Hibernian Football Club: The Easter Road Tour

On a delightfully warm June day a few months ago, I had the good fortune to do something that had been on my mind for some time now, whilst back on one of my many sojourns to Edinburgh. How many wonderful days and night’s have I spent in Hibernian FC’s new and old stadium watching those bright emerald green jerseys with the white sleeves, yet never ventured much beyond the stands for that couple of hours spent supporting my team from boyhood?

In truth, that’s not strictly accurate. Way back in 1978, whilst visiting with a friend, I wandered into the very different ‘ER’ of the day and was kindly taken on an impromptu tour by the then groundsman. My memories of that include an explanation of how the recent ban on alcohol in Scottish football had cleared the Easter Road match day aftermath of two skips full of empty bottles and cans. They also extend to a little tour through the players changing rooms and observing the Hibs youth team playing out a five-a-side training game. This tour was entirely due to one man’s hospitality but now things are a little different.

As you can see, a peek behind the scenes at the ‘new’ Easter Road was well overdue. With that I mind I was very happy to have my phone booking accepted for myself and my partner’s father, visiting from Canada, by the friendly and helpful club staff that June morning. A couple of hours later and we duly arrived to fulfil our booking and were ushered through to the man reception area where a group of people were already gathering for the Easter Road experience.

I was glad and happy to re-make the acquaintance of a friendly face in the tour guide Bill Bryson, something of an old Hibee friend by the good grace of the Internet. As we sat down for Billy to offer us his wide knowledge and intriguing stories about the club and its residence, it felt great to be ‘home’.

Of course the whole of the West Stand in which we sat was completely rebuilt and refurbished within the past decade. Space abounds in this new and modern facility and there was an airy atmosphere of potential for the numerous yet-to-used areas of this excellent resource. This is for the future however and we were there largely for history and plenty of it. Our friendly tour guide, Billy, did not disappoint in this respect.

Hibs.net Twenty Questions: Stu in Nottingham

This is an article reproduced from my contribution the the www.hibs.net series Quote/Unquote. The series began as a collection of short interviews with famous Hibs fans in the public eye and is now continuing by gathering contributions from those of us who use the site and it’s forums to chat and exchange views about the team we love.

It’s a great and long-established site, one that I take a great pleasure in adding a small contribution to. I’ve had a lot of fun and interest there over the years. More importantly I’ve made some wonderful friends.

1) OK, before we start, it’s our round, what would you like to drink?

I’d like a very large Peroni please, thank you kindly! Generally I like the lighter beers such as Italian brews and Sol – that type of thing.

2) What is your first memory of Hibs?

Seeing dad head off to the games from Musselburgh. It wasn’t very long before I was joining him! For some reason a green and white rosette he used to wear sticks in my memory (and his grumpy mood when he came back if we’d lost!)

3) Can you remember the first game you attended?

Yes and no. I remember the first time I went but not who it was against. Dad and I walked part of the way from Musselburgh and I remember vividly walking by the docks at Leith and sitting watching the boats. Of course, like many others, my ‘Christening’ was up on the old huge terrace and what an experience that was for a youngster. The players seemed tiny from up there but the atmosphere was terrific and probably one of the big reasons I became a died-in-the-wool Hibby. I was truly one of those five-year olds ‘sitting high up on daddy’s shoulders’.

4) Who is your favourite player ever?

For Hibs it was always Joe Baker, though in unusual circumstances. I wasn’t of age to see Joe at his magnificent, dynamic and electric best in his original days at Easter Road but with my family moving to here in Nottingham not only was I brought up on tales of his exploits but was also able to witness them first-hand at the City Ground in Nottingham in the 1960s’. He had a quite an effect on me as a youngster as he did everyone who watched him I think.

I do have a non-Hibs player who is definitely my all-time football hero. A player not unlike Joe Baker in some respects in Denis Law. What a forward pairing they must have made at Torino!

