2001–02 Hibernian F.C. season
Season 2001–02 was a turbulent one for Hibernian, as the team had three different permanent managers during the season. Alex McLeish left the club in December to manage Rangers; Hibs surprisingly replaced him with star player Franck Sauzée, who retired as a player when he was appointed manager. Sauzee's brief tenure saw a long winless run in the SPL and domestic cup defeats by Rangers and Ayr United. The winless run in the league dragged Hibs into the fringes of a relegation battle, and Sauzee was sacked after just 69 days in charge.[3] Kilmarnock manager Bobby Williamson was hired as Sauzee's replacement, and a brief winning run averted any danger of relegation. Earlier in the season, Hibs had been knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the first round by AEK Athens, but only after a dramatic second leg at Easter Road that went to extra time.
| 2001–02 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Malcolm McPherson[1] |
| Manager | Alex McLeish (until 13 December 2001) Franck Sauzée (December 2001 – February 2002) Bobby Williamson (from February 2002) |
| SPL | 10th |
| Scottish Cup | R4 |
| League Cup | Semi |
| UEFA Cup | R1 |
| Top goalscorer | League: O'Connor, 9 All: Luna, 10 |
| Highest home attendance | 14701[2] |
| Lowest home attendance | 7701[2] |
| Average home league attendance | 11603[2] (up 810) |
League season
Hibs began the 2001–02 league season in reasonable form, winning convincingly against Dunfermline Athletic and St Johnstone on successive Sundays in September. A poor run of one win in nine followed their elimination from the UEFA Cup, however, leaving Hibs in eighth place in the 12 team SPL.[4] Nonetheless, manager Alex McLeish, who had guided Hibs to promotion back to the top flight in 1998–99, third place in 2000–01 and the 2001 Scottish Cup Final, was linked with the Rangers job when it was indicated that the incumbent, Dick Advocaat, would be moved to another role within that club.[4] A few days later, McLeish was unveiled as Rangers manager, with Hibs and Rangers still negotiating over compensation.[5] Donald Park managed the team on a caretaker basis for a 1–1 draw against Rangers the following day, and Franck Sauzee was swiftly appointed as manager two days later.[6] Park was also promoted from the role of reserve team manager to assistant manager.[6] BBC Sport commented:[6]
the speed of the appointment will come as a surprise considering the Easter Road board only met on Thursday night with a view to drawing up a shortlist and because the Frenchman has no previous coaching experience.
Hibs were already on a poor run of form when Sauzee was appointed, and this was greatly extended during his time in charge.[7] After just 69 days in the job, Sauzee was sacked by Hibs.[3] Another factor appeared to be that the last place club, St Johnstone, had just won a game and reduced the gap between the clubs to nine points, with Hibs due to play the Perth club in their next game.[7] Sauzee spoke to the media after his dismissal, insisting that he was not worried that Hibs may be relegated.[7] Two days later, Hibs agreed a deal with Bobby Williamson to be the new manager, subject to compensation being agreed with Kilmarnock.[8] In Williamson's first game in charge, the key match with St. Johnstone, Hibs won 3–0 and all but ensured their survival in the SPL.[9] The result gave Hibs their first win in 19 SPL games, since an Edinburgh derby win in October.[9] Despite the positive result, some of the Hibs supporters chanted Sauzee's name.[9] The match reporter writing in The Observer reckoned that this was a sarcastic criticism of the Hibs board's decisions in hiring and then so quickly firing Sauzee.[9] Further wins towards the end of the season meant that Hibs, although finishing in a lowly 10th, ended up 20 points ahead of St Johnstone.
