Hibernian F.C.

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

Hibernian

File:Hibernian logo.gif
Full name	Hibernian Football Club
Nickname(s)	Hibees, Hibs, The Cabbage
Founded	August 1875
Ground	Easter Road Leith Edinburgh Scotland
Capacity	17,500
Chairman	Rod Petrie
Manager	John Collins
League	Scottish Premier League
2006-07	Scottish Premier League, 6th
Home colours Away colours

Hibernian Football Club (informally known as Hibs) are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, north Edinburgh. Along with city rivals Hearts, they represent Edinburgh in the Scottish Premier League. The club is currently managed by John Collins with Tommy Craig as his assistant. Hibs are noted as being the first British team to play in European football.

History

The club was founded in August 1875 by members of the St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church based on the Cowgate. The club's principal founders were Canon Edward Joseph Hannan, and the head of the local Catholic Young Men's Association, Michael Whelahan, who became the first club captain. The meeting which established the club took place at the St. Mary's Street Hall, which can still be seen today. The team originally played, like all other teams of the time, on the Meadows, a park towards the south of Edinburgh's Old Town. The club moved to the Leith area of the city in 1880, to a purpose built ground named Hibernian Park, which stood where Bothwell Street now stands today. The club moved to its present ground at Easter Road in 1891, just a stone's throw away from their first home.

Hibs were the first major club in Scotland formed by members of the Irish Catholic population of the time. The club's name reflects its Irish roots (Hibernia is the Latin name for Ireland). A strict translation of the name Hibernian F.C. would be "Irishmen Football Club." As the first such team, their example led to the creation of Dundee Hibernian (now Dundee United) and Celtic, who when they were formed were nearly called Glasgow Hibernian. The club is seen as being much less of a Catholic institution now than it was in the past, and today geographical association rather than religion is the primary reason that fans support the team (Hibernian being the club for East Edinburgh).

On August 13 1887, Hibernian defeated Preston North End in a match co-billed by the FA and SFA as the Association Football Championship of the World decider, due to the two teams' achievements in their respective domestic cup trophies.

Hibernian introduced white sleeves to their shirts on 13 August 1938 against Hamilton Accies after a major brightening up of Easter Road had taken place. The harp and shamrocks at the entrance had been repainted as had the stand and the wall round the pitch and the terracing barriers had all been painted white. The goalposts had been replaced with oval ones with green nets. On that day, Harry Swan addressed the large crowd over new loudspeakers about "the brighter Easter Road" before the team appeared in their new strip.

Hibernian were the first British club to appear in European competition, in its inaugural 1955/56 season. Hibernian's participation had little to do with qualification as they accepted the invitation to European competition that was declined by the four teams that finished above them in the Scottish League. Playing their first game against German side Rot-Weiss Essen, Hibernian won 4-0 in Essen and the return tie in Scotland ended in a 1-1 draw. Hibernian went on to reach the semi-finals, only to be defeated by a Stade de Reims side inspired by the great French footballer Raymond Kopa.

The last major trophy won by the club was the 2007 League Cup, when they defeated Kilmarnock 5-1 in the final. They also reached the League Cup final in 2004, losing to Livingston. Hibernian have not won the Scottish Cup since 1902. Their last appearance in the final was a 3-0 loss to Celtic in 2001.

Hibernian's most recent relegation to the First Division came at the end of the 1997-98 season. They immediately won promotion back to the SPL, however, in the 1998-99 season, helped by a run of 12 wins in a row on as they were crowned First Division champions. They earned a record total of 89 points and finished 23 points ahead of second-placed Falkirk.

The team colours are emerald green and white. The strip has a green body, with white sleeves, a white collar, and green cuffs. The shorts are white, and the socks are green with white tops. For the 2004/2005 season the colour of the shorts was changed to a green which matches the shirt colour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the club's 2-0 win over Real Madrid, as this was the kit originally worn for this friendly match.

Rivalry

Hibs' traditional local rivals in the city of Edinburgh are Hearts.

