Everything about Hibernian Football Club totally explained
Hibernian Football Club are a
Scottish professional
football club based at the
Easter Road stadium in
Leith, north
Edinburgh. Along with
arch rivals Hearts, they represent the city of
Edinburgh in the
Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by former player
Mixu Paatelainen, with
Donald Park as his assistant.
The club's name is usually shortened to
Hibs. However, the team are also often known to their fans by the nickname "
Hibees" (pronounced "high-bees"). 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 have been
Scottish champions four times. The last season in which the club were champions was
1952. Hibernian have won the
Scottish Cup twice, but not since
1902. Their last appearance in
the Scottish Cup final was in 2001, where they lost 3–0 to
Celtic. The last major trophy won by the club was the
2007 League Cup, when they defeated
Kilmarnock 5–1 in
the final.
History
Foundation & Early History
The club was founded by
Irish-born
football enthusiasts from the
Cowgate area of
Edinburgh on
August 6 1875. The club was named
Hibernians in honour of
the Roman name for Ireland. A strict translation of Hibernian FC would be "Irishmen Football Club". At the time, this was literally true because Hibs players had to be members of the
Catholic Young Men's Society.
James Connolly, the famous
Irish Republican leader, was a Hibs fan during this period.
Hibs established themselves in
Scottish football after overcoming some initial
sectarian resistance to an Irish club. Ironically, Hibs' future
rivals Hearts played a significant role in breaking down this resistance, as they defied rules which stated that no club should play matches against the Irish club. Hearts provided the opposition in Hibs' first match on
Christmas Day 1875. During the first few years of their history, Hibs played their matches on
The Meadows of the south side of
Edinburgh. The club moved to the
Easter Road area in
1880 to a ground known as
Hibernian Park.
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. Both clubs were invited to play this match after winning the associations' respective Cup competitions, the
FA Cup and the
Scottish Cup.
Hibs were the first club in Scotland formed by members of the
Irish Catholic population who had settled in Scotland in the second half of the
19th Century. As the first such club, their example led to the creation of Irish clubs in
Dundee -
Dundee Harp and
then Dundee Hibernian - and the
creation of an Irish club in
Glasgow -
Celtic.
The foundation of
an Irish club in
Glasgow, which had a far greater
Irish population than
Edinburgh, inevitably led to Hibs losing its status as the dominant Irish club in
Scotland. Celtic signed several of the Hibs players through offering financial inducements to the
amateur Hibs players.
Mismanagement over the next few years led to the demise of Hibernians, who became homeless and the club effectively ceased operations during
1891. The club was eventually reformed as
Hibernian and the club 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. 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.
A significant change at the time of the reformation of Hibs was that players no longer had to be members of the Catholic Young Men's Society. This policy in Hibs' early years has led to some people accusing Hibs of being the first
sectarian Scottish football club, a charge commonly levelled at
Rangers. It has been argued, however, that the club wasn't
intentionally sectarian, but instead were trying to persuade young Catholics to pursue a life of
temperance and religious adherence by offering top-class
football to them.
Hibs are not seen today as being an Irish or
Roman Catholic institution as it was in the early years of its history. For instance, Hibs only re-introduced the
Irish harp to
the club crest when it was last re-designed in
2000 to reflect the three pillars of Hibs' identity -
Ireland,
Edinburgh (the
castle) and
Leith (the
ship). Geography rather than religion is now seen as the primary reason for supporting the team, and Hibs draw most of their support from the north and east of
Edinburgh.
The Famous Five
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 Hibs to
league championships in
1948,
1951 and
1952. The championship of 1952 is the last time to this day that Hibs were
Scottish football champions. Hibs also finished second to
Rangers in
1953 on
goal average and second to Rangers by a point in
1950.
The team was less successful in cup competitions. Their only
Scottish Cup final appearance in this period was in 1947, where they lost 2–1 to
Aberdeen. Hibs reached the final of the
Coronation Cup in
1953 by winning against
Newcastle United and
Tottenham Hotspur, but lost 2–0 to
Celtic in the final. The Coronation Cup was a competition played between the best teams in
England and
Scotland to mark the
coronation of
Queen Elizabeth.
It was due to this successful period that Hibs were invited to play in the inaugural
European Cup in the
1955-56 season, even though the club had only finished in 5th place in
1955, 15 points behind
champions Aberdeen. The club reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, losing to
Stade Reims.