Results
| 28 July 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 2 – 2 | Kilmarnock | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
Sauzee  39' (pen.) Laursen 82' |
Ngonge 4' Cocard 45' |
Attendance: 12,717 Referee: Somers |
| 4 August 2001 SPL | Dundee | 2 – 1 | Hibernian | Dens Park, Dundee |
| Sara 9' Caballero 62' |
O'Neil 59' |
Attendance: 9,447 Referee: Dallas |
| 11 August 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 2 – 0 | Aberdeen | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Sauzee 6' (pen.) McManus 45' |
Attendance: 13,150 Referee: Rowbotham |
| 18 August 2001 SPL | Rangers | 2 – 2 | Hibernian | Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow |
| Hughes 26' Flo 49' |
McManus 19' Orman 59' |
Attendance: 45,540 Referee: Underhill |
| 25 August 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 4 | Celtic | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Fenwick 85' |
Moravcik 16' Sutton 17' Sutton 20' Larsson 31' |
Attendance: 14,701 Referee: Clark |
| 8 September 2001 SPL | Motherwell | 1 – 3 | Hibernian | Fir Park, Motherwell |
| Kelly 15' (pen.) |
Sauzee 17' (pen.), 50' Fenwick 66' |
Attendance: 5,784 Referee: Dougal |
| 16 September 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 5 – 1 | Dunfermline Athletic | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Brewster 18' Brewster 32' McManus 45' Luna 73' Luna 82' |
Crawford 38' |
Attendance: 11,035 Referee: Dallas |
| 23 September 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 4 – 0 | St Johnstone | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Luna 25' Fenwick 57' Brebner 59' Smart 62' |
Attendance: 10,404 Referee: McDonald |
| 30 September 2001 SPL | Livingston | 1 – 0 | Hibernian | Almondvale, Livingston |
| Quino 64' |
Attendance: 10,016 Referee: Orr |
| 13 October 2001 SPL | Dundee United | 3 – 1 | Hibernian | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| Hamilton 65' Hamilton 71' Griffin 84' |
Brebner 4' |
Attendance: 7,950 Referee: Underhill |
| 21 October 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 2 – 1 | Heart of Midlothian | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| de la Cruz 1' de la Cruz 24' |
Simmons 66' |
Attendance: 13,774 Referee: McCurry |
| 27 October 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 2 | Dundee | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Brewster 45' |
Rae 19' Milne 90' |
Attendance: 11,130 Referee: Young |
| 3 November 2001 SPL | Kilmarnock | 0 – 0 | Hibernian | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock |
| Attendance: 7,460 Referee: Brown |
| 17 November 2001 SPL | Aberdeen | 2 – 0 | Hibernian | Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen |
| Winters 90' Zerouali 90' |
Attendance: 12,226 Referee: Clark |
| 24 November 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 0 – 3 | Livingston | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Xausa 8' Xausa 34' Lowndes 86' |
Attendance: 11,146 Referee: Fyfe |
| 1 December 2001 SPL | Celtic | 3 – 0 | Hibernian | Celtic Park, Glasgow |
| Hartson 11' Hartson 40' Lennon 72' |
Attendance: 59,415 Referee: Young |
| 8 December 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 1 | Motherwell | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| O'Neil 7' |
Elliott 83' |
Attendance: 11,158 Referee: Somers |
| 12 December 2001 SPL | Rangers | 1 – 1 | Hibernian | Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow |
| Ricksen 58' |
Luna 22' |
Attendance: 46,179 Referee: Rowbotham |
| 15 December 2001 SPL | Dunfermline Athletic | 1 – 0 | Hibernian | East End Park, Dunfermline |
| Nicholson 74' |
Attendance: 6,617 Referee: McDonald |
| 22 December 2001 SPL | St Johnstone | 0 – 0 | Hibernian | McDiarmid Park, Perth |
| Attendance: 4,056 Referee: Toner |
| 26 December 2001 SPL | Hibernian | 0 – 3 | Rangers | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Moore 16' Flo 85' Arveladze 88' (pen.) |
Attendance: 14,021 Referee: McCurry |
| 29 December 2001 SPL | Heart of Midlothian | 1 – 1 | Hibernian | Tynecastle, Edinburgh |
| McKenna 11' |
O'Neil 90' |
Attendance: 17,474 Referee: Dougal |
| 2 January 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 0 – 1 | Dundee United | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Paterson 87' |
Attendance: 11,155 Referee: McDonald |
| 12 January 2002 SPL | Dundee | 1 – 0 | Hibernian | Dens Park, Dundee |
| Fan 66' |
Attendance: 7,326 Referee: Somers |
| 19 January 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 2 – 2 | Kilmarnock | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Hurtado 11' Fowler 63' (o.g.) |
