Hearts defeat the final straw for Hibs faithful

IAIN COLLIN

SUNDAY’S demoralising Edinburgh derby defeat to Hearts has left Hibs manager Pat Fenlon with virtually no support amongst the fans as he battles to keep his job, according to an online poll.

In responding to a question on popular supporters’ website hibs.net on whether Fenlon should ‘stay’ or ‘go’ in the wake of the 1-0 defeat at Tynecastle, almost 95 per cent of over 500 disgruntled fans who had replied by yesterday afternoon had decided it is time for the Irishman to leave his post.

A similar survey running last week following the opening Premiership fixture against Motherwell, again a 1-0 loss, showed the former Bohemians and Shelbourne boss had retained some backing amongst the Easter Road faithful, with around two-thirds calling for his departure.

However, the weekend defeat to a Hearts team seriously weakened by the financial constraints and signing embargo associated with the club’s descent into administration in June appears to have been the last straw for the overwhelming majority of fans who believe that with Fenlon having been given leeway to make a number of summer signings the club should be looking confidently towards the top of the table rather than the bottom.

Boos rained down from the away end at Tynecastle at the full-time whistle and some fans on online forums have even discussed a protest at Fenlon’s stewardship of the club. The 44-year-old has now seen his revamped team defeated four times in competitive football this term, with no goals scored and 11 against. And a look at the statistics provides a damning backdrop to the supporters’ feelings, with Fenlon now enjoying a worse league record than all previous incumbents in the last decade, other than predecessor Colin Calderwood.

After successfully steering Hibs clear of relegation after taking over from Calderwood mid-season in 2011, Fenlon’s side finished seventh last season.

However, he has managed a win rate of just 29 per cent in the league, with a damning 45 per cent of league matches lost.

Calderwood, who was sacked to make way for Fenlon, lost 54.5 per cent of his SPL games in charge and won just one in every four outings in the league.

John Hughes, who was sacked in October 2010, despite having secured a European spot courtesy of a fourth-placed finish in season 2009-10, could boast of a 35.5 per cent win rate when he was removed from his job, whilst his predecessor, Mixu Paatelainen, was victorious in almost 33 per cent of his SPL matches in charge before leaving in May 2009.

Even the much-maligned Bobby Williamson could point to a win rate of just over 36 per cent, while 2007 League Cup winner John Collins was better at 37 per cent, but left after a disagreement with the board. Tony Mowbray, who enjoyed third and fourth-placed finishes with his exciting young side, is the best of the last ten years, with a win rate of almost 45 per cent when he departed for West Brom in October 2006. However, with the Easter Road board coming under increasing pressure from angered supporters, a defiant Fenlon said after the derby that he believes the supporters will stick with the team.

He told the BBC: “The fans have been fantastic. The last thing they want to hear from me is ‘stay with us’ – but they’ll do that. So, we’ll try as hard as we can to get it right. I don’t quit, I don’t walk away from anything.

“People can pick the bones out of it but there’s very little wrong in the two performances in relation to the games we’ve played in the league. We’ve been very, very close to getting something out of it and we are disappointed we have not.”

Taken from the Scotsman