It has been a busy week for Hibernian, with a lot of press noise from Hands on Hibs , One-time Hibs suitor, David Low, Hibs Supporter's Association Chairman, Mike Reilly, and BuyHibs, raising objections to the share issue put forward by Hibs, being met head on by Hibs Chief Exec, Leeann Dempster and with Hibs publishing details of their interest-free mortgage arrangement.
It has been a case of claim, and counter-claim. Most of it - in my opinion - fairly ill-informed, ill-judged, and more than a little irresponsible. Hibs have come through some very tough times over the last few years. It hasn't been a fun time to be a Hibernian soldier for a long time now. Poor football, poor results, and a support disenfranchised with the football club, and more specifically, Chairman Rod Petrie. who, to many, embodies the failure that led to the club suffering the embarrassment of dropping into Scottish Football's second tier. It has been a widely-held view that Mr Petrie's time at the club has long since run out, and I agree with that. Change is needed.
However, change has happened. Dempster's arrival, Butcher's departure, the overhaul of the football set-up at the club have all started in the short time since Leeann Dempster got her feet under the desk at Easter Road. These changes are starting to show results on the pitch, Hibs having picked up more points than Rangers and Hearts over their respective last six games, and at the time of writing Hibernian are Edinburgh's only unbeaten side in 2015, following Falkirk's impressive win at Tynecastle on Saturday.
Things have been looking up at Easter Road for some time now. The football is no longer turgid, the kick-the-ball-the-way-you're-facing style that Terry Butcher had the team playing has been replaced with an attacking, passing game with Stubbs' style clear to see coming to life on the pitch. Results, too, have picked up, with Hibs putting impressive runs together over the last few months.
I am of the opinion that we will shortly hear of Rod Petrie's plans to leave the football club, and I hope when that happens that the support can move on together.
As things stand, there is a split forming in the support. A very vocal minority are threatening to damage what is a very positive step for the club towards supporter ownership. Hands on Hibs have made all manner of allegations, and being given plenty air-time in the press to get their views over. Their objection appears to be that they don't think Sir Tom Farmer or Rod Petrie should benefit from the share issue. I wholeheartedly agree with that, so when I read that the re-arranged debt would be repaid interest-free, and that every penny raised from the share issue would go to the football club for 'sporting ambition', and that no share money would go to existing shareholders, I found it very hard to pick holes in the proposal.
In fact, I posted this response to Hands On Hibs and BuyHibs last week, and have yet to see a constructive response to counter the points raised. Hands On Hibs are pushing a very aggressive and in some instances, a mildly threatening manner. They have made a number of claims and have produced very little to back those claims up (Hibs planning on separating the stadium and training ground from the football club, being one of those claims).
I know that the people behind Hands On Hibs are hardcore Hibs fans, people who go home and away, and like the rest of us they want what's best for the club. I can understand that, and I can understand that they don't like the current regime. However, I can't understand their tactics and their position on the share issue. Perhaps if they came out with whatever evidence they have to give credibility to their allegations then people would take notice, as it is, they come over like noisy kids, with fewer and fewer people taking them seriously as time goes by. Especially with Hibs having a real change in tact with how they respond to the noise. In days gone by, the claims would have gone unanswered, but Hibs have hit back all guns blazing, and that's refreshing to see. Changed days indeed.
Meanwhile, Hibs capped a good week with a fine win in Dumfries, seeing off Queen of the South 0-2 with second half goals from Dylan McGeouch (or MaGoosh if you're commentating on Sky Sports!) and Scott Robertson. Hibs had struggled against the Doonhammers this season, and so to get a win against a team who are rivals for a play-off spot was especially rewarding and illustrates the improvements Hibs have made over the last few months. With the Cowdenbeath v Rangers game being postponed, and Hearts finally losing a league game, it was important that Hibs capitalised and gained/made up ground on the teams around them. Well done to Falkirk as well, for finally ending Hearts' fantastic run.
Finally, I was saddened to hear of former Hibs chairman Douglas Cromb's passing last week. My thoughts go to all at Hibernian, and to Mr Crombs' family.
Monday 26 January 2015
Tuesday 20 January 2015
High Five for the Hibees
It would be fair to say that there are only a few times that I've watched Hibs put five goals past anyone, and so I feel like I have a bit of a brass neck for not being completely satisfied after Hibs' 5-0 win over Cowdenbeath on Saturday.
