This is how it feels (Molde 090818)

[Jonnyboy]

Tonight was the beginning of Hibs without John McGinn and I confess that I went to the game worried about how we might fill the gap left by him. John was an exceptional player for Hibs and I’m confident he’ll become equally as important to Aston Villa.

Ahead of the game I wondered who might be in the starting eleven and Lenny decided that his midfield centre would be filled by Slivka, Bartley and Mallan. Other than Laidlaw replacing the injured Bogdan the rest of the side more or less picked itself with Porteous in the centre of the back three. Not really knowing much about Molde, I hoped that Hibs would give a good account of themselves and it’s fair to say they did just that and on another night, might have had a two or three goal advantage to take into the second leg but it was not to be with the game finishing at 0-0.

Hibs started brightly and both Slivka and Mallan had half chances before the visitors settled into a very compact and neat formation. They were confident in possession and their insistence on playing out from the back, coupled with their short passing game meant the Hibs players had to be on their guard at all times.

From early on it became obvious that Boyler’s pace was a worry to them and on one occasion squirrel dashed past his man, got to the byeline and hammered a cross into the six yard box but Kamberi couldn’t quite get to the ball and it fizzed past him. Next, Mallan brought out a fabulous save from Linde as his shot looked destined for the top corner before the keeper finger tipped it onto the bar.

The visitors seemed to enjoy keeping possession and making Hibs work to win the ball back and at times that proved a difficult thing to do but Hibs stuck at it and another pile driver from Mallan saw Linde beat the ball away from above his head. I couldn’t help but think that the ferocity of the shot would have beaten Linde had it been either side of him.

At the other end a timely interception by Paul Hanlon stopped the lively Chima from getting a shot away. Both Paul and Ryan were up against strong and aggressive strikers but for the most part they held fast and when one of the strikers did get the better of them, Efe and Lewis tucked in to good effect to clear the danger. Chima was quite a handful but seemed to have only one ‘trick’ in his book in that he liked to take the ball in to feet with his back to goal and then try and turn his marker. Early in the game, Ryan in particular seemed unsure how to deal with that but he’s a quick learner and Chima was eventually substituted.

The visitors enjoyed their best spell in the first ten minutes of the second half but they offered no real penetration and indeed Ross Laidlaw didn’t have one single shot to save in the whole ninety minutes. A lot of that was due to good defending but an amount of it was attributable to Molde seeming to enjoy passing square passes across the 18 yard box without ever really breaking through into a dangerous area.

Once Hibs re-established control of possession the home fans roared them on as they pushed forward looking for the opener. A brilliant through ball by Slivka saw Boyle cleverly prod the ball towards goal but unfortunately it went just wide with Linde completely flat footed on his line. Another effort by Boyle, following Kamberi’s knock down was hit with force but struck a defender and went out for a corner. Then, David Gray got in on the act, meeting a Mallan corner flush on the forehead but Linde somehow got down to divert the ball onto the post and back into his arms. With time rapidly running out, a Boyle shot was pushed out by Linde and substitute Emerson Hyndman threw himself at it but watched his header slide agonisingly wide.

Hibs didn’t manage to score but they created good chances while Molde seemed toothless in front of goal without their star man Haaland in the line-up. In a week’s time we’ll need to take at least one of those chances and hope that Haaland, who’s now signed for Salzburg but has been loaned back to Molde, doesn’t sign off with a goal or two of his own.

The players

Ross Laidlaw – The big fella was a virtual spectator at times as Molde stroked the ball around but failed to get even one shot on target.

Efe – I thought Efe was excellent tonight and yes he had a couple of ‘nearly’ Efe moments but his general play was first class.

Ryan – Once he got to grips with Chima he was magnificent for such a young lad and Lenny must be delighted with that performance.

Paul – A few dodgy moments in terms of passes going astray but also a few timely interceptions made possible by his excellent reading of the game.

SDG – The captain who keeps on giving so very nearly got another goal against a team in blue! Was up and down that line like a youngster and it was nice to see Ole Gunner-Solskjaer chatting to him at the final whistle. The Norwegian was, of course, at Manchester United when David was there as a youngster.

Slivka – I thought he had a good first half and though he visibly tired in the second he never stopped closing down Molde players or prompting team mates to go forward.

Marv – Heard his song numerous times tonight and he deserved the adulation. He was fantastic in the engine room and laid to waste my theory that he only delivers in every other game. So impressed was I that I’ve made him my man of the match.

Stevie – The lad is still finding his feet and clearly needs a few more games under his belt to fully settle in but his overall play was good and he certainly made Linde work for his money tonight.

