Neil Lennon's Green and White Army

This week Hibs announced that manager Neil Lennon has extended his contract with the club until 2020. On a personal level, I'm delighted. Lennon arrived at the club with a bristly reputation. Adored by Celtic fans but almost universally detested by everyone else, and after a bruising experience at financially crippled Bolton Wanderers, Lennon had a point to prove and real job on his hands to win people over.

That said, Hibs fans were warm to his appointment. Lennon's record in Scottish football management is fantastic, virtually unparalleled amongst his current SPFL top flight management peers. There was always a question of whether or not Lennon could repeat his success at Celtic at Hibernian, without the massive financial advantages that he was afforded in Glasgow.

Lennon's remit was simple - take Hibs back into the top flight. He succeeded comfortably, with the league won with weeks to spare. Additionally, a brave showing in Europe and a Scottish Cup defence that took Hibernian back to Hampden to face (and agonisingly lose to) Aberdeen.

So we are back in the big league. Lennon's summer recruitment looks to have been very shrewd indeed. Few Hibs fans would have expected quite the calibre of player that we managed to bring in over the transfer window, whilst at the same time holding on to our most prized asset, 'Super' John McGinn.

Six full internationals joined the club to supplement what was already seen as a squad capable of competing for a top six position in the top flight. Lennon was comfortable seeing Jason Cummings leave the club. A prolific goal-scorer is always a commodity that is difficult to replace, but Lennon clearly looked for someone that could bring more than goals, and in Simon Murray he appears to have found someone with an eye for goal but with it a work rate that was all too often missing from Cummings' game.

Murray started the season in fine form, winning over many doubters with an impressive goal return in the early matches. His scoring form has stuttered slightly over the last couple of games, but a fine solo goal in our win at Ibrox will keep the fans on his side longer than they might otherwise have been.

Lennon's side is shaping up nicely. On the back of consecutive draws at Dundee and St Johnstone, Hibs can consider themselves very unfortunate not to have taken six points from these games rather than the two actually taken. In both matches, a lack of a finishing touch coupled with meeting goalkeepers in fine form stopped the scorelines reflecting the dominance of the visiting side.

The manager, never shy in criticising his players when they fall below his demanding standards, has been full or praise for the performances in the last two games. If we continue that level of performance, we will win more games than we lose.

As may have been expected, controversy is never too far from Neil Lennon. In the Championship he fell foul of the Compliance Officer after a touchline tussle with Jim Duffy, and more recently Lennon's goal celebration at Ibrox created such a stir that Club 1872, the supporter's association with a stake in the Glasgow club, deemed it necessary to issue a statement condemning his antics.

The brass neck of that particular statement was incredible, and to such an extent that even  some Rangers supporters were quick to deride it. More concerning, in my mind, was that the press were quick to play out the narrative that Lennon was somehow the villain of the piece at Ibrox. Video footage of the team bus arriving shows that from the moment he stepped off of the bus, Lennon was subjected to vile sectarian abuse. This abuse continued throughout the match and afterwards, where he received death threats via social media.

The press make out that he brings this on himself, that he loves being the pantomime villain, except in this pantomime it's one way abuse with no comic relief, and if the panto villain dares come back with an 'Oh no it isn't' then all Hell breaks loose.

I was disappointed that Hibs themselves never publically backed the manager, though I appreciate that Lennon may himself have preferred to let the issue blow over. Equally, it was disappointing (though not surprising) that Rangers again failed to condemn the sectarian element amongst their own support.

Lennon's start at Hibs has been hugely entertaining, big performances against Brondby, Hearts, and Rangers, along with a Championship win have laid the foundations for what promises to be an entertaining and (hopefully) successful period with Lennon at the helm. It certainly won't be dull, that's for sure.  

Changing Times: Interview with Colin Millar

In the next instalment of my inside perspective of life at Hibernian, I was able to spend some time with Hibernian's Communications Manager, Colin Millar.
I first met Colin through the Working Together meetings, and I sat beside Colin during Leeann Dempster's first supporters meeting on the day of the Rod Petrie protests.
Since that day, Colin has joined Hibernian, initially as the Supporter Liaison, and now in his current role as Communications Manager.
Colin is well placed to talk about the changes at the club in his time, and you only need a short while in his company to see how much the football club means to him.

I remember sitting beside you on the day of the Petrie protests, at that point your role didn't exist as far as I'm aware. Talk me through what happened.
I was probably a bit of an opportunist, really. On a personal level, I'm from an accountancy background, and I knew I wanted to get into sport as it's my big passion.
I did some volunteering both at the club and with some other things, so I knew I needed to make the jump. 
My plan was to go and study Post-Grad at Stirling University in Sports Management and see if I could pick up a part time job along the way. I had loads of ideas on how I wanted to influence things at Hibs, to change things that the club could do a little bit better. 
The big change for me, was after I was chairing a Working Together meeting at the training ground. I still lived in Glasgow, Leeann lived out west as well, so I was a bit cheeky and asked her for a lift home. She said 'yes'.
That gave me about an hour's pitch. I got on really well with her, I talked through what I wanted to achieve, she told me what she wanted to achieve and why she had come to Hibs, and we got on from there. 
My big thing at the time was the Supporter Liaison role. Leeann thought a lot of clubs took that role as a separate thing, independent from the club. Leeann's view was for the Liaison to make a meaningful impact at the club they had to be ingrained in the club to really influence things on a daily basis, so that they have a full understanding.
There was that, and the club was also moving towards the big consultations about the ownership and what that structure was going to be. The club wanted to involve supporters, so my initial role was to come in and oversee that consultation process. That started with three consultation meetings.
They were post-Alloa defeat, I remember the first weekend before starting work, going to Alloa thinking "We'll get three points here". It was at the end of the transfer window so there was a lot of chat about signing some new players, so I thought the Monday meeting would be really positive. 
As it was, Farid goes down with the really bad injury, we lost to Alloa , and the meetings took a different turn.
The meetings were heated and lively but really interesting. From that, we developed the online survey which focussed on representation, ownership, and engagement with the club. From that, probably the big immediate thing was getting the Supporter's Representatives on the board, so I managed the process around that, as well as doing some bits on the communication side.

What would you say are the differences between the Fans Representatives on the board, and the Supporter Liaison?
I think the Fans Representatives are two people that are fully elected by the supporters, who are there to represent the supporters, and who are influencing things at the top level.
I see the Supporter Liaison role as only good if it's ingrained in how the club operates on a daily basis, similar to the Fans Representatives. We could put them on the board, the box is ticked, and there's no tangible difference - I don't think it's like that here, from what I understand they are fully involved in the decision making, the same as any other board member. 
I see part of my role as Supporter Liaison as basically being the voice of the supporter, and thinking as a supporter in everything we do - whether that's daily communications through social media, ticketing updates - I'm quite heavily involved in the ticketing information and the decisions that go around that like loyalty points and everything else, through to the campaigns. I've been involved in the season ticket campaigns, the kit launch campaigns. 
I think it's just having a supporter's view on it. Don't get me wrong, as soon as you become an employee of the club, that nature of the relationship changes - that's inevitable. I genuinely think it's an ethos running throughout the club in everything we do, that the impact on supporters is a fundamental part of the decision making. 
Other clubs could have a liaison officer in name alone. I've been round other clubs and see what they do, both here and down south. They can be quite tokenistic in what they do, they get the supporter in, give them a bib and an email address, and it allows that club to distance themselves from the complaints that come in, be it catering or atmosphere. They can push it on to the liaison officer and let them deal with it. 
Here it's different, it's part of the role, it's ingrained in everything we do.

How did you deal with adjusting to that change in relationship, moving from a supporter to an employee?
It's very different and difficult. I think in a way, I always used to get bothered by the result. 
As a supporter, if you lose on a Saturday you go home on a Saturday night and you're in a mood. It maybe bothers you on a Sunday but by Monday you're back at work and you move on.
I lived my whole life until now in the west, so I was never surrounded by Hibs supporters or Hearts supporters, in the same way that other people would go to their work and Hibs and Hearts would still be the major talking point.
Here, I remember the game against Cowdenbeath, the 3-2 game, which was the first home game after the consultation. The relief when that third goal was scored in the last minute - because it's not just the three points, which is normally the be all and end all. 
It's "I can't do that promotion we wanted to push out", things are always that much more difficult when we lose rather than when we win. 
It's a strange profession in that you can do everything right Monday to Friday, but if the result goes against you on a Saturday a lot of the good work is not as good as if the team had won.
The thinking here is that I can't influence the result on a Saturday, so let's make sure that everything else is as good as it can possibly be, because we can only control what we can control.
Last season I had no role at away games, so I worked home games and went to the away games as a fan. With the recent change in role, I'm going to a lot of the away games as a worker, so I do miss going to the game on a Saturday, relaxing with friends and family, and enjoying the game. 
I wouldn't trade it for the world though, coming to a place I love at Easter Road, I'll never moan about that.

