Hibs self-destruct with full repertoire of failings - report and ratings as red-card flop picks up 1/10

Hibs Howlers – The Greatest Hits. Hell of a live album. As anyone who saw David Gray’s team throw a bit of everything into this performance at Dens Park, a horrible defeat that left away fans loudly demanding change from boardroom to boot room, can testify.

You want to run through the full check list of horror on a foggy night in Dundee? OK. A fourth red card in the last six games. Throwing away a winning position just one more time in a catastrophic campaign of Scottish Premiership under-achievement. An own goal, naturally. And another goalkeeper howler for the ages by Josef Bursik … involving another back pass, obviously.

No wonder the travelling supporters who had braved all those dire weather warnings felt like venting a little blind fury in difficult viewing conditions. Sporting director Malky Mackay and chief executive Ben Kensell both got it in the neck, obviously. And the entire board were subjected to demands that they depart forthwith, presumably at the sharp end of some fantastic Bill Foley-led revolution, SFA rules notwithstanding.

Why the anger? Simple. This is a club in crisis. A team heading for relegation at a terrifying rate. Via a series of self-inflicted blows.

Even Nicky Cadden scoring inside the opening minute here felt like the set-up for another sucker punch. And a straight red card for Jordan Obita, punished for a studs-up challenge on Mo Sylla with just 11 minutes gone, immediately punctured any optimism in the visiting ranks.

Jordan McGhee’s equaliser after 25 minutes was followed by Nectar Triantis finding his own need to put Dundee ahead just five minutes later. And Bursik making a hash of substitute Jack Iredale’s pass back in first-half injury time allowed Seb Palmer-Houlden to make it 3-1 just before the break.

The second half was a non-event. Dundee didn’t need to do much more than sit on their two-goal lead. Hibs put in a lot of effort but were never going to create the overloads needed to get a goal back. And it was all put beyond doubt when substitute Curtis Main netted in injury time, the final score of 4-1 not flattering the hosts in the least.

This felt like the end of something, then. Possibly Gray’s time as gaffer, despite that vote of confidence delivered by the board at the start of the recent international break. It should certainly kill off any argument that Hibs are NOT in danger of plummeting into the Championship.