Tommy Tappin

And yet our compatriots scream at the club for not 'pushing the boat out' or 'breaking the bank' accusing the board of showing no ambition. So we do (nearly) break the bank and show plenty of ambition; build the top line, record a loss and the hoards only increase in ignorance and criticism towards the ownership. Try to debate them and you become an 'Kensel loving apologist'. Hibees fair boil ma piss.

Again fairly straightforward stuff. The Gordons bought to sell. Ron said that at the start. He saw it as a 10 year project. We're 5 years in. He didn't factor in Covid though. I don't know if that changes the Gordon family timeframe or not. We are definitely in the hands of the Gordon family/Foley. Every club are in the hands of their owners obviously. Is it Romanov-esque? Could be, but we lack the magic sticks, the fax machine, the stiffing creditors, sinking local businesses and no actual money of that comparison. The bottom line is, we spent money in the hunt for third. It was money we had in the bank. We spent it badly, we got the consequences. Now we'll spend someone else's money in an attempt to do the same. Will it fail again? Might do, but its STILL better than the status quo. It was in the letter to shareholders about the AGM, Zing.

Hibs fans are well known for their trusting and positive mindset. Petrie, Farmer, Ron Gordon, Mercer and Waugh have all 'ripped the soul of out of our club' according to Hibee hard of thinking society. It seems to keep growing back. The losses aren't horrific, The Gordons are converting their debt to equity at the AGM and we're profitable again this year (to Dec 2023) BEFORE the Foley money and we're back down to 65% TtW Ratio. Basically we decided to 'loosen the purse strings' and 'push the boat out' and 'break the bank' to achieve third, just like the halfwit supporters on X (formerly twitter) implore us to do every year. It failed. Now we've done something to fix it. And quite frankly, increasing turnover by half a mil in a season where we went out of both cups at the first time of asking and didn't have European income isn't impressive, it's a minor ******* miracle.

I'm not sure that Celtic have to even show up to take 3 points from this one. In fantasyland, I'd like to see us line up as a 3-5-2 which we won't but if we did it would be: Marshall Fish/Hanlon/Bevan Cadden/Amos/Newell/Welsh/Obita ALF/Vente

The Johnson squad had too much depth, that's why we have 7 players considered first teamers out on loan. The problem isn't the numbers, it's the quality and balance.

So I pondered this morning about how Hibs can't play: Monty's 4-4-2 Johnson's 4-3-3 Maloney's 4-5-1 Ross' 4-3-2-1 Whatever Heckingbottom's formation was and towards the end, couldn't play Lennon's 3-5-2 either. I thought, what system CAN we play, then I watched Joe Newell's interview where he says 'It should be a given that we run and battle and tackle but we were miles off it'. My translation, 'players can't be arsed.' Why can't players be arsed? No downside. Club doesn't have a winning culture or mindset or any penalties for not being arsed. The manager pays the price with his job instead. I then went back into the archives and noted how Johnson, Ross, Lennon and even as far back as Calderwood talked about the need to instil a winning culture. Why? because we don't have one. Why do we bring in big new signings above our normal pay grade and look worse? Because at Hibs you can be not arsed and get away with it. I spend too much time on this club.

There were rumours on the forums around that time about certain senior players being unhappy with team selections, tactics and discipline imposed by Ross. This was the fateful night when Boyle didn't even try to score the pen and both McGinn and Hanlon got sent off. Omeonga was MotM for Livi that night and Ross gave his now Hibs Manager Groundhog day interview before being sacked straight after while still in the stadium. Note any similarities between these two interviews? from 0:28 https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/12490411/jack-ross-hibs-fans-have-every-right-to-be-critical

So anyway, we've got Celtic next, then being put out of the cup up at Inverness, then facing Aberdeen with a new manager bounce in place. Lots to look forward to.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have sacked him. I'm saying that despite his record, it took one bad run for the fans to turn and the players to chuck it (Boyle's penalty 'attempt' against Livi for example) 'Hibs deserve better' is the cry. No we don't. My point is one I've made on here many times. It doesn't matter who our manager/players or owners are - we end up hating them with precious few exceptions. That's what we do. I'm not saying we should settle for mediocrity. I'm saying that mediocrity is what we've served up for the vast majority of our existence, so we can save ourselves the anger and depression when the mediocrity invariably arrives and stays. Hearts like to give it large about the derby record. They have to. It's all they've got because they too are a mediocre tin pot club. It's like two amputees mocking each other for having no arms. Being shit when we've got everything in place to be good is what we do. It's our 'thing'. The evidence is overwhelming. We can only repeat this trick for so long before we laugh and feel sorry for the club rather than being angst ridden about it.

