Hibernian F.C.

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This article is about the Scottish football club. For the Maltese football club, see Hibernians F.C..

Hibernian

Full name

Hibernian Football Club

Nickname(s)

Hibs^[1]
Hibees^[1]
The Cabbage^[2]

Founded

1875

Ground

Easter Road
(Capacity 17,500^[3])

Chairman

Rod Petrie

Manager

Mixu Paatelainen

League

Scottish Premier League

2007-08

6th





Home colours





Away colours

Current season

Hibernian Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. Along with arch rivals Hearts, they represent the city in the Scottish Premier League. The club was founded in 1875 by Irish Catholics, but it is not seen today as having an Irish identity. Hibernian's Irish heritage is reflected in the club's name, colours and crest.

The club's name is usually shortened to Hibs.^[4] The team are also often called "Hibees" (pronounced "high-bees") by their fans. Many fans also call them "The Cabbage", a shortening of the rhyming slang for Hibs of "Cabbage and Ribs". Hibs supporters are known as "Hibbies" (singular: "Hibby").

Hibs play their home matches at the Easter Road stadium, which is all-seated and has a capacity of 17,500. They have played at the ground since 1893, having previously played on The Meadows and at Hibernian Park in the early years of the club's history. They have been Scottish champions four times. The last season in which the club were champions was 1952.^[5] The club has won the Scottish Cup twice, but not since 1902.^[6] Their last appearance in the Scottish Cup final was in 2001, where they lost 3–0 to Celtic.^[7] The last major trophy won by the club was the 2007 League Cup, when they defeated Kilmarnock 5–1 in the final.^[8]

[edit] History

Main article: History of Hibernian F.C.

For more details on this topic, see Hibernian F.C. seasons.

[edit] Foundation & Early History

The Cowgate, where Hibs were formed in 1875

The club was founded in 1875 by Irish-born football enthusiasts from the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, who named it Hibernians in honour of the Roman name for Ireland.^[9] A strict translation of Hibernian F.C. would be Irishmen Football Club. James Connolly, the famous Irish Republican leader, was a Hibs fan during this period.^[10]

There was some sectarian resistance initially to an Irish club participating in Scottish football.^[11] Despite this, Hibs established themselves as a force in Scottish football in the 1880s, becoming the first club from the "east coast" of Scotland to win the Scottish Cup. On August 13, 1887, Hibs defeated Preston North End in a match co-billed by the FA and the SFA as the Association Football Championship of the World decider.^[12]

Mismanagement over the next few years led to the demise of Hibernians, who became homeless and ceased operating during 1891. A reformed club called Hibernian was established and they acquired a lease on a site in late 1892 that was to become known as Easter Road. On February 4, 1893, the club played its first match at Easter Road.^[13] Despite this interruption, the club today views Hibernians and Hibernian as one continued history and therefore counts the honours won by Hibernians, including the 1887 Scottish Cup.^[14]

A significant change at the time of the club's reformation was that players were no longer required to be members of the Catholic Young Men's Society. Hibs are not seen today as being an Irish or Roman Catholic institution as it was in the early years of its history.^[15] For instance, the Irish harp was only re-introduced to the club crest when it was last re-designed in 2000. This design reflects the three pillars of the club's identity - Ireland, Edinburgh (the castle) and Leith (the ship). Geography rather than religion is now seen as the primary reason for supporting Hibs, who draw most of their support from the north and east of Edinburgh.^[16]

Hibs had some success after being reformed, winning the Scottish Cup in 1902 and their first league championship a year later. After this, however, the club endured a long barren spell until the Second World War, failing to finish high in the league. The notorious Scottish Cup drought began as they reached three cup finals (two in consecutive years), but lost them all.

[edit] The Famous Five

Picture depicting the Famous Five at Easter Road stadium

Hibs' most successful era by far was in the decade following the end of the Second World War. The Famous Five forward line of Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond led the club to league championships in 1948, 1951 and 1952. They also finished second to Rangers in 1953 on goal average and second to Rangers by a point in 1950.

The north stand at Easter Road was named in honour of the Famous Five when it was rebuilt in 1995.^[17]

[edit] First British club in Europe

For more details on this topic, see Hibernian F.C. in Europe.