The north stand at
Easter Road was named in honour of the Famous Five when it was rebuilt in
1995.
Turnbull's Tornadoes
Another successful era for Hibs was in the early 1970s when
Turnbull's Tornadoes, managed by
Eddie Turnbull, challenged for the
league championship, finishing second
in 1974 and
in 1975. In cup competitions, the club won the
League Cup in
1972, reached the
Scottish Cup final of 1972 and also won the
Drybrough Cup in 1972 and 1973.
The club recorded its most famous victory over
Hearts, 7–0 at
Tynecastle on
New Year's Day 1973. The teams of this era included notable players such as
Pat Stanton,
Alan Gordon,
Joe Harper,
John Blackley,
John Brownlie, and
Erich Schaedler.
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 "one unit" who could more realistically compete with the
Old Firm of
Celtic and
Rangers. 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. 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'd no great interest in football, and he's since taken a "hands-off" approach to his ownership. 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.
Firsts
- First British club in Europe
Although Hibs only finished 5th in the Scottish League during the
1954-55 season, the club were invited to participate in the
first season of the European Cup. At that time the European Cup wasn't strictly based on league position. 18 clubs who were thought would generate great interest across
Europe and who also had the
floodlights necessary to play games at
night were invited to participate. 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.
The
Football League secretary
Alan Hardaker persuaded the
English champions Chelsea not to enter into the first season of the European Cup.
Manchester United were the first
English club to appear in the
European Cup, in the
1956-57 season.
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
home. Hibs then defeated
Djurgårdens IF of
Sweden to reach the semi-final. The "away" match against the Swedish side was played at
Firhill, the home of
Partick Thistle, due to the pitches in Sweden being
frozen. Hibs were defeated 3–0 on aggregate by
Stade Reims, who had
French star
Raymond Kopa in their side, in the semi-final.
First Scottish Club to have shirt sponsorship
In 1977, Hibernian became the first Scottish club to have a sponsor's logo on their shirts, advertising sportswear company Bukta. When Hibs started advertising on their shirt, the television companies refused to broadcast matches involving Hibs. The eventual compromise was that Hibs wore purple shirts when their games were televised.
First Scottish club to have undersoil heating
In 1980, Hibernian were the first Scottish club to have undersoil heating installed at their stadium.
Recent history
Alex McLeish as manager
Hibernian's most recent relegation to the First Division came at the end of the 1997-98 season, just months after Alex McLeish had been appointed as manager. 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.
On their return to the top tier in 1999-2000, Hibs performed relatively well for a newly-promoted side and finished 6th in the SPL. Hibs also reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup that year, but lost 2–1 to Aberdeen. The famous Easter Road slope was removed at the end of the season..
In 2000-01, Hibs got off to a great start, 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 that Hibs qualified for the UEFA Cup. The highlight of the season was on 22 October 2000, when a Mixu Paatelainen hat-trick helped Hibs to a 6–2 victory over city rivals Hearts at Easter Road.
A brand new West Stand was completed for the start of season 2001/2002. Hibs took AEK Athens to extra time in their UEFA Cup tie, but were eventually beaten 4–3 on aggregate. Alex McLeish departed for the vacant Rangers job in December, and fans’ favourite Franck Sauzée was appointed as McLeish's replacement.
Sauzée's tenure saw a disastrous run of form, as Hibs recorded only one victory in three months, a 4–0 win over Stranraer in a Scottish Cup replay. Hibs were being sucked into a relegation battle by the time Sauzée was sacked as manager in February 2002. The decision to sack Sauzée after only 69 days was highly controversial despite the terrible results in that time.
Bobby Williamson as manager
Franck Sauzée was replaced as Hibs manager in March 2002 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.
Williamson's time in charge was seemingly ‘jinxed’ by conceding late goals. A memorable example of this was when Hibs themselves scored two late goals at Tynecastle to take a 4–2 lead against Hearts on January 2 2003, only to concede two even later goals by Graham Weir to give Hearts an unlikely 4–4 draw.
Despite indifferent results under Williamson, a string of exciting young players including Garry O’Connor, Derek Riordan, Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown started to emerge. These players featured heavily as Hibs eliminated both halves of the Old Firm to reach the 2004 Scottish League Cup final, only to lose 2–0 to Livingston. Williamson departed near the end of the 2003-04 season to manage Plymouth Argyle.
