Rod Petrie Update

[PaulSmith]

http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/news/20...262950_2722711

[muzzhfc]

The chairman speaks . . .

http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/news/20...262950_2722711

[Heedersnvolleys]

http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/news/20...262950_2722711

:pfgwa

[Beefster]

ST sales are obviously catastrophic.

[Golden Bear]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

ST sales are obviously catastrophic.

Given the current circumstances, I don't think RP would realistically expect anything else at this stage.

[PaulSmith]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

ST sales are obviously catastrophic.

An assumption, granted maybe true but surely the chairman addressing concerns head on cannot be a negative.

Having watched the interview then there's nothing 'new' in it but we wish for the Board to speak more often and they should be applauded for doing so in a manner which is honest.

[Spike Mandela]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

ST sales are obviously catastrophic.

My first thought as well. Price, very poor team, tv times, easy availability of seats on matchday and the Rangers situation will really be damaging season ticket sales I would imagine.

[soul_driver]

An excellent message if you ask me. The club need our support now more than ever. If you can't see that then maybe best to find a new team.

[Pretty Boy]

Fair play to Rod for sticking his head above the parapet.

Actions will, yet again, speak louder than words though.

[Spike Mandela]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

An excellent message if you ask me. The club need our support now more than ever. If you can't see that then maybe best to find a new team.

..........or just not go like a lot of folk have clearly chosen to do this season.

[bingo70]

We've been buying season tickets based on blind faith and cheap talk for years now.

It's time for the club to start performing on the pitch, if we do that fans will come back, nothing to do with statements like this, its going to be more difficuilt for fenlon than previous managers but not impossible and he just needs to make it work, if he does the rewards will be great, if he doesn't no doubt we'll have another statement like this from petrie again this time next year

[HFC 0-7]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

An assumption, granted maybe true but surely the chairman addressing concerns head on cannot be a negative.

Having watched the interview then there's nothing 'new' in it but we wish for the Board to speak more often and they should be applauded for doing so in a manner which is honest.

Completely agree, I have been a big critic of his but what he says in the article is bang on, and taking some blame publicly by saying he made mistakes is a good things. A lot of fans, myself included, have been calling for him to make a statement like this.

[Beefster]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

An assumption, granted maybe true but surely the chairman addressing concerns head on cannot be a negative.

Nope, it's not negative but they really do need to find a new message.

[soul_driver]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

..........or just not go like a lot of folk have clearly chosen to do this season.

Fair enough. Bet they will be the first to moan when they can't get a Cup Final ticket if we get through.

[Andy74]

Surprised not much of a mention for Rod saying sorry for his mistakes. Clearly mentions Calderwood as a disaster.

Fair message really.

[bingo70]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Fair enough. Bet they will be the first to moan when they can't get a Cup Final ticket if we get through.

I'm absolutely certain that won't be a problem based on the amount of st holders we've currently got and how many tickets we'd get for the final if we get there

[matty_f]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

ST sales are obviously catastrophic.

That was my first thought, I have to admit.

IMHO, if that's the case and Petrie's making a very passionate plea here, is that those that haven't renewed, and those that are weighing up whether or not they should get a season ticket for next year have pretty much got two choices.

The first is to do nothing, and when we're up the creek next season they can point to poorly priced/packaged season tickets and a poor couple of seasons as being the reason behind the the fact that we're crap (as we will be, if Fenlon's budget is massively hampered by a lack of money coming in from season ticket sales). As Petrie points out in his interview - we can choose to keep on punishing the club for historic mistakes, we're within our rights to do so, but it's not going to help anyone.

The second thing choice is to realise just what the stark reality of catastrophic season ticket sales would be, and then do something about it. Go and get a season ticket.
For Petrie to be coming out with this type of plea, we must be in fairly dire straits. It's our club, we've stood by it through some horrendous times, and now we need to do it again. Forget all the bulls**t about 'product' and 'customers' and remember that Hibernian is much more than that - much, much more. A half filled (at best) stadium next season watching a team put together on an absolute shoestring is only going to further disenchant an already frustrated fanbase.

IMHO, we all have a responsibility for the wellfare of the football club. Season ticket holders are the people that can and will make a difference to how good a side we watch next season. If the figures are well down then we could very well see Hibernian in the First Division at the end of next season.

It's something I'm sure I'm not alone in being absolutely passionate about. It's time to 'suck it up' a bit, and if folk can afford to get a season ticket, then I'd plead with them to go and get one. Help the club, it really won't do anyone any good to sit and do nothing. It's not going to 'send a message to the Board' - it just makes their already difficult job harder and gives them an even more difficult job of selling season tickets in a year's time. It's not going to let Fenlon know that we're not happy at results and performances - he knows that already, it just makes it harder for him to do anything about it.

For the club to be coming out now and give it the big plea for people to buy season tickets tells us that they're concerned about how poor the uptake has been. The implications of this are massive. Go and get a season ticket.