Johnson 65' McGowne 90' |
Attendance: 9,592 Referee: Clark |
| 23 January 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 3 – 4 | Aberdeen | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Luna 18' Townsley 36' Luna 68' |
Dadi 17' Winters 28' Guntveit 48' Mackie 90' |
Attendance: 10,555 Referee: Dallas |
| 2 February 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 1 | Celtic | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| O'Connor 21' |
Hartson 50' |
Attendance: 12,315 Referee: Freeland |
| 9 February 2002 SPL | Motherwell | 4 – 0 | Hibernian | Fir Park, Motherwell |
| Ferrere 53' Ferrere 66' Lehmann 73' Ferrere 81' |
Attendance: 5,367 Referee: Dougal |
| 16 February 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 1 | Dunfermline Athletic | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Townsley 79' |
Hampshire 59' |
Attendance: 9,788 Referee: McCurry |
| 2 March 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 3 – 0 | St Johnstone | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Murray 2' Murray 37' O'Connor 67' |
Attendance: 13,731 Referee: Rowbotham |
| 9 March 2002 SPL | Livingston | 0 – 3 | Hibernian | Almondvale, Livingston |
| O'Connor 15' O'Neil 45' Petersen 78' (o.g.) |
Attendance: 6,463 Referee: Toner |
| 16 March 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 2 | Heart of Midlothian | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| O'Connor 5' |
Severin 40' Pressley 88' (pen.) |
Attendance: 13,240 Referee: Young |
| 23 March 2002 SPL | Dundee United | 1 – 2 | Hibernian | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| Thompson 77' |
Arpinon 38' O'Connor 73' |
Attendance: 5,801 Referee: Toner |
| 7 April 2002 SPL | Dundee United | 2 – 1 | Hibernian | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| Venetis 45' Lilley 55' |
O'Connor 65' |
Attendance: 5,417 Referee: Brown |
| 13 April 2002 SPL | Kilmarnock | 1 – 0 | Hibernian | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock |
| Ngonge 18' |
Attendance: 6,236 Referee: Somers |
| 21 April 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 4 – 0 | Motherwell | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Townsley 27' Arpinon 45' O'Connor 81' O'Connor 85' |
Attendance: 7,701 Referee: Freeland |
| 27 April 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 2 – 2 | Dundee | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Townsley 15' O'Connor 76' |
Caballero 33' Milne 88' |
Attendance: 8,852 Referee: Dougal |
| 12 May 2002 SPL | St Johnstone | 0 – 1 | Hibernian | McDiarmid Park, Perth |
| Townsley 43' |
Attendance: 3,372 Referee: Thomson |
Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Dundee United | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 38 | 59 | −21 | 46 | |
| 9 | Dundee | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 41 | 55 | −14 | 44 | |
| 10 | Hibernian | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 51 | 56 | −5 | 41 | |
| 11 | Motherwell | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 49 | 69 | −20 | 40 | |
| 12 | St Johnstone | 38 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 24 | 62 | −38 | 21 | Relegation to the First Division |
Rules for classification: (1) Points; (2) Goal difference; (3) Goals scored
Notes:
- Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last five matches.
UEFA Cup
Having finished third in the previous season's Scottish Premier League, Hibs entered the UEFA Cup at the first round stage. The first leg against AEK Athens was scheduled to be played on 13 September 2001, but this was postponed by UEFA in light of the terrorist attacks on 11 September.[10] Given the lateness of the decision, many Hibs fans had already travelled to Greece and were left out of pocket without a match to attend.[11] The team themselves were on the runway at Edinburgh Airport when the decision from UEFA was advised to them.[11] UEFA announced later that day that the UEFA Cup games scheduled to be played on 13 September would instead be played on 20 September.[12]
When the match was finally played, Hibs suffered a 2–0 defeat in the "disrespectful" atmosphere of the Nikos Goumas Stadium.[13] The match reporter for The Scotsman observed that:[13]
the minute’s silence before kick-off in memory of those murdered in the recent terrorist atrocities was sabotaged by those wild incumbents of the notorious skepasti - "the covered ones" - end of the stadium, who whistled and jeered throughout, and then burnt the stars and stripes for good measure.
