Hibs owner promises better times after 'difficult year' - and insists: 'We always knew gaffer needed time.'
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Hibs owner Ian Gordon says the board always knew rookie head coach David Gray would turn things around after a horrendous run of results early in his managerial career. But Gordon, whose family remain majority shareholders at Easter Road despite billionaire Bournemouth owner Bill Foley buying into the club, admits 2024 has been “a difficult year” – and promised better things to come in 2025.
In a brief interview with Hibs TV, Gordon touched on the development of a stronger partnership with billionaire Foley’s Black Knight group, welcoming the arrival of Garvan Stewart as the club’s new head of recruitment just before the opening of the January transfer window. Promising better communication with fans, many of whom voiced their displeasure with club leadership as Hibs stumbled around the foot of the Scottish Premiership before the recent upsurge in form, Gordon insists the emphasis over the next 12 months will be on improving on-field results.
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Hide Ad“It’s been a difficult year for the club,” he said, adding: “We know that it’s been challenging for us and the fans.
“But we feel like we’re heading in the right direction. We ended 2024 on a high note, which was brilliant.
“I think we always knew Dave needed time in his new role. We put a lot of backing into the summer signings, and we knew everything needed time.
“We just had to keep our heads up and trust that we’re moving in the right direction. Fair play to Dave and the guys for sticking with it. And I think we’re finally seeing the rewards.
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Hide Ad“Going into 2025, we need to have better communication with the fans, and more transparency. So that’s something we’re going to look to do in the coming months.
“The past couple of haven’t been good enough. It’s not been consistent enough. So it’s all about a full focus on the football, improving that.”
Gordon, son of late and much-missed chairman Ian, said the board would continue to make improvements to Hibs Training Centre, but repeated: “Our focus now needs to be more on field.


“Something my dad believed in, and our family believes in, is improving the match day experience. You see now that we have the best match day experience in Scotland.
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Hide Ad“You see with the success of our women’s team and our academy, we need to continue to grow in those areas. So there might need to be improvements down at HTC to accommodate all the new players and the massed size we have down there.
“But it all matters what happens on the pitch. So this year needs to be focused on that.”
Delivering a message to fans, Gordon admitted: “We know it’s not been good enough. Their continued support even through the bad times has been brilliant.
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Hide Ad“But being able to be there away at Pittodrie and Tynecastle, the backing was brilliant. Some of the best I’ve seen in our time at the club. We just feel that to continue that energy and momentum we have, the fans are massive to that.”
The addition of Stewart and the promise of assistance from within the Black Knight group should, in theory, improve a recruitment policy that has veered towards the scattergun at times in recent seasons, Gordon saying: “Over the last few months with the alignment with the Black Knights, we’ve been able to thoroughly look through all the departments and see where we can improve. We’re delighted to bring in Garvan Stewart to head up our recruitment.
“Now the structure that’s in place, the senior football structure in place down at the training ground, that we’re really feeling good about 2025 and the direction we’re heading.”