Taking a break from blogging specifically about Hibs, I wanted to put out my thoughts on the decision by the SFA to refuse to participate in an independent enquiry at the request of the SPFL, into the handling of the Rangers affair.
I have held the view for a long time that Rangers' behaviour was outright cheating. They deliberately and systematically concealed information (the infamous EBT side letters) from the governing bodies and HMRC. This was not an accidental piece of administrative carelessness, it was deliberate, institutional deception.
Rangers have been proven to have misled the authorities by claiming a known tax debt was in dispute (it wasn't) in order to gain a licence to play, and it's clear that the registration of players in the EBT years was not complete - the requirement was to declare all payment terms. Rangers, by concealing the side letters, did not comply with that requirement.
As time has passed, more and more evidence of nefariousness at Ibrox has emerged. Rangers were not simply chancing their arm during this time, they were blatantly flying in the face of the rules as they stood at that time.
There are, in my view, justifiable calls for title stripping. However, stepping back from what could be perceived to be a blood-lust driven call for revenge, the refusal to investigate what actually happened is a massive slap in the face to every single supporter of Scottish football that ploughed their hard-earned cash into watching a competition that was fundamentally skewed in one side's favour through rule-breaking.
It has not been a level playing field at the best of times for every team outside of the Old Firm. Their financial dominance has meant that every side for the last twenty-thirty years has simply had to hope that they could be the 'best of the rest' as some barometer of success.
That the massive financial advantage wasn't enough for Rangers will give you an indication of why Scottish football fans are so irate at the decision not to open an enquiry into what happened.
The assumption, rightly or wrongly, is that there are people in the corridors of power in the SFA who have blood on their hands. If they have nothing to hide, why not open the doors to an independent enquiry? If anything, you'd expect the SFA to welcome the opportunity to show the world that "Hey, we got shafted as much as you guys - how were we to know?".
Instead, we have officials who are happy to plug their fingers in their ears, shut their eyes, and hope that it all blows over. It leaves a monumentally bitter taste in the mouth and drains any confidence that lessons have been learned and that there will never be a repeat of the incident.
It is to the great detriment of Scottish football that an enquiry has been denied. I hope that there is enough will and resource to force the issue, otherwise it will forever be a black mark on the beautiful game in this country.
Showing posts with label SPFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SPFL. Show all posts
Sunday, 10 September 2017
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.
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.
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Two sides to Hibs.
Hibs have shown two very different sides to their play in their last two games. A hard-fought and gritty win at Ibrox was followed by an entirely dominant and comfortable win at home to Dumbarton, and these two games are perhaps a good taster of what to expect from Hibs as this season draws to a close and we start to look forward to next season over the next couple of months.
So let's start with the win against Rangers. For possibly the first time in my lifetime, Hibs headed west to Glasgow as favourites. The aggregate league score between the two sides ahead of the game sat at 7-1 in Hibs' favour, and few would argue that was anything other than indicative of how one sided the fixture had been in the first two meetings this season.
The game was a different affair to the previous two. Rangers started on the front foot and looked in the mood with an early Kenny Miller shot being headed off the line by Liam Fontaine, with Hibs keeper Mark Oxley well beaten. Alan Stubbs had changed from his favoured midfield diamond in a 4-4-2 formation, to go with three centre-halves in a 3-5-2 set-up.
The change in formation meant that Hibs gave up a lot of possession, which has been the backbone of Hibs' play throughout the season, and for the first time since Stubbs took over, Hibs spent more time on the back foot than on the front.
As a supporter, it was frustrating to watch - recent (and no so recent!) experience of watching Hibs has taught me that when Hibs look like conceding, they probably will concede. However, we took the lead thanks to a sublime piece of vision and guile from Scott Allan, as he spotted Jason Cumming's run and picked him out with a fantastic pass that eluded the Rangers defence. Cummings effort was blocked by the stand-in Rangers goalkeeper, and Scott Robertson was first to the ball to put Hibs in front. Robertson had been far from the favourite to be first to the loose ball, and the goal was as much about his attitude and desire to get to the ball first as it was about the quality of the pass.
