Hibernian F.C.

Team badge
Full name	Hibernian Football Club
Nickname(s)	Hibs[1] Hibees[1] The Cabbage[2]
Founded	1875
Ground	Easter Road, Leith, Edinburgh (Capacity: 20,421)
Owner	Sir Tom Farmer
Chairman	Rod Petrie
Manager	Pat Fenlon
League	Scottish Premier League
2011–12	Scottish Premier League, 11th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Hibernian Football Club (/hɨˈbɜrniən/ hə-BER-ni-ən) are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts. Hibernian were founded in 1875 by Irish immigrants,^[3] but support for the club is now based on geography rather than ethnicity or religion.^[4][5][6][7] The Irish heritage of Hibernian is still reflected, however, in its name, colours and badge.^[3]

The name of the club is usually shortened to Hibs.^[1] The team are also called The Hibees^[1] (pronounced /ˈhaɪbiːz/ HY-beez) and The Cabbage,^[2] a shortening of the rhyming slang for Hibs of "Cabbage and Ribs", by fans of the club, who are themselves also known as Hibbies. Home matches are played at the Easter Road stadium, which the club have played at since 1893,^[8] when the club also joined the Scottish Football League.^[9] Hibernian have played in the Scottish Premier League since 1999, one year after the breakaway league was founded.^[10][11]

Hibernian have won the Scottish league championship four times, most recently in 1952. Three of those four championships were won between 1948 and 1952, when the club had the services of The Famous Five, a notable forward line.^[12] The club have won the Scottish Cup twice, in 1887 and 1902; but have lost nine Scottish Cup Finals since, most recently in 2012.^[13][14][15] The last major trophy won by the club was the 2007 Scottish League Cup, when Kilmarnock were beaten 5–1 in the final.^[16] It was the third time Hibs had won the League Cup, also winning in 1972 and 1991.

History[link]

Foundation and early history[link]

The Cowgate, where Hibs were formed in 1875.

The club were founded in 1875 by Irishmen from the Cowgate area of Edinburgh. The name is derived from Hibernia, the Roman name for Ireland.^[3] James Connolly, the famous Irish Republican leader, was a Hibs fan,^[17][18] while the club were "closely identified" with the Irish Home Rule Movement during the 1880s.^[9] There was some sectarian resistance initially to an Irish club participating in Scottish football, but Hibs established themselves as a force in Scottish football in the 1880s.^[3][9][17] Hibs were the first club from the east coast of Scotland to win a major trophy, the 1887 Scottish Cup. They went on to defeat Preston North End, who had won the 1887 FA Cup, in a friendly match described as the Association Football Championship of the World Decider.^[19][20][21]

Mismanagement over the next few years led to the club becoming homeless and it ceased operating during 1891.^[9] A reformed club was established and they acquired a lease on a site in late 1892 that was to become known as Easter Road. Hibernian played its first match at Easter Road on 4 February 1893.^[22] Despite this interruption, the club today views the period since 1875 as one continued history and therefore counts the honours won between 1875 and 1891, including the 1887 Scottish Cup.^[23][24] The club were admitted to the Scottish Football League in 1893, although they had to win the Second Division twice before being elected into the First Division in 1895.^[9]

A significant change at the time of this reconstitution was that players were no longer required to be members of the Catholic Young Men's Society.^[17][25] Hibs are not seen today as being an Irish or Roman Catholic institution, as it was in the early years of its history.^[4][5] For instance, the Irish harp was only re-introduced to the club badge 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,^[6][7] who draw most of their support from the north and east of Edinburgh.^[6][7][26]

Hibs had some success after being reformed, winning the 1902 Scottish Cup and their first league championship a year later. After this, however, the club endured a long barren spell. The club lost its placing in the league, and were relegated for the first time in 1931, although they were promoted back to the top division two years later. The notorious Scottish Cup drought^[13] began as they reached three cup finals, two in consecutive years, but lost each of them.

The Famous Five[link]

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, when it was "among the foremost clubs in Britain".^[12] The forward line of Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond, collectively known as the Famous Five, is "regarded as the finest ever seen in Scottish football".^[12] The quality of the Famous Five is shown by the fact that all five players scored more than 100 goals for the club,^[12] with the north stand at Easter Road now named in their honour.