The first "official" derby match was on Christmas Day 1875, when Hearts beat Hibernian 1–0. It wasn't until their five-game struggle for the EFA Cup in 1878, that the two clubs became the dominant ones 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 winning 3-1 at Logie Green in the only final played outside Glasgow.

For more detailed information on this rivalry, please see the separate Edinburgh derby article.

Tony Mowbray era

Tony Mowbray was appointed Hibs manager on 24 May 2004, replacing the unpopular Bobby Williamson. His appointment came as a surprise because the media had been speculating about many other possible candidates, such as John Gorman, David Hay and Tommy Burns. Mowbray placed an emphasis on playing attacking, passing football, despite the relative youth of the team and the pressure for results.

2004-05 season

These policies were rewarded with a 3rd place finish in Mowbray's first season as manager (2004-05), and a place in the UEFA Cup for the following season (2005-06). 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.

2005-06 season

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 Tony Mowbray played down the club's chances, pointing to the lack of squad depth and the much higher budgets of Rangers, Celtic and Hearts. Highlights of the season included three consecutive victories over Rangers [1] and a 2-0 victory over Hearts ending their unbeaten start to the league.

Injuries, suspensions, and the sale of Garry O'Connor to Lokomotiv Moscow exposed this lack of depth. After a largely disappointing second half of the season, Hibs finished 4th in the SPL and qualified for the Intertoto Cup.

Hibs were beaten 5-1 on aggregate by Ukrainian club FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the first round [2] of the UEFA Cup. The lost 3-0 to Dunfermline Athletic in the League 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 City rivals Hearts in the semi-final at Hampden Park.

2006-07 under Mowbray

The competitive football started early in 2006-07 for Hibs due to their qualification for the Intertoto Cup. They beat their first opponents Dinaburg on a comfortable 8-0 aggregate, but were eliminated on the away goals rule by Danish team OB in the third round.

Hibs got off to a slow start in the new league season, taking eleven points from the first nine matches. The highlight of the early part of the league season was a 2-1 win over Rangers on September 17, but this was then followed with two disappointing losses against Falkirk and St Mirren, both by 1-0.

On 7 September 2006, Tony Mowbray and Mark Venus signed new 12-month rolling contracts that were due to come into force in July 2007. However, shortly after signing the deal, Mowbray departed to become manager of West Bromwich Albion. Mark Venus, Mowbray's assistant at Hibs, joined him at West Brom in the following week. John Park (previously director of football) and Mark Proctor (previously a first team coach) took charge on a caretaker basis.

John Collins

Following media speculation about Falkirk manager John Hughes, Cowdenbeath manager Mixu Paatelainen and Nottingham Forest coach Ian McParland, it was announced on 31 October 2006 that John Collins would be the new manager, with Tommy Craig as his assistant.

2006-07 under Collins

Victory parade, 18 March 2007, Easter Road, Leith.

Before Collins took over as manager, Hibs had gone through a particularly inconsistent start to the league campaign - capable of beating Rangers and causing problems for every team in the league, but also capable of losing to "lesser" sides. In the period since Collins took over, Hibs' league form has been somewhat more consistent, and they clinched a place in the "top six" of the SPL with three games to spare.

Where Hibs made substantial progress under Collins is in the domestic cup competitions. They had already advanced to the League Cup quarter finals under Tony Mowbray due to two straightforward wins over lower division opposition (4-0 v Peterhead and 6-0 v Gretna). Following Collins' appointment, they defeated Hearts 1-0 in the quarter-final and St Johnstone 3-1 after extra time in the semi-final at Tynecastle. On 18 March 2007, Hibs beat Kilmarnock 5-1 at Hampden to win the League Cup for the third time in their history. This was the first major trophy that Hibs had won in 16 years, the previous trophy win being the 1991/92 League Cup competition.

Hibs progressed to the semi-final of the Scottish Cup through wins over Aberdeen (after a replay), Gretna and Queen of the South. Hibs drew 0-0 with Dunfermline Athletic in the semi-final of the tournament on 15 April, and replayed the tie on 24 April. Hibs lost this tie 1-0 to a late Dunfermline penalty, ensuring that their 105 year Scottish Cup jinx continues for another season.