That goal encapsulated the change in Hibs since Stubbs and his backroom staff joined the club. A steeliness married with quality that was sadly lacking last season under Pat Fenlon and then Terry Butcher.
Once Hibs took the lead and had something to defend, they did a good job of keeping Rangers at arm's length, with the Glasgow side largely restricted to half-chances and long range efforts that were well dealt with by the Hibs defence.
Rangers had a fairly good shout for a penalty turned down, and the game was over a few moments later as Hibs broke forward with a passing move that culminated in a fine volley from Lewis Stevenson beating the Rangers keeper and nestling in the net.
Hibs saw the match out, and deserved the victory for their resilient defending and quality on the break, though it was a very different win to the 4-0 win at Easter Road in December. The victory saw Hibs leap-frog Rangers into second place, with Rangers having three games in hand.
Stubbs commented that he'd rather be in Rangers' position, chasing second but with the situation in their control. Hibs still have to rely on Rangers dropping points if they are to finish second, and more importantly, Hibs have to keep winning.
Rangers played on Friday night and deservedly beat Raith Rovers to move back into second before Hibs faced Dumbarton on Saturday. It was an interesting situation for Hibs to be in, having had opportunities earlier in the season to secure second place and not taken advantage, the visit of Dumbarton was going to be a test of their resolve and an indicator as to how much the team have progressed under Stubbs over the course of this season.
If there were any doubts, Hibs put them to bed with as competent a performance as I've seen from them in some time. On the front foot throughout the game, Hibs showed intelligence and creativity in their play. Despite missing Scott Allan, Jason Cummings, Liam Craig, and David Gray from the starting line-up, Hibs play was as fluent as you might have expected it to be had those players been present. Fraser Fyvie was particularly impressive in the midfield and was at the heart of most good things that Hibs did on Saturday.
Two goals from Malonga and one from Djedje gave Hibs a 3-0 win, and it could have been many more, a poor off-side decision halted Djedje when he was through on goal, two clear penalty appeals were waived away by the referee (who, it is fair to say, was appalling throughout the match), and a Paul Hanlon header was cleared from the line. According to the BBC stats, Hibs racked up some twenty-one shots at goal throughout the 90 minutes, that's a shot every four minutes or so, which gives some idea of how dominant Hibs were.
Dumbarton, for their part, were very poor. They seemed content to sit back and even when behind there was little from them to suggest that they could come back into the game at any point. Hibs were professional and proficient throughout, and at the moment look as though they have the quality throughout the squad to compete for second, and crucially now they look as though they have the temperament for it.
For so long, Hibs have looked fragile, have been seen as an easy target or a possible scalp for other clubs. Right now, I'd think that there are very few clubs in Scottish football that would be relishing facing Hibs in a make or break tie.
In fact, in the last 10 league games since losing to Falkirk in December, Hibs have scored 26 goals and conceded 6, taking 24 points from a possible 30. To put that into context, league leaders Hearts have the same points from their last 10 games, but have conceded 4 more goals, and scored 5 fewer than Hibs. It's worth pointing out that in those ten games, Hibs faced Rangers twice as well, while Hearts abandoned match against Rangers isn't included in their run. There is also one derby, that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Some other stats from those 10 games, Hibs have totalled 139 shots (just shy of a 14 per game average), and averaged 56% of the possession.
Hibs have every reason to be confident at the moment. There's an away game to Alloa coming up, then Hibs have an excellent opportunity to get to the Scottish Cup Semi-Final with a home tie against Berwick Rangers following the Alloa match, and on current form it's hard to see past Hibs in that tie. There is a resilience and confidence about this Hibs side that Stubbs is moulding, standards have been set and bars raised, and crucially the quality of the squad means that if someone's not at their best, they can be replaced without dropping the standards of the eleven on the pitch.
The change in some of the players that survived the pre-season cull at the club has been remarkable. Scott Robertson, for example, came in for criticism last season, and when he conceded a penalty before getting sent off in the derby at the start of the season, it looked as though the writing may have been on the wall for him at Hibs. However, he's relishing the role he's playing and the freedom he's been given, and he has been at the backbone of a strong Hibs midfield. Liam Craig, too, is slowly but surely showing why Pat Fenlon brought him to the club initially.
