| Well, just when you thought
you had seen the last of us, here we are back with our first print of ‘ Hibees Here,
Hibees There ’ for some 20 months, and what a f****** 20 months at that ! We
don’t really want to belabour the events of the last season or so too much, that
would result in too many tears for us & too much pleasure for any Jambo misguided
enough to read this fanzine in the hope of finding a fair minded, objective assessment of
their " triumph " of last season. Ye gods!! Albion, Clydebank, & Ayr at
home, Falkirk at neutral, followed by a second minute penalty against the Huns in Glasgow.
You would have got shorter odds on the next puff of white smoke announcing Ian Paisley was
Pope ! Yeah we’re bitter & we’re proud of it. Anyway, enough of that & here’s to the next 36 years.
We do have to look backwards slightly again
just to thank everyone who helped make the last 2 issues of HHHT a sell out & to
apologise to them & to the members of London Hibs for our inability to produce a
fanzine since then. It is sometimes difficult to maintain the enthusiasm & energy to
ensure ( hopefully ) a quality product when you are 400 miles from Easter Road &
continually feel dumped on from a great height through trying to support the club you
love. We do reflect on the great changes which have occurred at Easter Road elsewhere in
the fanzine with a listing of ins & outs at Hibs in the last 20 months. I’m sure
you will find some we have missed, particularly as our list was produced following a
brainstorming / brainnumbing session post our September meeting which coincided with our
gubbing from St Johnstone.
We do not intend in this issue either to
devote a lot of space to the great debates which have raged concerning Tom Farmer, Hands
On Hibs etc. This is not a cop out on our part, rather it is difficult to produce informed
opinion from a remote location & national news items on Hibs this season are
considerably reduced from last. We also feel that our good friends at Mass Hibsteria have
given comprehensive coverage to the topic in a fashion that we could not possibly hope to
emulate. One purely personal perspective is that I have known Simon Pia for what seems
like far too many years & I believe his integrity to be beyond question. One day I
believe we may all recognise the debt we owe Simon for his persistence & courage in
the face of considerable intimidation. On the other hand we must also say that our
personal relations with the last 3 Chairmen of Hibs, Cromb, Gold & O’Malley, have
never been anything less than amicable & they have always responded positively to
suggestions & criticism emanating from London Hibs.
We have decided in this fanzine therefore
to do what we think we’re best at & that is supporting Hibs & slagging
Hearts. To that extent we have included certain articles which may now not seem
appropriate given the events of the last 20 months but which just might still raise a
smile, even if a slightly uncertain one.
Anyway, in looking to the future, no one
can deny that this season has been anything other than eventful. From the lows of defeat
at home to Stranraer to, as I write, top of the league, there has only been one thing
which has continually shone through & that has been the magnificent Hibs support. From
all of us in London who do our best to support the club in many different ways but cannot
always get to the games, we send our heartfelt thanks to all of you for all your efforts
to drag our great club back to the Premier League.
A Very Happy New Year To Every Hibby
Everywhere !! |