We talked about the volatile nature of the supporter's mood, when you have a meeting and there's been a bad result, how do you see through the anger or frustration at the result to pick out the valuable bits?
I think it's looking at the point that's been made. Everyone gets frustrated at the result, if someone wants to air that frustration about the manager and his tactics, that's fine -there's not a lot I can do about that. 
If it's points around catering, communication, Hibs TV, programmes, things like that, we might see more of them after a bad defeat but it doesn't make the point any less valid, so it's things that we want to pick up and improve on.
Our plan changes, but we want to be consistent, so that means that we can't shy away from defeats or when things don't go well, in the same way we can't go shouting from the rooftops after a good result. 
I think you need to consider any analysis in the wider context, whether it's Facebook likes or engagement with the videos, there's going to be an element that's dependant on the results.
You can try and strip the emotion out to an extent and ask "Did we do a good job? Are the complaints or points valid? What can we do to improve on things?" 
There's a culture here now to constantly want to improve on things. It's can be very easy if the team wins to sit back and think "That was a great match day." but the key difference now is you look at it from an operational point of view as much as a result point of view. 
If we'd beat St Mirren 2-1, I'd have been happy that we'd won, but my reflection on the match would have been no different as if we'd lost, we still need to make sure that we produce the output for Hibs TV before and after the game, that the Manager's interview goes out, that the programme is ready. There is an element of just stripping out the emotion and working as professionally as we can in the jobs we are here to do.

Looking at the changes in the club since the protests, what differences do you see?
I'm one of the longest serving people in the commercial office! There has been change right throughout the club. In the Community Foundation, Wendy's now Head there, Community Football is exploding, there's more activity in there than ever before. There's the public/social partnership with NHS Lothian, there's a lot of work and effort going into that. There's the two Supporter's Reps on the board, changing the make up of the board as well. 
Our department - Greig's new in to Commercial. We've new people in hospitality, in sales, in communications.
I think that shows how much has changed. The football operation has totally changed, the manager has come in, but the whole structure - everyone knows about the change to structure with George coming in as Head of Football Operations, changes to sports nutrition. There has been so much change across the whole club, like HSL and the share issue.
There's been opportunities and tangible change across the board, and now is the opportunity to consolidate that and build on it and push on.

How do you see your own role evolving as part of that?
I changed role slightly at the start of September - exactly one year to the day from coming on board. I'm now Communications Manager since Andrew Sleight decided to move on. We've changed the structure of the Communications team a little bit. 
I'm Communications Manager, there's a PR and Media Exec, a Digital Development Exec, and there's a great team of volunteers that sit underneath and feed into that. 
I'm now the main contact point for the press and media, and responsible for the content going out on Hibs TV, the website, and social media.
That doesn't mean to say I'll be in front of the camera, that's not my skill set at all, I'll be avoiding that as much as possible!
I think I have a different set of skills that I can bring to it, it's not a role that I foresaw me taking on, but Leeann gave me an opportunity a year ago, and Leeann is giving me an opportunity again now and I think if folk have been happy with what I've done over that year I can keep pushing on. I have great people to work with and that motivates me to keep going.
My first day in the role was transfer deadline day, which was a nice quiet introduction to the role. It was the same last year so I seem to pick my first days!
There will be a lot to learn in the role as well, but it's a challenge I'm really looking forward to. We keep seeing progress in terms of communication but we're still a long way off where I want to be. 
The kit launch and the season ticket videos went down well and set a benchmark. We need to improve on that. Outside the Box was a fantastic success, we need to improve upon that, be more consistent with that.
We've started the matchday video which is a sort of recap of what has gone on at Easter Road so supporters can see we're opening the club up to show what goes on behind the scenes, so they see it's more than just the ninety minutes - there's so much more going on.
We need to sing about the work of the Community Foundation a little bit more and show the work that's going on to make the club a success, 

What would you like to see next for your role and the club in general?
Improvement. We are always looking to improve upon what we're doing. I want to see our communication being more consistent, looking better, sounding better, feeling better. 
Our goal is to be the best in the country at everything we do.
We don't have the same resources as some other clubs, but we have decent resources, but there's no reason why we can't be best at communications.
That's the long term challenge, but for now it's about making sure the supporters are involved and know what's going on at the club, and being open and transparent and having some fun with it. Football should be fun, but there are serious messages to get across as well, and we have to bridge that gap with supporters. 
For the club - we have to win the league, win promotion. Thankfully I'm not responsible for that, but - and I'm talking as a supporter now - I think we have the makings of a really good squad, there's no reason why we shouldn't be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.
Football's based on results, look at last season - was it a success? We finished above a team with much greater resources in Rangers, we did well in the cups, the style of football was better, we scored more goals and conceded fewer, but we didn't achieve promotion. 
Looking at it from the support point of view, it's encouraging that season ticket numbers have held, with a slight increase, and we need to get people back to Easter Road. We want to get as many people back to Easter Road as possible, that's the challenge - I completely understand why people stopped coming, supporters have gone through an awful lot.
We'll keep working hard to get people back, we'll also put an awful lot of effort to get new supporters along to the ground. 
We'll hopefully see a lot more in the match day experience, making sure that kids...  kids is an absolute focus of ours, whether it's the Hibs Kids that we're already engaging with, whether it's the schools that we're engaging with in the school ticket initiative, whether it's the  kids that are coming through the Hibee Tots camps, or whether it's other initiatives that we can make use of to bring new people into the stadium. 
I think a lot of our traditional supporters can be weary of Championship football, coming up against teams that are more defensive, but in reality we are winning more games here than we did in the top league, it's probably a nice environment to introduce people to the club. 
We are generally scoring more goals, conceding fewer goals. We are generally winning games, and whilst we obviously don't want to be here, I want to use it as an opportunity to bring more people in so that their first experiences of Hibs is positive. We're winning games, scoring goals, they're hopefully enjoying themselves at the games and then over time they maybe get used to the ups and downs of the reality of supporting Hibs over the longer term.
This is an opportunity to bring people in and interacting with the club, whether that's through traditional means or thinking a little differently and seeing how we can use the wider work that the club does in the community to introduce them. 
There's been some really nice stories about people coming to the games for the first time, and we want to keep building on that and have as many people interacting with the badge as possible.


Many thanks to Colin for his time to make this interview possible.

So a Season Starts..

Hibernian bounced back from a tumultuous couple of weeks with a comfortable League Cup win against Montrose on Saturday. Hibs haven't had their troubles to seek over the last fortnight, fending off Rangers in their bid to lure Scott Allan west in the week leading up to their embarrassing 2-6 defeat to the Glasgow side in the Petrofac Training Cup.

Despite Hibs' repeated assertions that Allan would not be sold to Rangers, a second bid was received and promptly rejected, with rumblings of a third bid continuing to populate the sports press in Scotland, although Rangers manager Mark Warburton has himself refused to confirm any third bid.

The issue clearly had an impact on Hibs, Allan started that match on the bench, leaving an already depleted side further weakened. Allan came on in the second half to replace Jordon Forster, who appeared to have been injured following a late challenge, and although individually Allan's performance was positive, the side collapsed as Rangers ran rampant.

If that was a week to forget for Hibs, the gloom continued into the following week when Allan handed in a written transfer request, which was subsequently rejected by Leeann Dempster and Alan Stubbs. Hibs, it would be fair to say, came out swinging with some bold, chest-thumping statements making clear their position that they were not prepared to weaken their own side at the Ibrox's side benefit.

Hibs' response has largely found favour amongst their own supporters. For too long, the Hibs support have seen their best talent moved on, only to be replaced by players of an inferior quality. It is not an approach that has served the football club well, and resulted in a steady downward trajectory from the high point of their CIS Insurance Cup win back in 2007.

The digging in of the heels and steadfast refusal to buckle under intense pressure was another positive indication that Dempster and Stubbs are doing more than just paying lip-service towards Hibs' promotion aspirations this season. Prior to the Allan saga, Hibs movements in the transfer market had been positive, the signing of Fraser Fyvie represented a real coup for the club as Fraser is undoubtedly well equipped to perform in the Scottish Premiership, and there was interest from several clubs eager to bring him on board. Yet he chose Hibernian, clearly sold on the ambition of Stubbs and Dempster. The signing of James Keatings from city rivals Hearts was as surprising as it was welcome, and was a further sign that Hibs are building a strong squad for the coming campaign.

