Hibs have today appointed Graeme Mathie as the nee Sporting Director at the club.
Mathie has been Head of Player Recruitement at Easter Road since 2014, and has now stepped in to his new role after Head of Football operations, George Craig announced he would retire at the end of this year.
It also ends speculation that Mathie could be heading to Rangers in a similar role.
Speaking to the official club website, Mathie said:
“This is a role that I am hugely excited about and I understand and relish the responsibility to help deliver success for this great club.
“I have to thank Ron, Leeann and the board for this opportunity. I am enthused by the vision that Ron and Leeann and others are working on for this club. I’m excited by the possibilities here and will do everything I can as part of the team to help bring about the success our supporters deserve.”
He added: “I’d also like to express my gratitude to George. I believe this can be the start of a new, exciting period for Hibernian and none of that would be possible without the culture, facilities and staff he’s helped put in place.
“George brought me to the club and has always trusted and supported me to develop both personally and professionally. I want to ensure we build on his legacy and help realise his vision for what Hibernian can be.”
Hibs CEO Leeann Dempster added:
“We are delighted to announce Graeme as our first Sporting Director.
“It’s important that we build on the success we have had in recent years and the foundations that have been put in place. Graeme has been central to those achievements and we look forward to seeing him develop in his new role.
“Ron’s arrival is creating a fresh impetus, with a lot of work going on. We are more determined than ever to be successful within Scottish football, to enjoy regular exposure to European football and deliver a team and a club that supporters can be proud of.
“We all have a part to play in that.”
Editor's View:
On paper this looks a very good appointment by the club.
However, the recruitement department, and Mathie is a huge part of that, are under huge pressure, after a summer of signings that are quickly turning into an absolute disaster.
The Hibees are sitting 10th in the table as we speak after an unacceptable 1 win from 14 games, a run that has put manager Paul Heckingbottom under huge pressure.
Apathy is quickly setting in amongst the support, after a good 4-5 years of progress, with some fearing a return to the "boom & bust" days, that they were promised were a thing of the past.
The club has only sold 6,000 tickets for the up-coming Betfred Cup Semi-Final with Celtic and most fans are expecting a heavy defeat.
Hibs need an up-turn in fortnues from the squad very quickly, or they could have a massive fans backlash to deal with.
January is also loooking like a massive transfer window for the club.
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