Despite only finishing 5th in the Scottish League during the 1954-55 season, Hibs were invited to participate in the first season of the European Cup. At that time the European Cup was not strictly based on league position. 18 clubs who were thought would generate interest across Europe and who also had the floodlights necessary to play games at night were invited to participate.^[18] Hibs had floodlights installed at Easter Road during the 1954-55 season, which were used for the first time in a "friendly" against rivals Hearts on October 18, 1954.^[19]

The Football League secretary Alan Hardaker persuaded the English champions Chelsea not to enter into the first season of the European Cup.^[20] Manchester United were the first English club to appear in the European Cup, in the 1956-57 season.^[21]

Hibs played their first tie against West German side Rot-Weiss Essen, winning 4–0 in the Georg-Melches-Stadion, Essen and drawing 1–1 at Easter Road. They then defeated Djurgårdens IF of Sweden to reach the semi-final, but in that tie they were defeated 3–0 on aggregate by Stade Reims, who had the famous France international player Raymond Kopa in their side.

[edit] Turnbull's Tornadoes

Hibs continued to participate in European competition frequently during the 1960s, winning ties against major clubs like FC Barcelona and Napoli. However, the club achieved little domestically, until former player Eddie Turnbull was persuaded to return to Easter Road as manager in 1971. He built a team popularly called Turnbull's Tornadoes,^[22] who challenged for the league championship, finishing second in 1974 and in 1975. In cup competitions, the club won the League Cup in 1972 and the Drybrough Cup in 1972 and 1973.

During this period, Hibs recorded their most famous derby victory over Hearts, a 7–0 win at Tynecastle on New Year's Day 1973.^[23] The teams of this era included notable players such as Pat Stanton, Alan Gordon, Joe Harper, John Blackley, John Brownlie, and Erich Schaedler.

After the mid-1970s, however, the club went into decline and was relegated at the end of the 1979-80 season. Hibs were immediately promoted back to the top division in 1981, but the club struggled during the 1980s, failing to qualify for Europe for ten years.

[edit] Takeover bid by Hearts

After mismanagement during the late 1980s, Hibs were on the brink of financial ruin. During the close season of 1990, Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer proposed a merger of Hibs and Hearts to form a single club who could more realistically compete with the Old Firm of Celtic and Rangers.^[24] Hibs fans believed that the proposed merger was more like a hostile takeover, where Hearts would continue, but Hibs would cease to exist.

In response to the threat from Mercer, Hibs fans formed Hands off Hibs, which campaigned for the continued existence of the club and acted to frustrate Mercer in his attempt to acquire a majority shareholding in Hibernian.^[25] The campaign succeeded when a local prominent businessman, Kwik Fit owner Sir Tom Farmer, was persuaded to acquire a controlling interest in Hibs. The fans were able to persuade Farmer to take control despite the fact he had no great interest in football, and he has since taken a "hands-off" approach to his ownership.^[26] Farmer was persuaded in part by the fact that an ancestor of his, Philip Farmer, had been involved in the rescue of Hibs from financial ruin in the early 1890s.^[27]

[edit] Recent history

After the attempted takeover by Wallace Mercer, Hibs had a few good years in the early 1990s, winning the Skol Cup in 1991 and finishing high in the league in 1994 and 1995. After this however, the club's fortunes dipped for a few years. Hibs were relegated to the First Division came at the end of the 1997-98 season.^[28] The club immediately won promotion back to the newly formed Scottish Premier League in the 1998-99 season, helped by a run of 12 wins in a row on as they were crowned Scottish First Division champions. Hibs earned a record total of 89 points and finished 23 points ahead of second-placed Falkirk.

Hibs got off to a great start in 2000-01, recording six consecutive victories in August. Hibs also reached the final of the Scottish Cup for the first time in 22 years, but lost 3–0 to Celtic at Hampden Park. Hibs secured third place behind the Old Firm, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup. The highlight of the season was on 22 October 2000, when a Mixu Paatelainen hat-trick helped the club to a 6–2 victory over city rivals Hearts at Easter Road. Manager Alex McLeish departed for the vacant Rangers job in December 2001.^[29]

[edit] Sauzee and Williamson

Fans’ favourite Franck Sauzée was appointed as McLeish's replacement. However, a disastrous run of form followed,^[30] and the club was being sucked into a relegation battle by the time he was sacked as manager in February 2002.^[31] Sauzée was replaced by Bobby Williamson, who had previously managed Kilmarnock. Hibs recorded five wins from nine matches towards the end of the 2001-02 season, which ensured that they retained their place in the SPL.