Hibs started the game well, and created a number of chances before Paul Hanlon flicked the ball into the top corner of the Blue Brazil's net after just nine minutes. I'd said to my son, Joshua, a few moments earlier that Hibs looked in the mood, and that if the players kept up the momentum we could be in for a huge score (I jokingly predicted a goal every ten minutes), so when Hanlon's tidy finish put Hibs one up both Josh and I lifted our expectations and looked forward to more goals.
Hibs passed up more opportunities before Jason Cummings finished a fine move involving McGeouch and Allan, poking the ball home from Allan's low cross with the game in the 25th minute. So far, so good.
The game then fell into something of a lull, it was evident that Cowdenbeath were largely impotent, and they had no real designs on attacking Hibs, and on the odd occasion when they did break forward, Hanlon and Fontaine proved effective barriers - so much so that Cowdenbeath failed to muster a solitary shot on target in the whole match.
Hibs were able to treat the match almost as a training game. It was as though it was too easy for the players, as ridiculous as that may sound. I have heard interviewed managers speaking to the press about 'game management' (Aberdeen's Derek McInnes and Alan Stubbs have used the phrase -or similar - in recent radio interviews following matches.) and I'm not sure if Hibs, having thrown away a 3-1 lead the weekend before against Falkirk, just decided to 'manage the game' and not give Cowdenbeath any encouragement, or if the players just realised that they weren't going to have to break sweat to win the game, but for the latter part of the first half and the first half hour of the second, the game was notable only for it's lack of incident. Hibs' play lacked the zip and zest that they'd shown against Rangers and Hearts in previous matches. Passes were considered rather than instinctive, runs were controlled rather than lung-bursting, and tackles were few and far between.
It was strange, admittedly, to see Hibs so utterly dominant in the game. I can't remember too many matches where I've seen players able to stroll through a game in the manner that they did, and I suppose that a huge amount of credit must be given to Alan Stubbs and his coaching team that they have taken the side that was such a shambles last season and turned them into a team that could probably have lost a couple of players and still strolled the match, albeit against a lower standard of opponent than they faced last season.
Stubbs' side also deserve credit for apparently learning the lessons from dropping points against Falkirk. And so I feel like I'm being really harsh on the side for complaining about being bored while we were 2-0 up (and I did complain, as did Josh, at the game). However, I have to be honest - I was bored, there's no escaping that fact. Does that make me a bad person? Was I being unrealistic in my expectations for the game (a goal every ten minutes is definitely unrealistic but I was joking with that prediction!) and am I being hugely unfair for voicing that opinion?
I think Stubbs could also see that the players were cruising, and he took the opportunity to rest Scott Allan - a good decision, as the lack of challenge appeared to have a detrimental effect on Allan's game, with many passes missing their mark and the influence Allan was having on the match being overshadowed by that of the more industrious trio of McGeouch, Robertson, and Craig.
Allan was replaced by Jordon Forster, the young defender making his return after a fairly lengthy absence from injury and an operation. The swap of a defender for a midfielder allowed Stubbs to change the shape and formation of the team, moving to a 3-5-2 with Lewis Stevenson and Callum Booth adopting wing-back positions for the latter stages of the match.
Scott Robertson lifted the game with a fine solo goal, a nudge in the back giving him the momentum to burst past the the Cowdenbeath defence and slip a fine shot across the keeper and into the net with a finish reminiscent of his goal against Rangers.
The change in formation brought about a fine end to the game, as did the introduction of Sam Stanton and Danny Handling, who combined to set up Hibs' fourth goal as Stanton played an inspired pass across the box to find Booth charging in at the back post to side-foot the ball home.
The biggest cheer of the afternoon belonged to Lewis Stevenson, his long range effort rounding off the scoring with virtually the last kick of the ball.
The scoreline finally reflected Hibs' dominance in the match, and it was no more than Hibs deserved overall. I do firmly believe that if Hibs had played at the speed and intensity that they can do when they're at the top of their game, that they could have run up a huge scoreline, and this is maybe why, despite the impressive and deserved winning margin, I left the game ever-so-slightly disappointed.
Still, I'd take a disappointing 5-0 win any day of the week!