Transfer activity

Top goalscorer Chris Killen had a prolific season for the Hibees, but it was cut short by an Achilles injury suffered while playing Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup. With Killen out for the rest of the season, Collins signed Thomas Sowumni, a 28 year old Hungarian international striker, on a six month contract as cover. Former Hibs striker Tam McManus, released by Falkirk in the January transfer window, was offered a trial period but did not earn a full contract and later signed for Dunfermline.

The most high-profile transfer activity during Collins' tenure involved Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown. Speculation persisted that both would be sold during the January transfer window, despite Collins' insistence otherwise. Thomson eventually departed to Rangers, for a reported fee of £2M, on the transfer window's final day. Scott Brown has now been sold to Celtic for a record transfer fee between Scottish clubs of £4.4 million.

Young players emerging under Collins

Some younger players in the squad have notably flourished under John Collins leadership so far, particularly Abdessalam Benjelloun. 'Benji' has gained a reputation as a 'supersub', scoring important goals in the Scottish Cup ties against Aberdeen and Gretna, the CIS Cup Semi Final against St Johnstone, and two goals in the CIS Cup Final victory.

Several youngsters have been given their first opportunities in the Hibs first team by Collins, most notably 20 year old goalkeeper Andrew McNeil, 19 year old Steven Fletcher, 19 year old right back Kevin McCann and 18 year old left back / midfielder Lewis Stevenson. Midfielder Sean Lynch made his debut aged 20 against Gretna and then followed that up by keeping his place in the starting line up against Celtic at Parkhead.

Ross Campbell, Dermot McCaffrey, Ross Chisholm and Damon Gray (who scored on his league debut at Pittodrie) have also featured during Collins' tenure. Some of these opportunities have been due to the fact that Collins has had to balance a relatively small squad with a heavy workload (due to the two extended cup runs), but most of the players have shown well in these games.

"Dressing room unrest"

After a few disappointing league results that followed the victory in the CIS Cup final, reports emerged in the media of a supposed rift between Collins and many of the players. The players strongly criticised the manager for constantly chopping and changing the team and formation. Reports claimed that almost all of the first team players went to chairman Rod Petrie hoping to get Collins replaced. This example of "player power" was not well timed given the recent cup victory. The period of unrest was quelled when club captain Rob Jones, on behalf of the squad, made a statement apologising "to the management, supporters and board of the club for any distress or embarrassment that has been caused".

2007-08

Transfers

After playing a prominent role in Hibs' league cup victory and gaining international recognition, Scott Brown was sold to Celtic in a deal reportedly worth £4.4M. Hibs have agreed the Bosman signings of Brian Kerr (formerly of Motherwell) and Clayton Donaldson (formerly of York City). Hibs have also signed Alan O'Brien from Newcastle on a 3 year contract, but will have to pay Newcastle compansation.

New training ground

On May 22 2006, Hibs announced they had secured 36 acres of land to build a training complex. [3] The facilities are to be built on a farm in East Mains, a 20 minute drive from Easter Road. The complex will be called the 'East Mains Training Centre'. The site will include:

• Up to 10 full size grass pitches
• Specialist training areas (eg goalkeeping)
• Gym
• Changing facilities
• A treatment area
• An indoor short-sided synthetic pitch
• Players lounge
• Coaches’ rooms

The project is said to cost the club £3m. Hibs will be one of a few clubs in Scotland to have their own facilities, the others being Hearts and Rangers. Tony Mowbray repeatedly complained amongst other things about the poor quality of facilities the club has at their disposal, as the club use public areas in Edinburgh and Musselburgh. The centre is said to be completed by autumn 2007, and has received planning permission from East Lothian Council.

Nicknames

The club's name is almost universally shortened to Hibs. However, the team are also often known by their fans by the nickname "the Hibees" (pronounced "high-bees"). Hibs supporters are known as "Hibbies" (singular: "Hibby"). Also many fans call them "The Cabbage", as per the Cockney Rhyming Slang "The Cabbage And Ribs" after which a pub in Albert Street, Edinburgh is named.