Despite indifferent results under Williamson, a string of exciting young players including Garry O’Connor, Derek Riordan, Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown emerged. These players featured heavily as Hibs eliminated both halves of the Old Firm to reach the 2004 Scottish League Cup final,^[32] only to lose 2–0 to Livingston. Williamson departed near the end of the 2003-04 season to manage Plymouth Argyle.

[edit] Mowbray

Hibs played Dinaburg in the Intertoto Cup while Tony Mowbray was manager.

Tony Mowbray was appointed Hibs manager on 24 May 2004 to replace Williamson.^[33] He pushed Hibs to play attacking, passing football, despite inheriting a team with a low average age which was under pressure to deliver results. Mowbray's policies were rewarded with a 3rd place finish in his first season as manager and a place in the UEFA Cup for the following season. He won the manager of the year award from the Scottish Football Writers' Association.

In the 2005-06 season, Hibs got off to an excellent start, winning 10 of their first 14 league games. Some commentators speculated they could put in a challenge for the championship.^[34] Highlights of the season included three consecutive victories over Rangers (including two 3–0 wins at Ibrox Stadium), and a 2–0 victory over Hearts that ended their unbeaten start to the league.^[35]

Injuries, suspensions, and the sale of Garry O'Connor to Lokomotiv Moscow^[36] exposed a lack of depth in the squad. After a largely disappointing second half of the season, Hibs finished 4th in the SPL and were beaten 4–0 by Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park. Mowbray left the club in October 2006 to manage West Bromwich Albion, whom he guided to promotion to the English Premier League by winning the Championship in the 2007-08 season.

[edit] Collins

The CIS Cup is paraded

Hibs announced on 31 October 2006 that John Collins would be the new manager of Hibs.^[37] Collins resigned on 20 December 2007, having won the CIS Cup during his sole year in charge.^[38]

Collins' tenure saw the club sell star players including Kevin Thomson, Scott Brown, Ivan Sproule and Steven Whittaker. Collins blamed frustration over the lack of funds available to replace these players as his reason for resigning.^[39]

[edit] Paatelainen

Former Finnish international player Mixu Paatelainen was appointed as manager on 10 January 2008.^[40] He was familiar with Scottish football, having played in the top division for Dundee United, Aberdeen and Hibs. When he was appointed, Hibs had won only one of their previous 10 games and were in the bottom half of the league. Improved results in the first few months under his management ensured that they finished in the top six of the league for a fourth successive season.

[edit] Stadium

Easter Road in the 1950s

For more details on this topic, see Easter Road.

Hibs play their home matches at the Easter Road Stadium in the Leith area of Edinburgh. The stadium is named after a nearby main road which links Leith with Abbeyhill.^[41] It is currently all-seated and has a capacity of 17,500.^[42] Before the Taylor Report demanded that the stadium be all-seated, the ground had vast banks of terracing on three sides,^[43] which meant that it could hold crowds in excess of 60,000. Easter Road's record attendance of 65,860, which is also a record for a football match played in Edinburgh,^[43]^[44]^[45] was set by an Edinburgh derby played on January 2, 1950.^[46]^[47]^[48] The pitch was long noted for its pronounced slope, but this was removed at the end of the 1999-2000 season.^[49]

[edit] Colours

Hibs' main colours are green and white, which they have worn since the club was formed in 1875. The strip has a green body, with white sleeves, a white collar, and white cuffs (on long sleeved tops). The shorts are normally white and the socks are green with white tops.^[50] Hibs have used yellow, purple, black, white and a dark green in recent seasons for their alternate kits.^[51]^[52]^[53] The club first used a purple change kit in 1977 when television companies refused to broadcast their games if they used their home colours, which were being sponsored.^[54]^[55]

Hibernian introduced white sleeves to their shirts on 13 August 1938 against Hamilton Accies after a refurbishment of Easter Road had taken place. The harp and shamrocks at the stadium entrance and the stand and the wall surrounding the pitch had been repainted, and the terracing barriers had all been painted white. The goalposts had been replaced with oval posts with green nets. Harry Swan addressed the crowd over new loudspeakers to introduce "the brighter Easter Road" before the team appeared in their new strip.

