Swagger and bravado must be matched by results - talking points as Hibs recover from Celtic loss

The long wait for a Hibs win at Celtic Park goes on, then. As many suspected it would.

Against reigning champions now sitting well clear at the top of the league and protecting an astonishing 30-game unbeaten run in all domestic competitions, David Gray’s men needed to be at their absolute best to stand a chance in Glasgow yesterday. And, in many ways, this was close to being Hibs’ best performance of the season.

The chances created, the lines broken, the way they passed their way through and around the Celtic press … all caught the eye in a game where the Easter Road side looked anything but Scottish Premiership bottom feeders. With results elsewhere conspiring to return Hibs to the foot of the table, though, they remain in a serious battle for top-flight survival.

So let’s dig behind the headlines and look at what we learned from that most familiar of football experiences, a day of missed opportunities and hard-luck stories. There remain vital issues to be addressed.

Results must eventually reflect performances …

Hibs didn’t actively shoot themselves in the foot on this occasion. So there’s that.

They also created plenty of opportunities to put Celtic away. As anyone looking through the stats can see.

Compare and contrast the visitors’ performance yesterday with that of high-flying (previously) Aberdeen in their much-heralded 2-2 draw at Celtic Park to keep the ‘title race’ alive back in October. The Dons played well enough that day, generating an expected goals (xG) figure of 1.16 off the back of eight shots, four of those on target, and two big chances.

At the same venue yesterday, Hibs took 14 pops at the Celtic goal, with NINE of them hitting the target. They generated FIVE big chances, according to the experts at FotMob, and finished the game with an xG of 2.19. Yeah, so a 3-0 defeat feels pretty harsh.

Between now and January 2, Hibs entertain both Ross County and Kilmarnock at Easter Road, with three away games – in Aberdeen, Perth and at Tynecastle, of course – filling out a busy fixture card. That’s 15 points up for grabs.

If – and it’s a big if – they play with this sense of swagger and bravado in all five games, they’ll put themselves in positions to win all five games. Then it’ll be about putting their chances away. Simple, right?

These guys can play (really)

Very few teams make the Celtic press look as ineffective as Hibs did during the first half. No, you don’t get any points for breaking lines or exploiting gaps. But the move that ended with Joe Newell squandering a brilliant chance should be played and replayed endlessly as a mood booster for the boys at East Mains.

Nectar Triantis had probably his best game for Hibs. And, even allowing for his glaring miss AND the own goal, Newell was more than decent. There weren’t many who looked overwhelmed by the occasion or the opposition.

Having seen their team play very well only to concede soft goals often enough last season, you can’t expect Hibs fans to celebrate promising phases of play. But it helps, internally, if the players are seeing evidence of a plan coming together.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FITBAW TALK ON SHOTS TV

The 5-3-2/5-4-1 shape yesterday was solid without being horribly negative, at least while Myko Kuharevich was on the pitch. Kudos to the big man, by the way, for the timing of his runs to create those two squandered chances; small consolation, at least.

Whither Dwight Gayle?

The former Newcastle striker has scored somewhere in the region of 140 goals over the course of a storied career. He’s played – and played well – in the Premier League.

According to Gray, meanwhile, Gayle has been “desperate” to force his way into the starting XI. We’ve no reason to doubt the gaffer’s word on this.

What does it say about the 35-year-old’s fitness and form, then, that he wasn’t introduced until eight minutes from time at Celtic Park? Something doesn’t add up.

A free agent signing picked up after the transfer window had closed, Gayle should – should – have been an obvious replacement for Kuharevich when the Ukrainian striker limped off after 26 minutes. If nothing else, Gayle coming on at centre forward would have allowed Elie Youan to remain in the sort of hybrid forward/winger role causing Celtic such unease.

So what if he might only have lasted 45 or 50 minutes? There’s no rule against substituting a substitute.

In a game where missed chances were a recurring theme, having a natural finisher on the park makes sense. If, that is, he’s fully recovered from the minor hamstring injury that has restricted him to just a single start.

Heading into a busy December, and with Kuharevich’s readiness uncertain even if his injury isn’t too serious, Hibs fans are entitled to expect more from a player who arrived carrying a substantial reputation. Or they’ll be tempted to chalk him up as yet another example of exactly why the Black Knights have decided to take a more hands-on approach to recruitment.