The charm offensive has continued following the rejection of Allan's transfer request, as Hibs have sought to regain the positivity that was engulfing the club prior to Rangers' approach for Allan. A contract extension for Alan Stubbs and his coaching team was warmly welcomed by the support, and this was followed by the announcement that former St Mirren player, and Scotland Under-21 star, John McGinn had signed, with Hibs having met St Mirren's valuation of the player with the minimum of fuss or fanfare. McGinn had a number of options both at home and abroad, so his signing again represents tangible evidence that Dempster's priorities lie firmly in giving Alan Stubbs the best possible chance of returning Hibernian to the top flight of Scottish football.

Any decision to sell Allan to Rangers would have been preposterous, the notion that Hibs would risk their own title aspirations to enhance those of the club seen as their main title rivals is ridiculous. Simply put, had Hibs agreed to the move, the steady trickle of season ticket renewals would likely have halted at that point, and the good feeling that Dempster has worked tirelessly to bring to the support would have evaporated, with any trust being promptly lost.

Instead, Hibs have played their hand well, and can hopefully turn the situation to their advantage. Hibs are expected to announce the signings of Keith Watson and former Rangers youth player Rhys McCabe  in the coming days if rumours are to be believed, and if Dempster and Stubbs can continue to demonstrate the link between supporters backing the club and the club being able to do such business, then they may find that the steady season ticket trickle turns into a healthy flow of renewals and new take-ups.

Stubbs deserves a mention at this point for how he has handled Scott Allan. It was right to start Allan on the bench against Rangers. Neither Allan nor Stubbs were in a position where a positive outcome was likely. Stubbs, if he had started Allan would have put the player in a position where the reactions of both sets of supporters would have caused an unwelcome distraction, and leaving him out altogether would only have fuelled the fires suggesting that the transfer was imminent.

Stubbs left Allan on the bench for the cup win against Montrose as well, and his  decision to introduce Allan midway through the second half meant that Allan's introduction into the fray was very open, very public, and invited the support to make their feelings known. The reaction was mixed, a few boos could be heard but these were largely replaced by applause, with the Easter Road faithful choosing to back rather than barrack their player. Scott's first touches on the ball were met with a similar response, though a moment of magic from the player had the Hibs support on their feet when he fired Hibs into a two goal lead. Nothing wins the fans round quicker than a good performance on the pitch.

Hibs' performance was comfortable without ever reaching the heights of some of their performances last season. New signing Marvin Bartley impressed, providing the midfield with the strong ball-winner that they missed last season. The side that finished the game had a real look of the development squad, with Stubbs using the game to blood a few youngsters, who, while playing their part in the win, still look short of the standard required to mount a title campaign at this very early stage in their careers.

Stubbs later admitted to Hibs TV that although he was pleased to be able to give some game-time to the young players, his hand had been somewhat forced with an injury list that contains the likes of Martin Boyle, Dan Carmichael, Farid El Alagui, James Keatings, Jordon Forster, and Dominique Malonga. With the Scott Allan situation depriving Stubbs of Allan's services in the early stages of the game, it left the Hibs boss with little in the way of cover.

In fairness to those that did play, they moved the ball relatively well with only occasional sloppiness in their passing. The home side, as would be expected, dominated from first whistle to last , with Montrose content to sit in and try to frustrate Stubbs' men. Scott Martin clipped home Hibs' opener, the youngster's composed finish looked more like that of an experienced first teamer than that of a young man enjoying only his second competitive start for the first team.

It was, though, the introduction of Scott Allan that lifted the Hibs side. It is not hard to understand why Rangers were so keen to secure his services, aside from what he would bring to their side, what it would take from Hibs is almost as relevant. Allan injected some pace and directness to the proceedings, picking passes that opened up the Montrose defence, and embarking on mazy runs that pulled players out of position leaving space for his colleagues to exploit.

Jason Cummings, who had led the line splendidly all afternoon, rounded off the win with a fine shot on the turn from inside the box. I felt that Cummings looked like all he had to his game was goals last season (hardly a bad thing for a striker, indeed, such a bad thing that he finished the Championship's top scorer at the tender age of 19!), however he looked stronger, fitter, and more intelligent in his play on Saturday. I was impressed with his understanding of when to come deep, and when not to. He brought others into play well, and looked for any opportunity to get a shot away.

Cummings, who was celebrating his 20th birthday, richly deserved his goal as a reward for his contribution. The goal was his second in consecutive competitive games, and few would bet against him topping the goal-scoring charts this season again.

Hibs now look forward to Saturday's league opener at Dumbarton. With a few of the injured players getting closer to match readiness, Hibs are now well equipped to mount a serious challenge to Rangers' title hopes. If Hibs can indeed keep this squad together, and get more fans back on board for the ride, then Hibs will be in a great position to put the darkness of the last couple of weeks well and truly behind them.

Second Place is Only The First Part of the Job.

Hibs went into Saturday's game against what could be considered their bogey team, Falkirk (Hibs had not beaten Falkirk in four attempts prior to their win on Saturday), in pole position for second place.
The previous weekends victory against Alloa had left Hibs in a position where they could afford to lose, so long as Rangers didn't win at Tynecastle. Hibernian's superior goal difference effectively giving them a two point advantage over the Glasgow side.  A draw would only be enough for Rangers if Hibs lost heavily to Falkirk.

Three and a half thousand Hibs fans made their way west to Falkirk looking for a happy afternoon against a team that had left them with little to be joyful about all season. Falkirk were in the position of having nothing meaningful to play for in the final match. They had been pipped to fourth spot by Queen of the South, and are counting down the days to the Scottish Cup Final, which they reached (as we know) by triumphing against their final visitors.

Due to work commitments, I was limited to goal updates on Sky Sports. Fortunately, we have an abundance of screens showing Sky Sports in the office, so with the Hearts v Rangers game within viewing distance, I was able to keep up to date with what was going on there as well as at Falkirk.

The Hibs fans that did manage to get a ticket (Hibs sold out their allocation of tickets, requested more, then sold them out as well, and could have sold more still, such was the demand for the game) had their nerves calmed early on, when Martin 'Squirrel' Boyle burst forward and played a neat one-two with Scott Allan before firing a shot across Jamie McDonald to put Hibs a goal up with just a few minutes to spare.

So Hibs had made the first move, it was now up to Rangers to see if they could put some pressure on the Leith men, and sure enough - Rangers took the lead at Tynecastle. Shortly afterwards. Rangers would survive a penalty appeal when their goalkeeper looked like he fouled Osman Sow, who had earlier been booked for diving. Perhaps the referee considered it a case of 'the boy who cried wolf' or perhaps he missed the incident (or chose to ignore it), but the Rangers goalkeeper could consider himself very fortunate not to have conceded a penalty, which, if it had been given, would likely have seen the goalkeeper red carded for his troubles.

Unlike Hearts, Rangers didn't dwell on the decision, and they took full advantage moments later when Kenny Miller side-footed home from inside the penalty box to give Rangers a two goal advantage.

So far, so good for Rangers. If they had wanted to turn the heat up on Hibs, this was exactly what they needed to do. Hibs, however, responded almost immediately. Jason Cummings found himself staring down Jamie McDonald from a few yards out. Cummings dropped a shoulder and sold McDonald a dummy before wandering round the grounded goalkeeper to walk the ball into the now unguarded net. It was a classy finish from the young player who finished the season on top of the scoring charts, a remarkable achievement for a lad that was working as a gardener just a couple of years ago. It rounded off a good week for Jason, who had been voted 'Young Player of the Year' by Hibernian supporters a few days earlier.

Hibs now held the aces in the race for second place, and Rangers were running out of cards to play. As the game progressed at Tynecastle, Hearts shuffled the deck and brought on man-mountain Genero Zeefuik who proved to be almost worth his weight in goals as he headed Hearts back into the match before shooting home a late, late equaliser which finally prompted the Hearts fans into voice, the goal signalling the end of the apparent sponsored silence which seems to be a staple of a Hearts party these days, if the 90 minutes at Tynecastle on Saturday and their party at Easter Road where they lost the last derby of the season are anything to go by.

As if that wasn't enough to sour the Rangers' day, they would hear that Do-do-do-Dominique Malonga had scored for the third consecutive game to give Hibs an unassailable three goal lead going into the final moments of the game.

The results left Hibs in second place, as they had started the day. Few would have given Hibs much hope of second in December and it's testament to Alan Stubbs and his team that they proved the doubters wrong.Questions had been asked about Stubbs's side's bottle, and they were answered in spades in the final weeks of the season. It is ironic that Hibs played much better, in my opinion, in the semi-final against Falkirk where they were accused of bottling it, than they played in Saturday's win. That's football, I suppose.

