Bill Foley accuses Hibs hierarchy of ignoring his input as billionaire warns 'they'll listen now' after Kelty defeat
A bit of internal strife is brewing at Easter Road
Bill Foley has taken aim at Hibs’ hierarchy and accused them of ignoring his input following his £6million investment at Easter Road. But after Saturday’s League Cup humbling at Kelty Hearts the American billionaire has said: “I believe they will listen now.”
Foley bought a 25 per cent stake in the Easter Road club earlier this year to add the capital side to his multi-club Black Knight consortium which also includes the Premier League Bournemouth, A-League Auckland and French side Lorient who were relegated from Ligue 1 last season. His money got the 79-year-old and a Black Knight colleague two places on the Hibs board with plans to share expertise on footballing and off-field matters as well as a chunky input to the transfer kitty.
Foley wants Hibs, who finished eighth last season leading to Montgomery's removal, to be in the European positions every year. The Black Knight group were understood to be overseeing a review of Hibs football structure during the summer with David Gray appointed head coach after Nick Montgomery was axed in May.
Former SFA Performance Director Malky Mackay also arrived as sporting director in June. But there already appear to be divisions between Foley’s group and the club’s American owners, the Gordon family who own just over 60 per cent of Hibs.
Following Saturday’s defeat to League One part-timers Kelty, which came after convincing wins over Queen’s Park and Elgin City, Foley said: "I am absolutely looking out for them. If the other ownership group at Hibernian listens to us, they will do better.
"So far, they really haven’t been listening to our input. I believe they will listen to our input now. We have a very good relationship with Lorient. They are listening and are hiring the right people to develop that club.”
Hibs have been at pains to state they will not become a feeder club for Bournemouth since the agreement with Foley was signed off. They said from the outset they would have the final say on signings and that any players arriving from one of Foley’s other clubs would have to be of benefit to Hibs.
But the American owner of the Las Vegas Golden Knights ice hockey team says his plan is for every one of the clubs in his umbrella to play a similar style so players can make the leap from one to another. Speaking to the BBC, Foley added: “Our goal is to have similar coaching, similar playing styles and similar players that can progress through our system. It is not just going to be Bournemouth and a bunch of other teams.
"It will be a whole system that allows players to progress from team to team to team. That will be our competitive edge and we will be able to develop a really good team."