Petrie should beware punter power
IT’S less than five years since they were out the front at Easter Road, demanding regime change and chairman Rod Petrie’s head on a stick.
Perhaps the Hibernian support will have reason to consider getting a little more militant again in the wake of a farcical week at their club.
The handling of manager Neil Lennon’s departure was, frankly, shameful. It is all very well arguing that ludicrous statement about him not being sacked and not resigning was a necessity because two teams of lawyers had come to an agreement, but it is nowhere near acceptable.
Hibernian fans pay handsomely to support their club. They have a right to know what is going on behind the scenes. They are supposed to have representation on the board, for goodness sake.
Yet, none of them knows even now why Lennon, their most accomplished manager in some time, has gone. No one from their club even bothered to tell them, in any kind of statement, no matter how anodyne, that he had been suspended prior to last weekend’s game at St Mirren.
It shows an appalling lack of respect, but Petrie and Co should be warned. The SPFL Premiership remains one of the few leagues in which ticket money represents over a third of total revenue.
Punters have more power than they realise. If they want to force something to happen, they can. Just ask Martin Canning as he comes to terms with life after Hamilton Accies.