It seems everywhere you look Ex-Hibs managers are making headlines. Tony Mowbray has just taken West Brom back to the Premiership in his first full season there, Alex McLeish is about to get Birmingham City relegated from the Premiership in his first season and now I hear Alex Miller has left his job as first team coach (ie. assistant manager) at Liverpool, where he won the Champions League for a job at struggling but nicely named J-League outfit JEF United Chiba.
JEF United Chiba are currently at the bottom of the First Division in Japan and haven’t won in 11 games. Not the easiest job in the world to take on then. Still, twenty 0-0 draws in a row and they might not get relegated.
Not sure what to make of this, I’ve never been keen on asymmetrical strips. The sponsor is as unobtrusive as possible which is good but the three colour design might have been a mistake. Perhaps it’ll be a grower.
Opinion on the message boards seems pretty divided on the matter with comments ranging from ‘love it’ to ‘that’s the worst strip we’ve ever had’ and numerous comparisons to Celtic and Norwich strips.
I can’t see it selling as many as the previous couple of away tops but what do I know? Judging by the comments I’ve seen - younger fans (who traditionally buy more tops) seem to like it more that older ones.
Could Derek Riordan be returning to Hibs at the end of the season? That his big move to Celtic has turned sour has been well documented but rumours of a return to Easter Road have gathered momentum over the last few days.
At the time he was offerend perhaps ten times the money and being a part of Celtc’s plans in the SPL, Champions League, etc. which is tough to turn down, especially when the club you love wasn’t willing to give you the same contract they’d previously offered, despite you playing very well since. It’s sad that Hibs messed around a valuable player who would have signed a long and relatively cheap contract.
Obviously, it all went wrong, as it had for numerous others who have gone West for more dough and an unwritten promise but could it all turn around for Deeks with a move back to the mighty Hibernian?
The answer, quite simply, is yes. Maybe.
Apparently Derek Riordan was in the Hibs changing room straight after the final whistle of todays game against Glasgow Rangers, having a conversation with Mixu.
A return to Hibs doesn’t seem as unlikely as it did a short while ago. If he does return, hopefully Gordon Strachan will still be in a job with the great unwashed and Deeks will get a chance at revenge.
It’s funny how easy it is to accept players returning to Easter Road. For a short while I strongly disliked Murray after he gave us the finger at Ibrox. Deeks I always really felt sorry for and continue to. He’s earned a healthy wad over the last couple of years (not) playing for Celtc but his career has stalled. Nay, broken down completely. He needs to get it back on track and there’s not better place for that than Easter Road.
George Foulkes - So stupid it took him 2 hours to watch 60 Minutes.
Since he was given his own column in the Edinburgh Evening News, George Foulkes, the drunken Baron of Cumnock, has provided us Hibbies with an almost constant source of entertainment. Today, the disgraced achoholic MP came out with this garbled pile of doo-doo.
Incredibly he seems to be under the impression that Vladimir Romanov might take notice of his rambling, unreadable rant. He really does not seem to understand the situation as it stands. But then, the land of reality where most of us exist is as exotic a place for poor George as it is for many of his ilk. Anyone remember when he got pished, fell over, got arrested then claimed he’d been mugged before finally being charged with assault and drunken buffoonery - I don’t think that was the exact legal term but he got a hefty fine and booted out of his comfy job on the front bench.
Or what about the time he tried to claim £45,000 for expenses on a flat he himself owned? As I say, a thin grasp on reality.
Anyone remember the next time he got “mugged” on a trip to Europe with the Jambos? Pished again, unsurprisingly.
It goes on and on really but here’s a wee bit of a Hibby bating highlight from todays opus:
George Foulkes in an open letter to Vladimir Romanov;
“I mean, are you not embarrassed, even a little? Your team finished below Hibs, a side that will no doubt achieve zero debt by summer. Do you find that in any way acceptable? That a far superior sporting organisation as Hearts with a more loyal fanbase and greater potential, slides below a team that hasn’t won a Scottish Cup in over a century?”
Rumours abound that Tommy Burns is seriously unwell and has possibly died already. Sad news if true but most interestingly, how come none of the major news sources are reporting it?
For the record, it sounds like he’s on the way out but rumours of his death are unfounded.
The annual Edinburgh comedy festival took place in the Gorgie Suite in Tynecastle yesterday. Roman Romanov hoasted the 102nd and possibly last Heart of Midlothian AGM and, true to form, it turned into farce.
Romanov explained his team’s bottom six finish to the season by saying the league is “fixed” and Hearts were screwed by referees. Presumably all six teams above them have been bribing referees.
