Taxi for Calderwood?

[boaby]

My aspirations at the start of the season were for us to:

 

1. try to win every game.

2. for the players to give everything.

3. see where the above took us.

 

The aim should be to win every game we play (otherwise what's the point), therefore the aim should be to win the treble.

 

I don't think JC has aimed to win every game. I think he's played for draws on occasions.

I don't think all the players have given everything. I think that not all the players have good attitudes. I think the players and staff could be more professional. I think they should be fitter and stronger than they are. I think they should behave like professional athletes not footballers from 30 years ago.

 

 

We should be 2nd this season. We have thrown away points after being ahead in games. We have under-performed regularly. Given our performances against the OF last season the lack of belief and defensive attitude against them this season is depressing.

 

 

Clark would not be in my first choice team. If he were to play in central midfield it would be in a 3-5-2. I think he is our 3rd best option at left wing behind J. Smith and Foster. However JC's ability in the market has meant that there are few options in CM.

 

I'd say Foster is our best option at LB. That is an indictment of JC's choices in the market not a validation of Foster. IMO he does not have the positional awareness, tackling ability, strength to be a defender. He has the pace and willingness to go at defenders to cause some teams problems.

[BobbyBiscuit]

To be fair 3rd is a realistic AIM. Hearts were always going to implode and we had to be looking to take advantage of that. Hibs had just lost Riordan, O'Connor, Caldwell and had contract wrangles with Brown and Fletcher going on and most importantly had just lost their manager.

 

2 quarters is not much to ask at all. Seeded to the quarter finals in league cup, therefore avoiding anyone in top 8 in league last season, so getting through just 2 rounds shouldn't be much to ask.

 

Scottish Cup you need luck of the draw but again 2 matches is little to ask unless you draw a premier team away from home!!

 

agree with that, added to the fact that Hearts had lost their best player (or biggest threat) in Skacel and don't actually have an out and out goalscorer.

[Bamber]

My aspirations at the start of the season were for us to:

 

1. try to win every game.

2. for the players to give everything.

3. see where the above took us.

 

Boaby not an arguement or anything on very sensible aspirations but can I ask where staurday fits into that?

 

Though obviously wrong in hindsight, JC sent out a team and in tactics he thought could win the match

 

In general the players did what they were asked to do - unfortuanatly they were asked to do the wrong thing

 

so was saturday a success or failure in your aspirations?

[Guest CAPSLOCK]

Tall ask? Dinna think so. I think this all comes down to levels of ambition.

 

I WANT TO FLY SPACESHIPS FOR A LIVING. IS THAT A TALL ASK OR JUST DOWN TO MY LEVEL OF AMBITION?

 

ALTHOUGH I'D LOVE 3RD SPOT AND 2 QUARTER FINALS IT'S BOTH OVER AMBITIOUS AND A TALL ASK FOR OUR SIZE OF SQUAD TO ACHIEVE CONSIDERING WE'VE ONLY LANDED IN THE TOP 6 FOR THE PAST 3 SEASONS.

 

To be fair 3rd is a realistic AIM. Hearts were always going to implode and we had to be looking to take advantage of that. Hibs had just lost Riordan, O'Connor, Caldwell and had contract wrangles with Brown and Fletcher going on and most importantly had just lost their manager.

 

2 quarters is not much to ask at all. Seeded to the quarter finals in league cup, therefore avoiding anyone in top 8 in league last season, so getting through just 2 rounds shouldn't be much to ask.

 

Scottish Cup you need luck of the draw but again 2 matches is little to ask unless you draw a premier team away from home!!

 

3RD PLACE AND 2 QUARTER FINALS.

 

OTHER THAN THE OLD FIRM, I DOUBT WHETHER ANY OTHER TEAM IN THE LEAGUE EXPECT TO ACHIEVE THAT EACH SEASON.

 

 

DO I WANT THAT? - YES.

 

DO I EXPECT THAT? - NO.

 

 

BUT I'M STILL HAPPY WITH WHERE WE ARE IN THE LEAGUE.

[BTR]

In general the players did what they were asked to do - unfortuanatly they were asked to do the wrong thing

 

I don't know about that. Despite plenty of midfield possession, we failed to create any chances inside the box. The players are to blame for that, not the manager. You can only tell the players so much and it is up to them to do it on the pitch.