Rangers now face Queen of the South to see who will meet Hibs in the play-off semi final. Rangers will not be approaching the game with any great amount of confidence. Their last outing at Palmerston ended in a 3-0 reverse, with Queen of the South capitalising on a dire performance from the visitors. Rangers have shipped five goals without reply on their travels to Queen of the South this season, and so the play-off fixture is far from a formality.

Queen of the South are in an almost enviable position of having virtually no pressure on them. Expectations throughout Scottish football at the start of the season were that, aside from whoever was to win the league, the other team likely to be promoted would come from Hearts, Rangers, or Hibernian. With Hearts being the title winners, pundits have practically discounted Queen of the South from any notion of them being contenders. It's not an opinion I share. Both Hibs and Rangers have struggled against Queen of the South this season - their stuffy, park-the-bus approach at Easter Road has subjected me to some of the most negative football seen in the East of Edinburgh since the Alex Miller years. With Hibs tendency to find themselves knocked out by the sucker punch on so many occasions this season, the thought of going up against that will not fill the players with joy.

However, both Rangers and Queen of the South would happily trade places with Hibs. The advantage gained in finishing second is significant, especially if the quarter final turns out to be a gruelling, hard fought affair.

It is vital, though, that Hibs remain focussed. Finishing second was just the start of the job and nothing has been achieved yet. The next two games (and, hopefully the two after) are amongst the most important in the club's history. Negotiate these games effectively, and Hibs can put the nightmare of the Championship behind them and look forward to taking their seat at the top-flight table again next season.

I have no doubt that Hibs are capable of winning these games, and although their sternest test will likely come from the SPL side hoping to avoid swapping places with their Championship counterpart, Hibs have the players in their team that have it in their locker to go on and win.

There may be a question of whether or not they have the temperament to do it, but I think that questions has been put to bed on many occasions this season, and Hibs have stuck at it. In finishing second, Hibs accumulated more points that Championship winners Dundee collected last season. Dundee have held their own in the SPL this season, so Hibs should take confidence that they can mix it with the big boys.

Hibs biggest barrier to overcome is to make sure that the focus remains on the job in hand over the next couple of weeks until they need to play again. The risk is that in achieving a milestone in finishing second, they get the chance to relax and let complacency seep in. In Alan Stubbs, Hibs have a manager who is ideal for preventing that from happening. Stubbs has insisted on high standards all season, and it's finally paying dividends.

I am hopeless at predictions, but my gut instinct is that Hibs will once again be a top flight side next season. The one thing I can say, is that so long as Stubbs and his backroom stay, and the hugely impressive work behind the scenes at Easter Road continues, then it's only a matter of time before Hibs are challenging at the right end of the right league, even if it doesn't happen this year.

Congratulations must also go to Championship Player of the Year, Scott Allan. What a joy it has been watching him grow and develop at Hibs this season. He was impressive when he first arrived but having had the bulk of the season under his belt, he has improved immeasurably under Stubbs' guidance. This improvement is a trend that's evident throughout the side, and Allan had some close competition from his team-mates for the award.

Scott has another year on his contract, and I desperately hope Hibs resist any advances for him. He is a player that the Hibs fans appreciate, and he fits the style of play that Stubbs is stamping on the team like a glove. The phrase 'build a team around' gets used a lot in football, and never has it been more fitting than in Scott Allan's case at Hibs.

What has also been very noticeable, in contrast to the abject misery and disillusionment of last season's closing stages, is rather than seeing an impending exodus of players, we are hearing stories of players being desperate to stay at Hibs, and we've gone from seeing loan players who simply couldn't give a toss about the club (yes, Matt Doherty, I mean you) to players like Martin Boyle who showed with his celebration on Saturday exactly what it means to him to be at Easter Road.

It's like night and day comparing the Hibs from then to the Hibs of now. We have some of the most talented young players (the potential in Jason Cummings is unbelievable, in my opinion this guy could go on to be the best striker Hibs have produced since Riordan and Fletcher), as well as some experienced players (Fontaine, Gray, Hanlon, Stevenson, Craig, Robertson) who have raised their game considerably this season. It's a great mix, and Stubbs will have a lot of food for thought over the close season to decide how he is going to build on this nucleus of talent.

A Season Summed Up In Ninety Minutes

As around sixteen thousand beleaguered Hibs fans made their way back to their buses, cars, and trains for the long, quiet journey home from Hampden having watched their heroes chalk up another year on the 'since-they-won-the-Scottish-Cup-o-meter', they would have been wondering just how Hibs had managed - again - to take nothing from a game that they utterly dominated.

It has been the story of their season. I've lost count of the number of games Hibs have failed to take full points, having battered their opponents for virtually the full ninety minutes. Home games against Falkirk (twice), Queen of the South, Hearts, Raith (twice), and Dumbarton - and that's just from the top of my head, have seen Hibs put in a commanding performance only to draw or lose the match.

Saturday's Scottish Cup Semi-Final can now be added to that list. Before I dwell on Hibs' failings, I want to congratulate Falkirk for reaching the final. The most important statistic in football is the number of goals scored versus the number conceded, and Falkirk compared favourably in that aspect on Saturday, and so they have a Cup Final to look forward to. Well done to Falkirk, and I genuinely wish them all the best in the final.

So, onto Hibs. Where do you start when trying to explain that defeat? You can criticise the forward players for not taking their chances, and we had plenty of them regardless of what Peter Houston might have you believe. Scott Allan rattled the crossbar after a Gascoigne-esque dribble through the Falkirk defence. Fraser Fyvie had seen a shot tipped onto the post only for the ball to rebound with an almost magnetic precision back into the arms of the grateful Jamie McDonald.

Farid El-Alagui had a first minute header (if you can call the ball bouncing off his head as he lay prone on the ground a 'header') saved on the goal-line. Lewis Stevenson blasted over from eight yards when he seemed more likely to score, just moments after Dylan McGeouch had totally mis-hit his shot to the point where it was closer to trapping the ball than shooting at goal.

Stevenson came close again when a deflected shot looped over McDonald only to drop agonisingly wide of the post, and there were late chances for Malonga and El-Alagui, neither of whom were able to take advantage.

Falkirk, of course, scored in the most ironic of fashions. The referee halted a Hibs attack, Falkirk broke forward and gave their opponents a lesson in clinical finishing. Mark Oxley had been a virtual spectator in the second half at Hampden, his only contribution prior to conceding had been to tip a speculative effort round the post early in the second half. Falkirk had, by my count, three chances in the second half in total, and scored with one of them.

It's hard to pinpoint why this has happened to Hibs so frequently this season. You can criticise the defence, but then you'd think they would deserve praise for limiting the opposition to three chances. Then again, how can you praise a defence that concedes one goal from three chances, compared to Falkirk who conceded none from goodness knows how many.

Perhaps it's a lack of concentration. If it was only once that a game had gone this way, you could attribute it to bad luck, but when it's happened with a depressing regularity then it surely can't just be luck.

Alan Stubbs must take some responsibility - it's been a season long problem at both ends of the park. If Hibs had taken chances with the same efficiency as our opponents this season, it would have been Hibs rather than Hearts that had romped the league with plenty to spare. Hibs haven't though, and Hearts have, and that's why they were worthy winners.

Stubbs must now look at his side and find a way to address this wastefulness in front of goal, and the carelessness in defence, in order that his side has any chance of promotion this season. Stubbs cannot afford to attribute the poor results to mere bad luck, no matter how much he may protest that his side deserved to win the game (and few neutrals would argue with him), the fact of the matter is that again, his Hibs side were trumped by a sucker punch, and lost the match.

I like Alan Stubbs. I like the way he sets Hibs up to play and I like that he isn't shy in saying that the better team lost. It's refreshing, and his style of play is pleasing on the eye, in stark contrast to his recent predecessors in the Easter Road hot-seat. There is a real lack of a cutting edge, no ruthlessness or mean streak in the side, and he needs to find that, and find it soon.

Stubbs has challenged his side to go and get the promotion their play deserves, but that play will only deserve promotion if it finds an end product. Teams don't get promoted for missing chances or keeping the ball. You can have all the possession in the world, if you don't score and you can't prevent the opposition scoring, then you don't deserve to get promoted. I think it's important that Stubbs acknowledges that, if not publicly then at least within the confines of the Easter Road/East Mains dressing rooms.

The players can't be allowed to continue to put costly defeats like Saturday's down to bad luck. They have to be aware that they are ultimately responsible for the fine margins that have gone against them. Is it bad luck or bad finishing to hit the bar from fifteen yards out? Is it bad luck that you swing a boot at the ball with the goal gaping and send the ball three feet over the crossbar? Is it bad luck that you find yourself conceding - again - from the only chance your opponent carves out?