Hibernian: Five Positives

Man…this is going to be difficult! There is so much gloom surrounding Easter Road presently due mainly to serious failings on the pitch. Manager, Mixu Paatelainen is deeply in the trenches due to his widely perceived poor tactical  and motivational ability amongst other criticisms. I’ve not had the pleasure (?) of visiting Easter Road in a little while now but reliable witnesses tell me it’s turgid stuff being produced on a weekly basis currently. Not only are the fans not seeing a side wining a game or two they are being starved of entertainment too. This will not do of course and a somewhat poisonous atmosphere is steadily creeping over the old ground.

Who can blame these fans? Certainly not me. It is difficult to see the club that’s in your heart going downhill at such an alarming rate with little too apparently arrest this worrying state of affairs. In spite of this I’m going to try and cheer myself up by looking on the bright side for a moment, difficult though that may be.

Let’s give it a go…

 

 

Negligible debt – how many UK football clubs can boast of being in that position currently? It’s not necessarily that savoury the way Hibs have got themselves into that position (i.e. by selling off a stream of good, young players, not to mention some long-held land) but hey, let’s try and throw a positive pose…

Hibs: Fit for what?

‘HIBS KEEPER ‘TOO DRUNK’ TO GET ON PLANE’

The above is the latest in a steady stream of unwelcome headlines to be printed about the Easter Road club’s players. This is not reproduced with any sense of outrage  nor is it a moralistic crusade but rather just resignation at the attitude of some modern footballers to their profession.

Grzegorz Szamotulski

In the linked story, Hibs goalie, Grzegorz Szamotulski was refused access to a flight home to his native Poland for a mid-season holiday because he was judged to have been drunk and not in a suitable condition to board the plane.

This report on Szamotulski, affectionately know as ‘The Mad Monk’ by Hibs fans is arguable in it’s seriousness as an isolated incidence, though it can hardly be said that the Polish goalkeeper has been much of an ambassador for his club in this instance. For me it’s more the further questions it brings up about player’s lifestyles in these times.

Hibs: The Prodigal Returns!

Hibernian yesterday completed the signing of former striker, Derek Riordan from Celtic after a torrent of rumour regarding a possible deal. Fans’ nerves were stretched to breaking point waiting for the Messiah-like return of the former golden boy of Easter Road until an announcement during the evening. Although the talk of a return seemed well-substantiated, it was far from a formality with Hibs having to comply with Celtic’s wishes regarding a sizable sell-on fee.

Hibs’ pre and early season form has been poor and erratic and Derek’s return will give a great boost a to a beleaguered club board and concerned and angry supporters alike. It’s just the fillip required at Easter Road and one can almost feel the tides of goodwill and optimism flowing from club’s faithful fans today.

Derek Riordan (right) celebrates another goal! (Click on image to view a sample of Derek's goals)

The rarest commodities in football are surely true goalscorers- those that have the happy knack of being in the right place when it matters and able to despatch the ball into the back of the net in a variety of methods. Derek Riordan is just such a player. Not for him the most robust aspects of the game as a very slimly built forward player it must be stated. His tackling won’t trouble too many apart from nuisance value but his talents are far more valuable in and around the opposition penalty area where he excels like few others. A study of Riordan’s goals is an examination of how to score in a myriad of ways. Twenty-five yarders, tap-ins, mazy dribble and finishes, all taken with a cool clinical precision. Hibs are very fortunate indeed to have the player, who is also a life-long fan of the club back in the fold. It is perhaps a regret to the player and at the same time incredible, that the Glasgow club seemed unable or unwilling to unleash his considerable talents too often. That is for them to reflect upon. In the meantime the whole of Leith (and those of us further adrift) with a love of the old club will be celebrating and have a new spring  in our step today.

DEREK RIORDAN IS BACK!

Another Bad Day at the Office for Hibernian

Hibernian 0-1 Motherwell

More misery for the Hibees

Worrying times continue for the Hibees after another defeat, this time to a late John Sutton goal from Motherwell at Easter Road. It’s yet another blow for this toothless team in green and white that is long past beginning to concern me. Following on from an embarrasssing 3-4 defeat at the hands of Greenock Morton – a team two divisions below Hibs, last Tuesday evening.