[Tommy]

Tall ask? Dinna think so. I think this all comes down to levels of ambition.

 

 

Aye, some fans are that bit more ambitious than others.

 

Some fans are happy with what Calderwood has done

and others aren't.

No a problem there.

[boaby]

Boaby not an arguement or anything on very sensible aspirations but can I ask where staurday fits into that?

 

Though obviously wrong in hindsight, JC sent out a team and in tactics he thought could win the match

 

In general the players did what they were asked to do - unfortuanatly they were asked to do the wrong thing

 

so was saturday a success or failure in your aspirations?

 

Obviously we went out to win the game so no complaints there. I don't think all the players gave everything, some complaints there. I don't think that the coaching staff did their jobs.

 

I can't complain about the intent.

 

The defending of the lead when we got it was abysmal. When we needed to keep the ball for a bit and calm things down (JC should've gone orthodox 4-4-2) we didn't. The defending at the freekick was poor (players fault). The players and staff passed the effort but failed the application part of "giving it everything" spectacularly.

 

If I fail one element of a uni module I fail the whole thing. So IMO Saturday was a failure.

[RTYD]

I WANT TO FLY SPACESHIPS FOR A LIVING. IS THAT A TALL ASK OR JUST DOWN TO MY LEVEL OF AMBITION?

 

ALTHOUGH I'D LOVE 3RD SPOT AND 2 QUARTER FINALS IT'S BOTH OVER AMBITIOUS AND A TALL ASK FOR OUR SIZE OF SQUAD TO ACHIEVE CONSIDERING WE'VE ONLY LANDED IN THE TOP 6 FOR THE PAST 3 SEASONS.

3RD PLACE AND 2 QUARTER FINALS.

 

OTHER THAN THE OLD FIRM, I DOUBT WHETHER ANY OTHER TEAM IN THE LEAGUE EXPECT TO ACHIEVE THAT EACH SEASON.

DO I WANT THAT? - YES.

 

DO I EXPECT THAT? - NO.

BUT I'M STILL HAPPY WITH WHERE WE ARE IN THE LEAGUE. As I said it all comes down to levels of ambition.

[K-9]

I WANT TO FLY SPACESHIPS FOR A LIVING. IS THAT A TALL ASK OR JUST DOWN TO MY LEVEL OF AMBITION?

 

ALTHOUGH I'D LOVE 3RD SPOT AND 2 QUARTER FINALS IT'S BOTH OVER AMBITIOUS AND A TALL ASK FOR OUR SIZE OF SQUAD TO ACHIEVE CONSIDERING WE'VE ONLY LANDED IN THE TOP 6 FOR THE PAST 3 SEASONS.

3RD PLACE AND 2 QUARTER FINALS.

 

OTHER THAN THE OLD FIRM, I DOUBT WHETHER ANY OTHER TEAM IN THE LEAGUE EXPECT TO ACHIEVE THAT EACH SEASON.

DO I WANT THAT? - YES.

 

DO I EXPECT THAT? - NO.

BUT I'M STILL HAPPY WITH WHERE WE ARE IN THE LEAGUE.

Do i EXPECT it? No, but it has to be minimum aim.

[Guest CAPSLOCK]

As I said it all comes down to levels of ambition.

 

COURSE IT DOES BUT WITH A SMALL SQUAD AND NO MONEY IN THE BANK SOME LEVELS OF AMBITION ARE JUST NOT POSSIBLE. HIBS DOING WELL IN THE CUPS ARE PROBABLY THE REASON WHY THEY HAVE BEEN FOUND WANTING IN THE LEAGUE.

[RTYD]

COURSE IT DOES BUT WITH A SMALL SQUAD AND NO MONEY IN THE BANK SOME LEVELS OF AMBITION ARE JUST NOT POSSIBLE. HIBS DOING WELL IN THE CUPS ARE PROBABLY THE REASON WHY THEY HAVE BEEN FOUND WANTING IN THE LEAGUE.

 

With the right management and coaching the squad we have are more than capable of so much more than we have seen this season.

[Madbad]

With the right management and coaching the squad we have are more than capable of so much more than we have seen this season.

 

 

With the right management, coaching and money to invest in the squad we are capable of so much more than we have seen this season.