Of the five, only Ormond cost Hibs a transfer fee, £1200 from Stenhousemuir.^[27] Reilly, Johnstone, Smith and Turnbull were all signed from youth or junior leagues.^[12][28] The first time Hibs used all five in the same team was on 21 April 1949, in a friendly match against Nithsdale Wanderers.^[28] The forward line remained in place until 1955, when Johnstone was sold to Manchester City.^[12] The great forward line, together with players like Bobby Combe and Tommy Younger, largely contributed to the winning of league championships in 1948, 1951 and 1952.^[12][28] The team were perhaps unfortunate not to win more trophies, as they finished second to Rangers in 1953 on goal average, and second to Rangers by a point in 1950.^[12]

First British club in Europe[link]

Despite only finishing fifth in the Scottish League in 1955, Hibs were invited to participate in the first season of the European Cup, which was not strictly based on league positions at that time.^[29] Eighteen 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.^[29] Floodlights had been used at Easter Road for the first time in a friendly match against Hearts on 18 October 1954.^[30] Hibs became the first British club in Europe because the Football League secretary Alan Hardaker persuaded Chelsea, the English champions, not to enter.^[31]

Hibs played their first tie against Rot-Weiss Essen, winning 4–0 in the Georg-Melches-Stadion^[29] and drawing 1–1 at Easter Road. They defeated Djurgårdens IF to reach the semi-final,^[29] but in that tie they were defeated 3–0 on aggregate by Stade Reims,^[29] who had the famous France international player Raymond Kopa in their side.^[29] Reims lost 4–3 to Real Madrid in the Final.^[29]

Turnbull's Tornadoes[link]

Hibs frequently participated in the Fairs Cup during the 1960s, famously winning ties against Barcelona^[32] and Napoli.^[33] However, the club achieved little domestically until former player Eddie Turnbull was persuaded to return to Easter Road as manager in 1971. The team, popularly known as Turnbull's Tornadoes, finished second in the league in 1974 and 1975, and won the League Cup in 1972. The club also won the Drybrough Cup in 1972 and 1973, and recorded a 7–0 win over Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts, at Tynecastle on 1 January 1973.

Performances went into decline after the mid-1970s, as Hibs were replaced by the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United as the main challengers to the Old Firm. Turnbull resigned as manager and Hibs were relegated, for the second time in their history, in 1980. They were immediately promoted back to the Scottish Premier Division in 1981, but the club struggled during the 1980s, failing to qualify for European competition until 1989.

Attempted takeover bid by Hearts[link]

After mismanagement during the late 1980s, Hibs were on the brink of financial ruin in 1990.^[34] Wallace Mercer, the chairman of Hearts, proposed a merger of the two clubs,^[34] but the Hibs fans believed that the proposal was more like a hostile takeover.^[35] They formed the Hands off Hibs group to campaign for the continued existence of the club.^[35] This succeeded when a prominent local businessman, Kwik-Fit owner Sir Tom Farmer, acquired a controlling interest in Hibs.^[36] The fans were able to persuade Farmer to take control despite the fact that he has no great interest in football, which is demonstrated by the fact that he rarely attends Hibs matches.^[36] Farmer was persuaded in part by the fact that a relative of his had been involved in the rescue of Hibs from financial ruin in the early 1890s.^[22] After the attempted takeover by Mercer, Hibs had a few good years in the early 1990s, winning the 1991 Scottish League Cup Final and finishing in the top five in the league in 1993, 1994 and 1995.

Recent history[link]

Soon after Alex McLeish was appointed as manager in 1998, Hibs were relegated to the First Division,^[37] but immediately won promotion back to the SPL in 1999.^[11] Hibs enjoyed a good season in 2000–01, as they challenged the Old Firm until Christmas, eventually finishing third in the league. Hibs also reached the Scottish Cup Final for the first time in 22 years, but lost 3–0 to Celtic at Hampden Park.^[15] McLeish departed for Rangers in December 2001;^[38] team captain Franck Sauzée was appointed as the new manager, despite the fact that he had no previous coaching experience.^[39] A disastrous run of form followed, which was dragging Hibs into a relegation battle by the time he was sacked in February 2002.^[40][41] Sauzée had been manager for just 69 days.^[40][41]

The Scottish League Cup is paraded in March 2007.

