Hibs SoS: Longbangers Roundup

Supporting Our Supporters, the monthly mental health drop-in run by Hibs Community Foundation volunteers, welcomed the Longbangers team, Matty, Colin, and John, to February’s event.

Longbangers, a podcast devoted to Hibs, cover the talking points from every match, while subscribers can access additional content, Extra Time, and Week at Hibs. With an excellent turnout, an interesting discussion and Q&A session was followed by an invitation to watch the team recording an episode of Extra Time previewing Wednesday’s derby.

The guys detailed how Longbangers came about. Football can provoke strong emotions, positive and negative. Matty put it succinctly, saying whatever other stresses were going on, he could always lift himself by watching David Gray’s moment of glory on 21 May 2016. This chimed with the audience – during The Changing Room programme and SoS drop-ins, external factors impacting mental wellbeing are often discussed.

Talking about the football is such a widespread activity amongst fans, the next step was opening these conversations up to a wider audience. What started as Matty recording post-match thoughts into his phone developed into regular podcasts. First came Longbangers (currently at episode 250) and then various offshoots, including, for a while, Shortbangers, ‘a comedy Q and A session,’ and Heidbangers, focusing on mental health, with SoS organiser, Neil a participant. During lockdown, Longbangers initiated a WhatsApp group offering a support platform.

Matty, Colin, and John underlined how varying fortunes on the park can lead to praise or venting, contrasting the recent win over Dundee with the defeat to St Mirren, the latter provoking far more messages to Longbangers. The guys stressed while they might be critical of everything from team selections to individual performances, they always aim to be objective. They went on to chat about some of the diverse guests welcomed onto the show since launching in 2019, including Pat Stanton and Darren McGregor, current players such as Joe Newell, and beyond Hibs, mental health podcaster, Sam Delaney. When asked who their ideal guests would be, Matty cited comedian, Bob Mortimer.

Longbangers is a conduit reflecting the highs and lows of what it means to be fans of the club, but also how this ties in to life beyond 90 minutes, often from a mental health angle. The SoS group being invited to participate in Extra Time as it was recorded in the Hibs press room was the perfect conclusion to an entertaining evening.

Next drop-in: Monday, 25 March 2024, 7-8.30pm. Further details to follow.