Couple of points to finish off on, firstly I need to make a correction to my last blog (as pointed out by Falkirk's Assistant Manager, James McDonaugh) - I credited Jason Cummings with a hat-trick against Falkirk, Jason only scored twice, Hibs second goal coming courtesy of a Falkirk defender rather than the King of Zing.
Secondly, Hibs launched their share issue plans recently, with Sir Tom Farmer making arrangements to half the debt, and offering up £2.5m worth of shares to give the supporters the opportunity to own 51% of the football club, either through buying shares directly, or by going through the newly formed Hibernian Supporters Limited. The £2.5m will not go into the pockets of the existing shareholders but will instead go to fund 'sporting ambition'. So it has been disappointing to read that Hands on Hibs - a supporter's group who have already been very vocal and very wrong with some spurious claims - labelling the initiative as a 'shake-down' and claiming it's designed to line the pockets of Sir Tom Farmer and Rod Petrie.
Looking at it at a base level, Hibs have a debt that needs to be repaid, this is not a shake-down, it's basic economics. Hibs will have plans to repay that debt regardless of what money is taken in, be that from season ticket sales, sponsorship, prize money, maybe even a cup run.
However Hibs generate the income, a fixed amount will be required to repay debt. The potential £2.5m income from the share issue means that there will be more money left over after that debt is repaid in order for Alan Stubbs to strengthen his side.
That seems fairly straightforward to me, maybe I'm naive but I can't see what Sir Tom Farmer stands to gain from an arrangement where he has arranged half the debt to be wiped out, and his own shareholding massively diluted without him receiving a penny from the shares.
I think it's a disgrace and distasteful that Hands on Hibs have seen fit to make those accusations against the very person that stepped up to save Hibs in our darkest hour in the early 90's, and I only hope that the vast majority of Hibs fans are sensible enough to see the ridiculous claims for what they are.
Hibs started the game well, and created a number of chances before Paul Hanlon flicked the ball into the top corner of the Blue Brazil's net after just nine minutes. I'd said to my son, Joshua, a few moments earlier that Hibs looked in the mood, and that if the players kept up the momentum we could be in for a huge score (I jokingly predicted a goal every ten minutes), so when Hanlon's tidy finish put Hibs one up both Josh and I lifted our expectations and looked forward to more goals.
Hibs passed up more opportunities before Jason Cummings finished a fine move involving McGeouch and Allan, poking the ball home from Allan's low cross with the game in the 25th minute. So far, so good.
The game then fell into something of a lull, it was evident that Cowdenbeath were largely impotent, and they had no real designs on attacking Hibs, and on the odd occasion when they did break forward, Hanlon and Fontaine proved effective barriers - so much so that Cowdenbeath failed to muster a solitary shot on target in the whole match.
Hibs were able to treat the match almost as a training game. It was as though it was too easy for the players, as ridiculous as that may sound. I have heard interviewed managers speaking to the press about 'game management' (Aberdeen's Derek McInnes and Alan Stubbs have used the phrase -or similar - in recent radio interviews following matches.) and I'm not sure if Hibs, having thrown away a 3-1 lead the weekend before against Falkirk, just decided to 'manage the game' and not give Cowdenbeath any encouragement, or if the players just realised that they weren't going to have to break sweat to win the game, but for the latter part of the first half and the first half hour of the second, the game was notable only for it's lack of incident. Hibs' play lacked the zip and zest that they'd shown against Rangers and Hearts in previous matches. Passes were considered rather than instinctive, runs were controlled rather than lung-bursting, and tackles were few and far between.
It was strange, admittedly, to see Hibs so utterly dominant in the game. I can't remember too many matches where I've seen players able to stroll through a game in the manner that they did, and I suppose that a huge amount of credit must be given to Alan Stubbs and his coaching team that they have taken the side that was such a shambles last season and turned them into a team that could probably have lost a couple of players and still strolled the match, albeit against a lower standard of opponent than they faced last season.
Stubbs' side also deserve credit for apparently learning the lessons from dropping points against Falkirk. And so I feel like I'm being really harsh on the side for complaining about being bored while we were 2-0 up (and I did complain, as did Josh, at the game). However, I have to be honest - I was bored, there's no escaping that fact. Does that make me a bad person? Was I being unrealistic in my expectations for the game (a goal every ten minutes is definitely unrealistic but I was joking with that prediction!) and am I being hugely unfair for voicing that opinion?
