Anyone depressed about the new season already?

[JimBHibees]

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Our squad is weaker than last season. The board have to back their managerial appointment with some reinvestment of the 3.5 Million taken in thus far this summer.

I am sure they will though. Would imagine 2 or 3 will come in before window shuts. If Yogi does a good job though he will be able to get much better performances out of some of the guys Mixu never got to kick a ball.

[Ferryhibby]

cant believe some of this, we havent even kicked a ball in anger but some are slitting their wrists already, this season will be the same as most of the others wel play good some games **** others excellent in some truly badly in others we might do well in the cup comps but we are playing better than all of last season so theres improvement already so i for one will wait for a few games before building the gallows

[ancient hibee]

There must be a queue at the Dean Bridge by now.

[Hibby 2005]

The interesting thing for me looking at highlights of the game v Preston was how two teenagers, Byrne and Galbraith, came on and made a nonsense of the original line-up by showing far more commitment, speed and skill than the players they replaced.

We could do worse than introducing more youngsters into the side as they'll surely add a freshness sadly lacking in some of the current first-team choices.

[blackpoolhibs]

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cant believe some of this, we havent even kicked a ball in anger but some are slitting their wrists already, this season will be the same as most of the others wel play good some games **** others excellent in some truly badly in others we might do well in the cup comps but we are playing better than all of last season so theres improvement already so i for one will wait for a few games before building the gallows

Were do you see this?

[Mag7]

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cant believe some of this, we havent even kicked a ball in anger but some are slitting their wrists already, this season will be the same as most of the others wel play good some games **** others excellent in some truly badly in others we might do well in the cup comps but we are playing better than all of last season so theres improvement already so i for one will wait for a few games before building the gallows

So just more of the same frustrating under-achievement then? I think that's why some of us just can't see any reason to get too excited.

[Phil D. Rolls]

I'm depressed, it seems I will once again be surrounded by fans who know so little about football they will try to judge the whole season based on pre-season friendlies. These are practice matches and they are the place to experiment.

[steakbake]

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I'm depressed, it seems I will once again be surrounded by fans who know so little about football they will try to judge the whole season based on pre-season friendlies. These are practice matches and they are the place to experiment.

We were looking good in spells during the Preston match. Yogi has only been in place for a month or so and hasn't had the chance to sort out the team he wants. When it comes to a competitive match, we'll be out there with a game plan, committed players and playing for points.

I've seen much more from Yogi's team to be optimistic about than the hit n hope we got from Paatelainen.

It's as easy to get depressed over a loss in a bounce match as it is to get overly optimistic over a win. Bet you that if we beat Blackburn or Bolton, there'll be folks on here expecting that we'll split the OF.

Final point is to say that people should get off DVZ's case. Cheering when he was substituted is just pish. There were players out there on Saturday who didn't look interested - maybe they weren't up for the game. I wouldn't say that DVZ was one of them.

[hibees_green]

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Our squad is weaker than last season. The board have to back their managerial appointment with some reinvestment of the 3.5 Million taken in thus far this summer.

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I am sure they will though. Would imagine 2 or 3 will come in before window shuts. If Yogi does a good job though he will be able to get much better performances out of some of the guys Mixu never got to kick a ball.

This for me is the optimism I cannot muster. There is no rational reason for me to beleive this. History shows that it won't happen.

I don't think we will invest any of this in players and even if we did it will be no more than 20% of the 3.5 million. This will not be enough to make any tangable improvement in the squad.

Me might bring in another player that we have never heard of or is unlikely to be better than what we have, but I am fairly certain we will not replace anyone close to what we have lost.

I admire people like JimBHibees who can sustain this belief, but I think I'm too much of a realist.

[Dashing Bob S]

I'm hope I'm not being offensive here, but i do think a lot of people use football to shield/illustrate/navigate through what is essentially a condition of depression.

Fandom to me is essentially an optimistic, even delusive state. If you want to see a team win trophies, then there are only two teams to follow in Scotland, albeit in a vicarious, detached glory-hunting way. But then the trophies become meaningless as there is no glory in being a multinational supermarket who puts a corner shop out of business. Then you can get depressed about how your team cannot compete in Europe etc etc.

It's unlikely that Hibs will win anything this year.

However, it's far more likely that we will be able to compete in cup competitions, perhaps, with a decent draw, attain success in one of them.

It's also far more likely that we will play adventurous, attacking football and bring on more gifted young players.

