Fans’ forums to take place

HIBERNIAN have responded to the protests seen after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Dunfermline and before Tuesday evening’s AGM by announcing a series of fans’ forums to liaise with their increasingly disgruntled support.

The first will take place before the meeting with Kilmarnock on Saturday week, with a second before the clash with Rangers on 10 December.

Further meetings are expected in the New Year, and the club’s managing director Fife Hyland admitted the get-togethers were an attempt by the directors to restore the supporters’ faith in the board.

He told shareholders: “As a board, we realise and accept we have to rebuild your trust and the trust of all supporters. I meet, speak and correspond with supporters on a daily basis, and have complete understanding of their frustrations, ambitions and issues - they are frustrations and ambitions that we all share. My point is - we do not operate from an ivory tower. We operate from the ground up.

“I also recognise that we need to turn supporter engagement on its head.

“Currently, the momentum to communicate and engage is club driven, it is on club terms. For that reason, the first supporter forum, to be held on the morning of the Kilmarnock game next weekend, will discuss and ask ‘how do you want the club to engage with you?’

“We have nothing to hide. We will be open-minded and constructive on how we call move forward from here, together.”