How does former Hibs favourite Brown hope to mug his old pals? Tactics Zone opposition scouting report

As soon as he started doing his coaching badges, Scott Brown was marked down as a candidate of enormous potential. An up-and-coming talent whose past fondness for playing the daft laddie could not mask a genuinely impressive footballing intellect.

Alongside fellow former Hibee Steven Whittaker, Brown is currently impressing everyone – especialy chairmen and chief executives in the market for a new gaffer – with his work at Ayr United. Having been blooded in management at Fleetwood Town, the ex-Celtic captain has been unanimously declared the Next Big Thing by those paid to have opinions on such things.

So what should Hibs boss David Gray expect from his UEFA Pro Licence classmate? While there’s obviously a lot of leeway afforded candidates pursuing Europe’s most prestigious coaching qualification, there must surely be some overlap in tricks and techniques covered by their advanced studies of the beautiful game.

There are certainly similarities between the Honest Men and the team they welcome to Somerset Park for tomorrow night’s live televised Scottish Cup last-16 tie, starting with the fact that the hosts will almost certainly line up in a 3-5-2 formation that allows for some flexibility as they drop into a 5-4-1 without the ball on occasion. Photo 1 looks kind of familiar, right?

Photo 1 | Wyscout

In terms of playing style, well, Brown’s boys are all about moving the ball to move the opposition. They’ll bounce it in and out of midfield to drag players out of position, even if it takes four passes to get where they need to be (see Photo 2).

Photo 2 - bounce to advance | Wyscout

They’re damned good at it, too. Look through footage of how they break opponents down and you’ll see that getting Connor McLennan on the ball (Photo 3) in space to do damage is a key goal. An avenue that Hibs will have to shut off.

Photo 3 - getting McLennan on the ball with space to attack | Wyscout

In terms of goal threat, obviously Hibs need to focus on George Oakley (pictured below), named SPFL Championship Player of the Month for January just yesterday. In fairness, he had a decent few weeks – a hat-trick against Raith, two in the win over Dunfermline and just the single goal as Ayr edged out Partick Thistle.

Top of the second tier’s scoring charts with 11 goals from 23 appearances, he’s got 14 in all competitions this season. Including chipping in with a single goal in the 8-0 – that’s EIGHT – win over Bonnyrigg Rose in the last round of the Scottish Cup.

So how do Hibs get at their hosts, especially if they drop into a back five (see Photo 4)? Well, to get all biblical about it, by doing to them as they would do unto you. Only doing it first.

Photo 4 - playing five at the back | Wyscout

Any team with a back three CAN be vulnerable down the flanks. Hibs have been very good at creating the sort of overloads demonstrated by Photo 5; it’s become of their strengths of late.

Wyscout

The real prize for any team looking to pull defenders into uncomfortable areas, of course, is getting a centre-half to go wandering. Especially if his partners are left way, way over on the other side of the park (Photo 6), creating a gap for any good through ball and willing runner.

Photo 6 - dragging a defender wide to create central space. | Wyscout

Whittaker and Gray are close, anyway. And it’s not as if Brown or the Hibs gaffer can hide that many secrets from each other.

True, not all of the available footage on Wyscout gives you everything you need to know about Ayr United. But there isn’t really much of the unknown about a side who can hardly claim to be flying under the radar, given their position at the top of the Championship.

In what most anticipate will be a proper old-fashioned cup tie of the blood and thunder/thud and blunder variety, it may all come down to a bit of set piece magic. Or a mistake.

But there should still be levels to this game. And a side who have gone undefeated in their last nine Scottish Premiership games, winning six and drawing three, are rightly favourites with the bookies.

The one guarantee? The visitors won’t be under-informed or unprepared, in any way, for the challenge presented by Brown’s dangerous, dynamic and oddly familiar looking side.

Your next Hibs read - The incredible true story that would put Hollywood to shame