Hibs: Discussion on agenda at agm, part two

THE second part of Hibs' annual general meeting, cut short on the day manager John Hughes left the Easter Road club "by mutual consent, will take place at the stadium tonight.

Chief executive Scott Lindsay and Fife Hyland, Hibs' director of communications and marketing, will make presentations to shareholders before engaging in a wider discussion as to the future direction of the club.

While the original meeting was restricted to the formal business of approving the accounts, a statement from chairman Rod Petrie regarding Hughes' departure and a short question-and-answer session, shareholders were promised a further opportunity to quiz club officials.

One issue which Petrie admitted needed to be tackled was reducing the benchmark "wages to turnover ratio" below 60 per cent, the figure having increased to 68 per cent as the result of falling turnover allied to an increase in staff costs.

While commercial developments to aid turnover will be outlined, Lindsay and Hyland will also be looking for input from shareholders and supporters in general as to how they feel crowds at Easter Road, now with a capacity of 20,400 with the opening of the new East Stand, can be driven up in the face of current economic difficulties.

Hyland said: "We want to be as collaborative as possible, to work in conjunction with the supporters, to have them contribute their ideas for discussion.

"We are facing very challenging times but we want to work together with supporters to strive for that virtuous circle in which we get more people through the gates, generating more money to invest on the pitch in terms of a better team which, in turn, helps drive crowds up again and so on."