Passing it off as bad luck removes the need to make an improvement. I'm not expecting to see Stubbs chastise his players for their inefficiencies in public, in fact, I wouldn't expect him to hammer them in private either, but I would expect him to seek improvement and to make the players accountable.

Hibs' season is teetering on the brink now - the cup had proven to be a welcome distraction and the prospect of finishing the season with the play-offs and a cup final to look forward to was exciting. Now there is the very real prospect of Hibs finishing the season with nothing to show for the undeniable improvements that Stubbs and his coaching team have made. Hibs have three league games left to put themselves in with a shout of finishing second, but they are now reliant on Rangers slipping up.

Even finishing second won't guarantee Hibs promotion, if they continue to mis-fire as they did against Falkirk and countless other teams this season. These fine margins are critical now, and unless Hibs do more to make those margins count in their favour, then there's a huge risk that any progress will be overlooked in the anger and disappointment that will inevitably consume large chunks of the Hibs support, who will have at least another Championship season to face. For a club Hibs' size, that is almost unthinkable.

In fairness, the players do not deserve a hard time for their performance on Saturday. The team played well, with some great football and you'll struggle to see a more dominant performance from a team all season. Had that game finished 1-0 to Hibs, people would have been enthusing over the way that Hibs controlled the game and kept Falkirk at arms' length throughout. It didn't though, and in the aftermath it's easy to lose sight of the fact that Hibs performed at a good level, without it being good enough to take them into the Scottish Cup Final.

And so it goes, another year to the record. I think that's 114 now. I sometimes get asked if it hurts more with each year, and I liken it to playing the lottery, which I haven't yet won at many more than 114 times of asking. Sometimes I get close to it, there's been a few times where I've had four numbers but never enough to retire early or get a holiday home somewhere sunnier than Leith. That winning combination eludes me, sometimes twice a week, yet the disappointment lasts just a few moments and never dampens the anticipation that maybe - just maybe - the next draw will be the one. I feel like that with the Scottish Cup these days. Yes, if and when Hibs do win the bloody thing,  the hangover I will have after it is beyond my comprehension at the moment. However I'm long since past the point of beating myself up about it when the inevitable cup disappointment comes around again.

Hibs Do the Honourable Thing in the Derby

A lot was made of Hibernian's apparent refusal to grant Hearts a guard of honour onto the pitch in the lead up to the final Edinburgh derby of the season. More was made of it than was really necessary, to be completely honest.

Depending on who you speak to, tradition seems to dictate that the guard of honour is generally given at the game immediately after the title is won, or on each of the first home and away games after winning the league. In Hearts' case, this had been extended by Alloa to include their second home game.

There was suggestion that Hibs should have followed Rangers' lead and clapped their city rivals onto the pitch, a suggestion that was shot down by the vast majority of Hibs' online support, and by Alan Stubbs himself, who cited safety reasons and a desire to avoid fueling the flames of an already volatile fixture as the reason for Hibs not granting the guard of honour.

That Stubbs should have been having to turn it down in the first place is a nonsense in itself. Even more ridiculous was the reaction to the apparent snub from Hearts' Head Coach Robbie Nielson and their centre-half Alim Öztürk, who comically said that the show of disrespect told you everything you needed to know about Hibs. 

Quite how the whole thing was contrived to be an issue is beyond me. However, common sense prevailed and the players ran out in their conventional line-ups and got on with things. 

Clearly, I am biased towards Hibs, I will never hide that fact or pretend otherwise, especially when it comes to the derby and the rivalry between Hibs and Hearts, but even putting that bias to one side, I find the idea of giving a team that shafted a laundry list of creditors (including you and I as tax payers) a guard of honour - and that team expecting it - quite distasteful. 

The current Hearts side and owners deserve all the credit going for a fantastic season. They have been unquestionably the best side in the Championship over the course of the season. They have barely faltered and have played some terrific football in that time, backed by a large support home and away throughout the season. Hearts have been the success story of the 2014-15 Scottish Championship season. 

What they won't win prizes for,evidently, is having a little bit of humility; and this notion that Hibs were somehow being disrespectful in not granting the guard of honour was disrespectful in itself. 

On to the derby then, and what a derby it was - from a Hibs point of view. The Hearts support filled the Dunbar end at Easter Road and they turned up for a party, and they weren't shy in letting the disappointing Hibs crowd know about it. 

Robbie Nielson said prior to the match when speaking to Sky TV, that he had set up to match Hibs 3-5-2, and in doing so was making the game a case of his players going man to man with Stubbs' players.

Nielson changed his tactics with barely half an hour gone, as his side struggled to get a foothold in the game, unable to win their man v man battles. Hibs took the upper hand, rattling the Hearts crossbar on two occasions and calling Neil Alexander in the Hearts goal into action, before the 'King of Zing' Jason Cummings shinned  (and it was shinned, rather than caressed, Jason) his second derby goal of the season to give Hibs a deserved lead.

Hearts at this point had been on the back foot for all but a few minutes of the game. Neilson's tactical switch helped them stifle Hibs' play to some degree but still Hearts lacked in their effectiveness going forward. 

Hibs' three centre-halves, Paul Hanlon, Liam Fontaine, and Jordon Forster were superb. The physical threat of Osman Sow and man-mountain Genero Zeefuik got absolutely no joy against them all game, and from those solid foundations, the rest of the Hibs side were able to impose themselves on the match. 

Dominique Malonga had a great opportunity to extend Hibs' lead in the second half as Hibs broke forward with three against two, but the forward opted to shoot rather than pass to Scott Allan or Martin Boyle, either of whom would have been left with only the Hearts keeper to beat. It was just about the last involvement that Malonga had in the game, having come on as a substitute he was replaced shortly afterwards, the introduction of Frank Dja DjeDje a necessity following an injury to Malonga. 

Malonga has looked short of fitness in his last couple of outings in a Hibs jersey, and seems in dire need of a confidence restoring goal. His decision making in the derby invoked the ire of the Hibs support, only too aware that failing to take your chances in this particular fixture usually ends up coming back to haunt you.

On this occasion, however, Hibs weren't left to rue that mistake. In fact, as the game edged into injury time Hibs again found themselves outnumbering the Hearts defence when DjeDje turned Öztürk before clipping the ball through to Farid El Alagui who was calmness personified as he dinked the ball over the diving Alexander to seal Hibs' win. It was fitting for Hibs fans that it was Öztürk's woeful defending that let DjeDje in, given the pre-match complaints about Hibs from the defender. 

The victory, of course, had no bearing in the title with Hearts already crowned champions, but make no mistake - Hearts came to Easter Road to win. In fact, the game was almost a carbon copy of the previous Easter Road derby, only this time it was Hibs rather than Hearts that scored the injury time goal. The balance of play in both games had been distinctly in Hibs' favour, and if anything Hearts were better in this derby than in the first one. So don't be misled that there was any suggestion of Hearts players being in holiday mode. 

They, like their fans, and by Robbie Nielson's own admission, had come to Easter Road to win. Neilson's post match comments to the BBC told us that Hearts 'should be coming to Easter Road and winning, it's what we do'. Well, that's not strictly true, Robbie, is it? You've yet to win at Easter Road as Hearts' Head Coach, so again, a little humility wouldn't go amiss. 

As it was, there was no sign of the Hearts party, and from demanding a guard of honour there were barely any Hearts fans left to clap their league winning heroes from the pitch at the end of the match. The green and white half of Edinburgh, however, headed off into the April sunshine in celebratory mood, off to find parties of their own. 

Got the Bottle?

Consecutive league defeats have led to some questions being raised amongst some members of the press, and some Hibs supporters, asking whether or not the Hibs squad have lost their bottle in the race for second place in the Scottish Championship.

It would be fair to say that the Hibs support have good cause to question the mental strength of the team. Hibs are a side who have in recent times, crumbled at the first sniff of a bit of pressure. Cup final? Bottled. Relegation battle? Bottled. Countless derbies? Bottled.

Prior to this season, Hibs were almost renowned for their lack of fight and grit. Visiting managers would talk about how Hibs were a soft side, and even incoming managers referenced the need to toughen up the squad. Both John Hughes and Pat Fenlon tried to instil a mental toughness to the football side. Neither could lay claim to having been successful in their task.

Terry Butcher was desperate to add bottle to a demoralised squad, but only succeeded into making a side already bereft of confidence and swagger, even more introverted and scared. Butcher and Malpas roared their players to defeat after defeat, and when the chips were down, Hibs folded under the pressure and were relegated.