[lucky]

A fairly blunt message from RP, season tickets sales must be dire but what did they really expect. The package they sent out was a let down and misleading. Interesting that they are now guaranteeing all existing ST holders will be accepted on the payment plan. I doubt much of what he said is actually going to get more people to sign up. Football is just to expensive for most fans these days. We have a cracking big stadium, the board should have tried more to fill it. The FF stand should have been open to families are a reduced rate and rather try be smart with the BOGOF on the strips and giving OF tickets away they should have reduced the price.

[soul_driver]

It's more than just buying tickets, we have to start backing the team this season too.

[carnoustiehibee]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing! He slagged of yogi and praised cc, now Slags off cc and praises fenlon.

Get a team on the park and the fans will come back, but with different ko times, rangers situation and dire football people won't be racing out to spend 400 smacker-rooneys

[Sir David Gray]

We've gone way beyond the point of issuing statements and rallying calls and hoping that they'll be effective.

Fans have seen literally no return on their season ticket money for more than 2 years now and it's up to the club to deliver results on the pitch, where it really matters.

Last season was horrendous and, with the exception of the run to the semi finals of the Scottish Cup, this season has unbelievably been even worse.

Hibs could not underachieve any more than we have been, without losing our SPL status and it's got to change now.

[Spike Mandela]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

It's more than just buying tickets, we have to start backing the team this season too.

Even if we survive this year I think we are favourites for relegation next year unless the team is improved dramatically. We need support and financial support more than ever but I fear the balance may be tipped too far in the opposite direction and people don't see the value of a season ticket.

A Scottish Cup win would be a welcome boost though

[bingo70]

Third option matty, get the club to prove to us this time its not just talk by making up any shortfall from reduced season ticket sales, if they're confident it'll be different next season if we all renew then they'll make the money back in no time through pay at the gate supporters when there's a better team on the park.

They've done nothing to entice us to renew other than guilt trips and relying on blind loyalty, maybe its time for them to put there money where there mouth is like they're asking us to do. And yes, I am aware we made a loss last year, however it sounds like pretty severe costs could be getting cut from fenlons budget if we don't renew.

[Haymaker]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Surprised not much of a mention for Rod saying sorry for his mistakes. Clearly mentions Calderwood as a disaster.

Fair message really.

Fair play that he came out and said it IMHO.

[marinello59]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

We've gone way beyond the point of issuing statements and rallying calls and hoping that they'll be effective.

Fans have seen literally no return on their season ticket money for more than 2 years now and it's up to the club to deliver results on the pitch, where it really matters.

Last season was horrendous and, with the exception of the run to the semi finals of the Scottish Cup, this season has unbelievably been even worse.

Hibs could not underachieve any more than we have been, without losing our SPL status and it's got to change now.

And if he says nothing he gets attacked for that as well. I don't read anything much in to club statements myself, this one certainly doesn't do any harm though. Does it?

[Hibercelona]

We've heard this all before.

The board can't request our trust without reason to do so. They've given us very little reason to put much faith in them over the last several years.

As has been said plenty of times on here. "Actions speak louder than words" and we must start witnessing some action in order to break out of this funk we're currently in.

Statements won't increase ST sales, actions will.

[Billy Whizz]

In the next few weeks Pat Fenlon will be looking to secure new players for next season, if this hasnt already started. His budget will be based on season tickets income. We all know it's been a terrible few years, but if we don't back the club this could go on for another few years or so

[Emerald]

He could have extended the early bird date even. If sales are so poor it may have got more sold in the long run.

[sambajustice]

Killie, motherwell, st johnstone, st mirren etc etc MUST have smaller budgets than us and DO have smaller crowds so all this keech about hampering the player budget etc doesn't wash with me. Smaller teams with less crowds and far smaller budgets consistently do a lot better than us and get in better quality players. There's something far more wrong at Hibs than just fans not turning up for games or season tickets.

I'd be willing to bet we'll get more season ticket holders next season than the average crowd at the aforementioned teams along with inverness and ross county.

[greenlex]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

We've gone way beyond the point of issuing statements and rallying calls and hoping that they'll be effective.

Fans have seen literally no return on their season ticket money for more than 2 years now and it's up to the club to deliver results on the pitch, where it really matters.

Last season was horrendous and, with the exception of the run to the semi finals of the Scottish Cup, this season has unbelievably been even worse.

Hibs could not underachieve any more than we have been, without losing our SPL status and it's got to change now.

So what we gonna do about it? How we gonna change it?
You say its up to the club to deliver results. Are we not the club?


You are obviously looking for some sort of return for your season ticket money. I pay mine to see the team. I pay mine to watch the games. Most of my time watching Hibs has been below average seasons with the occaisional decent one. Very occaisionally we have a team that plays decent football but most have been watching avarage stuff and occaisionally utter garbage (like the last two seasons).
I have renewed for next season in hope rather than expectation.