A comment from Robertson in an interview I read caught my eye, I can't remember the exact quote but to paraphrase he said it was good to be instructed to get on the ball rather than being told to chase the ball and win 'second balls'. It goes to show how much damage a bad manager can do to a good player by using tactics that don't play to the team's strengths.
This new-found strength in depth is going to be crucial if Hibs do manage to progress in the cup, as the play-off place looks increasingly likely, Hibs could find themselves with a lot of games to play between now and the summer. From a purely selfish point of view, I hope we do, because this current side is as entertaining a Hibs side as I've seen since Mowbray's team, and the more I get to see of them, the better.
So let's start with the win against Rangers. For possibly the first time in my lifetime, Hibs headed west to Glasgow as favourites. The aggregate league score between the two sides ahead of the game sat at 7-1 in Hibs' favour, and few would argue that was anything other than indicative of how one sided the fixture had been in the first two meetings this season.
The game was a different affair to the previous two. Rangers started on the front foot and looked in the mood with an early Kenny Miller shot being headed off the line by Liam Fontaine, with Hibs keeper Mark Oxley well beaten. Alan Stubbs had changed from his favoured midfield diamond in a 4-4-2 formation, to go with three centre-halves in a 3-5-2 set-up.
The change in formation meant that Hibs gave up a lot of possession, which has been the backbone of Hibs' play throughout the season, and for the first time since Stubbs took over, Hibs spent more time on the back foot than on the front.
As a supporter, it was frustrating to watch - recent (and no so recent!) experience of watching Hibs has taught me that when Hibs look like conceding, they probably will concede. However, we took the lead thanks to a sublime piece of vision and guile from Scott Allan, as he spotted Jason Cumming's run and picked him out with a fantastic pass that eluded the Rangers defence. Cummings effort was blocked by the stand-in Rangers goalkeeper, and Scott Robertson was first to the ball to put Hibs in front. Robertson had been far from the favourite to be first to the loose ball, and the goal was as much about his attitude and desire to get to the ball first as it was about the quality of the pass.
That goal encapsulated the change in Hibs since Stubbs and his backroom staff joined the club. A steeliness married with quality that was sadly lacking last season under Pat Fenlon and then Terry Butcher.
Once Hibs took the lead and had something to defend, they did a good job of keeping Rangers at arm's length, with the Glasgow side largely restricted to half-chances and long range efforts that were well dealt with by the Hibs defence.
Rangers had a fairly good shout for a penalty turned down, and the game was over a few moments later as Hibs broke forward with a passing move that culminated in a fine volley from Lewis Stevenson beating the Rangers keeper and nestling in the net.
Hibs saw the match out, and deserved the victory for their resilient defending and quality on the break, though it was a very different win to the 4-0 win at Easter Road in December. The victory saw Hibs leap-frog Rangers into second place, with Rangers having three games in hand.
Stubbs commented that he'd rather be in Rangers' position, chasing second but with the situation in their control. Hibs still have to rely on Rangers dropping points if they are to finish second, and more importantly, Hibs have to keep winning.
Rangers played on Friday night and deservedly beat Raith Rovers to move back into second before Hibs faced Dumbarton on Saturday. It was an interesting situation for Hibs to be in, having had opportunities earlier in the season to secure second place and not taken advantage, the visit of Dumbarton was going to be a test of their resolve and an indicator as to how much the team have progressed under Stubbs over the course of this season.
If there were any doubts, Hibs put them to bed with as competent a performance as I've seen from them in some time. On the front foot throughout the game, Hibs showed intelligence and creativity in their play. Despite missing Scott Allan, Jason Cummings, Liam Craig, and David Gray from the starting line-up, Hibs play was as fluent as you might have expected it to be had those players been present. Fraser Fyvie was particularly impressive in the midfield and was at the heart of most good things that Hibs did on Saturday.
