Hibs 'panic' question addressed amid '100 per cent convinced' vow as St Mirren clash tees up Hearts semi-final
‘Risk and reward’ approach needed to win games - Rafa
Hibs players aren’t “panicking” over their position at the foot of the Scottish Premiership table, according to Raphael Sallinger. And the Austrian goalie insists the short-term pain of adapting to new gaffer Marink Reedijk’s playing style will definitely start delivering results soon.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow night’s meeting with St Mirren in Paisley, and aware that Easter Road punters are desperate to see some sign of positivity ahead of Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final showdown with Hearts at Hampden, Sallinger accepts that losing all three of Reedijk’s first three games at the helm is nowhere near good enough. But the former Kaiserslautern, Wolfsberg and Hartberg keeper says the risks being taken will definitely deliver big rewards.
Keeper has done the maths
“I think we have played 10 games now in the season,” said Sallinger. “It's so, so early in the season.
“We have 28 games still to play, so a lot of games to play - and no-one is panicking at all. Everyone is convinced.
“I see our team training every day on a high level, everyone's trying to turn things around. We have quality in this room and that's for sure.
“It's not our ambition to be at the bottom of the table, but we also know that if we win two or three games in a row or get a good one, which I'm 100 per cent convinced we can do, then we won't be there for a long time.
“I think the way the club wants to go is the right one. I think there's maybe a bit of things changing in this football club.
“I think just as a player you see how the new manager wants to play, how he sees the football, and I'm just 100 per cent convinced, as I said before, if we keep improving and keep doing the way he wants to play, then we'll win a lot of games in football. It's just maybe a change of momentum. Maybe you have to win one game and then the momentum changes and it starts to click and then you win games more easily.”
Reedijk a ‘great addition’ to Hibs
Outlining the changes he’s seen since Reedijk stepped into the vacancy left by David Gray’s sacking just bore the most recent international window, Sallinger - sure to start against St Mirren tomorrow night and in Sunday’s hugely significant Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Hearts at Hampden - said: “I think when you look in possession, he wants to be more flexible in possession, not too much playing the back five with high wingers, he's more flexible. It depends how the opposition wants to play. Be brave also in the build-up and go direct and try to create a lot of chances.
“I think also against the ball, cause every team problems, press high, press early, put them under pressure, when it was high back. Try to score as early as you can.
“You have to take a little risk to get to the reward. I think that's maybe the key solution to winning games. Always.
“Obviously every manager has different ideas of the way they see the football but at the day one, since he came in, we were actually happy with the way he wants to play, how he sees the football. It's quite a bit different compared to the other manager before but I think, especially on Sunday, you can clearly see his way, how he wants to play the football, how he sees the football. And I think we're going to go in a very good direction.
“Of course, the fans are disappointed at the moment, but so are we. Of course, that's not the ambition of this football club. The ambition of this football club is to play international (European) football every season. That's my opinion.
“The manager puts a lot of focus on individual talks and talks a lot with the players, which I quite enjoy. He wants to hear their feelings and have a good conversation with the dressing room. I think that's also really important.
“I think he's a great addition to the football club. Obviously, we haven't won the last three games, but it doesn't represent his work overall. I think we will start to win games soon.
“Obviously the bottom of the league is nowhere near our ambitions, that's clear. But I'm sure and I'm convinced that with the players and the staff which are here at this football club, that we can turn these things around quickly.”