Lewis – The wee man was sparkling tonight with a number of excellent crosses into the box. When he went in for a 50/50 challenge in the second half you just knew he was never pulling out and the only way to stop him earned the Molde player a yellow card.

Boyler – Ran until he dropped; scared the life out of their defenders and became acquainted with every blade of grass in the process earning himself the sponsors man of the match.

Flo – The big guy doesn’t look 100% fit at the moment but it’s fair to say that with Boyler’s nonstop movement and willingness to chase back, Flo was often on his own against a couple of bulky centre-half’s. I’ll be surprised if he’s not rested on Sunday.

Oli – Got the last ten minutes or so and did well enough with the scraps on offer.

Emerson – Much the same as Oli and was unlucky not to get a debut goal with his late diving header.

Jamie – Only came on so that Boyler could get the acclaim of the crowd for his efforts. I expect to see him starting on Sunday.

Lenny – Sounded upbeat after the game and rightly so in my opinion.

The Ref – A bit fussy at times and infuriated some around me when he booked Ryan for a jersey pull but failed to book the Molde player who had chopped down Mallan in full flight. Clearly he felt pulling a jersey is far more dangerous that hacking an opponent down.

The fans – Hats off to every single Hibs fan tonight. I thought the atmosphere was great and I love the fact that it’s become the norm to cheer the lads on when the clock is running out.

[kaimendhibs]

Excellent summary. Agree with every word

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[SRHibs]

I thought Emerson’s was a half volley. I am fairly blind, mind.

[calumhibee1]

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I thought Emerson’s was a half volley. I am fairly blind, mind.

His initial effort was a half volley then he seemed to get into a wee mixup with somebody when he went to follow up.

[SmashinGlass]

Haaland won’t be able to play second leg as his registration. Changed today, meaning he missed the deadline

[Hermit Crab]

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Haaland won’t be able to play second leg as his registration. Changed today, meaning he missed the deadline

That was the question i wanted answered.

[Col_0762]

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Tonight was the beginning of Hibs without John McGinn and I confess that I went to the game worried about how we might fill the gap left by him. John was an exceptional player for Hibs and I’m confident he’ll become equally as important to Aston Villa.

Ahead of the game I wondered who might be in the starting eleven and Lenny decided that his midfield centre would be filled by Slivka, Bartley and Mallan. Other than Laidlaw replacing the injured Bogdan the rest of the side more or less picked itself with Porteous in the centre of the back three. Not really knowing much about Molde, I hoped that Hibs would give a good account of themselves and it’s fair to say they did just that and on another night, might have had a two or three goal advantage to take into the second leg but it was not to be with the game finishing at 0-0.

Hibs started brightly and both Slivka and Mallan had half chances before the visitors settled into a very compact and neat formation. They were confident in possession and their insistence on playing out from the back, coupled with their short passing game meant the Hibs players had to be on their guard at all times.

From early on it became obvious that Boyler’s pace was a worry to them and on one occasion squirrel dashed past his man, got to the byeline and hammered a cross into the six yard box but Kamberi couldn’t quite get to the ball and it fizzed past him. Next, Mallan brought out a fabulous save from Linde as his shot looked destined for the top corner before the keeper finger tipped it onto the bar.

The visitors seemed to enjoy keeping possession and making Hibs work to win the ball back and at times that proved a difficult thing to do but Hibs stuck at it and another pile driver from Mallan saw Linde beat the ball away from above his head. I couldn’t help but think that the ferocity of the shot would have beaten Linde had it been either side of him.

At the other end a timely interception by Paul Hanlon stopped the lively Chima from getting a shot away. Both Paul and Ryan were up against strong and aggressive strikers but for the most part they held fast and when one of the strikers did get the better of them, Efe and Lewis tucked in to good effect to clear the danger. Chima was quite a handful but seemed to have only one ‘trick’ in his book in that he liked to take the ball in to feet with his back to goal and then try and turn his marker. Early in the game, Ryan in particular seemed unsure how to deal with that but he’s a quick learner and Chima was eventually substituted.

The visitors enjoyed their best spell in the first ten minutes of the second half but they offered no real penetration and indeed Ross Laidlaw didn’t have one single shot to save in the whole ninety minutes. A lot of that was due to good defending but an amount of it was attributable to Molde seeming to enjoy passing square passes across the 18 yard box without ever really breaking through into a dangerous area.

