next season, but overall, as others have said, I’m expecting us to improve through the season. If we can get the key players fit we’ll be able to compete with anyone in the league in a one off match - especially with a couple of additions in defence and midfield.

Too early to say how our season will pan out imo . Could be anywhere from 8th to 5th is my guess…the failure to build on the 3rd place season is still costing us. If we progress as the season goes, should be in a much better place to challenge this time next year…


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[Bridge hibs]

Well one thing for sure, we can’t complain about not knowing what the plan is with our club. Ron has been clear and consistent around this for a couple of years now.

Increased revenue: he’s taking the tried and tested route of American sports and driving corporate revenue to a completely different level. As well as sponsorship relationships , game day ad revenue - which are creating much higher income levels, they’ve growing up to 40 corporate partnerships a year. Together these things will give us millions of pounds a year more income than before. A real credit to his thinking and the approach. Add to that a major drive of increased revenue per fan..and it’s coming together in a much more commercial way for us.

Improved infrastructure and facilities - he’s delivering big time on this stuff…HTC, sports science, stadium, etc etc. we can’t complain about that - can only help us going forward.

Transfer policy : this season they’ve continued to widen the search to different geographies . To get more value per pound. Hard to argue with that. He recognises it comes with a risk. Players won’t know the league and culture. Could take them longer to settle and perhaps the hit rate could be less than locally sourced players..but we can afford more of them. We are seeing some of that just now. He also acknowledged that the experience / inexperience balance isn’t quite right, but states that a couple more experienced players are being targeted. Get them right, it could make a big difference to our first team.

Selling players each season : the Peter Lawwell strategy…wants to create decent transfer income each year. Hence the focus on young emerging talent. Could be a winner, but will come at a price. Dev team investment costs before they are playing lots of first team games. Will need patience to see if that works for us .

He clearly feels LJ is a better appointment this time around. Over 400 games as a manger, hard to disagree with that. I still feel he will change his transfer approach to a few more proven players this time next season, but overall, as others have said, I’m expecting us to improve through the season. If we can get the key players fit we’ll be able to compete with anyone in the league in a one off match - especially with a couple of additions in defence and midfield.

Too early to say how our season will pan out imo . Could be anywhere from 8th to 5th is my guess…the failure to build on the 3rd place season is still costing us. If we progress as the season goes, should be in a much better place to challenge this time next year…


Sent from my iPad using TapatalkGood post mate 👍

[StevieH]

Well one thing for sure, we can’t complain about not knowing what the plan is with our club. Ron has been clear and consistent around this for a couple of years now.

Increased revenue: he’s taking the tried and tested route of American sports and driving corporate revenue to a completely different level. As well as sponsorship relationships , game day ad revenue - which are creating much higher income levels, they’ve growing up to 40 corporate partnerships a year. Together these things will give us millions of pounds a year more income than before. A real credit to his thinking and the approach. Add to that a major drive of increased revenue per fan..and it’s coming together in a much more commercial way for us.

Improved infrastructure and facilities - he’s delivering big time on this stuff…HTC, sports science, stadium, etc etc. we can’t complain about that - can only help us going forward.

Transfer policy : this season they’ve continued to widen the search to different geographies . To get more value per pound. Hard to argue with that. He recognises it comes with a risk. Players won’t know the league and culture. Could take them longer to settle and perhaps the hit rate could be less than locally sourced players..but we can afford more of them. We are seeing some of that just now. He also acknowledged that the experience / inexperience balance isn’t quite right, but states that a couple more experienced players are being targeted. Get them right, it could make a big difference to our first team.

Selling players each season : the Peter Lawwell strategy…wants to create decent transfer income each year. Hence the focus on young emerging talent. Could be a winner, but will come at a price. Dev team investment costs before they are playing lots of first team games. Will need patience to see if that works for us .

He clearly feels LJ is a better appointment this time around. Over 400 games as a manger, hard to disagree with that. I still feel he will change his transfer approach to a few more proven players this time next season, but overall, as others have said, I’m expecting us to improve through the season. If we can get the key players fit we’ll be able to compete with anyone in the league in a one off match - especially with a couple of additions in defence and midfield.

Too early to say how our season will pan out imo . Could be anywhere from 8th to 5th is my guess…the failure to build on the 3rd place season is still costing us. If we progress as the season goes, should be in a much better place to challenge this time next year…


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Great, reasonable and sensible post. Thought Ron spoke well and has been consistent with his vision since he arrived. Fair play to him for doing a Q&A after the Morton result (You wouldn’t have seen that before his tenure).

[One Day Soon]

Well one thing for sure, we can’t complain about not knowing what the plan is with our club. Ron has been clear and consistent around this for a couple of years now.

Increased revenue: he’s taking the tried and tested route of American sports and driving corporate revenue to a completely different level. As well as sponsorship relationships , game day ad revenue - which are creating much higher income levels, they’ve growing up to 40 corporate partnerships a year. Together these things will give us millions of pounds a year more income than before. A real credit to his thinking and the approach. Add to that a major drive of increased revenue per fan..and it’s coming together in a much more commercial way for us.

Improved infrastructure and facilities - he’s delivering big time on this stuff…HTC, sports science, stadium, etc etc. we can’t complain about that - can only help us going forward.

Transfer policy : this season they’ve continued to widen the search to different geographies . To get more value per pound. Hard to argue with that. He recognises it comes with a risk. Players won’t know the league and culture. Could take them longer to settle and perhaps the hit rate could be less than locally sourced players..but we can afford more of them. We are seeing some of that just now. He also acknowledged that the experience / inexperience balance isn’t quite right, but states that a couple more experienced players are being targeted. Get them right, it could make a big difference to our first team.

Selling players each season : the Peter Lawwell strategy…wants to create decent transfer income each year. Hence the focus on young emerging talent. Could be a winner, but will come at a price. Dev team investment costs before they are playing lots of first team games. Will need patience to see if that works for us .

He clearly feels LJ is a better appointment this time around. Over 400 games as a manger, hard to disagree with that. I still feel he will change his transfer approach to a few more proven players this time next season, but overall, as others have said, I’m expecting us to improve through the season. If we can get the key players fit we’ll be able to compete with anyone in the league in a one off match - especially with a couple of additions in defence and midfield.

Too early to say how our season will pan out imo . Could be anywhere from 8th to 5th is my guess…the failure to build on the 3rd place season is still costing us. If we progress as the season goes, should be in a much better place to challenge this time next year…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Really excellent post. For this season it all hinges on those two or three more signings we still need though - especially in midfield. If we brought in a quality Scott Allan/John McGinn type (ie someone who can hold the ball, make passes and dictate the pace of the game) then the rest of that squad suddenly becomes a lot more coherent and capable.

[Lago]

:top marks
Well one thing for sure, we can’t complain about not knowing what the plan is with our club. Ron has been clear and consistent around this for a couple of years now.

Increased revenue: he’s taking the tried and tested route of American sports and driving corporate revenue to a completely different level. As well as sponsorship relationships , game day ad revenue - which are creating much higher income levels, they’ve growing up to 40 corporate partnerships a year. Together these things will give us millions of pounds a year more income than before. A real credit to his thinking and the approach. Add to that a major drive of increased revenue per fan..and it’s coming together in a much more commercial way for us.

