Hibs: The State of Play

Dundee United 1 Hibernian 0

‘Our bubble is well and truly burst’

‘The Jambos and Dundee Utd. have much more character than us’

‘9 out of 10 for talking the talk, but you’re definitely on a downward spiral trying to walk the walk’ (of Manager John Hughes)

‘We are softer than a marshmallow’

‘No bottle No desire No belief No winning mentality No winners in the team’

‘If Derek Riordan isn’t dropped for the next game, I’ll begin to question Yogi’s sanity as a manager, as he was the laziest, gutless b*****d on the park today’

‘I’ve often suspected that Zemmama was a bit of a malingerer’

The above are just a few of the comments I picked up on the Internet after Hibernian’s 1-0 defeat at rivals Dundee United yesterday. It should be said that others held a more pragmatic view of the current state of Hibs however and that these were the angry remarks of post-game supporters. The game was a genuine four-pointer that’s for sure. To compound the disappointment, an opportunity to gain gain ground on Celtic who dropped two points at home to Falkirk was lost.

Hibernian: A team to match The Tornadoes (2)

Continuing with the quest to compare the great Turnbull’s Tornadoes team with an XI selected from players gracing the green and white of Hibernian FC since those halcyon days. Today I look at the midfield contenders with some classic match-ups and confrontations derived from the last four decades.

Right midfield: Alex Edwards (9) v Des Bremner (9

Another complete contrast in styles but operating in the same area of the field. Alex Edwards was all about creativity and displayed a near-genius for spraying the ball around to his teammates all over the field. Sometimes accentuated and occasionally hindered by his naturally abrasive character, opponents would often key on this strength/weakness in Alex’s game. With a man like Alex around though something was always happening – usually another penetrating attack set off by one of his sublime passes.

I’ve gone back almost to Tornadoes days to delve and find a worthy competitor in this area of the team and it’s the superb Des Bremer who has been pulled out of the hat. Perhaps Des’ greatest moments were with Aston Villa in winning the League and the European Cup but he was a great and consistent performer at Easter Road. Des’ trademarks were his surging, driving runs down the right wing and his tireless tracking back and work ethic on behalf of the team. Perhaps one of those types of players who tends to be a little overlooked by more showy performers, it’s no surprise to me that Aston Villa manager, Ron Saunders saw him as the man to tend his great Villa team’s right flank through their successful years. You knew what you got with Des Bremner. What’s more you’d get it every week too.

Hibernian: Five Positives

Man…this is going to be difficult! There is so much gloom surrounding Easter Road presently due mainly to serious failings on the pitch. Manager, Mixu Paatelainen is deeply in the trenches due to his widely perceived poor tactical  and motivational ability amongst other criticisms. I’ve not had the pleasure (?) of visiting Easter Road in a little while now but reliable witnesses tell me it’s turgid stuff being produced on a weekly basis currently. Not only are the fans not seeing a side wining a game or two they are being starved of entertainment too. This will not do of course and a somewhat poisonous atmosphere is steadily creeping over the old ground.

Who can blame these fans? Certainly not me. It is difficult to see the club that’s in your heart going downhill at such an alarming rate with little too apparently arrest this worrying state of affairs. In spite of this I’m going to try and cheer myself up by looking on the bright side for a moment, difficult though that may be.

Let’s give it a go…

 

 

Negligible debt – how many UK football clubs can boast of being in that position currently? It’s not necessarily that savoury the way Hibs have got themselves into that position (i.e. by selling off a stream of good, young players, not to mention some long-held land) but hey, let’s try and throw a positive pose…

Derek Riordan

There – I’ve quoted the name. The one that’s tripping off practically every Hibs supporters lips at the current time. Presently Derek remains sitting out his contract at Celtic, shorn of match fitness by manager Strachan who appears to have taken personal exception to the young goal scorer and who has consistently refused to play him for the Glasgow club during his own at Parkhead.

At the time of writing – and this situation is a dynamic one that could change at any moment, the transfer window in Scottish Football is due to close on Monday and the usual rumour-mill is wound up to full speed. The Hibs online communities are beside themselves to discuss the possibly of a Messiah-like return to Hibs of the slimly built hit-man. Literally scores of forum threads have been dedicated to the subject rendering the persuing of those messageboads almost unreadable at times.

As those with an interest know, Derek left Easter Road around two years ago amidst a bad atmosphere and one of recriminations around the manner of his departure. He was seen by many to have sold the club short financially at that time and one of the many rumours surrounding his exit was that CEO Rod Petrie had played hardball with the youngster and in turn the player had responded accordingly. Of course this is just one of the theories and perhaps we will never know the truth.