This season's Hibs squad have been something of a different kettle of fish. A sticky start to the season had the support again analysing the mental fortitude of Stubbs' side. The first test of Hibs' resolve came in the opening derby of the season, and they fell short. Liam Craig had an opportunity to put Hibs in the lead with a first half penalty, which he pulled wide of the post. The miss clearly played on Craig's mind, and he was ineffective up until the half time whistle. In the second half, Scott Robertson conceded a penalty and was then sent off in what was a personally disastrous second half for the player. Hibs played OK, but ultimately came up short. The culprits of the piece were players who had fallen out of favour with the support from the relegation season. Neither Robertson nor Craig could have laid claim to being fans' favourites at that point. The questions remained about the team's bottle, and crucially, whether the players who had come down with the club would ever have the bottle for the Championship season.

The stuttering start to the season didn't do Hibs any favours, and you sensed that teams fancied their chances against Hibs far more than they did Hearts or Rangers. There were, I feel, two significant games that shifted opinions of Hibs, when the Hibs squad started answering the questions around their ability to withstand pressure.

The first of those was the 1-1 draw with Hearts at Easter Road. Hibs out-played the visitors on the day, controlling much of the match and limiting Hearts to very few chances. Hearts scored with almost the last kick of the game, and though they undoubtedly took a huge lift from avoiding defeat, Hibs also took many positives from that game. Hibs had played without fear and went toe to toe with the best side in the league, and were unlucky not to take the three points. It was the first real sign that Hibs might not be the shy-boys of the league after all.

The second game was the 4-0 rout of Rangers. With the Sky cameras at Easter Road and the match being beamed live on Sky Sports, Hibs brushed Rangers aside with style and strength. The scoreline was a fair reflection on a game that Hibs completely dominated. Rangers couldn't cope with Hibs in that form, and Hibs knew it. Crucially, the rest of the league knew it as well.

Hibs went to Tynecastle and again were unlucky not to come away with all three points in a close game. If there was a game to bottle it, the New Year derby would have been the one Hibs would have chosen to do so in seasons gone by. Not this season though. Hibs answered all the questions asked of them.

Stubbs' side were to go through to March before tasting defeat, clawing back a huge points deficit on Rangers to overtake them and claim second place in the league (a spot they still hold ahead of the Easter fixtures this weekend.) There was no question of Hibs' bottle during this time.

So why now, when Rangers won at Easter Road, and Hibs lost at Raith, do these questions come up? Alan Stubbs was clearly annoyed at the questions around Hibs' bottle in his Hibs TV interview. He has, in my opinion, every right to be.



Last week's defeat at Raith had nothing to do with bottle. Bad finishing and bad defending, absolutely. No bottle? No chance. Hibs created enough chances to win that game three times over. A team that bottled it would not have done that.

Hibs' bottle  wasn't to blame for the defeat to Rangers either. There is a legitimate question around whether or not Stubbs chose the right tactics for the game, but his players didn't bottle it.

Hibs go into tomorrow's game against Queen of the South needing to once again prove that they have the mental strength to dust themselves down and get a result when it really matters. I have no doubts in my mind that they have the bottle and resolve to do so. That doesn't mean that they'll win- there are no guarantees in football, but if they lose it will not be down to a lack of mental resolve or bottle.

Much has changed at Easter Road in the time since we were relegated. This is a different football club to the one which limped out of the SPL with a mere whimper.

We are stronger, better, and tougher. We are not the finished article, and there will be - I'm sure - another loss on the way to the end of the season, but I am confident that Hibs will take the race for promotion right to the wire, and when the players need to stand up to be counted, they will be the ones asking the questions of the opponents, and not the other way around.

Taking Results For Granted

Hibs were firm favourites ahead of last Sunday's tie with Rangers. The two sides' form going into the game suggested that the favourites tag was well deserved. Hibs were on the back of six straight successes, while Rangers had drawn their last five games as they failed to capitalise on their games in hand on Hibs.

Hibs had the opportunity to put some real daylight between themselves and Rangers, and few would have bet against Hibs to do exactly that. I've lost count of the number of people who have approached me, texted me, or emailed me to say "See your bloody team!" having seen their coupons burst by Hibs failure to grasp that opportunity. 

It is worth starting by giving Rangers credit for the win. As easy as it would be to criticise Hibs for an abject first half performance, and it would be easy to question Alan Stubbs' tactics which failed to address Lee Wallace's marauding runs down Hibs' right hand side. To do so would be a dis-service to Rangers. They deserved the win, although it is also worth noting that the result was given a very helpful nudge in their direction by referee Willie Collum, who must have been the only person inside Easter Road to miss Wallace's foul on Paul Hanlon in the build up to Rangers' second goal.

Stuart McCall set up with a 352 formation, and in doing so stifled the attacking threat of Lewis Stevenson and David Gray. Without the width provided by Gray and Stevenson, the midfield trio of Fyvie, McGeouch, and Allan had very little influence over the game in their first half. Starved of service, the front pairing of Malonga and Dja Djedje were completely anonymous. 

Rangers took the lead towards the end of the first half, enjoying the break of the ball in the box after a sweeping counter-attack. There hadn't been much between the sides until that point, but on balance of play Rangers were probably worth their half time lead.

David Gray had to be replaced at half time due to injury, which meant Keith Watson taking up the right-back position for the second half. If Alan Stubbs had considered countering Rangers' 352 by going toe-to-toe with the formation, the enforced change probably denied him the option of doing so, as Gray would likely have played as a right wing back with Watson, Hanlon, and Fontaine forming a back three. 

As it was, Hibs started to take a grip of the game and were looking much closer to the side that put four goals past Rangers back in December. Dja Djedje squandered a great chance to draw level when he found himself through on goal with only Bell to beat, however instead of taking a shot, he elected to try and slide the ball to Malonga for a tap-in, however the pass was intercepted and the chance was lost. 

The pivotal moment in the match came late in the second half, Kenny Miller clipped the ball into the Hibs penalty box. Paul Hanlon cleared, and was wiped out by Wallace. It was as clear and blatant a foul as you will see all season. That is unless you are Willie Collum, who decided to waive play-on as the Hibs defence hesitated, waiting for a whistle that never came. 

Kenny Miller, to his credit, did what you're taught from school-level football. He played to the whistle and collected the ball before sliding it past Oxley to seal the win for Rangers. Hibs' players were justifiably incredulous at the turn of events, and Paul Hanlon was booked in the aftermath of the incident. 

It was an immensely baffling decision by Collum, TV replays show he had a clear and unobstructed view of the 'foul' and chose to waive play on. When observing Collum's approach to awarding free-kicks throughout the game, the decision was at best inconsistent. Rangers' tactics of spoiling the play, giving away free-kicks, and time-wasting was accommodated readily by Collum. It took until the 70th minute for Collum to produce a yellow card to the visitors. The BBC stats show that for Rangers' 17 fouls, Collum dished out two yellow cards - one of which was given to Kenny Miller for his celebration following the winning goal.

For comparison, Hibs picked up three bookings for ten fouls (and one of the bookings was for Hanlon's complaints for the second goal). 

That's not to say that the referee was to blame for Hibs' defeat. To do so would do a disservice to Rangers, and would also mask Hibs' shortcomings in the match. 

Hibs haven't been found wanting in a big match for some time, this was their first defeat since December, so it would be unfair to be overly critical. It was always going to be a massive and unlikely task to win all the games through to the end of the season. It is unfortunate that the defeat came in this tie, against this opposition.,

Second place remains in Hibs' own hands, however. A superior goal difference means that as things stand, even if Rangers were to draw level on points with Hibs by winning their remaining game in hand, Hibs will hold on to second place. 

Alan Stubbs said that this result will make Hibs stronger, and he has to ensure that he does. Hibs cannot afford any more slip-ups through to the end of the season. They must be relentless, they must be clinical and focussed. Of the two sides, it appears as though Hibs have the more favourable run-in to the season's end, though they also have the welcome distraction of a Scottish Cup semi-final against Falkirk,

I would hope that this defeat will provide the jolt that halts any thoughts of complacency in the coming games. Rangers' stuttering results and numerous dramas over the last couple of months, coupled with Hibs' resurgence which saw the Edinburgh side not only claw back the points deficit between themselves and Rangers, but create a gap themselves for Rangers to claw back, probably lent itself to Hibs expecting to win on Sunday and going on to clinch second place at a canter. 

I would expect the worst of Rangers' woes to be over for the season. McCall has shown himself to be a more than capable manager at Motherwell, and if his side can reproduce the levels that they showed on Sunday then they will be taking the race for second place right to the wire. 