Two goals from Malonga and one from Djedje gave Hibs a 3-0 win, and it could have been many more, a poor off-side decision halted Djedje when he was through on goal, two clear penalty appeals were waived away by the referee (who, it is fair to say, was appalling throughout the match), and a Paul Hanlon header was cleared from the line. According to the BBC stats, Hibs racked up some twenty-one shots at goal throughout the 90 minutes, that's a shot every four minutes or so, which gives some idea of how dominant Hibs were.
Dumbarton, for their part, were very poor. They seemed content to sit back and even when behind there was little from them to suggest that they could come back into the game at any point. Hibs were professional and proficient throughout, and at the moment look as though they have the quality throughout the squad to compete for second, and crucially now they look as though they have the temperament for it.
For so long, Hibs have looked fragile, have been seen as an easy target or a possible scalp for other clubs. Right now, I'd think that there are very few clubs in Scottish football that would be relishing facing Hibs in a make or break tie.
In fact, in the last 10 league games since losing to Falkirk in December, Hibs have scored 26 goals and conceded 6, taking 24 points from a possible 30. To put that into context, league leaders Hearts have the same points from their last 10 games, but have conceded 4 more goals, and scored 5 fewer than Hibs. It's worth pointing out that in those ten games, Hibs faced Rangers twice as well, while Hearts abandoned match against Rangers isn't included in their run. There is also one derby, that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Some other stats from those 10 games, Hibs have totalled 139 shots (just shy of a 14 per game average), and averaged 56% of the possession.
Hibs have every reason to be confident at the moment. There's an away game to Alloa coming up, then Hibs have an excellent opportunity to get to the Scottish Cup Semi-Final with a home tie against Berwick Rangers following the Alloa match, and on current form it's hard to see past Hibs in that tie. There is a resilience and confidence about this Hibs side that Stubbs is moulding, standards have been set and bars raised, and crucially the quality of the squad means that if someone's not at their best, they can be replaced without dropping the standards of the eleven on the pitch.
The change in some of the players that survived the pre-season cull at the club has been remarkable. Scott Robertson, for example, came in for criticism last season, and when he conceded a penalty before getting sent off in the derby at the start of the season, it looked as though the writing may have been on the wall for him at Hibs. However, he's relishing the role he's playing and the freedom he's been given, and he has been at the backbone of a strong Hibs midfield. Liam Craig, too, is slowly but surely showing why Pat Fenlon brought him to the club initially.
A comment from Robertson in an interview I read caught my eye, I can't remember the exact quote but to paraphrase he said it was good to be instructed to get on the ball rather than being told to chase the ball and win 'second balls'. It goes to show how much damage a bad manager can do to a good player by using tactics that don't play to the team's strengths.
This new-found strength in depth is going to be crucial if Hibs do manage to progress in the cup, as the play-off place looks increasingly likely, Hibs could find themselves with a lot of games to play between now and the summer. From a purely selfish point of view, I hope we do, because this current side is as entertaining a Hibs side as I've seen since Mowbray's team, and the more I get to see of them, the better.
Monday, 26 January 2015
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.
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.
Sunday, 28 December 2014
Laying Down a Marker (or four...)
Hibs opened the season with a narrow defeat at Ibrox, losing 2-1 after extra-time to Rangers in the Petrofac Training Cup, having seen Danny Handling red carded for a relatively innocuous challenge in the second half.
The performance, though, was reason for the Hibs support to be optimistic about the season facing them. Hibs played attractive football, with players working hard for each other and competing with the early-season title-favourites on their own patch. Things were looking good for Hibs after the shambolic end to the previous season.
That proved to be something of a false dawn, however. Hibs stumbled through the first quarter of the season, struggling to adjust to the challenges of Championship sides intent on 'parking the bus' in matches. There were still signs that things would come good, but it was very much a case of two steps forward, one step back in the first round of fixtures. Meanwhile, Hearts and Rangers picked up points week on week, so much so that Hibs went into the post-Christmas fixture against Rangers seven points behind the Ibrox side, and a huge nineteen points behind their Edinburgh rivals.