Improved infrastructure and facilities - he’s delivering big time on this stuff…HTC, sports science, stadium, etc etc. we can’t complain about that - can only help us going forward.

Transfer policy : this season they’ve continued to widen the search to different geographies . To get more value per pound. Hard to argue with that. He recognises it comes with a risk. Players won’t know the league and culture. Could take them longer to settle and perhaps the hit rate could be less than locally sourced players..but we can afford more of them. We are seeing some of that just now. He also acknowledged that the experience / inexperience balance isn’t quite right, but states that a couple more experienced players are being targeted. Get them right, it could make a big difference to our first team.

Selling players each season : the Peter Lawwell strategy…wants to create decent transfer income each year. Hence the focus on young emerging talent. Could be a winner, but will come at a price. Dev team investment costs before they are playing lots of first team games. Will need patience to see if that works for us .

He clearly feels LJ is a better appointment this time around. Over 400 games as a manger, hard to disagree with that. I still feel he will change his transfer approach to a few more proven players this time next season, but overall, as others have said, I’m expecting us to improve through the season. If we can get the key players fit we’ll be able to compete with anyone in the league in a one off match - especially with a couple of additions in defence and midfield.

Too early to say how our season will pan out imo . Could be anywhere from 8th to 5th is my guess…the failure to build on the 3rd place season is still costing us. If we progress as the season goes, should be in a much better place to challenge this time next year…


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[GreenGray]

What’s he spending on experienced players? Juice bottles? He hires other people for the football side his expertise is business

His son you mean?


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[Frazerbob]

His son you mean?


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Amongst others

[JoeT_WasTheBest]

Thoughts on this having reflected on it:

- undeniable progress off the park, for all not many of us actually care about training centre canteens or surveys, the work done to increase revenue is key to ultimately getting a better team on the pitch. Ron's point about completing a high percentage of the steroids set out in his first AGM stands up to scrutiny.

-. Squad isn't where it needs to be, my own view is that I think we'll see it improve over the season and we'll have a strong finish. I don't think it's going to be fun while we reach that point though.

- strategy to buy sellable players relies heavily on having an impeccable eye for a player, Johnson has previous for spotting a player so it will be interesting to see there impact and influence he has on the recruitment team. Too early to pass judgement on the new signings at this stage, either good or bad

- prospects for the season - Ron's top 4 but would accept 5th 'target' is probably realistic. Aberdeen have spent big and Hearts are building from a strong foundation (as we should have been after our third place finish) so I would expect them to be in the mix for positions 3-5 as well and I think it'll take an exceptional season from someone to get 3rd.

I’m a bit worried about the steroids you mentioned, tbh.

[matty_f]

I’m a bit worried about the steroids you mentioned, tbh.

I hate my phone. Why does it do this to me?

[Paulie Walnuts]

Well one thing for sure, we can’t complain about not knowing what the plan is with our club. Ron has been clear and consistent around this for a couple of years now.

Increased revenue: he’s taking the tried and tested route of American sports and driving corporate revenue to a completely different level. As well as sponsorship relationships , game day ad revenue - which are creating much higher income levels, they’ve growing up to 40 corporate partnerships a year. Together these things will give us millions of pounds a year more income than before. A real credit to his thinking and the approach. Add to that a major drive of increased revenue per fan..and it’s coming together in a much more commercial way for us.

Improved infrastructure and facilities - he’s delivering big time on this stuff…HTC, sports science, stadium, etc etc. we can’t complain about that - can only help us going forward.

Transfer policy : this season they’ve continued to widen the search to different geographies . To get more value per pound. Hard to argue with that. He recognises it comes with a risk. Players won’t know the league and culture. Could take them longer to settle and perhaps the hit rate could be less than locally sourced players..but we can afford more of them. We are seeing some of that just now. He also acknowledged that the experience / inexperience balance isn’t quite right, but states that a couple more experienced players are being targeted. Get them right, it could make a big difference to our first team.

Selling players each season : the Peter Lawwell strategy…wants to create decent transfer income each year. Hence the focus on young emerging talent. Could be a winner, but will come at a price. Dev team investment costs before they are playing lots of first team games. Will need patience to see if that works for us .

He clearly feels LJ is a better appointment this time around. Over 400 games as a manger, hard to disagree with that. I still feel he will change his transfer approach to a few more proven players this time next season, but overall, as others have said, I’m expecting us to improve through the season. If we can get the key players fit we’ll be able to compete with anyone in the league in a one off match - especially with a couple of additions in defence and midfield.

Too early to say how our season will pan out imo . Could be anywhere from 8th to 5th is my guess…the failure to build on the 3rd place season is still costing us. If we progress as the season goes, should be in a much better place to challenge this time next year…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Good post that I think everyone will pretty much agree with regardless of whether they’re positive or negative.

It really does all fall down to whether we improve the centre back and especially centre midfield areas for me. Do that and we have a chance. Don’t do that, whether that’s through not signing anyone or signing poorly and we’ll struggle imo. Also needs to happen soonish or if it doesn’t we need to stay within touching distance throughout August until we do get them in.

Big month ahead.

[JoeT_WasTheBest]

I hate my phone. Why does it do this to me?

[emoji23]what is it they say about a bad workman?

[matty_f]

[emoji23]what is it they say about a bad workman?

Rubbish at building houses. 👀

[Basildon Hibs]

Not seeing results for a few years isn’t really an acceptable plan though. Don’t expect Hibs to win every game, not even close. But folk won’t continue to shell out a lot of money in the hope of results in a few years time.
There are also a hell of a lot of Scottish players who could have improved us beyond what we’ve seen over the last year.

Correct. 👍

[Stevie Reid]

Well one thing for sure, we can’t complain about not knowing what the plan is with our club. Ron has been clear and consistent around this for a couple of years now.

Increased revenue: he’s taking the tried and tested route of American sports and driving corporate revenue to a completely different level. As well as sponsorship relationships , game day ad revenue - which are creating much higher income levels, they’ve growing up to 40 corporate partnerships a year. Together these things will give us millions of pounds a year more income than before. A real credit to his thinking and the approach. Add to that a major drive of increased revenue per fan..and it’s coming together in a much more commercial way for us.

Improved infrastructure and facilities - he’s delivering big time on this stuff…HTC, sports science, stadium, etc etc. we can’t complain about that - can only help us going forward.

Transfer policy : this season they’ve continued to widen the search to different geographies . To get more value per pound. Hard to argue with that. He recognises it comes with a risk. Players won’t know the league and culture. Could take them longer to settle and perhaps the hit rate could be less than locally sourced players..but we can afford more of them. We are seeing some of that just now. He also acknowledged that the experience / inexperience balance isn’t quite right, but states that a couple more experienced players are being targeted. Get them right, it could make a big difference to our first team.

Selling players each season : the Peter Lawwell strategy…wants to create decent transfer income each year. Hence the focus on young emerging talent. Could be a winner, but will come at a price. Dev team investment costs before they are playing lots of first team games. Will need patience to see if that works for us .