Crucially, Rangers will now harbour less fear should they meet Hibs in a play-off. Had Hibs embarrassed them for a fourth time this season, there would have been serious doubt in the Rangers' players' minds that they were able to get the better of Hibs. Now, they know that they can.

For Stubbs, he has to pick the side up and take a good look at what went wrong. He can't afford to pin the blame on the referee, as much of a role in the final result as Collum had. Stubbs has to look at how he can adapt his tactics for the next meeting of the sides to not only counter Rangers' strengths, but to get his match winners to influence the game in a way that they struggled to do on Sunday. 

Hibs still remain on the brink of a great season, given the circumstances. With Hearts winning the league with months to spare, Hibs can spare their supporters some summertime grief by ensuring that they will be meeting Hearts in the top flight next season. If (and, given Hibs' Scottish Cup record, and the challenging semi-final that awaits them it is a big 'if'), Hibs can also deliver - finally- the Scottish Cup back to Leith along with promotion, then the majority of the support would see that as trumping Hearts' impressive Championship win.  

The Hibernian Way

Hibernian couldn't have timed the release of next season's season tickets any better if they'd tried. A run of five consecutive victories sees Hibs sitting second in the league, and with a Hampden Scottish Cup Semi-Final against Falkirk to look forward to.

A comfortable, if unspectacular, 4-0 victory over ex-Hearts midfielder Colin Cameron's Berwick Rangers ensured Hibernian had their name in Sunday's cup draw, and left the Hibs support with a growing optimism which Hibs will hope to capitalise on in greater season ticket numbers.

For me, not renewing isn't an option. As soon as I got home from work this afternoon, the purchase was made for me and my son, with a text message sent to my Dad to remind him to renew his seat beside us. It hasn't always been an easy decision to renew, we're never flush for cash so it is a selfish purchase in that it's only really me and Josh that benefit from the season tickets. My wife and daughters attend occasionally but mostly it's me, Josh, and my Dad at the football. 

Last season, when things started to slide at Hibs it would have been easy to skip the renewal and pick and choose the games I went to. In fact, Hibs have been poor for a number of seasons and so it's not hard to understand why season ticket numbers have dwindled. Consecutive cup finals in 2012 and 2013 bolstered numbers as a season ticket guaranteed a cup final ticket, but without the  lure of cup final tickets,  the numbers dropped drastically for this season. 

The quality of football is only one factor in the decision to renew, the league we are in as another - last season an early renewal meant paying SPL prices for Championship football. Personally, it's not something I'm that fussed about - it's Hibs I go to see more than it is the opposition. I also appreciate that the more people buy a season ticket, the more money Hibs have to put a squad together. This season, that money has been used fantastically well, with almost every signing Alan Stubbs has brought to the club demonstrating great value for money. 

Crucially though, it's time I get to spend with Josh and my Dad that I otherwise would struggle to get. I remember the rare occasions that my Dad took me to the football when I was wee. Geography and finances (and my Dad's inability to drive) meant that I didn't get to many games. After we moved to Edinburgh I started seeing more of Hibs, when I'd go with either my Dad, my cousins James and John, or my Aunty Anne and Uncle Danny (in fact, it tended to be my Uncle Danny's season ticket in the old North Stand that I used, so I attended more with my Aunty Anne than anyone else. 

I loved going. Easter Road was a very different place to the one that I take Josh to, but it's still an immensely special place to me. We moved seats recently, the seats we had were in a quiet section of the lower West Stand, close to the away end and away from the livelier sections of the ground. On the biggest of games where seats were at a premium, the seats were decent, but most of the time it felt like we were away from the action. Ironically, we moved further away from the pitch, to seats in the penultimate row of the upper tier of the West Stand. We are fairly central and there are very few seats spare in our section. The atmosphere is much better and the feeling at games is much closer to the one I experienced as a kid in broadly the same area of the stadium. 

Taking Josh is special, he takes it badly when Hibs lose and buzzes when we win. Seeing him crushed after a bad defeat makes them harder to take for me as well, but the need to lift his spirits helps me get over the bad ones quickly. It's special going with my Dad as well. Circumstances dictate that I rarely get out for a pint or a meal with him, so the ritual we have now of me picking him up from his house, anticipating the game in the car and reviewing it on the way home is as much a part of the decision to buy a season ticket as the football itself. 

The other big factor in my season ticket purchase that is really specific to this moment in time is the revival of the football club under Leeann Dempster. Following the disastrous cup final in 2012, I attended a Let's Work Together meeting at Easter Road, This was a forum for Hibs fans to engage in a meaningful way with the club to try and improve things. 

At that meeting, there was a question and answer session with then-Chief Exec Scott Lindsay. I asked who at the club set the culture, and the answer was that it was down to the manager. I asked how that could work with managers changing every year and a half (give or take). There was an admission that it hadn't really worked, and that there was no definitive culture at the football club. That amazed me, but in hindsight, it was hardly surprising. 

Over the next year or so, I worked with a smaller group of supporters within the Working Together team, and with Non-Exec Director Brian Houston to put together a piece of work with the working title "Winning the Hibernian Way". We looked at the whole ethos of the football club, how it set targets, what the values were, how standards were set. 

There was some fantastic input from the group, I was lucky to work alongside some very talented people and I had the opportunity to present their work to the board of directors at a board meeting at Easter Road. 

Despite some good feedback on the presentation, there was little more said or done on "Winning the Hibernian Way" for some time, in fact the project had more or less been put to bed. I heard from Brian about a year later, to say that the club were looking to dust down the project and bring it to life, changes were afoot at the club that would mean they were in a position to make it work. 

Aside from a meet and greet meeting with Leeann Dempster on the day that a section of the Hibs support took to the West Stand car-park to protest against Rod Petrie, there was no further dialogue with the club about "Winning the Hibernian Way" and I had thought it had been forgotten about until I saw a comment from Hibs Chairman Rod Petrie in an interview around the time of the share issue, where he referenced the work (and the presentation!) that had been going on for some time. 

I like to think that this revival and feel good factor that is slowly but surely absorbing Hibernian has, in some way, stemmed from the work that group of people from Working Together spent months on, that even if it just planted a seed then that time was worthwhile. Even if it had nothing to do with that work, I think I'm fine believing it did, and that emotional investment makes the financial investment in the season ticket purchase all the more essential. 

Gritty Win Highlights Hibs' Progress

It's rare that an Alloa versus Hibernian match would be billed as 'the biggest game of the season', particularly when there was nothing other than three Championship points at stake. In fact, for anyone outside of Easter Road (or, indeed, Recreation Park) it's doubtful that any significance would have been given to this fixture, which is understandable enough. It's not the first fixture that one would usually look for when the fixture list is released at the start of the season.

When Rangers and Falkirk - both pushing Hibs for the play-off spots - drew with each other they presented the Easter Road side with an opportunity to tighten their grip on second place. Crucially, it gave Alan Stubbs' men a chance to show that the fragile, find-a-way-to-fail nature of the last few seasons was behind them. With games fast running out, Hibs could ill-afford any slip ups at a ground where they had lost earlier in the season.

In fact, the plastic pitch at Recreation Park held little other than unhappy memories for Hibs. An early embarrassing defeat was worsened with the injury to key striker Farid El Alagui, which left Hibs denied of the French-born Moroccan's services ever since. In a quirk of fate, January signing Fraser Fyvie was making his return to Alloa for the first time since he too suffered a severe injury on the artificial surface. 

With the pressure of needing to win adding to the recent history of the fixture, Hibs would not have welcomed the horrendous weather that hit Alloa on Saturday. Allan Stubbs admitted after the game, when speaking to Hibs TV's Cliff Pike, that the pitch and conditions were something of a leveller. Hibs' superior quality couldn't necessarily be relied on to see them through.

This was exactly the sort of situation Hibs would have contrived to screw up over the last couple of seasons - probably longer. Hibs, however, are a different beast now. There is a professionalism and pride about the club that has long been missing. Things are done properly, players understand their roles and are prepared properly for matches. Slip ups still happen (as we saw against Raith Rovers), but they are few and far between now. 

When Scott Allan's first half free kick found it's way through a crowded penalty box to nestle in the back of the net, I found myself sure that we would go on to win the game. Even as the match drew towards the 90th minute, I was relaxed and confident that Hibs would see it out, and see it out they did. 

It was a massive three points, and it means that Hibs now have a much better chance of finishing in second place. Rangers have three games more still to play, and sit four points behind Hibs as things stand. Hibs' worst case scenario is that Rangers win all three games and go five points ahead in second. That would leave Hibs needing to win their final fixture against Rangers (having already taken nine points from a possible nine against the Glasgow side, Hibs will fancy their chances of adding to that haul), and also needing to pick up two more points than Rangers in the run-in to the season's close (Hibs' superior goal difference would see them finish ahead of Rangers if the points totals ended level). 

