Moving on
Richard Pitts returns with a look back at last weekend and Hibs' left sided problems...

LOOKING AT THE MAJOR NEWS STORIES DOING THE ROUNDS IN THE NAME OF HIBERNIAN, it seems that we are all still taking in the defeat to our maroon rivals. Having been very busy at work and really rather ill for a large chunk of the week it seems a while now since that depressing Sunday afternoon on the other side of Edinburgh, where the tannoy announcer added insult to injury by describing their game against Bordeaux as the big one this week. Despite the debate on the message board I stand by my original contention that I don’t believe that Hibs played that badly: Ultimately Hearts were restricted to very few chances and our defence dealt very well with the potentially very potent threat of DeVries, Valois and Kirk. Nothing could be done about the first goal, which was essentially a freak, although Brebner could perhaps be criticized for his wild swipe at the ball, but that would be harsh. The second one was a touch of bad luck plus a superb cross from the right wing, which forced Smith to play it with DeVries lurking. That sometimes happens when the ball is put in dangerous areas.

Where I felt we struggled was up front with very little expect for a blazing shot from Riordan created. Some of that was down to the fact that Hearts got the early goal and could afford to defend in numbers. And defend well they certainly did, and they must be complimented on that. Some of it was also down to the fact that we lacked width and a little guile and experience up front. Nevertheless, there is room for hope, particularly in Kevin Thomson’s performance, easily the best midfielder on show in what was his first Edinburgh derby. That can only be a positive thing. We must be positive: after all Motherwell’s draw with Dunfermline means that there is just four points between us and fourth place at present, so a decent run of form would see us do well. Apart from anything else, Rangers Champions League exit means they will be in no mood to compromise, although if we can hit them early they could well be in disarray.

Glass - out of Sunday's clash at Easter Road (sns)

To be honest I understand why Sunday’s defeat lingers on though: John Campbell alluded to this in an excellent article yesterday: passions run high in this type of game, particularly in the context of Straiton and the Mercer fiasco: Personally I have tended to regard every derby victory as putting more distance between Hibs and that dreadful stramash, but at the same time, I don't hate Hearts. It's worth remembering that many Hearts fans opposed that "merger" and still remain opposed to Straiton, something that is still a reality for them. Indeed, I have spent most of my five years in Edinburgh living in the Gorgie / Dalry area of Edinburgh except for a brief sojourn on Easter Road, and one of the things I always liked about Edinburgh was the lack of antagonism outside of Derby days, and the ability to have a drink with the opposition afterwards, regardless of the result. However I think the antagonism during and after the game at Easter Road is a symptom of something else: basically there is little chance of any team outside of the Old Firm winning a trophy, and so the most it seems either side can hope for is to get one over on their rivals, and that’s why the derby defeat on Sunday stings for so many people of Hibernian persuasion.

Hibernian manager Bobby Williamson has confirmed that influential winger Stephen Glass is facing a potential lengthy lay-off.  The former Aberdeen, Newcastle United and Watford midfield man sustained a knee injury in Hibernian's under 21 game against Hearts on Monday night. The luckless Glass was making a comeback from a calf problem after missing the previous two games. Today’s news is a further blow for Williamson who has found his small squad sorely tested in recent weeks, with Glass’ previous problem, Roland Edge’s knee injury and Yannick Zambernardi’s torn thigh muscle robbing him of the services of three left-sided players. Without those three players Williamson was forced to rush Gary Smith back after his appendix operation with the right-back pressed into service on the opposite flank.

One piece of good news for Williamson, though, is that Edge, who hasn’t played since the CIS Cup triumph over Queen of the South, is back training with the squad although Sunday’s match may come too soon for the former Gillingham defender.  Easter Road boss Williamson is reluctant to set a target for the return of Glass, but his comments to the Edinburgh Evening News do not bode well for Glass.  "Stephen has damaged ligaments in his knee. He'll go for a scan to assess the extent of the damage.  I don't know how long he'll be out. I don't put time limits on things like this as some players take longer to recover than others.

"Some injuries are more serious than others, but I do know Stephen is out of Sunday's match at Rangers," he confirmed.

Elsewhere the McLaren saga appears to have had a significant impact on Hibs signing policy: boss Bobby Williamson has decided not to invite players available on free transfers to Easter Road for trials anymore. Williamson is concerned that trial spells can give a false impression of a player's worth and will now only target new faces that he has seen in competitive action for their club.

The other big news story is that Dundee are in administration with a number of players already sacked as the administrators seek to slash the wage bill from its current level where it stands at 120% of turnover. Don’t bank on Dundee coming out of administration as their best hope appears to be DiStefano and they have been chronically mis-managed. If rumors are true, Dunfermline and Livingston are also in trouble. To that end I hope those who have been critical of the Hibs board appreciate why they have sought to cut costs: the alternative was to go the way of Dundee.