 

Invest in squad means players AND facilities

[glasgow sheep]

COURSE IT DOES BUT WITH A SMALL SQUAD AND NO MONEY IN THE BANK SOME LEVELS OF AMBITION ARE JUST NOT POSSIBLE. HIBS DOING WELL IN THE CUPS ARE PROBABLY THE REASON WHY THEY HAVE BEEN FOUND WANTING IN THE LEAGUE.

what? a handful of extra games mean you end up 6th in the league? Surely cup success gives you the confidence boost and momentum to rise up the league. Hibs problem has always been consistency, they are lucky that their good games have coincided with the cups this year.

[RTYD]

With the right management, coaching and money to invest in the squad we are capable of so much more than we have seen this season.

 

Invest in squad means players AND facilities

 

There will be no money because our quarter billionaire chairman won't invest anymore.

 

So with what we have at present, proper management and coaching would have seen us perform better this season.

[Madbad]

There will be no money because our quarter billionaire chairman won't invest anymore.

 

So with what we have at present, proper management and coaching would have seen us perform better this season.

 

With precious little cover in most positions should we suffer injury/suspensions.

 

Thank god we haven't lost important players like Nicolson due to injury, with lack of quality cover we'd struggle and probably drop points

[Slim]

Back when Calderwood was appointed, if you were told he was going to be given a fairly substantial budget (compared to the previous manager) with the ability to add players like Scott Severin, Jamie Smith, Steve Lovell and Barry Nicholson to the squad, what would be your expectations that he would achieve after 3 years in the job?

 

3rd place and qualifying for Europe would've been a minimum for me.

[Guest CAPSLOCK]

With the right management and coaching the squad we have are more than capable of so much more than we have seen this season.

 

YOU'VE PLUCKED THIS OUT OF THIN AIR....

 

HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF WITH THE 'RIGHT MANAGEMENT AND COACHING' AND WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR SOMEONE OF THAT CALIBER?

 

BUT I'LL PLAY ALONG WITH YOU, WHO WOULD YOU WANT THIS MAGICAL MYSTERY MANAGER TO BE?

[RTYD]

Back when Calderwood was appointed, if you were told he was going to be given a fairly substantial budget (compared to the previous manager) with the ability to add players like Scott Severin, Jamie Smith, Steve Lovell and Barry Nicholson to the squad, what would be your expectations that he would achieve after 3 years in the job?

 

3rd place and qualifying for Europe would've been a minimum for me.

 

Most of the players he has been after he has managed to get and he HAS had money to spend.

 

When he was after a striker he was chasing Lovell, Miller and Boyd. He now has two of them at the club.

 

Severin was first pick as were Jamie Smith and Nicolson.

 

Amazing how Nicolson has become such a vital player now that he is out. He used to get slagged most of the time when he was playing

[Guest CAPSLOCK]

Back when Calderwood was appointed, if you were told he was going to be given a fairly substantial budget (compared to the previous manager) with the ability to add players like Scott Severin, Jamie Smith, Steve Lovell and Barry Nicholson to the squad, what would be your expectations that he would achieve after 3 years in the job?

 

3rd place and qualifying for Europe would've been a minimum for me.

 

3 YEARS AGO I'D HAVE SAID:

 

NOT GETTING A HARD TIME BY LIVI 5 TIMES A SEASON AND STILL HAVING SOMETHING TO PLAY FOR AFTER THE SPLIT RATHER THAN WORRYING ABOUT GOING DOWN.

 

I VERY MUCH DOUBT YOU'D HAVE SAID 3RD PLACE AND QUALIFYING FOR EUROPE.

 

IN ALL HONESTY, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

[RTYD]

YOU'VE PLUCKED THIS OUT OF THIN AIR....

 

HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF WITH THE 'RIGHT MANAGEMENT AND COACHING' AND WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR SOMEONE OF THAT CALIBER?

 

BUT I'LL PLAY ALONG WITH YOU, WHO WOULD YOU WANT THIS MAGICAL MYSTERY MANAGER TO BE?

 

 

That old chestnut. Not my job. That is what Miller and the Board are for. After all who would have thought of Tony Mowbray for Hibs? The Board does its job and finds someone.

