Revealed: Hibs decisions that prompted 'ruthless' billionaire backer's incendiary intervention

Sunshine on Leith but dark clouds in the Easter Road boardroom? | SNS Group

In a recent conversation with someone well versed in the business methods of Bill Foley and his Black Knights, the person providing the insight said bluntly: “They’ll do whatever it takes. They’re ruthless. They only care about winning. And they won’t worry about stepping on toes or hurting feelings.”

When Hibs went against Foley’s advice to appoint first Malky Mackay and then David Gray to the top two posts at the club, they were always risking the wrath of a billionaire used to getting his way. The American’s incendiary words about the “other ownership group” at Easter Road point to a clear desire, on the part of the Black Knight group, to have a bigger say at the Scottish Premiership club welcomed into their sphere of influence earlier this year.

Foley did not want Mackay as sporting director - and recommended an alternative manager to Gray as replacement for Nick Montgomery. Along with his fellow Black Knight representative on the board, Ryan Caswell, the Bournemouth owner put forward their own candidates to fill those roles.

But the Hibs board stood firm in their belief that, after years of chopping and changing, they needed a sporting director steeped in Scottish football. And a manager with unrivalled inside knowledge of the club. Foley was informed that the immediate - and pressing - requirements of Hibs would be prioritised over any other concerns.

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Given his record in business and sport, including leading the Vegas Golden Knights ice hockey franchise to a Stanley Cup triumph just six years after joining the NHL, Foley was taken seriously when he declared his intent to make Hibs the undisputed third force in Scottish football. His acquisition of a 25 per cent stake was approved by shareholders at this year’s AGM, indeed, on the basis that Hibs would be tapping into a wider network of expertise. For the man at the head of that network to be openly accusing the club of not listening to his suggestions is, undoubtedly, a problem.

You wouldn’t need to be a code breaker at GCHQ to figure out exactly what Foley was getting at when, button-holed by a dogged BBC reporter assigned to cover Bournemouth’s pre-season trip to California, he said that Hibs “haven’t really been listening to our input.” Especially when you add the context of his comparison between the situations at Hibs and Black Knight stablemates FC Lorient.

Despite the French side being relegated to Ligue 2, Foley held them up as exemplars, saying: "We have a very good relationship with Lorient.

“They are listening and are hiring the right people to develop that club. Our goal is to have similar coaching, similar playing styles and similar players that can progress through our system.

“It is not just going to be Bournemouth and a bunch of other teams. It will be a whole system that allows players to progress from team to team to team. That will be our competitive edge and we will be able to develop a really good team."

In laying out exactly what the French side ARE doing, the implication is that Hibs have NOT followed the Black Knight blueprint. Which means they haven’t been hiring the right people to develop the club. Or applying similar coaching to develop a playing style – and players – more in keeping with the wider philosophy.

From his very first flirtations with Scottish football, offering “help” in the transfer market and holding out the promise of guaranteed European football every year, he has stressed the wisdom of Hibs having access to a wider pool of talent. Just recently, however, Mackay made it clear that the club will not be accepting Bournemouth players if they aren’t able to make an immediate impact on the Scottish Premiership.

Use of the term “feeder club” in a question at this year’s AGM, meanwhile, drew a stinging response from CEO Ben Kensell, who declared: “We’re part of a network. And No-one is going to be feeding us because guess what? The Gordon family own the football club. They have control.

“So there is no such thing as a feeder club in this, and we’ve never used that terminology with Bill. There has been no such discussion around Bournemouth feeding anyone.

“It’s a collaborative relationship that we will benefit from, and they will benefit from. And other clubs within the network will benefit from it.”

If Foley really wants to see all of the clubs benefiting from Black Knight investment emulate the high-pressing style of Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, well, that sounds great. Will it work in Scotland? Sure. If, perhaps with a little help in the loan market, you can afford to stock your squad with quality and athleticism in every single position. Trying to do it on the cheap is a recipe for disaster.

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On the subject of money, let’s not forget that Foley’s £6 million up front only bought him a quarter stake in the club. Even before they joined Leslie Robb and Hibernian Supporters Limited in buying up £2.26 million of newly-minted shares just last month, the Gordon family – through their Bydand Sports investment vehicle – already controlled 60 per cent of the company. As our American cousins might put it, you do the math.

How does this very public spat now play out behind closed doors? Well, just as it’s difficult for a divided party to win an election, a football club riven by factionalism cannot hope to achieve sustained success.

Hibs didn’t take Foley’s money just to cede control of their club. Nor should their ultimate aim be the success of Bournemouth; they’re only bound to consider proposals likely to be of mutual benefit to both parties.

But football folk are pragmatists. They have to be. If the Black Knights can deliver two elite-level strikers as a gift for Gray, with a bit of co-operation on wages giving the new gaffer access to players normally well beyond his reach, nobody would complain about the American overstepping his authority.