He clearly feels LJ is a better appointment this time around. Over 400 games as a manger, hard to disagree with that. I still feel he will change his transfer approach to a few more proven players this time next season, but overall, as others have said, I’m expecting us to improve through the season. If we can get the key players fit we’ll be able to compete with anyone in the league in a one off match - especially with a couple of additions in defence and midfield.

Too early to say how our season will pan out imo . Could be anywhere from 8th to 5th is my guess…the failure to build on the 3rd place season is still costing us. If we progress as the season goes, should be in a much better place to challenge this time next year…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well said and very well written. I have no doubt that RG has nothing but good intentions and big ambitions for Hibs. Time will tell if his approach is correct, but he certainly doesn’t seem short of enthusiasm, and is putting good money into the club.

[jeffers]

Well said and very well written. I have no doubt that RG has nothing but good intentions and big ambitions for Hibs. Time will tell if his approach is correct, but he certainly doesn’t seem short of enthusiasm, and is putting good money into the club.

Is he putting money in ? Has there been any evidence of that ? I’m not disputing our increase in revenue and the associated spending for which RG deserves credit, but I always got the impression that he wouldn’t be putting any more of his own money into the club.

[Frazerbob]

Is he putting money in ? Has there been any evidence of that ? I’m not disputing our increase in revenue and the associated spending for which RG deserves credit, but I always got the impression that he wouldn’t be putting any more of his own money into the club.

Did he not not pay off our debt when he first arrived and plough £1.5m into the budget, over and above that (and the purchase cost). I'm sure others will confirm figures.

[Dmas]

Did he not not pay off our debt when he first arrived and plough £1.5m into the budget, over and above that (and the purchase cost). I'm sure others will confirm figures.

I thought STF sorted the debt and RG put £6m in the bank obviously covid soon after depleted that balance and I’m sure other will know the figures better than me

[Not In The Know]

Well one thing for sure, we can’t complain about not knowing what the plan is with our club. Ron has been clear and consistent around this for a couple of years now.

Increased revenue: he’s taking the tried and tested route of American sports and driving corporate revenue to a completely different level. As well as sponsorship relationships , game day ad revenue - which are creating much higher income levels, they’ve growing up to 40 corporate partnerships a year. Together these things will give us millions of pounds a year more income than before. A real credit to his thinking and the approach. Add to that a major drive of increased revenue per fan..and it’s coming together in a much more commercial way for us.

Improved infrastructure and facilities - he’s delivering big time on this stuff…HTC, sports science, stadium, etc etc. we can’t complain about that - can only help us going forward.

Transfer policy : this season they’ve continued to widen the search to different geographies . To get more value per pound. Hard to argue with that. He recognises it comes with a risk. Players won’t know the league and culture. Could take them longer to settle and perhaps the hit rate could be less than locally sourced players..but we can afford more of them. We are seeing some of that just now. He also acknowledged that the experience / inexperience balance isn’t quite right, but states that a couple more experienced players are being targeted. Get them right, it could make a big difference to our first team.

Selling players each season : the Peter Lawwell strategy…wants to create decent transfer income each year. Hence the focus on young emerging talent. Could be a winner, but will come at a price. Dev team investment costs before they are playing lots of first team games. Will need patience to see if that works for us .

He clearly feels LJ is a better appointment this time around. Over 400 games as a manger, hard to disagree with that. I still feel he will change his transfer approach to a few more proven players this time next season, but overall, as others have said, I’m expecting us to improve through the season. If we can get the key players fit we’ll be able to compete with anyone in the league in a one off match - especially with a couple of additions in defence and midfield.

Too early to say how our season will pan out imo . Could be anywhere from 8th to 5th is my guess…the failure to build on the 3rd place season is still costing us. If we progress as the season goes, should be in a much better place to challenge this time next year…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

This. We just need the football to click.

[Dashing Bob S]

Right now it’s looking like we’re probably behind Hearts and Aberdeen. Very hard to suggest that we are stronger than the team Ross inherited. I reckon the best we can hope for is a 5th/6th battle with Motherwell and Dundee United. Hearts and Aberdeen will be stronger. Already Goodwin looks more like a solid manager with a firm idea of what’s needed to progress in Scottish football.

All I’m sensing in Hibs right now is a disconnect between the board, team management and support. This can’t be great for the players. We look patchy and threadbare and lacking (since McGregor and Gray) driving, inspirational leadership on the park.

[Since452]

Too early to say how we'll do but it will be a much stronger league this season so important we hit the ground running.

[Dashing Bob S]

This. We just need the football to click.

It’s very good and fair post but we’ve been having this debate about getting everything right on the park then getting the football working. We’re now on our second generation of physical and community infrastructure improvements of the park, and still stuck in this debate.

Hibs, like Hearts and Aberdeen, have massive financial advantages over all the other clubs bar the OF. If we are out off the top six and/or being emptied from knock out competitions we are underachieving, pure and simple.

There are times when this can be justified by ‘transition’ but if habitual we have to turn back to a deeper mismanagement of the club. For what it’s worth, I think Gordon gets what the club means to the supporters and understands the potential of it in Scotland and Europe. What I feel he doesn’t get are the basic mechanics of the Scottish game and how you put out a winning side playing decent football.

[Hibernian Verse]

I enjoyed the Q and A. Ron is an incredibly smart individual and I think the people asking the questions should be prepared to back up their points when asking inflammatory questions such as the one about the hardcore supporters not coming back.

If you’re not coming back you’re certainly not a hardcore supporter.

[worcesterhibby]

Finally managed to find the time to listen to the whole podcast and once again I’m impressed with Ron. Personally I think the ‘disconnect with the fans” question was a bit stupid…if we have a winning team on the park, playing good football, there is no disconnect…if we have an unsuccessful team playing boring football there is a disconnect. It’s not rocket science and it’s nothing to do with community work or good/bad social media and Comms..it’s simple..we need a team that plays with style, finishes in the top 5 and regularly beats hearts. Of course once we manage to do that for 3 years running people will start demanding more……….. “ getting into Europe and beating hearts a couple of times is fine…but the only thing that defines success is trophies…so Ron has failed” I can hear it now ! :greengrin

well done to the long bangers crew again, great listen, thank you for putting in the work.

[Hibs90]

If you’re not coming back you’re certainly not a hardcore supporter.

Says who? Uber fan alert.

[davhibby]

It’s very good and fair post but we’ve been having this debate about getting everything right on the park then getting the football working. We’re now on our second generation of physical and community infrastructure improvements of the park, and still stuck in this debate.

Hibs, like Hearts and Aberdeen, have massive financial advantages over all the other clubs bar the OF. If we are out off the top six and/or being emptied from knock out competitions we are underachieving, pure and simple.

There are times when this can be justified by ‘transition’ but if habitual we have to turn back to a deeper mismanagement of the club. For what it’s worth, I think Gordon gets what the club means to the supporters and understands the potential of it in Scotland and Europe. What I feel he doesn’t get are the basic mechanics of the Scottish game and how you put out a winning side playing decent football.