We have to be able to laugh at ourselves. We get soooo much practice.

Yep, I thought Rod got a very tough press. I had some dealings with him personally and he was very professional and a lot funnier that his public profile suggested. But as you say, protests outside the west haven't happened to Kensall. McPake was the captain of a team that didn't care. Even if he himself did, he was too inept to do anything about it. I remember us all applauding him at Hampden against Aberdeen when he aggressively won a header. We applauded because we weren't used to that team doing the basics at all. And on your final point...which is kinda my point, when we had lovely Leann's little 'community club' vibe going on, folk still weren't happy because it lacked ambition. We weren't happy with a third place Euro qualifying Jack Ross, especially the players. No-one hates Hibs more than Hibs fans and players.

1. Instead we had a CEO everyone hated for giving out no information and penny pinching on signings. 2. Yes we did. Remember when McPake had to come out and say we won't be 'steamrollered' again against Hearts. Why? because we were, and against Hamiliton and against Killie and against.... 3. Top tip: Expect us to be shite, demand shiteness from us and then go to the bookies and bet against us. You get your expectations met and you make money. Thank me later. 4. Agree Johnson was better than Monty and Maloney but the players chuck it for every manager. That's how they keep their jobs and the managers lose theirs. 5. Failure ever since the change in ownership? Is that because of the massive trophy haul, euro qualifications and lack of derby embarrassments under Farmer?

All credit to the buddies for coming and beating some green traffic cones. Even Butcher's Hibs were better than that. Yet ANOTHER Monty masterclass.

And where's Bevan?

I wasn't doing a superior supporter bit. I was asking why the disconnect. You've said why and now I'm asking, how is it any different/worse than previously when in many respects we're better off than we used to be in the Petrie/Farmer age?

I'm guessing... Marshall Bevan Fish Triantis Obita Youan Amos Newell Jair Marcondes Vente

Joint 6th

We're only allowed to sign players from Bournemouth and Sunderland now.

Les, us Hibbies seem to spend most of our lives totally and utterly fed up with the club. No matter who we sign, who the manager/owner is, whatever community engagement projects we're engaged in etc If we can ever bring ourselves to say 'well done Hibs' for something, the goodwill lasts all of 5 minutes before we hate them for doing/not doing something else. In January, we signed seven players, a minimum of two of which are waaaay above our pay grade and we got a billionaire to invest in us. Collective Hibby response: 'nae guid enough, why did we no sign 32 year old Van Veen and Jason no knees Kerr?' As a club, we're miles ahead of the days of Rod 'spend a pound less than we earn' Petrie (and as my avatar shows, I loved Iron Rod), so why so much malcontent? Is it simply coz we don't win many games? Because breaking news just in: we've never won all that many games. The 5th biggest club in the league is 6th in the league table. It's not like we're miles off it.

Triantis deal done according to the daily record.

Yes they are, I meant in terms of bringing in experienced players on permanent deals.

I presume we want sell on value in anyone we sign these days.

Talk of these two in today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nectarios_Triantis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Bevan With McKirdy going out on loan.

Laterz.

I see a reason. The reason is that I don't play your game of ignoring other's responses and then produce 16 paragraphs of shite that you expect the rest of us to answer. That's why. If you can't remember my questions then go back and find them, boy. Chop chop! So here you've managed to ignore the three times on this thread that I've used 'cautious' and both @Leith Green and @Judy Murray assertions that they too, are waiting for details before passing judgement. Not blessed with the gift of discernment are you? Or maybe being obtuse, which would be ironic. Or maybe just thick. One of them anyway. Here's something for Hibs fans to dissent about, Mercer. We don't forget and we don't forgive. There's nothing Foley can do that's worse than what Wallacesatan attempted. And if it's very unlikely for Hibs to be elevated to a new level (something I haven't read any Hibs fan on this thread say by the way, you've made it up) then there's nothing for you to be worried about is there? We don't need you to be concerned on our behalf. Jog on.