Yes, it would be nice to get one game in Europe before being pumped by nonentities, but i'd much rather we continued to make the progress on debt and infrastructure wer'e doing, so that when we do go back into Europe we'll do so with a team that will have some degree of competitiveness there.

I think we are in a much better position now than we were three months ago, and have a manager who understands the strengths of the club; attractive attacking football, youth based development, and solid fiscal management to avoid the albatross of debt and the boom-bust mentality which has messed up the progress of Hibs for the last twenty years.

[jdships]

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I think everyone needs to be abit more realistic here!

Last seasons pre-season was awful, the performances were much, much worse than yesterday! Yet despite that we made the top 6 with a **** manager and wernt all that far behind the european places!

Yesterday we were playing against a top championship side, a team stronger than any we will face this season (maybe bar the old firm), and who are a week ahead of us in preparations for the new season and cutting out the individual mistakes their keeper had more saves to make in the match.

Huge over reaction here IMO.

Thanks for mirroring my thoughts exactly !

[Saorsa]

Think I'll wait until at least the end of the transfer windae before I take my place on the edge of the bridge ready tae jump off. The 2nd half on Saturday certainly raised a few concerns particularly the back. Hopefully the problems will be resolved by the start of the season or at least the end of the transfer windae. If however nothing changes between now and then and we have tae compete for the whole season (or even until January) with the team as it stands I'll certainly be a bit more concerned.

[Ray_]

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I'm depressed, it seems I will once again be surrounded by fans who know so little about football they will try to judge the whole season based on pre-season friendlies. These are practice matches and they are the place to experiment.

Even people who obviously do not have knowledge of football that you have, can recognise it when a club is bereft of talent. It hasn't been just pre-season to notice that, last season was a large clue to where we were on that front & our position has deteriorated since, although thankfully, one plus point, we have managed to move on some of the poorer quality.

Like a lot of people on here, I think it is apparent that we need at least three quality signings to make the club a threat for the third spot & not only that, to make us a marketable force again, where the club can ignite a spark & start bringing in some decent revenue once again.

[hibees_green]

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I'm hope I'm not being offensive here, but i do think a lot of people use football to shield/illustrate/navigate through what is essentially a condition of depression.

I think drink and gambling are 'shields' that people would be more likely to use. Both, however, certainly have links to football!!!!

I think there will be a split camp. One that see's 'normal' to mean 'realistic' with 'constant optimism' viewed as 'delusional'. The other viewing 'normal' to mean 'positive' with realism seen as 'persimistic'.

Otherwise known as Doom and Gloomers or Happy Clappers

All I know as I enjoy football but currently think the focus that Hibs has on operations and infrastructure v's quality of product is wrong. It's loosing a lot of fans and has lost me as an ST holder. I'm ready to return when the desire for success on the park is greater than the desire for glossy stadiums and superb infrastructure.

[Sergey]

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Even people who obviously do not have knowledge of football that you have, can recognise it when a club is bereft of talent. It hasn't been just pre-season to notice that, last season was a large clue to where we were on that front & our position has deteriorated since, although thankfully, one plus point, we have managed to move on some of the poorer quality.

Like a lot of people on here, I think it is apparent that we need at least three quality signings to make the club a threat for the third spot & not only that, to make us a marketable force again, where the club can ignite a spark & start bringing in some decent revenue once again.

Are you saying that our current squad can't compete against the likes of Aberdeen, Dundee Utd and Hearts (plus the others in the SPL) to challenge for 3rd place?

[hibees_green]

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Are you saying that our current squad can't compete against the likes of Aberdeen, Dundee Utd and Hearts (plus the others in the SPL) to challenge for 3rd place?

We didn't do to well last year with a better squad.

More importantly I care more about us improving than competing.

[Ray_]

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Are you saying that our current squad can't compete against the likes of Aberdeen, Dundee Utd and Hearts (plus the others in the SPL) to challenge for 3rd place?

Yes, we have a new manager, not a magician, our squad is even weaker than last seasons shambles.

[Sergey]

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Yes, we have a new manager, not a magician, our squad is even weaker than last seasons shambles.

Is it?

Jones can be replaced and Fletcher cost us as many points as he won us last season through missing umpteen sitters. That was probably the difference between us finishing 3rd/4th compared to 6th (even with Mixu in charge).

We've got Zouma back who's showing his class and the new recruits could well bolster the squad if we adopt a new style of passing play.

But don't let the positives detract from your stoic beliefs that we can't challenge for 3rd.