The difference here is that we have historically had a large financial disadvantage even compared to Hearts and Aberdeen. We’re currently making big strides to close that gap. We’re spending much more on the squad now, over the next few months that could all click in to place. If this window ends up working out then that could be the springboard to us pushing on. If it doesn’t then I’m not sure where that leaves us tbh

[Turkish Green]

Now that RG is on the SPFL Board for 2022-2023, I assume he is now based in Scotland full-time or will he commute?

[Billy Whizz]

Now that RG is on the SPFL Board for 2022-2023, I assume he is now based in Scotland full-time or will he commute?

Was he not on it last season too?

[Turkish Green]

Was he not on it last season too?

indeed he was. Silly me for not checking.

[Danderhall Hibs]

I enjoyed the Q and A. Ron is an incredibly smart individual and I think the people asking the questions should be prepared to back up their points when asking inflammatory questions such as the one about the hardcore supporters not coming back.

If you’re not coming back you’re certainly not a hardcore supporter.

It is heresay however the empty seats should tell a story. I don’t think it was wrong to ask the question though - I’ve seen some criticism around how the questions should’ve been harder but no examples of what other than ranting about when it’s going be be fixed/better. Based on RG in these q&a sessions he doesn’t take any **** so that type of rant wouldn’t wash.

[matty_f]

Says who? Uber fan alert.

I don’t think that’s an uber fan statement, i think by definition if you’re a hardcore supporter you don’t turn your back on the team and you go to the games.

[matty_f]

It is heresay however the empty seats should tell a story. I don’t think it was wrong to ask the question though - I’ve seen some criticism around how the questions should’ve been harder but no examples of what other than ranting about when it’s going be be fixed/better. Based on RG in these q&a sessions he doesn’t take any **** so that type of rant wouldn’t wash.

As someone asking the questions and have seen some of that criticism about being harder on Ron Gordon, my own view is that if I was listening/watching I would want to see a respectful conversation. I’m not interested in seeing someone getting shouted down, interrupted, or having the same question fired at them over and over.

I’d rather hear what the person has to say - less from the podcasters and not from the subject. Whether folk agree with the answers or not is another thing, but I’d rather hear from them.

The other thing, is that when we’re in asking the questions we try to get the balance right and we’re not going for either extreme (too hard/too soft) as we know that the audience covers both extremes but mostly the in-between so we have an idea of what the important topics are, generally.

In this Q&A between us we covered the Cup exit, the admin error, going through two managers, the inexperience of the senior staff (specifically Kensell and Ian Gordon), the inexperienced signings including a perception of penny pinching or going for cheap loan deals, if the squad was ready for the start of the season and more that Ron volunteered himself.

We’ve only got an hour, the interview was arranged at short notice and we all do day jobs. As I said on the Bounce, we’re not Paxman or media trained so that should be taken into consideration.

When it went out, it went out free, nobody has had to pay to watch it and nobody has commissioned us to go and have some hard hitting Interview so while the feedback is taken on board, the Q&A is what it is, a bunch of guys doing their best to try and get something watchable/listenable out to Hibs fans about their club.

The point about having evidence to back up questions is fair, i think the question was fine and had there been more time to put things together there might have been more opportunity to gather that evidence.

[Baldy Foghorn]

RG gets quite defensive at some questions, but comes over as passionate, I'll give him that.

However the survey wasn't the first, and Hibs Kids wasn't defunct. I think he gets how we are results driven, so hopefully we get off to a good start, but wouldn't consider us to be behind Aberdeen.

[Baldy Foghorn]

Says who? Uber fan alert.

Uber fan, I hate this term. If you give up going because you think we are not good, then you are not hardcore, simple concept really

[Hibernian Verse]

Says who? Uber fan alert.

Just my opinion. Maybe it’s a curse, but hardcore fans are hardcore fans - they don’t just go during the good times.

People think they’re hardcore fans because they come on here and shout down the team and the board then watch the next game on their arse on a firestick.

[Hibernian Verse]

As someone asking the questions and have seen some of that criticism about being harder on Ron Gordon, my own view is that if I was listening/watching I would want to see a respectful conversation. I’m not interested in seeing someone getting shouted down, interrupted, or having the same question fired at them over and over.

I’d rather hear what the person has to say - less from the podcasters and not from the subject. Whether folk agree with the answers or not is another thing, but I’d rather hear from them.

The other thing, is that when we’re in asking the questions we try to get the balance right and we’re not going for either extreme (too hard/too soft) as we know that the audience covers both extremes but mostly the in-between so we have an idea of what the important topics are, generally.

In this Q&A between us we covered the Cup exit, the admin error, going through two managers, the inexperience of the senior staff (specifically Kensell and Ian Gordon), the inexperienced signings including a perception of penny pinching or going for cheap loan deals, if the squad was ready for the start of the season and more that Ron volunteered himself.

We’ve only got an hour, the interview was arranged at short notice and we all do day jobs. As I said on the Bounce, we’re not Paxman or media trained so that should be taken into consideration.

When it went out, it went out free, nobody has had to pay to watch it and nobody has commissioned us to go and have some hard hitting Interview so while the feedback is taken on board, the Q&A is what it is, a bunch of guys doing their best to try and get something watchable/listenable out to Hibs fans about their club.

The point about having evidence to back up questions is fair, i think the question was fine and had there been more time to put things together there might have been more opportunity to gather that evidence.

It wasn’t your questions, Matty.

[007]

Uber fan, I hate this term. If you give up going because you think we are not good, then you are not hardcore, simple concept really

Not hardcore, so just some tits then?

[matty_f]

It wasn’t your questions, Matty.

:aok:

[Gloucester Hibs]

Not hardcore, so just some tits then?

A 90’s erotic thriller, starring Shannon Tweed

[Not In The Know]

It’s very good and fair post but we’ve been having this debate about getting everything right on the park then getting the football working. We’re now on our second generation of physical and community infrastructure improvements of the park, and still stuck in this debate.

Hibs, like Hearts and Aberdeen, have massive financial advantages over all the other clubs bar the OF. If we are out off the top six and/or being emptied from knock out competitions we are underachieving, pure and simple.

There are times when this can be justified by ‘transition’ but if habitual we have to turn back to a deeper mismanagement of the club. For what it’s worth, I think Gordon gets what the club means to the supporters and understands the potential of it in Scotland and Europe. What I feel he doesn’t get are the basic mechanics of the Scottish game and how you put out a winning side playing decent football.

i think you are answering your own question. 👍 This is Ron’s first go at establishing an infrastructure as he knows it’s key. It’s not his fault it’s not been done correctly before.

I think his quick dismissal of Ross was partly down to he felt he’d improved the club all over but the football side hadn’t. He brought in Maloney on a bit of gamble and quickly realised it was a mistake.

im glad Ross went, so not too fussed about that decision. Maloney was a disaster and they sussed that too. FWIW I think Johnston will be good. I can see why he’s pissed off when folk think the place is a shambles.

[Not In The Know]

It wasn’t your questions, Matty.

Do you really think Kensell was a cheap option? He was prob on more at Norwich than what Dempster was on at hibs.

[Since90+2]

i think you are answering your own question. 👍 This is Ron’s first go at establishing an infrastructure as he knows it’s key. It’s not his fault it’s not been done correctly before.