For the 2004-05 season, the colour of the shorts was changed to a green which matched the shirts, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a 2-0 friendly win in October 1964 over Real Madrid.^[56] Hibs wore all-green in that match to avoid any clash with Madrid's all-white.^[57]

[edit] Rivalry

For more details on this topic, see Edinburgh derby.

Rob Jones scores the only goal in the CIS Cup quarter-final on
November 8, 2006

Hibs' traditional local rivals in Edinburgh are Hearts. The Edinburgh derby is one of the oldest sporting rivalries in world football^[58] and is arguably the oldest regularly played derby match in the world. The Nottingham derby is older, but Nottingham Forest and Notts County have not played each other since 1994. Rangers v Queen's Park is an older Glasgow fixture, but those clubs have not played in the same division since 1958. This is largely because Queen's Park remained amateur while the rest of the game turned professional in the late 19th Century.

The first official Hibs v Hearts derby match was on Christmas Day 1875, when Hearts beat Hibs 1–0 in Hibs' first ever match. It wasn't until their five-game struggle for the Edinburgh Football Association Cup in 1878 that the two clubs became dominant in Edinburgh. Hearts won 3–2 after 0–0, 1–1, 1–1 and 1–1 draws. The clubs' most notable meeting occurred in the 1896 Scottish Cup final, which Hearts won 3–1.

The two clubs are of approximately equal sizes, as they have grounds with similar capacities and have both been champions of Scotland four times. Hearts have won more cup competitions and have the better record in derbies, with 269 wins to 195 in 604 matches.^[59] Approximately half of all derbies have been played in local competitions and friendlies.

Hibs recorded the biggest derby win in a competitive match, however, when they won 7–0 at Tynecastle on New Year's Day 1973. The biggest winning margin in the derby was a 10–2 Hearts victory in a friendly played on 12 August 1893. The biggest victory in a Scottish Premier League derby was when Hibs won 6–2 at Easter Road on October 22, 2000. Hibs' current manager Mixu Paatelainen scored a hat-trick in that game.

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] Irvine Welsh

The works of author Irvine Welsh, particularly Trainspotting, contain several references to Hibernian. The team is often mentioned in casual conversation and is the team many of his characters support. Visual references to Hibs are noticeable in Danny Boyle's film adaption of Trainspotting.^[60] Begbie wears a Hibs shirt while he plays five-a-side football. During the famous baby-on-the-ceiling/detox scene, many posters and pictures of Hibernian can be seen on the walls of Mark Renton's bedroom.

In the final short story of the trilogy The Acid House, Coco Bryce, a boy from the "Hibs firm", is struck by lightning while under the influence of LSD in a Pilton park. His soul is transferred to the body of an unborn child from one of the more affluent areas of Edinburgh.^[61] The final scene of the film adaptation of Welsh's work shows Coco in the baby's body strapped to his mother's back with a Hibs top in the pub chanting "Oo to, oo to be, oo to be a Hibee".

[edit] Rebus

Hibernian are frequently referred to in the Inspector Rebus series of detective novels by Ian Rankin. Rebus himself is a Raith Rovers fan in the books,^[62] but his colleague in the later books, DS Siobhan Clarke is a season ticket holder at Easter Road. In the 2006 television adaptation of the series, Rebus is a Hibs fan.^[63] Ironically the part of Rebus in the 2006 adaptation is played by Ken Stott, who is a Hearts fan.^[64]

[edit] Heartfelt

Scotsman writer and Hibby Aidan Smith wrote a book called Heartfelt that centred around his experiment of supporting derby rivals Hearts during the 2004-05 season.^[65] Smith said that he based the concept on the television shows Faking It and Wife Swap, testing the hypothesis that someone could change many things in their life, but not their team.^[66]^[67] Irvine Welsh described the book as "quite possibly the best book I’ve read about football or Edinburgh".^[68] The book has been adapted for a theatre production, which has been staged at Easter Road during the 2007 and 2008 Leith Festivals.^[67]^[68]