Tony Mowbray as manager
Tony Mowbray was appointed Hibs manager on 24 May 2004, replacing Bobby Williamson. Mowbray's appointment came as a surprise, because the media had speculated that other candidates, including John Gorman, David Hay and Tommy Burns were going to be appointed.
Mowbray quickly established that he wanted Hibs to play attacking, passing football, despite inheriting a team with a low average age which was under pressure to deliver results after disappointing seasons under Bobby Williamson. 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. Mowbray won the manager of the year award from the Scottish Football Writers' Association in his rookie season, while striker Derek Riordan won the young player of the year award from his fellow professionals. Hibs reached the semi-final stage of the Scottish Cup, where they lost 1–2 to Dundee United despite taking the lead early in the second half.
In the 2005-06 season, Hibs got off to an excellent start, winning 10 of their first 14 league games. This form led to speculation by some commentators that they could put in a challenge for the championship, but Mowbray played down the club's chances, pointing to the inconsistency of the side and the much higher budgets of Rangers, Celtic and Hearts. 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.
Hibs were beaten 5–1 on aggregate by Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the first round of the UEFA Cup and they also lost heavily, 3–0, to Dunfermline Athletic in the CIS Cup.
Injuries, suspensions, and the sale of Garry O'Connor to Lokomotiv Moscow exposed a lack of depth in the squad. After a largely disappointing second half of the season, Hibs finished 4th in the SPL and qualified for the Intertoto Cup. They showed promising signs in the Scottish Cup, beating Arbroath 6–0, Rangers 3–0 and Falkirk 5–1, but were well beaten 0–4 by Hearts in the semi-final at Hampden Park.
Mowbray left Hibs in October 2006 to manage Championship side West Bromwich Albion.
John Collins as manager
Following media speculation that Falkirk manager John Hughes, Cowdenbeath manager Mixu Paatelainen and Nottingham Forest coach Ian McParland would be appointed, it was announced on 31 October 2006 that John Collins would be the new manager of Hibs, with Tommy Craig as assistant manager. Collins resigned on 20 December 2007, having won the Scottish League Cup during his sole year in charge.
Collins' tenure saw the club sell more of their star players, including Kevin Thomson, Scott Brown, Ivan Sproule and Steven Whittaker, mostly to the Old Firm. The benefit of these sales is that the club's financial position has been improved significantly and the club has also been able to invest in a training ground. Hibs have kept a tight control of player wages, however, and Collins blamed frustration over the lack of funds available to replace the players who were sold as his reason for resigning.
Mixu Paatelainen as manager
Mixu Paatelainen was appointed as manager on 10 January 2008. Improved results in the first few months under Paatelainen's management ensured that Hibs finished in the top half of the SPL table for a fourth successive season. By finishing in the top half, Hibs have guaranteed a place in the last Intertoto Cup competition.
Stadium
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.
The stadium is all-seated and currently has a capacity of 17,500. The record attendance of 65,860, when the stadium had vast terracing sections, was set by an Edinburgh derby on January 2 1950. The stadium was long noted for its pronounced slope, but this was removed at the end of the 1999-2000 season.
Colours
The team colours are green and white. The strip has a green body, with white sleeves, a white collar, and white cuffs (on long sleeved tops). The shorts are green, and the socks are green with white tops.
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. Hibs wore all-green in that match to avoid any clash with Madrid's all-white.
Rivalry
Hibs' traditional local rivals in Edinburgh are Hearts. The Edinburgh derby is "one of the oldest sporting rivalries in world football", 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 no longer play each other regularly 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, played on 14 March 1896. Hearts won 3–1 at Logie Green in the only Scottish Cup Final that has been played outside Glasgow.
The biggest derby win in a competitive match was when Hibs won 7–0 at Tynecastle on New Year's Day 1973. However, the biggest winning margin between Hearts and Hibs is by 8 goals on 12 August 1893 when Hearts won 10–2, although this was in a friendly played soon after Hibs were reformed after their crisis in the late 19th Century. The biggest victory in a Scottish Premier League match was when Hibs beat Hearts 6–2 at Easter Road, with Mixu Paatelainen scoring a hat-trick, on October 22 2000.
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–
Caretaker Managers
Jocky Scott 1996
Billy McNeill 1998
Donald Park 2001 & 2002
Gerry McCabe 2004
Mark Proctor 2006
Tommy Craig 2007–2008
Players
» As of May 21 2008.