The second quarter of the season has been much more promising for Hibs, with their only points being dropped in draws against leaders Hearts, play-off hopefuls Queen of the South, and a defeat away to Falkirk (who were on an impressive run of victories themselves.).
Hibs' pattern of play has been more evident in each game as the season progressed, helped in no small part by the improvement of Scott Allan has his fitness has improved, as well as a return to form for the much maligned Liam Craig and Scott Robertson, the three playing key roles in a midfield that has dominated the majority of matches they've played in over the last few games.
So that takes us to Saturday's match against Rangers. It's fair to say that Rangers arrived at Easter Road in some amount of turmoil. Mike Ashley's bid to increase his control of the club had been rejected earlier in the week, and the bizarre situation regarding Ally McCoist's resignation had been resolved by the Ibrox board putting McCoist on gardening leave through to the end of his £750k-a-year contract. Kenny McDowell was promoted into McCoist's role, and he named an unchanged side from the one that McCoist sent out to record a 2-0 win over troubled Livingston the week before.
However, turmoil or not, Rangers arrived able to field a team assembled on a budget several times higher than that of Hibs, and on paper at least, able to compete comfortably with any other Championship side.
Hibs, for their part, were also able to put out the same side that had comfortably seen off Alloa in their last match.
What followed was one of the most complete performances I can recall seeing from a Hibs side. From start to finish the Hibs side out-thought, out-fought, and out-played a Rangers side who appeared unable to comprehend what was happening to them.
The impeccable Scott Allan set the tone early in the match, brushing Ian Black aside as Black challenged for the ball, leaving the Rangers man on his backside as Allan strode forward confidently. It wasn't the last time that sight would be seen over the course of the match. The frustration became so great for Black that his own management team felt it necessary to replace Black after half an hour or so, Black having picked up a yellow card for a cynical foul on Allan as the Hibs midfielder breezed past him yet again. It was a challenge that many would argue was worse than that which saw a red-card flashed at Danny Handling in the Petrofac Training Cup match at the start of the season.
Black had been lucky that the referee had shown a high degree of leniency towards him following a couple of earlier fouls he had committed, that luck leaving the Rangers bench with the luxury of replacing him, rather than seeing him sent off. Black's exit was met with great delight from all four stands, the Rangers fans seemingly just as happy to be shot of him as the Hibs fans were to see that the occasion (and Scott Allan) had been too much for the former-Hearts man.
David Gray put Hibs in front, a good move finished with a sensational shot into the top corner of the goal from the edge of the box. From the back of the West Stand, I had a fantastic view of the shot flying in, it was the sort of shot that you knew was a goal from the moment it left Gray's boot.
Hibs grew in confidence and had Rangers chasing shadows, unable to cope with the passing, movement, and work-rate of their opponents. Hibs had dominated teams like this already this season, but they could hardly have expected to be quite so comfortable against a team seven points ahead of them in the league.
That comfort increased when Jason Cummings bundled the ball over the line for Hibs' second goal. When I say he bundled it over the line, it perhaps gives the impression that the goal was fairly unimpressive, however that couldn't be further from the truth. The goal stemmed from some sublime play from Hibs down the right hand side, with Gray, Malonga, and Allan linking well before the latter picked out Liam Craig's deep run with an inch-perfect cross. Craig knocked the ball back over the head of Simonsen in the Rangers goal, leaving Cummings with the simplest of tap-ins to complete a fantastic move.
Hibs saw out the first half in complete control, intent on keeping Rangers at arm's length. Hibs were completely dominant by this stage, and the frustration was starting to show in the body language of the Rangers players, and with some supporters who were already heading for the exits.
Rangers brought on all-time SPL top-scorer Kris Boyd for the second half as they sought to get back into the game. Rangers clearly felt that the way back was to try and rattle Hibs, literally. Boyd's first involvement was to commit three consecutive fouls. I don't know if my memory's playing tricks on me, but I'm sure in the opening minutes of the second half, Boyd had more touches of Hibs players than he had of the ball, it certainly seemed that way!.
Rangers snapped into tackles and challenges, with the referee happy to turn a blind eye to many of the more robust encounters. Hibs, for their part, kept their cool - remonstrating at times with the referee but focussing on not getting caught up in anything that might see them booked or sent off.