The hopeful diversion of a possible return of former Hibs star Derek Riordan has perhaps contributed to some of us with the Easter Road club at heart taking our eye off the ball as matters are truly dire at the club presently. It will take more than a fit and scoring Riordan to turn things around for our currently ailing team sadly.

There are reports that towards the end of the game today there were shouts of ‘Petrie out’ directed towards the CEO who is taking a fair amount of the flack from sections of the support for a lack of re-investment in the team after taking in approximately £11m of late in player sales. It’s a stance I have a lot of time for as we watch a denuded team attempt to replace a galaxy of great young talent with generally very ordinary journeymen football players.

Derek Riordan

There – I’ve quoted the name. The one that’s tripping off practically every Hibs supporters lips at the current time. Presently Derek remains sitting out his contract at Celtic, shorn of match fitness by manager Strachan who appears to have taken personal exception to the young goal scorer and who has consistently refused to play him for the Glasgow club during his own at Parkhead.

At the time of writing – and this situation is a dynamic one that could change at any moment, the transfer window in Scottish Football is due to close on Monday and the usual rumour-mill is wound up to full speed. The Hibs online communities are beside themselves to discuss the possibly of a Messiah-like return to Hibs of the slimly built hit-man. Literally scores of forum threads have been dedicated to the subject rendering the persuing of those messageboads almost unreadable at times.

As those with an interest know, Derek left Easter Road around two years ago amidst a bad atmosphere and one of recriminations around the manner of his departure. He was seen by many to have sold the club short financially at that time and one of the many rumours surrounding his exit was that CEO Rod Petrie had played hardball with the youngster and in turn the player had responded accordingly. Of course this is just one of the theories and perhaps we will never know the truth.

A Tribute to Arthur Duncan

A little nudge for any fellow Hibbies dropping by the site as I know some of you do regularly. Our good friends in Northern Ireland, NI Hibs are hosting one of their terrific tribute nights very soon, this time to the great Arthur Duncan.

There are very few Hibbies that will not know of Arthur’s achievements with Hibernian. A stalwart of 610 games for the club on the left wing and latterly left back. Arthur had the sort of career that will likely never be repeated in the modern age of football.

Remembering his days at Easter Road, Arthur was an old-fashioned winger with great pace, sometimes a little reckless with the final ball as we will all recall! Hugely effective though and a worthy addition to the armoury of talent available to the great Turnbull’s Tornadoes team of the 1970s’. Many will also look back and remember his way with the fans at that time too, a friendly wave and a little banter with Nijinsky from the touchline was a regular feature most games.

Northern Ireland Hibs proudly carry the Hibernian flag for all of us in their home. I am always happy and grateful as a lifetime Hibernian supporter to see this. We should all be proud of them and offer them our support. Much like their hugely successful tribute nights to those Hibs legends, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Pat Stanton, I hope this night will be a resounding success. I’m certain it will be. Well done all.

The Struggle for Style

Whether it’s a fallacy or not, Hibernian Football Club have a persistent image amongst some of being a team that plays with that much over-used expression ‘flair’. The notion of a good deal of style, flash and panache has surrounded the team over the years – even when it has clearly not necessarily been deserved.

Currently the club has an uneasy battle with this image as new manager, Finn, Mixu Paatelainen shoulders the task of improving Hibernian’s fortunes with the considerable disadvantage of a less accomplished batch of players than have worn the famous green-and white jersey over the past few seasons. This situation being the result of the heavy sales of many of Hibs’ young and talented squad to be replaced by one or two arguably more humdrum professionals. As I write, it has been my observation that much criticism or certainly comment by the club’s fan base is directed at the lack of flowing football played at grass height. This opinion is probably understandable but the style (or lack of) is arguably necessary as the first team travels through a transitional stage.

Hibernian FC: This is how it feels

A familiar old Mass Hibsteria fanzine phrase and one that is very apt at this time. I’ve spent the afternoon following The Hibees progress at Ibrox against a Rangers team who scored an excellent 3-0 victory in Europe during the past week. I use methods like Radio Scotland on the net and/or the Sporting Life text coverage along with the Hibs messageboards – anything in fact that keeps me in contact with Hibs’ fortunes down here in Nottingham.