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
• Jocky Scott 1996
• Jim Duffy 1996 - 1998
• Alex McLeish 1998 - 2001
• Donald Park (twice) 2001 and 2002 (temporary)
• Franck Sauzée 2001 - 2002
• Bobby Williamson 2002 - 2004
• Tony Mowbray 2004 - 2006
• Mark Proctor 2006 (temporary, with John Park)
• John Collins 2006 -

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
2	DF	SCO	Steven Whittaker
3	DF	ENG	David Murphy
4	MF	MAR	Merouane Zemmama
5	DF	ENG	Rob Jones (captain)
10	FW	MAR	Abdessalam Benjelloun
11	MF	SCO	Stephen Glass
12	DF	ANT	Shelton Martis
14	MF	FRA	Guillaume Beuzelin
15	DF	ENG	Chris Hogg
20	FW	SCO	Steven Fletcher
22	FW	NIR	Dean Shiels
23	MF	ENG	Kevin McDonald
25	DF	SCO	Kevin McCann
26	DF	SCO	Lewis Stevenson
28	FW	SCO	Ross Campbell

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
29	DF	NIR	Dermot McCaffrey
31	GK	POL	Zbigniew Małkowski
32	MF	CAN	Keegan Ayre
33	DF	SCO	Ross Chisholm
34	FW	ENG	Damon Gray
35	DF	SCO	Darren McCormack
37	MF	IRN	Shana Haji
41	GK	SCO	Andrew McNeil
__	GK	ENG	Clayton Donaldson
__	MF	SCO	Brian Kerr
__	DF	GER	Torben Joneleit (on loan from Monaco)
__	GK	BEL	Yves Makabu-Makalambay
__	MF	IRL	Alan O'Brien

For recent transfers, see the "Transfer Deals" section of 2007-08 in Scottish football.

Famous players

Famous players have included: Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond (also known as the Famous Five); in the seventies Pat Stanton, Alex Cropley, Alex Edwards, John Blackley, Des Bremner and Arthur Duncan, Erich Schaedler, in the 1980s Alan Rough and Gordon Durie, and in the 1990s John Collins, Andy Goram and Jim Leighton. Turnbull also managed the team in the seventies, and at that time his team was nicknamed the "Turnbull's Tornados". In the early eighties former Manchester United legend George Best played with the club for half a season: he played 22 games and scored 3 goals.

Other more recent noted players include:

• Chris Killen - current New Zealand international now with Celtic
• Ivan Sproule - current Northern Ireland international
• Franck Sauzée - European Cup Winner (with Olympique Marseille), now retired
• Garry O'Connor - current Scotland international, now with Lokomotiv Moscow
• Russell Latapy - Trinidad and Tobago World Cup player (2006), now with Falkirk
• Ulises de la Cruz - Ecuador World Cup player (2002 & 2006), now with Reading
• Derek Riordan now playing for Celtic
• Ian Murray current Scotland international now with Rangers
• Gary Caldwell current Scotland internation now with Celtic

In popular culture

The club has been mentioned in many works of literature, mainly by local authors. The works of author Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) contain several references to Hibernian, presumably due to his being a native of Leith. The team is often mentioned in casual conversation and is the team most of his characters support. There are many references to Hibernian's firm support. Visual references to the Hibs are noticeable in the films adapted from his works. More observant persons would have spotted many images of Hibernian in Danny Boyle's film, Trainspotting, such as Begbie wearing a Hibs shirt while he plays five-a-side. 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 film in the trilogy The Acid House, with the same title as the movie, Coco Bryce, a boy from the "Hibs firm", is struck by lightning while under the influence of LSD in a Pilton park only to have his soul transferred to the body of an unborn child from one of the more affluent areas of Edinburgh. The final scene of the movie is that of 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".

Hibernian are also frequently referred to in the Inspector Rebus detective series by Ian Rankin. In the later books, Rebus's colleague DS Siobhan Clarke is a season ticket holder at Easter Road. In the 2006 television adaptation of the series, Rebus is the Hibs fan, ironically played by actor Ken Stott a life long Hearts fan.

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" In 1988, Alan Rough was the first choice goalkeeper. He did leave Hibs in 1988, to go to Celtic. The title track from this album has become a Hibs anthem, and is traditionally played before matches at Easter Road.