As the clock ticked down, Rangers' optimism dwindled - taking their enthusiasm and effort with it. Whether they sensed that they couldn't get back into the game or just gave up chasing spaces, they were soon punished with another Hibs goal right out of the top drawer.
Scott Robertson won the ball at the half-way line and fed Scott Allan. Allan strode forward at the Rangers defence, before slipping a perfect pass to Robertson, who had continued his run into the box. So good was the pass from Allan, that it left the Rangers defender Foster on his backside and Robertson with only Simonsen to beat. Robertson duly obliged with a cool shot across goal to give Hibs a three goal lead, and kill off any hopes Rangers had of getting something from the game.
As much as Hibs were dominating, it was impressive to see that they stayed completely professional and focused on doing their jobs, and this couldn't have been demonstrated better than when Liam Fontaine thwarted a rare Rangers attack with a goal-line clearance before throwing himself at the loose ball to ensure Hibs kept a clean sheet.
Danny Handling had a chance to get a fourth goal, however he placed his shot inches wide with the goal at his mercy. Liam Craig, however, wasn't so wasteful when presented with another perfect pass from Scott Allan, Craig met the ball with his weaker right foot, and directed a low volley into the bottom corner to send three sides of Easter Road into ecstasy.
It was no more than Hibs deserved, the score-line reflecting an utterly dominant performance from Allan Stubbs' side.
From front to back, Hibs were terrific. I struggle to recall a match where Hibs have been so comfortable, so dominant, and so ruthless against a side who we should really have no right to compete with, given the respective budgets. The CIS cup final where we beat Kilmarnock 5-1 was comparable, and I'd say that as good as this match was, we weren't quite as dominant as we were the night we put six past Hearts at Easter Road, however you'd struggle to point out where Hibs could improve on Saturday's performance.
The Sky Sports pundits (and their BBC radio colleagues) were purring over Scott Allan's contribution in their analysis after the game, and as much as Allan deserves the praise (I've gone on record already to say that he's by far and away the best player in the Championship), I felt they could just as easily singled out Liam Craig, Scott Robertson, David Gray, Paul Hanlon, Liam Fontain, Lewis Stevenson, Dominque Malonga , Mark Oxley, or Jason Cummings.
There wasn't a bad performance in that Hibs side, and that showing will definitely have given Hearts Head Coach Robbie Nielson food for thought ahead of this weekend's derby. The Tynecastle outfit will definitely go into the game as strong favourites, however Hibs have put down a marker to say that they're not here to make up the numbers. Hearts got out of jail in the last derby and will be approaching this weekend's derby with more caution than any other fixture so far this season.
I'm not one for making bold derby predictions, it will be a tight affair and at the risk of using an age-old cliché, it really could go either way. Hibs though, have nothing to fear. It is hard to think about how any side at our level could cope with what Rangers faced on Saturday.
Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Boo When You're Winning.
It's early Saturday evening with the clock approaching ten to five. Hibs are two nothing up against Alloa at Easter Road, and a section (albeit a small section) of the support are booing. The target of their ire appears to be Liam Craig - a player still trying to win over a support that saw him as a very culpable figure in our relegation last season. Why are they booing Craig? Well, he's passing the ball back, keeping possession and seeing out the game.
I had changed seats for this game, moving from my seat for the last few years in the West Lower stand, to the second highest row in the West Upper. The boos came from a few guys to our left, and thankfully they were shouted down by some more reasonable supporters, but the whole episode made me question just what exactly is it the Hibs fans want from their team?
If I think back a few weeks to the last derby, Hibs had played very well, keeping the league leaders at arm's length for more or less the whole match. It had been a dominant derby performance, not really in keeping with Hibs' standard in this fixture over recent years. We didn't keep the ball at the end, and dropped two points courtesy of a long range shot from the Hearts centre-half.
Alloa themselves had shown that they were capable of turning around a two goal deficit in the closing stages of a match by beating The Rangers in the Petrofac Training Cup a couple of weeks prior to this fixture, so to my mind there was very good reason to see out the game by keeping the ball away from the Alloa players. If they don't have the ball, they can't score.