I think Stubbs could also see that the players were cruising, and he took the opportunity to rest Scott Allan - a good decision, as the lack of challenge appeared to have a detrimental effect on Allan's game, with many passes missing their mark and the influence Allan was having on the match being overshadowed by that of the more industrious trio of McGeouch, Robertson, and Craig.
Allan was replaced by Jordon Forster, the young defender making his return after a fairly lengthy absence from injury and an operation. The swap of a defender for a midfielder allowed Stubbs to change the shape and formation of the team, moving to a 3-5-2 with Lewis Stevenson and Callum Booth adopting wing-back positions for the latter stages of the match.
Scott Robertson lifted the game with a fine solo goal, a nudge in the back giving him the momentum to burst past the the Cowdenbeath defence and slip a fine shot across the keeper and into the net with a finish reminiscent of his goal against Rangers.
The change in formation brought about a fine end to the game, as did the introduction of Sam Stanton and Danny Handling, who combined to set up Hibs' fourth goal as Stanton played an inspired pass across the box to find Booth charging in at the back post to side-foot the ball home.
The biggest cheer of the afternoon belonged to Lewis Stevenson, his long range effort rounding off the scoring with virtually the last kick of the ball.
The scoreline finally reflected Hibs' dominance in the match, and it was no more than Hibs deserved overall. I do firmly believe that if Hibs had played at the speed and intensity that they can do when they're at the top of their game, that they could have run up a huge scoreline, and this is maybe why, despite the impressive and deserved winning margin, I left the game ever-so-slightly disappointed.
Still, I'd take a disappointing 5-0 win any day of the week!
Couple of points to finish off on, firstly I need to make a correction to my last blog (as pointed out by Falkirk's Assistant Manager, James McDonaugh) - I credited Jason Cummings with a hat-trick against Falkirk, Jason only scored twice, Hibs second goal coming courtesy of a Falkirk defender rather than the King of Zing.
Secondly, Hibs launched their share issue plans recently, with Sir Tom Farmer making arrangements to half the debt, and offering up £2.5m worth of shares to give the supporters the opportunity to own 51% of the football club, either through buying shares directly, or by going through the newly formed Hibernian Supporters Limited. The £2.5m will not go into the pockets of the existing shareholders but will instead go to fund 'sporting ambition'. So it has been disappointing to read that Hands on Hibs - a supporter's group who have already been very vocal and very wrong with some spurious claims - labelling the initiative as a 'shake-down' and claiming it's designed to line the pockets of Sir Tom Farmer and Rod Petrie.
Looking at it at a base level, Hibs have a debt that needs to be repaid, this is not a shake-down, it's basic economics. Hibs will have plans to repay that debt regardless of what money is taken in, be that from season ticket sales, sponsorship, prize money, maybe even a cup run.
However Hibs generate the income, a fixed amount will be required to repay debt. The potential £2.5m income from the share issue means that there will be more money left over after that debt is repaid in order for Alan Stubbs to strengthen his side.
That seems fairly straightforward to me, maybe I'm naive but I can't see what Sir Tom Farmer stands to gain from an arrangement where he has arranged half the debt to be wiped out, and his own shareholding massively diluted without him receiving a penny from the shares.
I think it's a disgrace and distasteful that Hands on Hibs have seen fit to make those accusations against the very person that stepped up to save Hibs in our darkest hour in the early 90's, and I only hope that the vast majority of Hibs fans are sensible enough to see the ridiculous claims for what they are.
Wednesday 14 January 2015
Bogey Teams Make a Point
The last blog I wrote followed a terrific (and it was terrific) Hibs win over Rangers, where Hibernian managed to whittle down the lead that Glasgow's newest team had over them to just four points.
Hibs were about to face the runaway league leaders in the New Year's derby and I - like most of the support - was looking forward to the game and the opportunity to claw that points deficit back a little more.
Between that game and now, Hibs faced Falkirk at Easter Road, having suffered two defeats to the Bairns already this season, Falkirk were fast becoming something of a bogey team for Hibs, and so Hibs would be hoping to put a bit of distance between themselves and Falkirk.