Current squad
Players out on loan
Famous players
» The decade to which the player is allocated is based on when the player first signed for Hibs.
1880s
James McGhee 1883–1888
1890s
Archie Gray 1899–1904
1900s
Harry Rennie 1900–1908
1910s
Peter Kerr 1910–1926
1920s
Jimmy Dunn 1920–1928
Bill Harper 1920–1925
1940s
Gordon Smith 1941–1959
Bobby Johnstone 1946–1955; 1959–1960
Lawrie Reilly 1945–1958
Eddie Turnbull
Hugh Howie 1943–1954
Davie Shaw
Willie Ormond 1946–1961
Bobby Combe 1941–1957
Tommy Younger 1948–1956
1950s
Lawrie Leslie
Joe Baker 1957–1961; 1971–1972
1960s
Alex Cropley 1968–1974
Peter Cormack 1963–1970; 1980
Pat Stanton 1963–1976
Peter Marinello 1968–1970
John Brownlie 1969–1978
Erich Schaedler 1969–1977
Ronnie Simpson 1960–1964
Joe McBride
1970s
Alan Gordon 1972–1974
Joe Harper 1974–1976
John Blackley
Des Bremner 1972–1979
George Best 1979–1980
1980s
Alan Rough 1982–1988
Gordon Durie 1984–1986
John Collins 1984–1990
Steve Archibald 1988–1990
Andy Goram 1987–1991
Pat McGinlay 1987–1993; 1994–2000
1990s
Jim Leighton 1993–1997
Russell Latapy 1998–2001
Franck Sauzée 1999–2002
Mixu Paatelainen 1998–2001; 2002–2003
Murdo MacLeod 1990–1993
Michael O'Neill 1993–1996
Darren Jackson 1992–1997
Kenny Miller 1996–2000
Ian Murray 1999–2005; 2008–
Garry O'Connor 1999–2006
2000s
Ulises de la Cruz 2001–2002
David Zitelli 2000–2002
Derek Riordan 2001–2006
Kevin Thomson 2003–2007
Scott Brown 2002–2007
Ivan Sproule 2005–2007
Steven Whittaker 2001–2007
David Murphy 2004–2008
Ulrik Laursen 2000–2002
Gary Caldwell 2002; 2004–2006
Steven Fletcher 2004–present
In popular culture
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. 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. 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".
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, but in the later books, his colleague DS Siobhan Clarke is a season ticket holder at Easter Road. In the 2006 television adaptation of the series, Rebus is a Hibs fan. Ironically the part of Rebus in the 2006 adaptation is played by Ken Stott, who is a Hearts fan.
Music
The Proclaimers are "diehard" Hibs fans and many of their songs are regularly played at Easter Road. In their song "Cap in Hand", from the album Sunshine on Leith (1988), The Proclaimers sing:
I can understand why Stranraer lie so lowly
They could save a lot of points by signing Hibs' goalie.
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 was memorably sung after the 5–1 victory over Kilmarnock in the CIS Cup Final.
The Hibs anthem Glory, Glory to the Hibees was written and performed by Scottish Comedian Hector Nicol.
Club records
Highest home attendance: 65,860 vs Hearts; 2 January 1950
Highest average home attendance: 30,700, 1951-52 season (15 games)
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
Most capped player: Lawrie Reilly, 38 (for Scotland)
Most League appearances: Arthur Duncan - 446 appearances
Most goals in all competitions: Gordon Smith - 170 goals
Most goals in a season: Joe Baker - 42 goals in 33 games of the 1959-60 season
Record fee received - £4,400,000 for Scott Brown from Celtic in 2007
Record fee paid - £700,000 for Ulises de la Cruz from Deportivo Quito in 2000
Honours
Major Honours
Scottish football champions: 4
Scottish Cup: 2
Scottish League Cup: 3
Scottish Football League First Division: 2
Scottish Cup finals
Hibs have won the Scottish Cup twice, in 1887 and in 1902. Hibs have been in 11 finals and 25 semi-finals in total and have played a record 336 games in the competition since last winning it. Dumbarton and Queen's Park have gone longer since their last wins, but have played fewer matches in the intervening period.
League Cup finals
Hibs have won the Scottish League Cup three times - 1972, 1991 and 2007. The 1972 win was the first time in 70 years (since the 1902 Scottish Cup) that Hibs had won a national cup tournament. Hibs also won the 1943-44 Southern League CupFurther Information
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