I think his quick dismissal of Ross was partly down to he felt he’d improved the club all over but the football side hadn’t. He brought in Maloney on a bit of gamble and quickly realised it was a mistake.

im glad Ross went, so not too fussed about that decision. Maloney was a disaster and they sussed that too. FWIW I think Johnston will be good. I can see why he’s pissed off when folk think the place is a shambles.

I'm baffled as to why any Hibs fan would be glad that Ross went with hindsight, without a shadow of a doubt he was a better manager than Maloney

[WhileTheChief..]

As someone asking the questions and have seen some of that criticism about being harder on Ron Gordon, my own view is that if I was listening/watching I would want to see a respectful conversation. I’m not interested in seeing someone getting shouted down, interrupted, or having the same question fired at them over and over.

I’d rather hear what the person has to say - less from the podcasters and not from the subject. Whether folk agree with the answers or not is another thing, but I’d rather hear from them.

The other thing, is that when we’re in asking the questions we try to get the balance right and we’re not going for either extreme (too hard/too soft) as we know that the audience covers both extremes but mostly the in-between so we have an idea of what the important topics are, generally.

In this Q&A between us we covered the Cup exit, the admin error, going through two managers, the inexperience of the senior staff (specifically Kensell and Ian Gordon), the inexperienced signings including a perception of penny pinching or going for cheap loan deals, if the squad was ready for the start of the season and more that Ron volunteered himself.

We’ve only got an hour, the interview was arranged at short notice and we all do day jobs. As I said on the Bounce, we’re not Paxman or media trained so that should be taken into consideration.

When it went out, it went out free, nobody has had to pay to watch it and nobody has commissioned us to go and have some hard hitting Interview so while the feedback is taken on board, the Q&A is what it is, a bunch of guys doing their best to try and get something watchable/listenable out to Hibs fans about their club.

The point about having evidence to back up questions is fair, i think the question was fine and had there been more time to put things together there might have been more opportunity to gather that evidence.

The podcast was excellent and you all struck just the right tone.

More abrasive and you wouldn’t get as open answers from RG.

Too soft and folk like me would just think your just sooking up and we wouldn’t learn anything.

The way you all approached it meant that RG knew exactly how the fanbase was feeling and it gave him the opportunity to give us the club’s take on things.

As you say, not everyone will like everything said but it’s a zillion times better than silence.

[matty_f]

The podcast was excellent and you all struck just the right tone.

More abrasive and you wouldn’t get as open answers from RG.

Too soft and folk like me would just think your just sooking up and we wouldn’t learn anything.

The way you all approached it meant that RG knew exactly how the fanbase was feeling and it gave him the opportunity to give us the club’s take on things.

As you say, not everyone will like everything said but it’s a zillion times better than silence.

Thank you.

[LewysGot2]

The podcast was excellent and you all struck just the right tone.

More abrasive and you wouldn’t get as open answers from RG.

Too soft and folk like me would just think your just sooking up and we wouldn’t learn anything.

The way you all approached it meant that RG knew exactly how the fanbase was feeling and it gave him the opportunity to give us the club’s take on things.

As you say, not everyone will like everything said but it’s a zillion times better than silence.

I agree. Well put.

Haw, Ronnie boy. Why are we so *****?


Really not going to cut it...

[Not In The Know]

I'm baffled as to why any Hibs fan would be glad that Ross went with hindsight, without a shadow of a doubt he was a better manager than Maloney

yep agreed. I’d prob do a better job than Maloney tho!

[ancient hibee]

As someone asking the questions and have seen some of that criticism about being harder on Ron Gordon, my own view is that if I was listening/watching I would want to see a respectful conversation. I’m not interested in seeing someone getting shouted down, interrupted, or having the same question fired at them over and over.

I’d rather hear what the person has to say - less from the podcasters and not from the subject. Whether folk agree with the answers or not is another thing, but I’d rather hear from them.

The other thing, is that when we’re in asking the questions we try to get the balance right and we’re not going for either extreme (too hard/too soft) as we know that the audience covers both extremes but mostly the in-between so we have an idea of what the important topics are, generally.

In this Q&A between us we covered the Cup exit, the admin error, going through two managers, the inexperience of the senior staff (specifically Kensell and Ian Gordon), the inexperienced signings including a perception of penny pinching or going for cheap loan deals, if the squad was ready for the start of the season and more that Ron volunteered himself.

We’ve only got an hour, the interview was arranged at short notice and we all do day jobs. As I said on the Bounce, we’re not Paxman or media trained so that should be taken into consideration.

When it went out, it went out free, nobody has had to pay to watch it and nobody has commissioned us to go and have some hard hitting Interview so while the feedback is taken on board, the Q&A is what it is, a bunch of guys doing their best to try and get something watchable/listenable out to Hibs fans about their club.

The point about having evidence to back up questions is fair, i think the question was fine and had there been more time to put things together there might have been more opportunity to gather that evidence.


:top marks

[IberianHibernian]

I'm baffled as to why any Hibs fan would be glad that Ross went with hindsight, without a shadow of a doubt he was a better manager than MaloneyI realise I`m in a minority here but I can certainly understand why we got rid of Ross and think it was a mistake to get rid of Maloney . Ideally Ross would have left after St J cup final defeat and Maloney would hve been appointed then but that might not have been possible then . Anyway , time to look ahead . LJ has had a great advantage of taking over in summer so has had pre season to get to know players and club in general . LC elimination has been a terrible start for club and LJ but he now has time to improve things .

[BoomtownHibees]

I realise I`m in a minority here but I can certainly understand why we got rid of Ross and think it was a mistake to get rid of Maloney . Ideally Ross would have left after St J cup final defeat and Maloney would hve been appointed then but that might not have been possible then . Anyway , time to look ahead . LJ has had a great advantage of taking over in summer so has had pre season to get to know players and club in general . LC elimination has been a terrible start for club and LJ but he now has time to improve things .

You reckon it was a mistake to get rid of Maloney?

[MelbourneHibees]

As someone asking the questions and have seen some of that criticism about being harder on Ron Gordon, my own view is that if I was listening/watching I would want to see a respectful conversation. I’m not interested in seeing someone getting shouted down, interrupted, or having the same question fired at them over and over.

I’d rather hear what the person has to say - less from the podcasters and not from the subject. Whether folk agree with the answers or not is another thing, but I’d rather hear from them.

The other thing, is that when we’re in asking the questions we try to get the balance right and we’re not going for either extreme (too hard/too soft) as we know that the audience covers both extremes but mostly the in-between so we have an idea of what the important topics are, generally.

In this Q&A between us we covered the Cup exit, the admin error, going through two managers, the inexperience of the senior staff (specifically Kensell and Ian Gordon), the inexperienced signings including a perception of penny pinching or going for cheap loan deals, if the squad was ready for the start of the season and more that Ron volunteered himself.

We’ve only got an hour, the interview was arranged at short notice and we all do day jobs. As I said on the Bounce, we’re not Paxman or media trained so that should be taken into consideration.

When it went out, it went out free, nobody has had to pay to watch it and nobody has commissioned us to go and have some hard hitting Interview so while the feedback is taken on board, the Q&A is what it is, a bunch of guys doing their best to try and get something watchable/listenable out to Hibs fans about their club.