Once Hibs re-established control of possession the home fans roared them on as they pushed forward looking for the opener. A brilliant through ball by Slivka saw Boyle cleverly prod the ball towards goal but unfortunately it went just wide with Linde completely flat footed on his line. Another effort by Boyle, following Kamberi’s knock down was hit with force but struck a defender and went out for a corner. Then, David Gray got in on the act, meeting a Mallan corner flush on the forehead but Linde somehow got down to divert the ball onto the post and back into his arms. With time rapidly running out, a Boyle shot was pushed out by Linde and substitute Emerson Hyndman threw himself at it but watched his header slide agonisingly wide.

Hibs didn’t manage to score but they created good chances while Molde seemed toothless in front of goal without their star man Haaland in the line-up. In a week’s time we’ll need to take at least one of those chances and hope that Haaland, who’s now signed for Salzburg but has been loaned back to Molde, doesn’t sign off with a goal or two of his own.

The players

Ross Laidlaw – The big fella was a virtual spectator at times as Molde stroked the ball around but failed to get even one shot on target.

Efe – I thought Efe was excellent tonight and yes he had a couple of ‘nearly’ Efe moments but his general play was first class.

Ryan – Once he got to grips with Chima he was magnificent for such a young lad and Lenny must be delighted with that performance.

Paul – A few dodgy moments in terms of passes going astray but also a few timely interceptions made possible by his excellent reading of the game.

SDG – The captain who keeps on giving so very nearly got another goal against a team in blue! Was up and down that line like a youngster and it was nice to see Ole Gunner-Solskjaer chatting to him at the final whistle. The Norwegian was, of course, at Manchester United when David was there as a youngster.

Slivka – I thought he had a good first half and though he visibly tired in the second he never stopped closing down Molde players or prompting team mates to go forward.

Marv – Heard his song numerous times tonight and he deserved the adulation. He was fantastic in the engine room and laid to waste my theory that he only delivers in every other game. So impressed was I that I’ve made him my man of the match.

Stevie – The lad is still finding his feet and clearly needs a few more games under his belt to fully settle in but his overall play was good and he certainly made Linde work for his money tonight.

Lewis – The wee man was sparkling tonight with a number of excellent crosses into the box. When he went in for a 50/50 challenge in the second half you just knew he was never pulling out and the only way to stop him earned the Molde player a yellow card.

Boyler – Ran until he dropped; scared the life out of their defenders and became acquainted with every blade of grass in the process earning himself the sponsors man of the match.

Flo – The big guy doesn’t look 100% fit at the moment but it’s fair to say that with Boyler’s nonstop movement and willingness to chase back, Flo was often on his own against a couple of bulky centre-half’s. I’ll be surprised if he’s not rested on Sunday.

Oli – Got the last ten minutes or so and did well enough with the scraps on offer.

Emerson – Much the same as Oli and was unlucky not to get a debut goal with his late diving header.

Jamie – Only came on so that Boyler could get the acclaim of the crowd for his efforts. I expect to see him starting on Sunday.

Lenny – Sounded upbeat after the game and rightly so in my opinion.

The Ref – A bit fussy at times and infuriated some around me when he booked Ryan for a jersey pull but failed to book the Molde player who had chopped down Mallan in full flight. Clearly he felt pulling a jersey is far more dangerous that hacking an opponent down.

The fans – Hats off to every single Hibs fan tonight. I thought the atmosphere was great and I love the fact that it’s become the norm to cheer the lads on when the clock is running out.

You honestly must watch a different game to me every week. It’s like my Grandad, no one can do any wrong. Incredible.

[Hi Heid Yin]

Another great and accurate write-up, Jonnyboy.
Thank you.

[O'Rourke3]

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You honestly must watch a different game to me every week. It’s like my Grandad, no one can do any wrong. Incredible.

What game did you go to?

[Blaster]

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You honestly must watch a different game to me every week. It’s like my Grandad, no one can do any wrong. Incredible.

Not sure anyone did much wrong last night. Back 5 solid, midfield did ok at times but quieter at other times. Hard shift for the front 2. Good performance against a good side

[green with envy]

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You honestly must watch a different game to me every week. It’s like my Grandad, no one can do any wrong. Incredible.

I thought the OP gave a decent summery there. What player IYO did he get wrong and why?

[GreenNWhiteArmy]

Overall, we could and should have had a couple of goalswhich would have been nice to take over there. I think we need to give themcredit, at times we were chasing shadows. That’s not Sliv/Bartley or Mallan’sfault imo but down to just how good this side were at times knocking it around.We BADLY missed SJM’s energy in that regard. They were a step up in class fromanybody we’ve faced over the last couple years.



