It seems that it is the latter option when you listen to what the man had to say. In fact, if you really listen to what he had to say, it's more a move away from Rod Petrie than Hibernian.

Bobby Williamson arrived at Easter Road on the back of the Hibs board sacking fans favourite Franck Sauzee after only 69 days in charge. Maybe this should have been a warning to Williamson on the treatment he could expect from Hibs if he didn't toe the line with Petrie. He would be expected to get Hibs into the top three in the league, win a few cups, and do so with no money to spend on players to strengthen the squad. Far less given no money to strengthen the squad, Williamson was barely in the door when he was told, half your current squad are earning too much and will have to go. Those that will not go, or take a cut in salary will never be considered for first team football anyway because we can't afford to pay their appearance and win bonuses, win bonuses being something he would not have to worry about too often as it turned out.

However, a 5 year plan to achieve all this was agreed, but first he must save us from the threat of relegation that was hanging over the club. This first task was met after Bobby's first game in charge where a win at home V St Johnstone virtually assured us safety.
Any thoughts that B.W. might have had for the following season must have been blown right out of the water before his managers chair had even been warmed up. The collapse of the Sky T.V. deal was a hammer blow to everybody as money became tighter than ever before. Surely though the clever chairmen in the SPL would have a plan B if the SKY deal fell through. Well they did, but plan B fell through too and there was no plan C, so it was at this point Williamson was told to chop all his top players from the wage bill.

All was not lost though, as Petrie and his knowledgeable Knobs did eventually come up with their plan C.  In a desperate attempt to get money from somewhere, after SKY called their bluff and told them where to go, then their own SPHELL T.V. was bumped by the bigot brothers, they went running cap in hand to the BBC.

'Give us some cash, any piddling wee amount you want, just give us it, and you can show as many OF live games you want at any time you want' cried the Knowledgeable Knobs. So that was exactly what the BBC did, gave them a piddling wee amount of money and showed the bigot brothers on T.V. every single week, almost without fail.

Of course, this in no way helped Bobby Williamson sign new players for the coming season, and he virtually had to get on with what he had left.

Ultimately we struggled badly and failed to make the top 6, but despite having three hands tied behind his back already, this still cannot be disguised as anything other than a disappointing failure.

It was accepted by almost everyone that this was very much a transitional period for the club (what, another one? We seem to always be in transitional periods) with Williamson and his back room staff trying to structure the squad to their own methods and liking, but already grumblings had started about Bobby and the style he had us playing.
Still, another close season and a few more players of his own choice to again strengthen the team, and everything would be fine, or so we hoped.

In steps our beloved chief executive Rod Petrie once again. Behind the managers back, Petrie agrees a new reduced deal with Paul Fenwick, a player Williamson had decided he didn't want to keep. Then came the fiasco of Andy McLaren training and trialling with Hibs for free, with BW intimating he wanted to sign the man. This time Petrie decided he was not going to sign him and Bobby ended up paying the player expenses out of his own pocket. Add these little escapades to the fact that Petrie did not allow Williamson to sign anybody until a couple of weeks before the new season starts, trying to drive down salary costs, and you have to wonder why the manager hung around as long as he did?

Unbeknown to most of us, Williamson was also told at this time that he was now serving a one year notice period.

Still, getting back to fitba' matters and with no disrespect to the players Bobby did sign, leaving signings as late as this only reduces the quality of player available, and another season of struggle loomed.

Long term injuries to key players like Ian Murray and Grant Brebner only helped exaggerate the problems Bobby had to face, but he didn't seem to help himself with some strange team tactics and choices. This was no more evident than in the League cup final, another huge disappointment to the fans.

I wonder though if BW was too bothered about this, given all his problems with Petrie.
No money to sign players, a player being signed he didn't want, unable to sign a player he did want. Being handed his notice then taking a huge cut in salary, only eventually to be told to 'Find himself another job' anyway.

Petrie did the dirty on BW make no mistake about that, and I reckon Williamson will be delighted to be away from the man who promised him everything and gave him NOTHING.