The point about having evidence to back up questions is fair, i think the question was fine and had there been more time to put things together there might have been more opportunity to gather that evidence.
I think the balance was perfect. Tough enough questions and he never shirked away really. Only thing I'd have pressed on more would have been the Rocky situation. He sort of merged that answer with McGinn.

[Since452]

You reckon it was a mistake to get rid of Maloney?

I was a huge Ross fan but the problem wasn't sacking him it was hiring Maloney as his replacement. That wasn't the time to be having a hopeful punt. Horrible decision and set us back considerably. Hindsight is a wonderful thing I guess.

[Just_Jimmy]

Not seeing results for a few years isn’t really an acceptable plan though. Don’t expect Hibs to win every game, not even close. But folk won’t continue to shell out a lot of money in the hope of results in a few years time.
There are also a hell of a lot of Scottish players who could have improved us beyond what we’ve seen over the last year.It's also true to say that Hibs generally do best when they have a core of young Scottish players.

They know the league and style and the fans can connect with them.

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[Just_Jimmy]

Understand first bit which is why League Cup exit is so bad as our great cup runs this century under numerous managers have helped forget poor league form and also helped financially . If we`re going to have a seriously strong and entertaining team from say 2024 / 25 people might accept midtable league positions in next 2 saons if we`re not relegated , do something in cups and progress can be seen eg Melkerson scoring 10 this season , 15 next year . Remember strong ( meaning challenging for top 2 not just occasional top 3 ) team would be made up of players fans have watched develop over several years so with a strong affinity to our club .
As for Scottish players , who are you talking about ? Players who would have accepted our wages and improved the squad immediately .Except they'd just all be bought as soon as they showed any real promise or before we reached that level.

6 million fees tells me we're still and always will be a selling club and we're not investing it properly into the first team.



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[Mikey_1875]

I thought the questions were fine and got across to Ron the main concerns that a lot of fans have.

On a side note Ron mentioned the survey quite a lot, has he ever indicated that these results would be published or what action the club is taking off the back of the survey?

[CapitalGreen]

I thought the questions were fine and got across to Ron the main concerns that a lot of fans have.

On a side note Ron mentioned the survey quite a lot, has he ever indicated that these results would be published or what action the club is taking off the back of the survey?

https://www.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/aos-hibernian-fan-engagement-study-apr2022.pdf

[bigwheel]

https://www.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/aos-hibernian-fan-engagement-study-apr2022.pdf

Thanks for sharing that - never seen the results before.

[Mikey_1875]

https://www.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/aos-hibernian-fan-engagement-study-apr2022.pdf

Cheers :aok:

[Billy Whizz]

https://www.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/aos-hibernian-fan-engagement-study-apr2022.pdf

Ta, was this ever published to the fans

[hibeejeebies]

https://www.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/aos-hibernian-fan-engagement-study-apr2022.pdf

Cheers CG, enjoyed that 👍🏻

[Dunbar Hibee]

Cheers for posting Longbangers/Matty.

I’ve never had much of an opinion on Ron Gordon but I’ll be honest interview sent some alarm bells for me. Hope I’m wrong of course but he just doesn’t seem to get it.

[LewysGot2]

Thanks for posting that. Took part in it when it happened but interesting to see the outcomes.

The geographical and legacy links for supporters is probably not a surprise. Good to see the report recommends that the club don't take that for granted.

[.Sean.]

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/ron-gordon-1000-committed-to-hibs-as-he-speaks-on-premier-sports-cup-disaster-clubs-progress-and-his-five-year-plan-3782923?fbclid=IwAR1zIUq51k_9aowUfmvu0eB5qEh9WtjlJ wRUtFweSIXd61Xely6jUbYVkfc

New interview

[OldEast]

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/ron-gordon-1000-committed-to-hibs-as-he-speaks-on-premier-sports-cup-disaster-clubs-progress-and-his-five-year-plan-3782923?fbclid=IwAR1zIUq51k_9aowUfmvu0eB5qEh9WtjlJ wRUtFweSIXd61Xely6jUbYVkfc

New interview

He speaks so well doesn't he. He's creating what he sees as a great business at Easter road, and where he sees that leading to improvements on the park is where his vision differs from the fanbase. The majority want to see immediate improvement and he now realises that. This season I'm sure the two will meet. The future's bright I'm convinced.

[BoomtownHibees]

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/ron-gordon-1000-committed-to-hibs-as-he-speaks-on-premier-sports-cup-disaster-clubs-progress-and-his-five-year-plan-3782923?fbclid=IwAR1zIUq51k_9aowUfmvu0eB5qEh9WtjlJ wRUtFweSIXd61Xely6jUbYVkfc

New interview

A wee tip if trying to read this on your phone and it’s behind a paywall:

Click on the link and then very quickly put your phone in to ‘Airplane Mode’. You should now be able to read the full article

[the_ginger_hibee]

A wee tip if trying to read this on your phone and it’s behind a paywall:

Click on the link and then very quickly put your phone in to ‘Airplane Mode’. You should now be able to read the full article

Can also paste the address of any paywall article into this site: https://12ft.io/

Which will display the page without paywall.

[sahpaton]

A wee tip if trying to read this on your phone and it’s behind a paywall:

Click on the link and then very quickly put your phone in to ‘Airplane Mode’. You should now be able to read the full article

Can also copy and paste the link to here https://12ft.io/

[Alex Trager]

A wee tip if trying to read this on your phone and it’s behind a paywall:

Click on the link and then very quickly put your phone in to ‘Airplane Mode’. You should now be able to read the full article

I also get the option of ‘I’ll do it later’ on the paywall box

[Dalianwanda]

He speaks so well doesn't he. He's creating what he sees as a great business at Easter road, and where he sees that leading to improvements on the park is where his vision differs from the fanbase. The majority want to see immediate improvement and he now realises that. This season I'm sure the two will meet. The future's bright I'm convinced.

Very good read…and before it’s said he does get what ultimately matters is on the park. I honestly think we’re in very good hands (who isn’t afraid to admit he’s learning as he goes)

[KWJ]

Very good read…and before it’s said he does get what ultimately matters is on the park. I honestly think we’re in very good hands (who isn’t afraid to admit he’s learning as he goes)

Yeah, he's made mistakes and he'll make more but I don't understand how anybody can say he doesn't have the clubs best interests at heart.

[GreenGray]

Yeah, he's made mistakes and he'll make more but I don't understand how anybody can say he doesn't have the clubs best interests at heart.

Agree with you on the best interests part but does it have to be a situation where it’s accepted that he has made mistakes and he’ll make more. Are we really in a position where we can afford that many mistakes?

Could you say if he appointed a director of football to advise him on the football side of things less mistakes would be made?


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[worcesterhibby]

Great read, I love the way Ron speaks.

[Coco Bryce]

A wee tip if trying to read this on your phone and it’s behind a paywall:

Click on the link and then very quickly put your phone in to ‘Airplane Mode’. You should now be able to read the full article

Or just put the link in here...:wink:

https://12ft.io/

[jacomo]

Or just put the link in here...:wink:

https://12ft.io/


Sadly the more sophisticated paywalls are getting wise to this. Obviously the Scotsman is not the most sophisticated paywall…

[jacomo]

Agree with you on the best interests part but does it have to be a situation where it’s accepted that he has made mistakes and he’ll make more. Are we really in a position where we can afford that many mistakes?