As things stand today, Hearts' lead over Hibs extends to the point where Hibs need significantly more than snookers to have any hope of finishing the season as champions, and Rangers have pushed on to take the gap between them and their Leith counterparts to eight points.
So, let's have a look at what happened, starting with the derby. It would be fair to say that for one reason or another, Hearts have definitely become a bona-fide bogey team to Hibs. For Hibs fans, Hearts represent the last team that we would want to hold a jinx over us. You really have to be unlucky to have your city rivals as your bogey-team.
There are a number of reasons for that, in recent history it's because Hearts spent significantly more than Hibs on their team, and derbies generally went with form. Last season, with Hearts in the doldrums and having a horrendous time of things, Hibs mustered only one victory against them, Liam Craig's penalty winning the New Year fixture at Easter Road, giving Hibs fans a lingering memory of what joy is possible from watching football as the rest of the season descended into disaster under Terry Butcher.
Hearts have carried a huge amount of favour over the last couple of seasons, Hibs having two perfectly legitimate goals chalked off in absurd refereeing decisions, but this blog isn't to highlight injustices or complaints about referees, and it's only fair to acknowledge that while big decisions like those played a part, so too did very lacklustre and abject Hibs performances.
When I was starting to attend Hibs games, Hearts went on a run where Hibs failed to beat them in twenty-two matches. The manager at the time, Alex Miller, appeared to have no idea on how to halt that record and derby days became depressingly predictable.
To this day, no matter how well Hibs are doing, I watch a derby waiting for the moment where Hibs contrive to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (or at least, snatch a draw). Meanwhile, Hearts are able to approach derbies knowing that no matter how bad things are, something will likely go their way.
There have been some exceptions, but they are few and far between. I know that back in the day, there was a period where Hearts couldn't buy a win against Hibs so it hasn't always been the case that Hearts have been a bogey-team, and I can only hope that now we're operating on a much more level financial playing field, with Hearts finally having to live within their means, that there will be more balance in the results between the teams.
That was the case at Tynecastle, Hibs were desperately unlucky not to take all three points in the previous derby at Easter Road, and showed that they were more than a match for the league leaders, and again Hibs put in an impressive performance with most neutral observers noting that Hearts could have had no arguments had Hibs won the match, instead of having to settle for a point.
Hibs took an early lead, a sublime cross from Scott Allan found Jason Cummings and his close range shot flew past Alexander in the Hearts goal. It capped a period of fairly sustained pressure from Hibs, with the visitors putting pressure on the hosts from the outset.
Cummings had a golden opportunity to put Hibs two goals ahead shortly afterwards, sending a free header just wide with the goal at his mercy. Hibs were to rue that miss, with Hearts getting an unlikely goal shortly afterwards.
The second half was a more even affair, with Hibs finishing the stronger of the two sides but unable to get a winning goal.
The result left Alan Stubbs frustrated as again, Hibs had somehow not got the win that their performance had probably deserved. This is a trait that Hibs have displayed throughout the season and can account for a large number of the points between them and the two sides above them. Hearts have played well in the vast majority of their games, and won most of them. Where they've not played well they've managed to take something from the games - and that's why they sit deservedly at the top of the table. Rangers, for their part, have been less impressive and seem to be stumbling from result to result, but those results tend to be wins, and for all that you couldn't pay me to go and watch them, I'd happily see Hibs take that winning habit from them.
Hibs have lost games we have dominated, and also lost the games we deserved to take nothing from. On Saturday, against Falkirk, Hibs should have won. Having started brightly, Hibs took the lead when Jason Cummings' shot was fumbled by Jamie MacDonald in the Falkirk goal. It's ironic that MacDonald was generally excellent when he featured against Hibs in derbies while he was with Hearts, and yet he looked suspect throughout the game on Saturday.
Falkirk took advantage of some seriously sloppy defending from Hibs to draw level, and only a very late flag from the Referee's Assistant (probably the latest offside decision I've ever seen given - but credit to the Assistant, she got it right) saved Hibs from falling behind in the match.