[MyJo]

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This for me is the optimism I cannot muster. There is no rational reason for me to beleive this. History shows that it won't happen.

I don't think we will invest any of this in players and even if we did it will be no more than 20% of the 3.5 million. This will not be enough to make any tangable improvement in the squad.

Me might bring in another player that we have never heard of or is unlikely to be better than what we have, but I am fairly certain we will not replace anyone close to what we have lost.

I admire people like JimBHibees who can sustain this belief, but I think I'm too much of a realist.

I assume that you are forgetting that what you are complaining we have "lost" over the last 3 years are products of the youth system we have turned into top level players and sold on for large fees and bosman signings or minimal fee purchases we had never heard of until they came to us??

as far as i can see we are simply following the same route that served us so well with Mowbray, a highly rated batch of young players breaking through into the first team squad to be developed into star players for us.....we're already seeing the potential with players like Byrne, Wotherspoon and Hanlon pushing for first team places while Currie, Welsh & Deane are in the squad learning thier trade and we have another layer below in the u-19's with some potentially cracking players ready to breakthrough in the next 2 or 3 years and we have a manager with a track record of developing young players into the SPL so we are perfectly placed to take advantage of our "conveyer belt of talent" with the right infastructure in place (that our previous "golden generation helped pay for).

We might not be going out and spending hundreds of thousands of pounds in transfer fees and much more on top of that in the wages that these type of players will demand but we are working hard to develop the new Scott Brown, Garry O'Connor or Steven Whittaker which is the only way non-OF teams in the SPL could possibly hope to have players of that quality in thier teams and we're signing players like Galbraith & McReadie who haven't quite made the grade in the premiership but could very well be the next David Murphy.

Too many people seem to want an instant fix and for us to start spending money all over the place rather than giving our hugely successful youths a chance which, as far as i am concerned, is what Hibs are about just as much as attractive, passing football. Hibs aren't a big club that will be challenging for titles and cups every season while the old firm are still around and people who think we have some divine right to third place are deluded when decent teams like Hearts (i feel so dirty admitting that), Dundee United and Aberdeen are all competing at the same level as us.

The future is bright, the future is green & white........but patience is the key.

[blackpoolhibs]

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Are you saying that our current squad can't compete against the likes of Aberdeen, Dundee Utd and Hearts (plus the others in the SPL) to challenge for 3rd place?

I am, this squad will not make 3rd place, it needs new additions, at least 3 probably more.

[smurf]

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I don't think we will invest any of this in players and even if we did it will be no more than 20% of the 3.5 million. This will not be enough to make any tangable improvement in the squad.

I'd be ecstatic if 20% of the 3.5 Million was reinvested.

It could bring in 2-3 players that would improve us. However, there's no way our board will reinvest that sum.

We could raise 35 Million through sales and i'd still doubt that they would. A 'Capital infrastructure project' would be found somewhere....

[blackpoolhibs]

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Is it?

Jones can be replaced and Fletcher cost us as many points as he won us last season through missing umpteen sitters. That was probably the difference between us finishing 3rd/4th compared to 6th (even with Mixu in charge).

We've got Zouma back who's showing his class and the new recruits could well bolster the squad if we adopt a new style of passing play.

But don't let the positives detract from your stoic beliefs that we can't challenge for 3rd.

Anyone who thinks fletcher cost us as many points as he won us last season, has no idea about football. Yes he missed a few, who never? I will tell you, nish for one, he's crap, and will never get into the positions fletcher did, but he's the new saviour, the man to lead the line. JJ couldnt hit a barn door with a banjo, yet he's what we have left. Perhaps someone will come in and give us a few million quid for these 2 players, and we can then go out and replace them with better quality. Fletchers misses were the difference between us finishing 3rd rather than 6th.

[Phil D. Rolls]

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Even people who obviously do not have knowledge of football that you have, can recognise it when a club is bereft of talent. It hasn't been just pre-season to notice that, last season was a large clue to where we were on that front & our position has deteriorated since, although thankfully, one plus point, we have managed to move on some of the poorer quality.

Like a lot of people on here, I think it is apparent that we need at least three quality signings to make the club a threat for the third spot & not only that, to make us a marketable force again, where the club can ignite a spark & start bringing in some decent revenue once again.

Well it's all about opinions, and I think the wrist cutting tone of this thread is a tad premature. It's still early days, and I think I am hardly breaking new ground by asking people not to judge the season on one friendly match.