Hibs are playing a possession game this season. Alloa barely threatened the whole game, and it has been a similar story for most of Hibs' home games this season where a cursory glance at the stats would show possession, chances, corners, etc all heavily weighted in Hibs' favour.
We've seen how exciting this can be, the good derby performance and the 3-3 draw against Dundee United showcasing the tactic at its best. However, it would be fair to say that against teams that will let you have the ball, and who aren't interested in committing men forward to attack, then the possession approach proves more methodical and plodding than fluid and thrilling.
The win against Alloa could not be described as exciting, though it was effective. Hibs chalked up their first home win in three months - an astonishing statistic given the level that we are competing at this season. Alloa, for their part, looked terrible. There is an argument that suggests that Alloa looked so terrible because Hibs were so effective in the way that they kept the ball. I think that there is merit in that perspective and I'll explain why.
Hibs never seemed to get out of second gear in the game. The players looked like they cruised it, when Alloa cleared it was invariably a Hibs player that collected the ball and started another attack. We used the wings, we played through the middle, we had players switching positions and dragging markers about. Hibs controlled everything about the match, including the pace. One of the arguments put forward by a boo-er was that there was no need to keep the ball at the end of the match as Alloa had never looked like scoring. There was a very good reason for that -they never looked like scoring because we kept the ball.
We could have scored more goals, however I think the vocal minority would have reacted the same way had we been closing the game out at 4-0 up, rather than 2-0. I think that booing reaction, that impatience, is borne from our terrible home form over the last couple of years. Booing has almost become a default position for some fans, like they've forgotten how to appreciate the team. It seems that with some fans even when the team wins, the team can't win.
Coming out the game I was content that we'd won. I was disappointed that the game hadn't been more exciting but I'd take a comfortable two nil win any day of the week. I was satisfied and I felt there were real signs in the match that Stubbs' influence is definitely starting to tell on the players. Hibs no longer look like a forlorn rudderless outfit. The players played to a coherent system, knew their roles, and in Scott Allan we had a player willing to try something out of the ordinary to create chances.
That bravery to try something has led to some criticism, but from my point of view I'd much rather have someone try something fantastic and get it wrong now and again, than have someone stick with the safe, mundane option for fear of making a mistake. The problem we have with a support that boos at the first opportunity, is it's much easier for a brave player to stop making brave choices and take the easy option than it is for them to persevere and put up with the stick.
The support have to recognise the part they play in impacting individual players, and the team overall. Recognising when we've done well and applauding a win is right and justified. Booing a team for doing the sensible (if uninspiring) thing in the closing minutes is just ridiculous. We all want to see Hibs rattle seven goals past teams, but the reality of where we are just now is that scenario is unrealistic. The team has to prioritise wins first, style second. We are chasing the leaders, three points are all that matters for the time being.
Stubbs has had one transfer window to rebuild a team that was decimated morale-wise and numerically. He took on the role from a standing start and we are at a very early stage in that rebuilding process. The football club is going through root and branch change and the rewards of these changes won't be reaped immediately. We approach the January transfer window knowing that Stubbs has an eye on improving the squad for that final push.
The manager and the players need the support onside for the run in to the play-offs. Promotion is still well within our own hands and if the fans can learn to love the team again then we have a great chance of going up. We might even be able to sing when we're winning!
p.s. A small mention (and thanks) to Lee McLennan for sharing my blog via Twitter, but also for calling Malonga's hat-trick against Dumbarton the night before it happened, just a shame you never stuck a couple of quid on it, Lee! I had planned on doing a Malonga-based blog on the back of it but didn't manage to get the time to do it.
I had changed seats for this game, moving from my seat for the last few years in the West Lower stand, to the second highest row in the West Upper. The boos came from a few guys to our left, and thankfully they were shouted down by some more reasonable supporters, but the whole episode made me question just what exactly is it the Hibs fans want from their team?