Could you say if he appointed a director of football to advise him on the football side of things less mistakes would be made?


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He wants to shake things up, he wants to transform the club. This means taking risks, and taking risks means that mistakes will be made.

I can criticise a host of things that the club have got wrong over the past three years but the direction of travel is exciting. The chairman is passionate and driven. And he’s clearly nobody’s fool.

[KWJ]

Agree with you on the best interests part but does it have to be a situation where it’s accepted that he has made mistakes and he’ll make more. Are we really in a position where we can afford that many mistakes?

Could you say if he appointed a director of football to advise him on the football side of things less mistakes would be made?


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It's important that he learns from the mistakes, that goes without saying. It seems that rather than an individual DoF there are a few people involved including the manager. We had some success with George Craig running football operations but it's all different titles and roles, the work is still getting done.

[GreenGray]

It's important that he learns from the mistakes, that goes without saying. It seems that rather than an individual DoF there are a few people involved including the manager. We had some success with George Craig running football operations but it's all different titles and roles, the work is still getting done.

Just worries me that those ranked above LJ who are making the football decisions are out of their depth. Ian Gordon doesn’t have much experience and then Kensell who’s expertise is in marketing and it was him who said we should go after Maloney which we subsequently did??


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[Brightside]

Just to bring the mood down I’ll say it’s the same piece he gives to the evening news every 6 months. He’s repeated all that he said on the recent chat with the Pods. At the least the Pods ask him difficult qns (even tho he doesn’t answer them). Very little is actually said about recent mistakes on and a off the field and it’s all covered by the amazing progress he is seeing. Ultimately we will be successful because if we aren’t he’s going to lose a lot of gold. But let’s be a bit more upfront about the basic mistakes that have been happening recently.

[WhileTheChief..]

Of course he’s repeating what he’s said before, the interview was done within a day or 2 of the podcasts.

It would have been pretty weird if he gave a different set of answers.

[Dalianwanda]

Just worries me that those ranked above LJ who are making the football decisions are out of their depth. Ian Gordon doesn’t have much experience and then Kensell who’s expertise is in marketing and it was him who said we should go after Maloney which we subsequently did??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I thought it was LJ making the football decisions with the others there to support him?

[andrew70]

Of course he’s repeating what he’s said before, the interview was done within a day or 2 of the podcasts.

It would have been pretty weird if he gave a different set of answers.

Exactly and he’s not exactly shirking anything. He’s clearly got a model for the club and the business. I am certain it will configure well this season.

He’s extremely up front, the club are very open and they don’t miss anything. We are in good hands

[Alfred E Newman]

I thought it was LJ making the football decisions with the others there to support him?

That’s what I would think.
Surely the manager has to have the final say on signing players. Any other arrangement is a recipe for disaster.

[GreenGray]

I thought it was LJ making the football decisions with the others there to support him?

Wasn’t just referring to those sort of football decisions. Did Ron not come out and say it was Kensall who recommended Maloney?


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[blackpoolhibs]

Just to bring the mood down I’ll say it’s the same piece he gives to the evening news every 6 months. He’s repeated all that he said on the recent chat with the Pods. At the least the Pods ask him difficult qns (even tho he doesn’t answer them). Very little is actually said about recent mistakes on and a off the field and it’s all covered by the amazing progress he is seeing. Ultimately we will be successful because if we aren’t he’s going to lose a lot of gold. But let’s be a bit more upfront about the basic mistakes that have been happening recently.

That is my hope, but the players put to LJ need to be better than currently have been for it to work IMHO.

I can see more sackings going forward, but sackings above the manager if that does not happen, as i dont think Ron wants to look stupid again, by getting rid of another manager who's not given the quality of players he needs.

[Hibs90]

Where have I heard of a 5 year plan before? :wink:

[7Hero]

How can anyone say its going to come to fruition this year?

What are you basing this on?

[matty_f]

I genuinely think that we are going in the right direction and that as owner, Gordon has set about putting down the foundations for sustained improvement.

There aren’t any certain ways of achieving success at any level, let alone in Scottish football. Rangers have spent north of £100m since the new club started and have one title and one Scottish Cup to their name.

For Celtic, Champions League progress is success, and despite the biggest budget in the country they've not made an impact at that level for years.

Man City, can't buy a Champions League win..

The risk in Gordon's plan is the unpredictability of player trading. No signing is a guaranteed success so having player trading as a cornerstone of your strategy means you need to be both very good and very lucky, neither are (imho) good enough on their own.

That's why it's important to underpin that activity with other income and the commercial performance of the club is in rude health.

All of that counts for nothing if the team is murder though, so everything rests on that strategy conning together. We saw what poor recruitment does to all aspects of the club last season.

For Ron to succeed, Hibs needs to succeed on the pitch. Everything rests on that.

You can match up what we see delivered with what's been promised on that strategy, and because I believe the strategy is probably the best one for a club like Hibs, seeing that progress gives me confidence that it's only a matter of time before we see it on the pitch and that success will be inevitable and sustained.

[matty_f]

How can anyone say its going to come to fruition this year?

What are you basing this on?

I would be surprised if we saw it this year, being honest. I've said elsewhere that I think we'll finish the season well and I think that this time next year there will be a huge buzz around the club.

[Since452]

We're definitely going down the Bodo Glimt/Midtjylland route. It's a really interesting and quite exciting strategy. Will it work? Bugger knows but to me it's better than the usual boring journeyman tactic and it sets us apart from others in this country. You won't get anywhere against the old firm doing the same thing over and over again.

[Mick O'Rourke]

Where have I heard of a 5 year plan before? :wink:


In relation to football ,the first time i heard the phrase "5 year plan" was during an interview with a former owner of Celtic by the name of Fergus McCann.
Man of his word was Fergus and he left Celtic Park in a far better place after his 5 years at the helm.


C'mon the Ron !

[JimBHibees]

Just to bring the mood down I’ll say it’s the same piece he gives to the evening news every 6 months. He’s repeated all that he said on the recent chat with the Pods. At the least the Pods ask him difficult qns (even tho he doesn’t answer them). Very little is actually said about recent mistakes on and a off the field and it’s all covered by the amazing progress he is seeing. Ultimately we will be successful because if we aren’t he’s going to lose a lot of gold. But let’s be a bit more upfront about the basic mistakes that have been happening recently.

On the podcasts thought he was quite honest on areas we were struggling in. Personally really like his enthusiasm about the club.

[IberianHibernian]

How can anyone say its going to come to fruition this year?

What are you basing this on?I don`t think many people are expecting a successful season ( successful being 3rd or 4th and maybe a cup final or better too ) but that doesn`t mean we can`t be optimistic about prolonged success in longer term . Personally I think there`s a good chance we`ll be outside top 8 at World Cup break but will then climb the table and finish in top 6 . Top 6 is nothing to celebrate but real success will be in 2 or 3 years`time and hopefully not just odd 3rd place like 2021 . Could be a bumpy ride to that success or even very bumpy ( relegation in worst possible case ) but I think there are reasons for optimism if fans continue to show patience and support and club explain what`s going on clearly .