Hibs seemed to take heed of the warning and stormed into a 3-1 lead, with Jason Cummings completing a first half hat-trick (as predicted, again, by @Lmc2105 Lee McLennan - two hat trick predictions coming through this season!). Hibs started the second half brightly with new loan signing Martin Boyle first missing what was essentially an open goal, then having the ball inexplicably nicked from his toes as he was about to shoot by team-mate Scott Allan. Had either chance gone in, the game would have likely been out of reach for Falkirk.
Instead, the Bairns were lifted by the let-off, and they capitalised on some horrendous defending from Hibs to bring the scores back level. Hibs were not able to pull in front again, and a match that was there to be won ended with Hibs falling further behind the sides above them.
Alan Stubbs' post-match interview reflected a manager who was evidently frustrated and angered at his team's inability to win matches, and as pleased as he must have been with their recent performances, his criticisms of the side were entirely justified.
Hibs' right-back, David Gray, had been missing for this game in order to get a groin operation. Hibs definitely missed him, and it will be interesting to see if Alan Stubbs makes signing a right-back a priority while the transfer window is open this month. If he doesn't. there is much work to do to bring balance to a back four that comprised of four left-footed players, with Calum Booth playing out of position on the right side of the defence. Under pressure, the defence did not look comfortable at all. For all that Paul Hanlon and Liam Fontaine have been excellent this season, they looked disjointed and nervous without the steadying presence of Gray.
Mark Oxley in goal did little to help, the conditions causing all sorts of problems for the keeper who has just extended his stay at Easter Road until the end of the season. It was an uncharacteristically poor performance from Oxley, and one would hope that it was a one off that could be attributed to the horrendous weather.
And so Hibs look forward to Cowdenbeath visiting Easter Road on Saturday. It's an opportunity to get some points back on at least one of the two teams above them, with Rangers hosting Hearts on Friday evening. I'd love to say that I was confident that Hibs will do that, but Hibs just haven't got that winning habit just yet.
As for laying some of the bogey-sides to rest, Hibs get another shot at both Falkirk and Hearts before the season's out, so here's hoping that Hibs develop the knack of winning games they deserve to win between now and then.
Hibs were about to face the runaway league leaders in the New Year's derby and I - like most of the support - was looking forward to the game and the opportunity to claw that points deficit back a little more.
Between that game and now, Hibs faced Falkirk at Easter Road, having suffered two defeats to the Bairns already this season, Falkirk were fast becoming something of a bogey team for Hibs, and so Hibs would be hoping to put a bit of distance between themselves and Falkirk.
As things stand today, Hearts' lead over Hibs extends to the point where Hibs need significantly more than snookers to have any hope of finishing the season as champions, and Rangers have pushed on to take the gap between them and their Leith counterparts to eight points.
So, let's have a look at what happened, starting with the derby. It would be fair to say that for one reason or another, Hearts have definitely become a bona-fide bogey team to Hibs. For Hibs fans, Hearts represent the last team that we would want to hold a jinx over us. You really have to be unlucky to have your city rivals as your bogey-team.
There are a number of reasons for that, in recent history it's because Hearts spent significantly more than Hibs on their team, and derbies generally went with form. Last season, with Hearts in the doldrums and having a horrendous time of things, Hibs mustered only one victory against them, Liam Craig's penalty winning the New Year fixture at Easter Road, giving Hibs fans a lingering memory of what joy is possible from watching football as the rest of the season descended into disaster under Terry Butcher.
Hearts have carried a huge amount of favour over the last couple of seasons, Hibs having two perfectly legitimate goals chalked off in absurd refereeing decisions, but this blog isn't to highlight injustices or complaints about referees, and it's only fair to acknowledge that while big decisions like those played a part, so too did very lacklustre and abject Hibs performances.
When I was starting to attend Hibs games, Hearts went on a run where Hibs failed to beat them in twenty-two matches. The manager at the time, Alex Miller, appeared to have no idea on how to halt that record and derby days became depressingly predictable.
To this day, no matter how well Hibs are doing, I watch a derby waiting for the moment where Hibs contrive to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (or at least, snatch a draw). Meanwhile, Hearts are able to approach derbies knowing that no matter how bad things are, something will likely go their way.
There have been some exceptions, but they are few and far between. I know that back in the day, there was a period where Hearts couldn't buy a win against Hibs so it hasn't always been the case that Hearts have been a bogey-team, and I can only hope that now we're operating on a much more level financial playing field, with Hearts finally having to live within their means, that there will be more balance in the results between the teams.
