Former Celtic defender Alan Stubbs has said there’s only one reason for Hibs fans’ failure to snap up Betfred Cup semi-final tickets – results.
Recent sales haven’t gone according to plan for the Easter Road side. Hibs released a statement last week expressing real anger at their allocation being slashed. They wanted the opportunity to keep some of their cheaper tickets in order to encourage a larger following.
Hibs’ delusional manager Paul Heckingbottom then stated that going to Hampden is now getting boring for their fans (Daily Record).
But speaking in the Evening Times, ex-Hibs boss and Celtic figure Stubbs wasn’t having any of Heckingbottom’s nonsense.
“I know he mentioned last week about the fans being used to going to Hampden and that’s maybe why they haven’t sold so many tickets – I just don’t get that one. I think he’s obviously just trying to keep the fans interested. He’s trying to play it down.
“Everyone knows why the ticket sales haven’t gone well – it’s because of the results.
“It always comes down to the players. Expectations have been very high since I left, when Neil (Lennon) was there. Now that Paul is there, the expectations are exactly the same – and he will want to raise them even higher.”
Hibs have nobody to blame but themselves for ticket sales
If there’s one thing Hibs love to do, it’s have a right good moan about Celtic. Whether it be their selective-thinking manager moaning about decisions (Hibs TV), or their Chief Executive raging about tickets – they’ve always been good for a complaint.
The fact is if Hibs had snapped up their allocation then they wouldn’t have had any complaints. They can’t blame the SPFL, SFA, Celtic, or anyone else for their fans not wanting to watch them. Who can blame their supporters either?
Their view heading into this match will be that their players are lambs to the slaughter. Hibs haven’t knocked Celtic out of a cup competition since 2003 when Kevin Thomson fired them into the CIS Cup semi-finals. Celtic lost 2-1 at Easter Road that day.
But it’s fair to say that Hibs don’t have the likes of Scott Brown, Derek Riordan, or Gary O’Connor in their side either. This is a weak Leith outfit. Sure, they snatched a point against us last month. But the football they’ve been playing recently has been dire.
They’re currently bottom of the form table in the Premiership as things stand (SoccerStats). Hibs have won just five points from their last eight games – an abysmal run of form.
Perhaps Leeann Dempster and Heckingbottom should worry more about that than tickets being hooked. Maybe then supporters might actually come out and watch their side.
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