 

You clearly like the job JC is doing. Fine. I don't, but since I have no say in who comes in what does it matter? All I am sure of is that it is downhill from here with JC.

 

Do you enjoy watching your team at the moment?

[Guest El Padre]

Most of the players he has been after he has managed to get and he HAS had money to spend.

 

When he was after a striker he was chasing Lovell, Miller and Boyd. He now has two of them at the club.

 

Severin was first pick as were Jamie Smith and Nicolson.

 

Amazing how Nicolson has become such a vital player now that he is out. He used to get slagged most of the time when he was playing

 

Severin, Smith and Miller were all free's, he's only really spent cash on Nicholson and Lovell, Byrnes fee came back to us via Budgies transfer as far as I'm concerned.

 

Nicholsons received bags of praise since Christmas, the guys been great.

[RTYD]

Severin, Smith and Miller were all free's, he's only really spent cash on Nicholson and Lovell, Byrnes fee came back to us via Budgies transfer as far as I'm concerned.

 

Nicholsons received bags of praise since Christmas, the guys been great.

 

No transfer fees means nothing, the wages are fairly big. Nevertheless he has signed most of who he wanted.

[BTR]

Nicholson has played well all season, it just took a long time for folk to see through his "big" price tag.

 

A fit Jamie Smith would've made a massive difference to our performances this season. The one thing we have lacked is a player with vision and creativity.

 

The way I see it we are only two or three players away from being a very good side, but with the squad as thin as it is, we cannot cope with even only two or three injuries.

 

In the circumstances, given the level of footballing performance on show, this season has been a success and one that with the addition of a couple of players in the summer, we will consolidate next season.

[Slim]

3 YEARS AGO I'D HAVE SAID:

 

NOT GETTING A HARD TIME BY LIVI 5 TIMES A SEASON AND STILL HAVING SOMETHING TO PLAY FOR AFTER THE SPLIT RATHER THAN WORRYING ABOUT GOING DOWN.

 

I VERY MUCH DOUBT YOU'D HAVE SAID 3RD PLACE AND QUALIFYING FOR EUROPE.

 

IN ALL HONESTY, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.

 

I will correct you. With significant financial backing and a fairly big reputation, I'd say 3rd place after 3 years worth of team building/stabilising would've been a realistic and reasonable expectation.

[The Proclaimer]

I cannot believe this has spanned to 13 pages now!

 

Some of the people here need to wake up and smell the roses. Only a handful of weeks ago, we were in with a very good shout of Champions League football, and the fact that UEFA cup football is still in our own hands says it all about the progress we've made.

 

JC always gets sh*t for what he supposedly does wrong, but what about the stuff he's done right?!?

 

Rangers and Celtic will always have the upperhand on us, I don't need to go into great detail why as it's obvious.

 

3rd place is the best we can hope for, so stop going on about it FFS.

[Guest El Padre]

No transfer fees means nothing, the wages are fairly big. Nevertheless he has signed most of who he wanted.

 

You've obviously got a copy of our wage bill then.

[The Hobbit]

I will correct you. With significant financial backing and a fairly big reputation, I'd say 3rd place after 3 years worth of team building/stabilising would've been a realistic and reasonable expectation.

 

So, you discount any external factor?

 

Would you have the same expectation if, for examlpe, a couple of teams outwith the OF started spending lots of money?

 

If the answer is yes I think you need to review your use of realistic and reasonable

[Guest CAPSLOCK]

That old chestnut. Not my job. That is what Miller and the Board are for. After all who would have thought of Tony Mowbray for Hibs? The Board does its job and finds someone.

 

BUT YOU HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.

 

Do you enjoy watching your team at the moment?

 

SEXY FOOTBALL ISN'T THE BE ALL AND END ALL FOR ME, 3 POINTS IS. SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION:

 

*HAS A QUICK PEEK AT THIS FIRST*

 

YES I DO.

[Slim]

So, you discount any external factor?

 

Would you have the same expectation if, for examlpe, a couple of teams outwith the OF started spending lots of money?

 

If the answer is yes I think you need to review your use of realistic and reasonable

 

Perhaps, but as no non-OF teams have spent significantly more money than us, my expectation would be the same.

[The Hobbit]

Perhaps, but as no non-OF teams have spent significantly more money than us, my expectation would be the same.

 

Hearts?