That was the case at Tynecastle, Hibs were desperately unlucky not to take all three points in the previous derby at Easter Road, and showed that they were more than a match for the league leaders, and again Hibs put in an impressive performance with most neutral observers noting that Hearts could have had no arguments had Hibs won the match, instead of having to settle for a point.
Hibs took an early lead, a sublime cross from Scott Allan found Jason Cummings and his close range shot flew past Alexander in the Hearts goal. It capped a period of fairly sustained pressure from Hibs, with the visitors putting pressure on the hosts from the outset.
Cummings had a golden opportunity to put Hibs two goals ahead shortly afterwards, sending a free header just wide with the goal at his mercy. Hibs were to rue that miss, with Hearts getting an unlikely goal shortly afterwards.
The second half was a more even affair, with Hibs finishing the stronger of the two sides but unable to get a winning goal.
The result left Alan Stubbs frustrated as again, Hibs had somehow not got the win that their performance had probably deserved. This is a trait that Hibs have displayed throughout the season and can account for a large number of the points between them and the two sides above them. Hearts have played well in the vast majority of their games, and won most of them. Where they've not played well they've managed to take something from the games - and that's why they sit deservedly at the top of the table. Rangers, for their part, have been less impressive and seem to be stumbling from result to result, but those results tend to be wins, and for all that you couldn't pay me to go and watch them, I'd happily see Hibs take that winning habit from them.
Hibs have lost games we have dominated, and also lost the games we deserved to take nothing from. On Saturday, against Falkirk, Hibs should have won. Having started brightly, Hibs took the lead when Jason Cummings' shot was fumbled by Jamie MacDonald in the Falkirk goal. It's ironic that MacDonald was generally excellent when he featured against Hibs in derbies while he was with Hearts, and yet he looked suspect throughout the game on Saturday.
Falkirk took advantage of some seriously sloppy defending from Hibs to draw level, and only a very late flag from the Referee's Assistant (probably the latest offside decision I've ever seen given - but credit to the Assistant, she got it right) saved Hibs from falling behind in the match.
Hibs seemed to take heed of the warning and stormed into a 3-1 lead, with Jason Cummings completing a first half hat-trick (as predicted, again, by @Lmc2105 Lee McLennan - two hat trick predictions coming through this season!). Hibs started the second half brightly with new loan signing Martin Boyle first missing what was essentially an open goal, then having the ball inexplicably nicked from his toes as he was about to shoot by team-mate Scott Allan. Had either chance gone in, the game would have likely been out of reach for Falkirk.
Instead, the Bairns were lifted by the let-off, and they capitalised on some horrendous defending from Hibs to bring the scores back level. Hibs were not able to pull in front again, and a match that was there to be won ended with Hibs falling further behind the sides above them.
Alan Stubbs' post-match interview reflected a manager who was evidently frustrated and angered at his team's inability to win matches, and as pleased as he must have been with their recent performances, his criticisms of the side were entirely justified.
Hibs' right-back, David Gray, had been missing for this game in order to get a groin operation. Hibs definitely missed him, and it will be interesting to see if Alan Stubbs makes signing a right-back a priority while the transfer window is open this month. If he doesn't. there is much work to do to bring balance to a back four that comprised of four left-footed players, with Calum Booth playing out of position on the right side of the defence. Under pressure, the defence did not look comfortable at all. For all that Paul Hanlon and Liam Fontaine have been excellent this season, they looked disjointed and nervous without the steadying presence of Gray.
Mark Oxley in goal did little to help, the conditions causing all sorts of problems for the keeper who has just extended his stay at Easter Road until the end of the season. It was an uncharacteristically poor performance from Oxley, and one would hope that it was a one off that could be attributed to the horrendous weather.
And so Hibs look forward to Cowdenbeath visiting Easter Road on Saturday. It's an opportunity to get some points back on at least one of the two teams above them, with Rangers hosting Hearts on Friday evening. I'd love to say that I was confident that Hibs will do that, but Hibs just haven't got that winning habit just yet.
As for laying some of the bogey-sides to rest, Hibs get another shot at both Falkirk and Hearts before the season's out, so here's hoping that Hibs develop the knack of winning games they deserve to win between now and then.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)