If I think back a few weeks to the last derby, Hibs had played very well, keeping the league leaders at arm's length for more or less the whole match. It had been a dominant derby performance, not really in keeping with Hibs' standard in this fixture over recent years. We didn't keep the ball at the end, and dropped two points courtesy of a long range shot from the Hearts centre-half.
Alloa themselves had shown that they were capable of turning around a two goal deficit in the closing stages of a match by beating The Rangers in the Petrofac Training Cup a couple of weeks prior to this fixture, so to my mind there was very good reason to see out the game by keeping the ball away from the Alloa players. If they don't have the ball, they can't score.
Hibs are playing a possession game this season. Alloa barely threatened the whole game, and it has been a similar story for most of Hibs' home games this season where a cursory glance at the stats would show possession, chances, corners, etc all heavily weighted in Hibs' favour.
We've seen how exciting this can be, the good derby performance and the 3-3 draw against Dundee United showcasing the tactic at its best. However, it would be fair to say that against teams that will let you have the ball, and who aren't interested in committing men forward to attack, then the possession approach proves more methodical and plodding than fluid and thrilling.
The win against Alloa could not be described as exciting, though it was effective. Hibs chalked up their first home win in three months - an astonishing statistic given the level that we are competing at this season. Alloa, for their part, looked terrible. There is an argument that suggests that Alloa looked so terrible because Hibs were so effective in the way that they kept the ball. I think that there is merit in that perspective and I'll explain why.
Hibs never seemed to get out of second gear in the game. The players looked like they cruised it, when Alloa cleared it was invariably a Hibs player that collected the ball and started another attack. We used the wings, we played through the middle, we had players switching positions and dragging markers about. Hibs controlled everything about the match, including the pace. One of the arguments put forward by a boo-er was that there was no need to keep the ball at the end of the match as Alloa had never looked like scoring. There was a very good reason for that -they never looked like scoring because we kept the ball.
We could have scored more goals, however I think the vocal minority would have reacted the same way had we been closing the game out at 4-0 up, rather than 2-0. I think that booing reaction, that impatience, is borne from our terrible home form over the last couple of years. Booing has almost become a default position for some fans, like they've forgotten how to appreciate the team. It seems that with some fans even when the team wins, the team can't win.
Coming out the game I was content that we'd won. I was disappointed that the game hadn't been more exciting but I'd take a comfortable two nil win any day of the week. I was satisfied and I felt there were real signs in the match that Stubbs' influence is definitely starting to tell on the players. Hibs no longer look like a forlorn rudderless outfit. The players played to a coherent system, knew their roles, and in Scott Allan we had a player willing to try something out of the ordinary to create chances.
That bravery to try something has led to some criticism, but from my point of view I'd much rather have someone try something fantastic and get it wrong now and again, than have someone stick with the safe, mundane option for fear of making a mistake. The problem we have with a support that boos at the first opportunity, is it's much easier for a brave player to stop making brave choices and take the easy option than it is for them to persevere and put up with the stick.
The support have to recognise the part they play in impacting individual players, and the team overall. Recognising when we've done well and applauding a win is right and justified. Booing a team for doing the sensible (if uninspiring) thing in the closing minutes is just ridiculous. We all want to see Hibs rattle seven goals past teams, but the reality of where we are just now is that scenario is unrealistic. The team has to prioritise wins first, style second. We are chasing the leaders, three points are all that matters for the time being.
Stubbs has had one transfer window to rebuild a team that was decimated morale-wise and numerically. He took on the role from a standing start and we are at a very early stage in that rebuilding process. The football club is going through root and branch change and the rewards of these changes won't be reaped immediately. We approach the January transfer window knowing that Stubbs has an eye on improving the squad for that final push.
The manager and the players need the support onside for the run in to the play-offs. Promotion is still well within our own hands and if the fans can learn to love the team again then we have a great chance of going up. We might even be able to sing when we're winning!
p.s. A small mention (and thanks) to Lee McLennan for sharing my blog via Twitter, but also for calling Malonga's hat-trick against Dumbarton the night before it happened, just a shame you never stuck a couple of quid on it, Lee! I had planned on doing a Malonga-based blog on the back of it but didn't manage to get the time to do it.
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