Hibs appeared to miss the "calming influence" of Franck Sauzee, who had been injured in the preceding league match.[13] Although AEK created few chances in the early proceedings, a penalty kick early in the second half gave them the lead.[13] A second goal from a header by Nikolaidis and the lack of an away goal left Hibs facing a "formidable challenge" to progress.[13]
Sauzee returned for the second leg at Easter Road, while AEK made a few changes.[14] Hibs had the early pressure but failed to score until the 53rd minute, when Paco Luna headed in from close range.[14] Hibs then pressed to bring the aggregate score level at 2–2, but again lost Sauzee to injury with 10 minutes remaining.[14] Nonetheless, Hibs were level a minute later, with Luna again scoring.[14] Hibs then had a great chance to win the tie in the last minute of normal time, but Luna headed wide from a de la Cruz cross.[14] With the aggregate score level and no away goals scored by either side, the tie headed into extra time.[14] AEK regrouped during the break before the extra periods, and Tsiartas scored early on from long range.[14] This left Hibs needing two goals without reply to win the tie, given the away goals rule. Tsiartas then added another goal for AEK from a corner, leaving Hibs with almost no chance to progress.[14] David Zitelli then scored what was effectively a consolation goal, but at least gave Hibs a win on the night.[14] Despite exiting the competition, the second leg match is still fondly remembered by Hibs supporters; Dougray Scott later named it as his favourite match.[15]
Results
| 20 September 2001 UEFA Cup | AEK Athens | 2 – 0 | Hibernian | Nikos Goumas Stadium, Athens |
| Tsiartas 54' (pen.) Nikolaidis 66' |
Attendance: 15,525 Referee: Hanacsek |
Scottish League Cup
As one of the SPL clubs who qualified for European competition, Hibs entered at the last 16 stage (third round) of the competition, in which they defeated Raith Rovers 2–0. Another 2–0 win, against Dundee United at Easter Road, sent Hibs through to the semi-final. By the time the semi-final was played, Alex McLeish had departed and Franck Sauzee was now the manager. The shock 1–0 defeat by First Division club Ayr United in the semi-final was cited as one of the causes of Sauzee's dismissal later that month.[3]
Results
| 9 October 2001 Scottish League Cup | Raith Rovers | 0 – 2 | Hibernian | Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy |
| Brewster 54' Brewster 86' |
Attendance: 4,601 Referee: McDonald |
| 27 November 2001 Scottish League Cup | Hibernian | 2 – 0 | Dundee United | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| McManus 2' Luna 61' |
Attendance: 8,825 Referee: Toner |
| 6 February 2002 Scottish League Cup | Hibernian | 0 – 1 AET | Ayr United | Hampden Park, Glasgow |
| Annand 101' (pen.) |
Attendance: 11,779 Referee: McCurry |
Scottish Cup
Hibs' brief Scottish Cup campaign during 2001–02 came during the period that Franck Sauzee was manager. It transpired that the victory in the third round replay against Stranraer, a Second Division club, was to be Sauzee's only win as Hibs manager.[3] Hibs were heavily defeated by Rangers, now managed by Alex McLeish, in the last 16.
Results
| 5 January 2002 Scottish Cup | Stranraer | 0 – 0 | Hibernian | Stair Park, Stranraer |
| Attendance: 2,259 Referee: Young |
| 15 January 2002 Scottish Cup | Hibernian | 4 – 0 | Stranraer | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Luna 6' Zitelli 15' (pen) Smith 47' Hurtado 88' |
Attendance: 8,536 Referee: Young |
| 26 January 2002 Scottish Cup | Rangers | 4 – 1 | Hibernian | Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow |
| Flo 23' Løvenkrands 45' Flo 65' Dodds 86' |
Brebner 28' |
Attendance: 25,636 Referee: Rowbotham |
Transfers
Hibs broke their transfer record during the 2001 close season with the purchase of Ecuadorian international player Ulises de la Cruz, paying £700,000 for his services.[16] Hibs manager Alex McLeish later claimed that the fee was "more like" £350,000.[17]
Players in
|
Players out
|
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Loans in
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Loans out
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Player stats
During the 2001–02 season, Hibs used 32 different players in competitive games. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[19]
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See also
References
- Hardie, David (1 October 2011). "Ex-Hibs chief recalls day he sacked Sauzee". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- "Average Home League Game Attendances". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- "Hibs sack Sauzee". BBC Sport. BBC. 21 February 2002.
- "Gers step up manager search". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 December 2001.
- "Rangers unveil McLeish". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 December 2001.
- "Hibs choose Sauzee". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 December 2001.
- "No Sauzee fears for Hibs". BBC Sport. BBC. 21 February 2002.
- "Williamson agrees to take job". The Scotsman. 23 February 2002.
- "Murray ends famine". The Observer. 3 March 2002.
- Ingle, Sean; Murray, Scott (12 September 2001). "Uefa postpones European matches". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- "Hibs faithful fear they won't receive any compensation". Edinburgh Evening News. 13 September 2001.
- "UEFA finds new dates for postponed games". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 12 September 2001.
- "Hibs pay penalty with gifts for Greeks". The Scotsman. 21 September 2001.
- "Hibs crash in extra time". BBC Sport. BBC. 27 September 2001.
- "My team: Hibernian". The Observer. 2 March 2003.
- "Hibs unveil record buy". BBC Sport. BBC. 18 June 2001.
- "O'Connor out injured: Chala in?". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 August 2001.
- Womersley, Tara (30 April 2002). "Promising Hibernian FC player dies from suspected drug overdose after night out". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
- "Hibernian 2001/2002 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 13 December 2009.