Club records

• Highest home attendance: 65,860 vs Heart Of Midlothian F.C.; Mon 2 January 1950 Hibernian 1 Heart of Midlothian 2
• Highest average home attendance: 30,700, 1951-52 season (15 games)
• Biggest ever win: 22-1 vs. Black Watch Highlanders F.C.; 3 September 1881
• Next biggest ever win: 20-0 vs. Emmet F.C.; 10 January 1885
• Biggest League win: 11-1 vs. Airdrieonians F.C.; 24 October 1959, 11-1 vs. Hamilton Academical F.C.; 6 November 1965
• Next biggest League win: 10-1 vs Port Glasgow Athletic F.C.; 19 May 1894
• Biggest loss: 0-10 vs. Rangers F.C.; 24 December 1898
• Most capped player: Lawrie Reilly, 38 (for Scotland)
• Most League appearances: Arthur Duncan, 446
• Most League goals: Gordon Smith, 364
• Most goals in a season: Joe Baker, 42, 1959-60 season

Scottish Cup finals

Hibs have now gone over 100 years since their last Scottish Cup victory. Since that 1-0 victory over Celtic on 26 April 1902, they have lost in 8 finals and 17 times at the semi-final stage. They have played a record 333 games since that last Cup win. Dumbarton and Queen's Park have gone longer since their last wins but played fewer matches.

Date		F	Opponents	A
Sat 12 February 1887	Hibernian	2	Dumbarton	1
Sat 14 March 1896	Hibernian	1	Heart of Midlothian	3
Sat 26 April 1902	Hibernian	1	Celtic	0
Sat 11 April 1914	Hibernian	0	Celtic	0
Thu 16 April 1914	Hibernian	1	Celtic	4
Sat 31 March 1923	Hibernian	0	Celtic	1
Sat 19 April 1924	Hibernian	0	Airdrieonians	2
Sat 19 April 1947	Hibernian	1	Aberdeen	2
Sat 26 April 1958	Hibernian	0	Clyde	1
Sat 6 May 1972	Hibernian	1	Celtic	6
Sat 12 May 1979	Hibernian	0	Rangers	0
Wed 16 May 1979	Hibernian	0	Rangers	0
Mon 28 May 1979	Hibernian	2	Rangers	3
Sat 26 May 2001	Hibernian	0	Celtic	3

League Cup finals

Date		F	Opponents	A
Sat 28 October 1950	Hibernian	0	Motherwell	3
Sat 5 April 1969	Hibernian	2	Celtic	6
Sat 9 December 1972	Hibernian	2	Celtic	1
Sat 26 October 1974	Hibernian	3	Celtic	6
Sun 27 October 1985	Hibernian	0	Aberdeen	3
Sun 27 October 1991	Hibernian	2	Dunfermline Athletic	0
Sun 24 October 1993	Hibernian	1	Rangers	2
Sun 14 March 2004	Hibernian	0	Livingston	2
Sun 18 March 2007	Hibernian	5	Kilmarnock	1

Honours

• Scottish football champions: 4
  • 1903, 1948, 1951, 1952
• Scottish Football League First Division: 2
  • 1981, 1999
• Scottish Football League Division Two: 3
  • 1894, 1895, 1933
• Scottish Cup: 2
  • 1887, 1902
• Scottish League Cup: 3
  • 1972, 1991, 2007
• "Championship of the World": 1
  • 1887
• Drybrough Cup: 2
  • 1972, 1973
• Summer Cup: 2
  • 1942, 1964
• Tennents' Sixes: 1
  • 1990

See also

• Hibernian FC season 2006-07
• Hibernian FC season 2007-08

External links

Official websites

• Hibs.co.uk Official club website
• Hibernian at the Scottish Premier League official website
• Hibernian at the UEFA official website

General fan sites

• Hibs.net
• Hibees Bounce
• Hibees-Mad
• Hibees Heaven

News sites

• Hibernian on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
• Hibernian news from The Scotsman
• Hibernian news from Sky Sports

Fanzine

• Mass Hibsteria