Firstly, my deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Ron Gordon. Nobody is untouched by cancer, whether it’s personally or through the loss of a loved one.
That’s what makes my following statement about certain fans at the League Cup Final all the more damning. An element within the Rangers support had a decency and class bypass after desecrating the minute’s tribute to mark the passing of the Easter Road chairman.
It takes a special type of moron to refuse to give 60 seconds to show some respect. It was disgusting behaviour which doesn’t reflect well on their club, whose officials should be condemning it. I’ve seen it all but I’ll never just shrug and shake my head – it should be called out always. Belting out the ‘Billy Boys’ during the brief moment when fans were asked, at the very least, to stay quiet was the action of bampots. Celtic fans reacted by booing and there you had it – a reminder at Hampden on Sunday that the Old Firm rivalry is always used as a platform of hate by the knuckle-draggers.
But enough about Scottish football’s dark side. Ron’s death will leave so many questions about the immediate future of Hibs but this is not the time to ask them.
A family lost a husband, father and brother, they should be given the space to grieve. The club have announced the agm will be brought forward to the first few weeks of this month, which will be an opportunity to get a clearer picture of what the plans are now that Ron’s no longer with us.
Listening to and reading the tributes to him have shown he was clearly a lovely man highly regarded by those who met him. As a chairman, he was the real deal, a man with vision. His Hibs legacy will be one that should not be clouded by a lack of success on the pitch as it’s off the field where the club’s truly been transformed and the infrastructure is fantastic.
It’s a thriving business, he’s got so many things right on the commercial side. I understand the support only really care about the football department but to truly understand his impact, you need to see the bigger picture. There will be sleepless nights for so many supporters who are concerned about the impact of the owner’s passing and what sort of plans are in place to ensure the family remain committed to the project.
It’s only natural there will be a huge worry that the main source of finance within the club is no longer there. But now is not the time for those difficult questions. Ron’s sons, Ian and Colin, are still at the club, so there may well be continuity plans ready to be rolled out.
And the family’s statement the other night did go a long way to helping ease concerns. It was commendable that they took time from their own grief to address the issue because they know what the club means to so many. Hibs are at a crossroads in their season, sitting five points off third-placed Hearts with a trip to Livingston on Saturday and then back-to-back clashes against Rangers and Celtic.
It’s only after this challenging period that we’ll be able to assess the improvement we’ve seen in recent weeks by Lee Johnson and his players. The acid tests are now approaching.
It’s been a difficult week for everyone involved with the club as the news about Ron came as a shock, so I’ve chosen to end this column on a positive note. It was great to hear that 18-year-old Jacob Blaney has signed a new deal, which will keep him at Hibs until 2025.
He’s been shipped out on loan to Stenhousemuir and is a player I know well as I coached him during his time at Braidhurst High in Motherwell. I’m confident Jacob will be a Hibs first-team player next season. He’ll cut his teeth in senior football and then return to Easter Road with much-needed experience.
When I was at Hibs, Ian Murray, Kenny Miller, Derek Riordan and Garry O’Connor all went on loan at lower-league clubs. It proved invaluable. Jacob can use his time at Stenny just as wisely.
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