McLeish:
Third place still possible
Boss insists Hibs Euro target is
still on - STUART CROWTHER IT
IS A LITTLE IRONIC PERHAPS that a year ago, when Hibernian were flying
high with fans talking of splitting the Old Firm and qualifying for a
Champions League slot, the Easter Road coaching staff were talking only of
a top-six target. And yet here we are today, with Hibernian just one
defeat from the second-bottom slot in the SPL, hearing positive noises
from Alex McLeish about a top-three place still being on the cards!
The Hibs boss has
every right of course to be optimistic, it is after all his job to ensure
that players and fans alike remain focused on success and not
failure. After watching his side go down to the expected drubbing at
Parkhead on Saturday, McLeish looked for something positive to take from
the game, saying: "We lost a soft opener and
you can't capitulate that early against Celtic or anyone else for that
matter. All chasing teams have to keep going and hope Celtic drop
points. For us it is all about climbing back up the table and I
think that third place is still a possibility for us."
Livingston fans might have a quiet chuckle over such statements, given
that the West Lothian side opened the gap between themselves and Hibernian
to 14 points at the weekend, and show no signs of taking a break while
other catch up!
David Zitelli tries to launch a Hibs attack at Parkhead (sns)
McLeish has to know
however that December was always going to be a difficult month. The
back-to-back defeats from Aberdeen and Livingston could well have put a
death knell on Hibs league season, and while cup competition has provided
some relief the fact that Hibs have scored just one league goal in 360
minutes of league football since De La Cruz's double against Hearts back
in October must be cause for concern. McLeish has admitted already
that finding another striker is high on the agenda, success in that search
must come sooner rather than later if the Hibs boss is to come anywhere
near his hope of dragging his side back up to a challenging position.
Quite why things have
gone wrong is impossible to say, something McLeish himself is quick to
admit. He said: "There are lots of
reasons why we are in this situation with lack of consistency in selection
and players not gelling." The loss of Franck Sauzee
through injury, and the subsequent lack of on-field leadership, is perhaps
another factor but these are things every club must face at some time or
another. McLeish retains the confidence of the Hibs fans, that much
was underlined in a Hibs.net poll last
week that attracted well over 700 votes with a massive 92.5% giving solid
backing to the Hibs boss from the stands. That of course will count
for much more than any expressions of support form the boardroom, the
traditional death-knell for any manager, but the truth is McLeish has the
absolute loyalty of everyone at Easter Road, and rightly so.
Hibs now prepare for a
visit from Motherwell on Saturday, a prelude to three trips on the road to
Rangers, Dunfermline and St Johnstone. Nine points from these four
games represents the only sort of form that could back McLeish's hopes for
a Hibs revival, a tall order at the best of times and more so given the
current league form of the Easter Road side.
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