[Brightside]

On the podcasts thought he was quite honest on areas we were struggling in. Personally really like his enthusiasm about the club.

I don’t think he was honest at all when asked about the McGinn contract or the Rocky contract. As I say it probably doesn’t matter, if he can continue to improve the finances of the club, but I don’t see any of the openness that so many talk about and all I really see is an experienced business owner that nows how to give good press.

[BILLYHIBS]

I don’t think he was honest at all when asked about the McGinn contract or the Rocky contract. As I say it probably doesn’t matter, if he can continue to improve the finances of the club, but I don’t see any of the openness that so many talk about and all I really see is an experienced business owner that nows how to give good press.

He said that McGinn had a trigger to extend his contract due to the amount of games he had played that was why it was renewed but he wasn’t going to be a starter so they sat down with the player and it was decided that if he wanted game time in the twilight of his career he would be better looking for a better longer contract elsewhere and Hibs would not stand in his way

Hibs decided to take up the option to sign Rocky after the loan because he is a player in development and will continue to improve

Sounded straight forward and honest enough to me

Not sure I would have signed Rocky based on last season’s performances but what do I know ?

Not unless Hibs were duty bound to buy him due to the amount of games he had played but that was never discussed?

[Crunchie]

I don’t think he was honest at all when asked about the McGinn contract or the Rocky contract. As I say it probably doesn’t matter, if he can continue to improve the finances of the club, but I don’t see any of the openness that so many talk about and all I really see is an experienced business owner that nows how to give good press.
So you're calling him a liar?

[overdrive]

I don’t think he was honest at all when asked about the McGinn contract or the Rocky contract. As I say it probably doesn’t matter, if he can continue to improve the finances of the club, but I don’t see any of the openness that so many talk about and all I really see is an experienced business owner that nows how to give good press.

To be fair to him I don’t think he was lying on the McGinn issue. He seemed completely unaware of what happened and needed his assistant off camera to correct him.

[Phil MaGlass]

Right now it’s looking like we’re probably behind Hearts and Aberdeen. Very hard to suggest that we are stronger than the team Ross inherited. I reckon the best we can hope for is a 5th/6th battle with Motherwell and Dundee United. Hearts and Aberdeen will be stronger. Already Goodwin looks more like a solid manager with a firm idea of what’s needed to progress in Scottish football.

All I’m sensing in Hibs right now is a disconnect between the board, team management and support. This can’t be great for the players. We look patchy and threadbare and lacking (since McGregor and Gray) driving, inspirational leadership on the park.



Maybe this should have been brought up in the Q&A, unless I missed it of course?

[Danderhall Hibs]

[/B]

Maybe this should have been brought up in the Q&A, unless I missed it of course?

Yeah you missed it - was asked and dismissed by RG who asked for examples.

[JimBHibees]

I don’t think he was honest at all when asked about the McGinn contract or the Rocky contract. As I say it probably doesn’t matter, if he can continue to improve the finances of the club, but I don’t see any of the openness that so many talk about and all I really see is an experienced business owner that nows how to give good press.

Got the impression he didnt really know the detail rather than not honest. Think his communications are good in general.

[patlowe]

Yeah you missed it - was asked and dismissed by RG who asked for examples.

Yeah it was definitely asked. At the time I was quite frustrated as there were no underlying specifics in the question, despite being quite provocative, so I felt it was quite reasonable for Ron to bat it away. In hindsight, his defensiveness was striking as it indicates he gets quite frustrated with negativity among the support and might have a bit of a tin ear to why some fans might have some questions/concerns around the overall culture or direction of the club at the moment. So in that sense the question was worthwhile.

[DTS]

Of course he’s repeating what he’s said before, the interview was done within a day or 2 of the podcasts.

It would have been pretty weird if he gave a different set of answers.

It was actually carried out directly before we recorded with Ron lol

[Cropley10]

I think everyone is being way too critical and quick to judge here.

You just need to look around our own stadium to see the steady and very positive changes occurring (soon to have massively revamped and improved corporate hospitality as well). Ron Gordon is carefully laying strong revenue-generating foundations which will give us a really strong platform to perform on the park with in the future.

Yesterday was a disaster, Falkirk was a disaster and the Bushiri suspension was also a nightmare. It's almost like we shouldn't have sacked Jack Ross when we did, but the majority on here were calling for his head and it more to me looks like a collective case of be careful what you wish for. We as a support have a miraculously low-patience for any form of crisis (our managerial turnaround past 20 years is among the worst in the UK), although given the scarring of the Calderwood, Fenlon and Butcher era I can also get it. Lets just not start hounding our new owners as well who are blatantly invested in making us better.

Let's see where we are at by Christmas with this squad and take it from there.

We’ll know where we are long before Christmas.

Peculiar that he thought that what ER needed was massively upgraded hospitality facilities. Let’s see how utilised that it is, or isn’t.

[flash]

We’ll know where we are long before Christmas.

Peculiar that he thought that what ER needed was massively upgraded hospitality facilities. Let’s see how utilised that it is, or isn’t.

It did need that really badly.

Peculiar you don't see that.

[Ringothedog]

It did need that really badly.

Peculiar you don't see that.

Our stadium and facilities were near enough on a par with the club on the other side of the city. That’s how bad and neglected they were

[Callum_62]

We’ll know where we are long before Christmas.

Peculiar that he thought that what ER needed was massively upgraded hospitality facilities. Let’s see how utilised that it is, or isn’t.Isnt the higher end hospitality nigh on sold out at much bigger prices than previous?

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[Smartie]

Our stadium and facilities were near enough on a par with the club on the other side of the city. That’s how bad and neglected they were

I wondered if there was a "keeping up with the Joneses" aspect to the improvement in the hospitality offering. They've upped their game big time on the other side of the city and we probably needed to do likewise.

Still, it's strange to be being critical of something that appears to have been a success - fans rocking up to pay money into the club as a result.

There are plenty of things to be critical of the club over before you need to start on the things that we're seemingly doing well.

[Since452]

Last time I was in the west stand was on the stadium tour before Ron arrived and it looked really tatty. Carpets worn etc. Really surprised me how neglected it looked. Wonder if this has been sorted?

[WhileTheChief..]

Last time I was in the west stand was on the stadium tour before Ron arrived and it looked really tatty. Carpets worn etc. Really surprised me how neglected it looked. Wonder if this has been sorted?

Yup. Press room, changing rooms, stairways..... everywhere was just really run down.

I've no problem with the club spending money to spruce the place up. I want ER to look the best it can be and to reflect on us as being a top club in Scotland.

[Glory Lurker]

Sorry if covered already, but only watching just now and quite confused to hear RG saying Hibs Kids was defunct until recently. Nobody challenged this. What am I missing?

[Danderhall Hibs]

Sorry if covered already, but only watching just now and quite confused to hear RG saying Hibs Kids was defunct until recently. Nobody challenged this. What am I missing?

Don’t think anyone knew enough - there’s not been mascots until recently, no Christmas parties etc.