Kilmarnock manager Bobby Williamson was then hired, but he proved to be unpopular with Hibs supporters.^[42] However, a string of exciting young players emerged, including Garry O’Connor, Derek Riordan, Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown. 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.^[42] Williamson departed near the end of that season to manage Plymouth Argyle and was replaced by Tony Mowbray.^[42][43] Mowbray promised fast-flowing, passing football,^[43] with which Hibs finished third in his first season as manager, while Mowbray won the manager of the year award.^[44]

Mowbray left Hibs in October 2006 to manage West Bromwich Albion,^[45] and was replaced by former player John Collins.^[46] The team won the 2007 Scottish League Cup Final under his management,^[16] but during his tenure, the club sold Kevin Thomson, Scott Brown and Steven Whittaker for fees totalling more than £8 million.^[47] Collins resigned later that year, frustrated by the lack of funds made available to sign new players.^[47] Former Hibs player Mixu Paatelainen was hired to replace Collins,^[48] but he left after the end of his first full season.^[49]

Another former Hibernian player, John Hughes, was soon appointed in place of Paatelainen.^[50] Hughes, who made high profile signings such as Anthony Stokes^[51] and Liam Miller,^[52] led Hibs to a good start to the 2009–10 season.^[53] "Unacceptable" performances in the early part of 2010 included a Scottish Cup defeat by Ross County.^[54] A 6–6 draw with Motherwell, in which Hibs had led 6–2 midway through the second half, broke the record for most goals scored in a SPL match.^[55] A win on the final day meant that Hibs finished fourth and qualified for the Europa League.^[56] A poor start to the following season, including first round exits in Europe and the League Cup, led to Hughes leaving the club by mutual consent.^[57] Hughes was replaced by Colin Calderwood, who was himself sacked on 6 November 2011.^[58] Pat Fenlon was appointed to replace Calderwood. The club avoided relegation in the 2011–12 Scottish Premier League and reached the 2012 Scottish Cup Final, but this was lost 5–1 to Hearts.

Colours and badge[link]

The predominant club colours are green and white, which have been used since the formation of the club in 1875.^[59] The strip typically has a green body, white sleeves and a white collar.^[59] The shorts are normally white, although green has been used in recent seasons.^[59] The socks are green, usually with some white detail.^[59] Hibs have used yellow, purple, black, white and a dark green in recent seasons for their alternate kits.^[60] In 1977, Hibs became the first club in Scotland to bear sponsorship on their shirts.^[61] This sponsorship arrangement prompted television companies to threaten a boycott of Hibs games if they used the sponsored kit, which resulted in the club using an alternate kit for the first time.^[59][62]

Hibs wore green and white hooped shirts during the 1870s,^[59] which was the inspiration for the style later adopted by Celtic.^[63] Hibs then wore all-green shirts from 1879 until 1938, when white sleeves were added to the shirts.^[59] This was similar in style to Arsenal, who had added white sleeves to their red shirts earlier in the 1930s.^[64] The colour of the shorts was changed to a green which matched the shirts in 2004, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of a friendly win in October 1964 against Real Madrid.^[65] Hibs had worn green shorts in that match to avoid a colour clash with the all-white colours of Real Madrid. Hibs have worn green shorts in three seasons since the 2004–05 season.^[59]

The badge used to identify the club has changed frequently over the years, which has reflected an ongoing debate about its identity. This debate has centred on whether its Irish heritage should be proudly displayed, or ignored for fear of being accused of sectarianism.^[17] The Irish harp was first removed in the 1950s, then re-introduced to the club badge when it was last re-designed in 2000.^[17] Scottish Football Museum director Ged O'Brien said in 2001, that the current design shows that Hibs "are comfortable with all the strands of their tradition – it has Leith, Edinburgh and Ireland in it."^[17]

Stadium[link]