At the moment, things don't look great, our squad is too small in stature and lack the muscle to compete. But given that there is a chance to buy players and the money to do so, I think I'll wait until the window closes at least before reaching for the Prozac.

I agree we need three signings - at the peak of their career. I can only hope that Hibs are holding off to get the best possible deal (we are probably way down the pecking order when it comes to good players' first choice moves).

[smurf]

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Yes, we have a new manager, not a magician, our squad is even weaker than last seasons shambles.

Says it all. If we want to get European football for season 2010-2011 then Rod better get his act together in terms of player recruitment and fast....

Or are we no longer regarding ourselves as a club that ought to be competing for European qualification?

I've long doubted the ambitions of our board but i'm now seriously beginning to doubt it of our fans. It almost appears that it's been completely sucked out of us and we're accepting our fate as a mid table club in the mediocrity of the SPL.

[Ray_]

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Is it?

Jones can be replaced and Fletcher cost us as many points as he won us last season through missing umpteen sitters. That was probably the difference between us finishing 3rd/4th compared to 6th (even with Mixu in charge).

We've got Zouma back who's showing his class and the new recruits could well bolster the squad if we adopt a new style of passing play.

But don't let the positives detract from your stoic beliefs that we can't challenge for 3rd.

Well clearly Owen Coyle has a different opinion of him than you do, so does George Burley for that matter, Zouma is a plus, granted, hopefully he will have brought consistency with him, however, our defence is a shambles & our midfield [Zouma apart] toothless and up front Riordan is our only potent goal scorer.

You talk about Fletcher missing chances, how many times does Nish being offside bring good attacks to a halt? Many chances lost due one of our senior players seriously lacking the basics?

You mentioned replacing Jones, if its not within, that's strengthening the squad and something I had said we needed to do, although I mentioned three players needed.

[hibees_green]

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I'd be ecstatic if 20% of the 3.5 Million was reinvested.

It could bring in 2-3 players that would improve us. However, there's no way our board will reinvest that sum.

We could raise 35 Million through sales and i'd still doubt that they would. A 'Capital infrastructure project' would be found somewhere....

Do you not share our ambition of having infrastructure and operations at a level to compete in the English premiership. Why should the level the squads playing at interfere with such hign standards.

[blackpoolhibs]

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Well it's all about opinions, and I think the wrist cutting tone of this thread is a tad premature. It's still early days, and I think I am hardly breaking new ground by asking people not to judge the season on one friendly match.

At the moment, things don't look great, our squad is too small in stature and lack the muscle to compete. But given that there is a chance to buy players and the money to do so, I think I'll wait until the window closes at least before reaching for the Prozac.

I agree we need three signings - at the peak of their career. I can only hope that Hibs are holding off to get the best possible deal (we are probably way down the pecking order when it comes to good players' first choice moves).

I dont see any wrist cutting, i see a bit of concern. We all, well maybe not us all, but most of us can see we are weaker now than when we finished the season in 6th. Yes Zemamma is back, we also have the two falkirk players, and yogi, who will get us playing differently. I have no doubt with this squad, we can again challenge for 6th spot, but imho that is not good enough, in fact its again imho failure. We need the 3 players you talk about, perhaps we need even more. There's no prozac being taken, just people having the same concerns we seem to have year after year after year.

[hibees_green]

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.....but patience is the key.........

That just makes me smile.

I spoke to one of the directors who was around at the time of O'Conner & Brown et al. He openly admitted that along with all the hard work there was a huge piece of good fortune that combined all this talent to be around at the same time. He also felt it was very unlikely that it would happen again for a very long time.

I happen to agree with him.

Have you not noticed that in playing terms we are not progressing at all. This would surely be the first indicator of some improvement.

I'd also point out that we managed to create the previous talent without such grand infrastructure so why is it so necessary?

[hibsbollah]

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but he's the new saviour, the man to lead the line.

When did anyone say this?

[smurf]

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just people having the same concerns we seem to have year after year after year.

And year after year our fears come true. And year after year those just clinging to hope are left disappointed.

Our club - with its proud historic European record - should be judged on its European qualification record.

And it's not good these past 20 years. In fact it's colossal underachievement that is frankly a disgrace.

There is money to be earned from the Europa League and all i want to see is a serious effort from the board for us to compete in order to get into it.

Not expecting us to absolutely do it but i do expect us to compete to do so.

The current boards strategy means that not only do we not qualify we don't bloody compete to either.