In what must have been the most expected turn of event as at Hibs AGM last night, owner Sir Tom Farmer backed the chairman Rod Petrie to the hilt and described him as the "finest chairman" the club could have. There have been calls for Petrie to leave the East Road club after he oversaw the appointments and dismissal of Colin Calderwood in a period of just over a year. Calderwood was the eighth manager to pass through the doors in the last 10 years. Before the AGM some fans from newly-formed protest group 'Hibsforchange' gathered at the Famous Five Stand and chanted 'Sack the board' while holding up a banner which read: 'Eight managers in 10 years can't all be wrong. GET PETRIE OUT NOW!!'. While it may have been expected that Petrie would have been under fire from shareholders, the chairman was given a fairly easy ride inside Easter Road. However, at the end of the meeting principle shareholder Farmer, a businessman best known for being the founder of Kwik-Fit but who rarely speaks publicly, brought the house down when he took the microphone. He said: "Everybody in this room shares the same desire, the one thing in common, that is to see Hibernian football club have a winning team. I have that desire, Rod Petrie has that desire and every director has that desire. I am telling you ladies and gentleman that Rod Petrie is the finest chairman that we could possibly have. I heard someone saying that if Tom Former had a person who wasn't pulling his weight in one of the companies that he ran, he would not put up with him. That is 100% correct. I wouldn't put up with anybody who wasn't pulling their weight or giving 100% commitment. But ladies and gentleman let me tell you, since 1964 when I opened my shop, I wish I had a team of Rod Petrie's. And as much as I made a success in this world, I would be one of the most successful people in this world, if not the most successful. Because what we have in Rod Petrie is someone who has a passion for this club that is not recognised. He puts hours and days in and worries about this club and he cares about the club, the players and the supporters. And he has no desire to appoint anybody other than someone who can lead this team to be a winning team." Farmer admitted he would be interested in fresh investment into the club, adding: "I would consider anyone who wants to come and make an investment if it is for the benefit of the club. Everything I do and everything your directors do is for the benefit of the club. We have to appoint the right manager who will build a winning team. In that famous film Rocky, the coach says to him, 'Rocky I know why you are losing, you have lost the eye of the tiger. We want to make sure we have a manager who has a team with every player looking for the eye of the tiger. I am proud of Hibs, you are proud if Hibs, let's make sure that at the end of the day, we can all work together to get a winning team. I can say no more." Earlier, Petrie confirmed that executive director Scott Lindsay and managing director Fife Hyland will be leading the search for a new manager and will be trawling through the 40 applications the club had received by 5pm last night. Petrie apologised for the appointment of Calderwood, whose record was 12 wins in 49 games, but stressed that the former Scotland defender's downfall was down to him alone. He said: "I am sorry that the appointment of Colin Calderwood was not a success. The manager has the authority and autonomy to make the football decisions at the club. There is no interference by the board. We backed the manager just as we backed previous managers and players who come to the club are wanted by the manager. No players leave the club, especially in a high-profile transfer to another SPL club, without the express agreement of the manager. If the manager does not want it to happen then it does not happen. I think it is right that we take our time to get a new manager." Before the AGM, 'Hibsforchange' organiser Keith Sands said: "It is a new protest group that we have set up yesterday. I have the backing of several ex-players and so far have the backing of two or three hundred fans. We want Rod Petrie to step down and away from the club altogether. Tom Farmer has to put some money into the club or he has to leave as well. The fans have had enough. We want to see a better class of player on the park. I think the campaign will eventually be successful, we can't keep blaming the managers, someone has to be wrong about that."
Source: FOOTYMAD