And it gets worse….
The Hearts chairman was unable to advise whether Roman Bednar is under contract with Hearts, Kaunas or A.N.Other.
He advised that he hasn’t installed a new manager because - “it’s very difficult to find a manager. Most managers are already out of a job” . WTF? If they’re out of a job then they’re perfect, surely?
Then the real bombshell, part I of the big stadium climb down:
“Finally we’re having real progress,” he said. “Now we’re just deciding which stand we want.
“If the fans don’t want a big complex we’ll put three or four options to them. Of course the final decision will be ours. If the public are concerned about debt we might go for a cheaper option.”
Who would bet against them building either the cheapest possible option or nothing at all?
Hibs play Dundee United on Sunday at Tannadice Park. The game is live on Setanta at 2pm for those who don’t want to or can’t make the journey. To get you in the mood though, here’s a wee video from August 1994 - Was it really almost 14 years ago? Jackson, Harper, O’Neill, Mcallister and others really turned it on that day…..
Could it be that Steven Fletcher will leave Hibs in the Summer to sign for Real Madrid? Well, articles in the Scottish tabloids seem to be claiming that they have inside info that Real Madrid scouts have been tracking him and are willing to pay £4-£5 million for his services. The most recent article in the Sunday Mail claims Real have lined up two LaLiga teams to farm him out to and that Hibs have met with Real Madrid to discuss the signing.
Putting the fact that there are no direct quotes from anyone and that the story seems at first glance slightly fanciful, is this good or bad for Hibs?
I don’t know for sure but there seem to be more positives that negatives. Having one of the worlds elite clubs after a player who you have on a contract for the next 4 or 5 years is great publicity for the club and only hightens the profile of Hibs and the success of our youth system. If Real Madrid are willing to sign our players then no-team is too big and that can only be good for a selling club. Perhaps Benji’s much mocked comments about a move to Madrid weren’t as far fetched as we thought?
Sadly, if past records are anything to go by, little if any of the money raised by any sale would go towards improving the quality of player at Easter Road. Rod Petrie has often mentioned that one off payments can’t be used to increase wages as wages must be balanced with regular income in a sustainable business. He has never explained (to my knowledge) why some of the money can’t be ring fenced to pay wages over the length of a new players contract ie. we get 3 players on free transfers when they are out of contract. Put £1 million towards wages for 3 year contracts, paying them around £6,000 per week. Total cost £936,000 - still £4 million or whatever to go towards stadium building or paying off debt. We might even make some money by selling one of these players on - think Skatchel, Bednar or what we’d be selling Derek Riordan for now if only we’d upped his wages by a grand at the right moment. In the last few years we have had teams that have been on the verges of being able to put up decent challenge in cups and the league if only we had two or three extra quality players. That isn’t outwith our means and is the least the fans deserve.
I know the scenario above is a bit simplistic and there are loads of other factors that make signing these players a bit of a gamble. But if the board is only willing to gamble on buying great swathes of land in East Lothian and building new stands that might not be filled, then haven’t we lost sight of the business we’re supposed to be in?
I’m getting a bit wary of continually writing about what’s going on over the other side of the capital as this is mainly a blog about Hibs…..HOWEVER….they just keep supplying such gold dust material. lol The demise of the guntmeisters part 2,232,512….
Front page of todays Edinburgh Evening News is a story about how Embra Cooncil are apparently a bit peeved at the fact that the Jambo’s are pissing them around regarding the complicated plans to rebuild the main stand at Tynecastle. Quelle surprise!
According to the EEN, “Senior Figures” in the Council have cast doubt over Hearts’ ability to redevelop the stand. Personally I find it hard to believe the Council ever rubber stamped it in the first place as it was and is never going to happen. If it does, I will personally volunteer to eat George Foulkes’ pish stained Y-fronts.
It seems everywhere you look Ex-Hibs managers are making headlines. Tony Mowbray has just taken West Brom back to the Premiership in his first full season there, Alex McLeish is about to get Birmingham City relegated from the Premiership in his first season and now I hear Alex Miller has left his job as first team coach (ie. assistant manager) at Liverpool, where he won the Champions League for a job at struggling but nicely named J-League outfit JEF United Chiba.
Could it be that Steven Fletcher will leave Hibs in the Summer to sign for Real Madrid? Well, articles in the Scottish tabloids seem to be claiming that they have inside info that Real Madrid scouts have been tracking him and are willing to pay £4-£5 million for his services. The most recent article in the Sunday Mail claims Real have lined up two LaLiga teams to farm him out to and that Hibs have met with Real Madrid to discuss the signing.