On current form, Hibs would likely overturn a five point deficit. In reality, Rangers are unlikely to take nine points from their three fixtures, as they have to face champions-elect Hearts, and play-off rivals Queen of the South amongst those games. Neither side have made life easy for Rangers this season. With this in mind, Hibs' win on Saturday practically leaves second place in their own hands. 

To find themselves in this position at this stage of the season, after the terrible start to their league campaign, is testament to the work of Alan Stubbs and the backroom team at Hibs. The difference in the side is remarkable, players are much fitter than I can recall any Hibs side being (I would say we've looked fitter than any other side we have faced this season), there is a confidence and consistency in the side that grows by the game, and we have a squad and a system that can stand to see key players replaced with no discernible difference to the standard of the first eleven. That is a great position to be in, and has afforded Stubbs the opportunity to rest players that are going to be crucial for what is hopefully going to be a very busy end to the season.

Hibs have a wonderful opportunity this weekend to progress to the Scottish Cup Semi-Final, and fans like myself will be dreaming of having to fit in play-off finals and Cup Finals (fans are allowed to get ahead of themselves, none of this one-game-at-a-time clichéd nonsense!). If last Saturday's game was Hibs' biggest of the season, then this Sunday's cup game is even bigger, and the game after that bigger still. 

Hibernian do not have the luxury of being able to allow complacency to creep in. Every game is a must-win from now on, and I'd like to think that this Hibs side, with all the good work going on in the background - will have the ability and the attitude to not let standards slip.

Two steps forward, one step back.

Since my last blog, Hibs have successfully launched the share issue that will - over time - see 51% of the club owned by the support, thrown away points at home to Raith from a winning position, and progressed to the Quarter Finals of the Scottish Cup (more on that later.)

Hibs have had a habit of taking two steps forward and one step back this season, it's frustrating from a supporter's point of view because for the vast majority of the time, Hibs have looked well above the level of opposition they have faced this season, with the notable exception of Hearts, where there has been just one goal between the teams over the three meetings between them, that goal in the opening derby of the season going in Hearts' favour.

We have shone against Rangers, dominated games against Falkirk and Queen of the South without taking the points (exceptions being Falkirk away, where Falkirk were the better team and deserved their victory, and Queen of the South away early in the season where an abject Hibs lost on the artificial pitch, and could have no complaints about the result.).

However we remain behind struggling Rangers, who despite having lurched from one crisis to another this season, have managed to keep results going, and the gap between Hibs and Hearts shows no sign of diminishing any time soon.

An away win to Queen of the South gave Hibs the opportunity to put pressure on Rangers, who's postponed and abandoned games have given them a fixture backlog later in the season. Hibs went into their next game against Raith hoping to increase that pressure further by moving into second spot while Rangers waited for their games in hand, however an almost inevitable late Christian Nade goal saw Hibs snatch a draw from the jaws of victory. It would be easy to criticise Hibs for the performance in the Raith game, however to do so would only serve to illustrate just how fickle football fans can be. Make no mistake, Hibs battered Raith during that game, registering over 20 shots on goal over the course of the 90 minutes. Goal line clearances, the cross-bar, the post, disallowed goals, and sitters missed all contributed to Raith staying in the game right to the death, where a late corner gave them the opportunity to show Hibs how important it is to take your chances when you get them.

It is a lesson Hibs really need to learn, and soon. Too many games this season have seen a wasteful Hibs pinned back and punished during one of their opponents' rare forays forward. Hibs haven't had masses of defending to do this season, and when they have, they stats show that they have been far from convincing.

Of course, it has clicked at points for Hibs, and you only need to look at the scoring records of Jason Cummings and Dominique Malonga this season to see that there are goalscorers at the club. The additions of Martin Boyle and Franck De Djedje, and the nearing return to fitness of Farid El Alagui gives Hibs enviable attacking options, so the failure to put teams away must be more frustrating for Alan Stubbs than it is concerning.

The habit of hammering teams but not winning is a habit that Hibs can ill-afford with time and matches running out for this season. Hibs have had a mere one defeat in their last twenty-one games, a fantastic record, but the number of draws in that run are the side's Achilles' heel. Hibs' final standing this season and ultimately where we play our football next season will largely rest upon the team's ability to consistently turn pressure and chances into goals and wins between now and the end of the season.

Ironically, one of the sides Hibs have managed to convert their chances against is Rangers, the side immediately above Hibs in the league. Hibs head to Ibrox on Friday evening with a 7-1 aggregate score in their favour from the last two league meetings, a goal difference which is testament to the gulf in quality between the teams in their head to heads.

Rangers are, it would be fair to say, in a terrible state. Board Room battles, financial woes, a caretaker manager who has tendered his notice to resign, and an influx of seemingly unwanted player loans from villain-of-the-piece Mike Ashley's Newcastle United were the backdrop to Rangers crashing out of the Scottish Cup in an insipid 1-2 defeat to Raith Rovers at the weekend - ironically, it was Christian Nade's late goal that inflicted the fatal blow to Rangers' cup dream this season, though if truth be told their own performance did far more damage to their chances than Nade's close range finish did.

Hibs should be looking on this game as a 'must win'. Rangers will undoubtedly be up for the game, but so too will Hibernian. A cursory glance on a Rangers forum during the week highlights the nervousness surrounding the Rangers fans regarding this fixture, they lack the confidence that they have the either the players or the management to navigate the game successfully.

I hope that Hibs travel to Ibrox full of confidence and not complacency. A Hibs side playing at its peak will again prove too much for Rangers to cope with. A Hibs side off its game, however, will provide Rangers with the ideal opportunity to re-ignite their season and deliver a hammer-blow to Hibs' hopes of finishing second.

Looking back at the weekend's game, Hibs saw of Arbroath comfortably enough, coming back from a goal behind to win the tie 3-1. It was no more than Hibs deserved. The match was captain-for-the-day Lewis Stevenson's 250th appearance in the green and white, and on a personal level I was delighted for Lewis that he's hit that landmark, and I sincerely hope he goes on to rack up many, many more appearances for Hibs.

In an (and at an) age where it's rare to have a favourite player, Stevenson is a rarity as he is exactly that. For many this season, Scott Allan, David Gray, Dominique Malonga, and latterly, Dylan McGeouch have found favour with the Hibs support, but for me there is no single player more valuable to Hibernian at the moment than Lewis Stevenson. For many players, technical deficiencies can be masked by hard work and endeavour, and they earn their reputations and living as grafters. For me, Lewis is one of the few players whose hard work and tenacity probably stop him getting the credit for the technical side of his game that he deserves. Without wanting to sound over the top, Stevenson embodies all that is good about football, a quiet and unassuming guy that doesn't hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, that puts everything he has into every game of football he plays. Footballers are often cited as role-models but rarely live up to expectations, Lewis Stevenson is the exception.

The landmark 250th appearance aside, Saturday's game was more importantly (sorry Lewis) about progressing in the Scottish Cup. I don't need to write about Hibs' record in the competition, a record which by now has become far more important to Hearts fans and sneering journalists than it has to Hibs fans well used to not winning the competition next year. It would be fair to say that most Hibs fans approach the competition with an air of inevitability rather than excitement, we all know the script by now.

However, this season has seen some big-hitters (and also Hearts) leave the competition early. Hibs have been drawn at home in the Quarter Finals, where we will play the winners of Berwick Rangers and Spartans. Neither team is expected to beat Hibs when the Quarter Final comes round, and both were widely regarded as the easiest fixture. This is the Scottish Cup, though, and Hibs cannot afford to be dismissive of their opposition. The history of cup competitions is littered with giant killers and favourites that ended up with egg on their faces.

I believe that in Alan Stubbs, Hibs have a manager that will not allow that attitude to infect his team, and it's for that reason more than any other that I (as a supporter) can afford myself a whimsical daydream towards the Semi-Final and the Final itself. With Dundee United at home to Celtic in one of the other Quarter Finals, one of the favourites for the Cup will definitely exit, giving everyone else a great chance of success.

At some point, Hibs will win the Scottish Cup. There is no such thing as a hoodoo or a curse, and more than there are zombies or vampires or werewolves. Hibs do not have to beat a hoodoo, we just need to win a few football matches. How hard can it be!?

It's shaping up to be a crucial few months in Hibernian's history - the share issue, the push for promotion, and the Scottish Cup. These next few months could break our hearts or have a seismic positive impact on the club that could change it for the better for the next generation at least.

Hands Off Hibs

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.