I watched improving Hibs undone by repeat offences - here's what MUST happen on way to Hampden Hearts clash
Baby steps won’t get Marink Reedijk’s team where they need to be
As Hibs continue to batter away in search of the single win that might turn their entire season around, it would be wrong to suggest that Marink Reedijk and his players are banging their heads against a particularly unyielding wall. But they do find themselves continually bumping up against a low ceiling, its height set by the limitations of a squad still looking ill-matched to the challenges confronting them.
In a huge week for the club, its supporters and – not least – a manager in need of results after three straight losses, it’s going to take more than steady improvement to deliver the statement victory so desired by everyone at Easter Road. Even as many fans applauded their team off the park after yesterday’s battling, brave and ballsy 2-1 home defeat to Celtic, it was hard to argue that anyone had witnessed an enormous leap forward by Reedijk and his players.
As they recover from another home loss in the league, then prepare for St Mirren away on Wednesday night and Hearts at Hampden on Sunday, what are the main talking points surrounding a Hibs team in transition? Let’s dive in.
Some leaders don’t need an armband
Fair play, Joe Newell. Drafted into the starting XI late, having been almost an afterthought in the debate over who should be skipper under new management, the experienced midfielder more than proved his worth against Celtic. And not just because his quick thinking and perfect execution lead to the opening goal.
Everyone knows he’s had his injury issues. How much they’ll hinder him in the final year of his contract is a question that he’s probably been asking himself.
But the guy still brings something to the table. In a crowded midfield yesterday, he more than held his own. Regardless of who else is available, he’s made a genuine case for holding onto his place in the line-up.
Firepower failure
This isn’t about Grant Hanley doing an emergency stint as centre forward late in yesterday’s game. Amid all the mockery, it’s worth remembering that many an elegant coaching mastermind has been moved to pull a similar stunt in difficult circumstances; Pep Guardiola, Gerard Pique and Barcelona spring to mind.
Still, the fact that Reedijk needed to throw the Scotland centre-half up front says plenty about the lack of options available to the new gaffer. And that has little to do with injury and illness.
Even if Martin Boyle hadn’t been sent home to his sick bed before kick-off, this would still be a Hibs team shockingly short of scoring threat. Nathan Lowe’s back problems aren’t exactly robbing Reedijk of a proven fox in the box, while Ante Suto looks like a lost soul after his single shift in the No.9 role.
Owen Elding (pictured above) deserves credit for fronting up and scoring in each of his last two games. But he can’t carry the burden alone. And a lack of goals has doomed many an otherwise decent side to a season-long scrap with irrelevance or, worse, the threat of relegation.
No-one in the Scottish Premiership has scored with less frequency than Hibs. For added context, city rivals Hearts are netting more than two goals to every single chance put away by their near neighbours.
Obvious improvement and repeat offences
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill said it was his team’s best win of the season. So there’s that. And the vastly experienced manager wasn’t just paying lip service to doughty opponents.
Hibs looked much better out of possession yesterday, the timing and effectiveness of their pressing – often going man for man against Celtic high up the park – a definite plus point. And they created a couple of nice chances, beyond the Elding goal.
Reedijk’s team certainly pushed the visitors all the way. With a bit of luck, they may well have bagged a deserved late equaliser.
But there is a sort of unfortunate air around the side at the moment, especially near their own goal, summed up by Jason Kerr’s OG and Marko Ivezic slipping at the wrong moment as Celtic drew level and then got themselves ahead. Bad stuff keeps happening to Hibs.
History can’t repeat itself
Reedijk is the first Hibs manager since Pat Fenlon to lose his first three games. As anyone who lived through that era might remember, Fenlon actually lost his first four, only managing a single draw in his opening half dozen games. And that run included a loss to Hearts.
Paisley on Wednesday night is must-win territory, for all sorts of reasons. Hibs need not only league points but a morale booster. Something for the long-odds outsiders to hang onto, as they head into a Premier Sports Cup semi-final where the aim is to rise up - and break through that damned ceiling.