Hibs chief insists club have forked out for talent

HIBERNIAN chief executive Scott Lindsay insisted the club has invested heavily in players in recent seasons, and promised that Colin Calderwood would be backed with transfer money to revive the team's fortunes.

As Hibs travel to face Motherwell at Fir Park today, vice-captain Ian Murray also insisted that supporters should blame the players, not the manager, for the Easter Road side's recent woes, which were this week compounded by a humiliating Scottish Cup exit to Second Division Ayr United.

Hibs have sold Anthony Stokes and Sol Bamba already this season and in recent years have been shorn of talent like Steven Whittaker (2m) Kevin Thomson (2m), Scott Brown (4.4m), David Murphy (1.5m) and Steven Fletcher (3m).

But Lindsay said: "It's just not true to say we have not invested in the squad. We have spent, in the last four years, in the region of 3m in fees to bring talent to the club. I look at other clubs in the league and I'm not sure if anyone outwith Rangers and Celtic will have spent that much. But we have, it's a matter of record, it's there, it's true."

Hibs have invested substantial sums building their training complex at East Mains near Ormiston and redeveloping the East Stand, and fans fear that those outlays will impact on the budget for players, but Lindsay pledged: "If there is a player who is available (Colin Calderwood] believes will make a difference, but it will take a fee to secure the transfer then we will do it - but that's no different to how we have approached it over the past few years."

Nobody at Easter Road seems to be in denial that the club, currently 10th in the SPL, is in the grip of a relegation battle, and Murray said: "The buck stops with us - it's all down to the players. Hopefully the manager has enough belief in us to think we can turn the corner.

"He certainly gives us that belief before games, so we need to repay him."