Hibee
faithful can help
us turn over the Gers
Fans hold the key to CIS success
HIBS BOSS BOBBY WILLIAMSON is certainly a happier
man this week as Hibs prepare to take on Rangers in the CIS Cup with
five straight victories bolstering confidence in his squad. But
Williamson is also realistic enough to know the task that faces his side
when former boss Alex McLeish brings the league leaders to Easter Road,
in particular as Rangers have already turned Hibs over 4-2 at the
stadium earlier in the season.
Williamson has had to work through his
own problems this week, laid low with a stomach bug earlier in the week.
And there are a couple of injuries still to be dealt with before he can
be sure of his line-up against Rangers, although the good news for
Easter Road fans is that Paco Luna has been added to the squad while
Derek Townsley, carried off with what looked like a serious injury on
Saturday, is also available again for selection. Williamson said:
"We have one or two small niggles, and we'll just have to see how
they are tomorrow, but we have added Paco Luna to the squad. The
three players returning form injury are not ready yet so they will not
be considered, they will need a few more matches under their belts
before they are. But I'll reconsider depending on how results go
of course, if we had been struggling they might have been flung back in
but we've won the last five games so they have to earn the right to get
back into the team, the guys in possession have to lose the jerseys, and
that is the challenge they have ahead of them.
Derek Townsley celebrates his goal against Rangers last time out - Deek
is fit to face the Gers again (sns)
"Derek Townsley though is fine, you
would not know any difference - his lips are permanently swollen I
think! He is OK though and is ready to play against Rangers if
selected." Janos Matyus is not expected to return to the squad
however after missing the 3-0 win at Firhill on Saturday, so it looks
likely that youngster Craig James will make his home starting debut.
While confidence is high in the squad, Williamson knows the task facing
his side is anything but a straightforward one, and when asked if he
thought this was a good time to play Rangers he said: "I don't know
if this is a good time to play Rangers - I'll need to answer that one
after the game! We're delighted of course that we have these last
five results under our belt, and we are as confident as you can be going
into a game against either half of the Old Firm. But you can't be
over-confident obviously, but we are at home and it's up to us to try
and get the result that would see us into the next round and that will
be difficult."
The CIS Insurance Cup has in recent
years become a much-maligned tournament, in particular after losing its
status as a qualifying tournament for UEFA Cup places. But
Williamson repeated his earlier condemnation of those who refuse to give
any credit to the tournament, saying: "I rate this competition a lot
higher than some people who write about it I suppose! It's a
tournament that is there to be won, there are only three that we can
enter and we want to go as far as we can in all competitions.
Because there is no longer a route in Europe the CIS Cup is not talked
about as much, but it should be as everybody has entered it and we are
grateful to CIS Insurance for sponsoring the tournament, so we will give
it the recognition it deserves." And the Hibs boss is hoping
that in spite of the game being broadcast live throughout the nation,
the Hibs support will still turn out in numbers to provide his side with
the boost they need, adding: "I'm hoping the Hibs fans will turn out
in numbers and get right behind us again, because we need that. To
be fair they have done that all season, I've always felt they have been
behind us even when we were losing games."
A key player for Hibs could be French
defender Yannick Zambernardi, who has appeared to improve with every
game he has played at the club - and Williamson revealed that his
English is getting better as well! The Hibs boss said:
"Zambernardi is a decent player, he works hard and gives us balance
being left-sided. He has done OK but I think he can get better as
he gets to know the players in the Premier League and his own position a
bit more. He has shown so far that he is capable but he will need
to do that consistently to keep his jersey as well, same as everyone
else in the team. Gary Smith had to sit on the bench the other
day, he is a capable defender - it's up to Yannick to keep doing what he
is doing and keep performing. His English is progressing, he is
taking lessons and hopefully is not too far away."
Predicting games against Rangers is
never easy. The fact that Hibs were drawn at home is of massive
significance, but home advantage by itself will never be enough against
a side that Alex McLeish has ticking over very nicely indeed.
McLeish himself never gave a great deal of priority to the CIS Cup when
manager at Easter Road, but that is not to say he will not be doing all
he can to ensure his former club's interest in the tournament ends
tomorrow evening. It will take a supreme effort for Hibs to win
this one, but it's a one-off cup-tie - and for that reason I go for a
Hibs win, although it might just take extra time and a lot of luck to
achieve it!