[edit] Music

The Hibs anthem Glory, Glory to the Hibees was written and performed by Scottish Comedian Hector Nicol.^[69] Former Marillion singer Fish is a Hibs fan,^[70] who talks about the club during concerts. Fish mentions Easter Road in the song 'Lucky', from the album Internal Exile. The Proclaimers are "diehard" Hibs fans.^[71] The title track from the Sunshine on Leith album has become a Hibs anthem which is traditionally played before big matches at Easter Road and after the victory in the CIS Cup Final.^[72] In their song "Cap in Hand", also from the Sunshine on Leith album, The Proclaimers sing:^[73]

“

I can understand why Stranraer lie so lowly

They could save a lot of points by signing Hibs' goalie

”

[edit] Managers

Dan McMichael 1903–1919
David Gordon 1919–1920
Alex Maley 1920–1925
Bobby Templeton 1925–1936
Willie McCartney 1936–1948
Hugh Shaw 1948–1962
Walter Galbraith 1962–1964
Jock Stein 1964–1965
Bob Shankly 1965–1969
Willie MacFarlane 1969–1970
Dave Ewing 1970–1971
Eddie Turnbull 1971–1980

Willie Ormond 1980
Bertie Auld 1980–1982
Pat Stanton 1982–1984
John Blackley 1984–1986
Alex Miller 1986–1996
Jim Duffy 1996–1998
Alex McLeish 1998–2001
Franck Sauzée 2001–2002
Bobby Williamson 2002–2004
Tony Mowbray 2004–2006
John Collins 2006–2007
Mixu Paatelainen 2008–

[edit] Caretaker Managers

Jocky Scott 1996
Billy McNeill 1998
Donald Park 2001 & 2002

Gerry McCabe 2004
Mark Proctor 2006
Tommy Craig 2007–2008

[edit] Players

As of 21 May 2008.

[edit] Current squad

No.	Position	Player
2	DF	Kevin McCann
4	DF	Chris Hogg (vice-captain)
5	DF	Rob Jones (captain)
6	MF	Brian Kerr
7	MF	Merouane Zemmama
8	FW	Clayton Donaldson
9	FW	Steven Fletcher
10	FW	Abdessalam Benjelloun
11	MF	Alan O'Brien
12	MF	Filipe Morais
16	MF	Lewis Stevenson
17	MF	Sean Lynch
19	DF	Thierry Gathuessi
20	MF	John Rankin

No.	Position	Player
21	GK	Andrew McNeil
22	MF	Dean Shiels
23	MF	Ross Chisholm
24	FW	Colin Nish
25	DF	Darren McCormack
26	MF	Ian Murray
28	FW	Ross Campbell
29	FW	Damon Gray
31	GK	Zbigniew Małkowski
33	DF	Paul Hanlon
34	DF	Martin Canning
41	GK	David Grof
50	GK	Yves Makabu Ma-Kalambay
––	DF	David van Zanten

[edit] Honours

Major Honours

Scottish Football League Division One: 4
- 1903, 1948, 1951, 1952
Scottish Cup: 2
- 1887, 1902
Scottish League Cup: 3
- 1972,^[74] 1991,^[74] 2007

Minor Honours

Scottish Football League First Division: 2^[75]
- 1981, 1999
Scottish Football League Division Two: 3
- 1894, 1895, 1933
Southern League Cup: 1
- 1944^[76]
Drybrough Cup: 2
- 1972, 1973
Summer Cup: 2
- 1942,^[77] 1964

[edit] Club records

Highest home attendance: 65,860 vs Hearts; 2 January 1950 ^[78]
Highest average home attendance: 30,700, 1951-52 season (15 games) ^[79]
Biggest margin of victory: 22–1 vs Black Watch Highlanders; 3 September 1881
Biggest competitive margin of victory: 11–1 vs Airdrie; 24 October 1959, 11–1 vs. Hamilton; 6 November 1965
Biggest margin of loss: 0–10 vs Rangers; 24 December 1898^[80]^[81]
Most capped player: Lawrie Reilly, 38 (for Scotland)
Most League appearances: Arthur Duncan - 446 appearances
Most goals in all competitions: Gordon Smith - 170 goals^[82]
Most goals in a season: Joe Baker - 42 goals in 33 games of the 1959-60 season^[83]
Record fee received - £4,400,000 for Scott Brown from Celtic in 2007^[84]
Record fee paid - £700,000 for Ulises de la Cruz from Deportivo Quito in 2000^[85]