They tired though and in he second half were wasting time tosee the game out. Likelihood is they will be an entirely different propositionat home but we go there with an excellent record domestically, and in Europe awayfrom home under Lennon.


Players wise – standouts over the 90 were SDG and Bartley. Prematch I worried this side would move it too quickly and Bartley would be lostalthough they did shift it quickly, he stuck to his task and played reallywell. SDG is just the ultimate. Crunching in to tackles, being an outball atevery opportunity, putting crosses in and almost getting in on the scoring.Mallan and Sliv both showed glimpses, sliv I think needs a hard worker inbeside him, he’s so slow but has a nice touch and feint on him that can trickthe opposition. Boyle was wasted up top. Showed he had the beating of them whenrunning at them but opportunities never presented themselves because of wherehe played.


Personally thought that Flo and Hanlon were, below theirusual standards of performance. Lewy was sensational and Ryan dealt with theirpowerful attackers well over the 90. Laidlaw not having a save to make is incredibleand I suppose shows how well we dealt with them


Hope over fear heading in to the 2^nd leg, sneak agoal and its all to play for but feel we may rue the missed opportunities fromlast night.

[Kojock]

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You honestly must watch a different game to me every week. It’s like my Grandad, no one can do any wrong. Incredible.

Knowing Johnnyboy he probably is your grandad lol

[Keith_M]

I actually thought it was a pretty decent performance, with two sides that pretty much cancelled each other out. The sheer size of the Molde players, particularly the back line, was a real challenge, and they were pretty skilful with it.

If Hibs play exactly like that in the league, they'll easily beat most teams.



The atmosphere was also quite good, though I think the East Standites did much better than their FF Upper rivals.


As an aside, what was that hideously bad song they were singing last night and has one of them got a Megaphone?

[Jonnyboy]

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I thought Emerson’s was a half volley. I am fairly blind, mind.

To be fair it came at a time when folk on the stairs were leaving and I didn't get the best view of the incident

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Haaland won’t be able to play second leg as his registration. Changed today, meaning he missed the deadline

Didn't realise that. Excellent news

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You honestly must watch a different game to me every week. It’s like my Grandad, no one can do any wrong. Incredible.

I know I watch Hibs and am wondering who you were watching There wasn't a lot to be negative about really

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I thought it was an excellent performance against the best team we've played this season. I'm going to give credit to our much maligned defence for the lack of chances as Molde worked the ball really well at times and we faced several two-on-ones down the flanks.

I thought it was a good atmosphere too, and sometimes think people have unrealistic expectations - probably due to some of the incredible atmospheres we've had in recent seasons. But these have tended to be v Hearts, Huns, Celtic when the Hibs support has had plenty of incidents to react to and are naturally fired up. As another poster said, when the away support can be counted in multiples of ten it doesn't help.

Agreed

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Knowing Johnnyboy he probably is your grandad lol

Shut it you

[RyeSloan]

Normally agree with most report last JB but thought the atmosphere was incredibly flat tonight, a bit like our performance.

Pass marks just for most with Mallan looking the brightest.

[kaimendhibs]

Not in the FF upper

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[The Pointer]

Just read it after the long drive home and it confirms the way I saw the game. I just thought some of the passing was sloppy at times and there were too many high balls in the first half. Flo did his best though.

[Thecat23]

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Tonight was the beginning of Hibs without John McGinn and I confess that I went to the game worried about how we might fill the gap left by him. John was an exceptional player for Hibs and I’m confident he’ll become equally as important to Aston Villa.

Ahead of the game I wondered who might be in the starting eleven and Lenny decided that his midfield centre would be filled by Slivka, Bartley and Mallan. Other than Laidlaw replacing the injured Bogdan the rest of the side more or less picked itself with Porteous in the centre of the back three. Not really knowing much about Molde, I hoped that Hibs would give a good account of themselves and it’s fair to say they did just that and on another night, might have had a two or three goal advantage to take into the second leg but it was not to be with the game finishing at 0-0.

Hibs started brightly and both Slivka and Mallan had half chances before the visitors settled into a very compact and neat formation. They were confident in possession and their insistence on playing out from the back, coupled with their short passing game meant the Hibs players had to be on their guard at all times.

From early on it became obvious that Boyler’s pace was a worry to them and on one occasion squirrel dashed past his man, got to the byeline and hammered a cross into the six yard box but Kamberi couldn’t quite get to the ball and it fizzed past him. Next, Mallan brought out a fabulous save from Linde as his shot looked destined for the top corner before the keeper finger tipped it onto the bar.

The visitors seemed to enjoy keeping possession and making Hibs work to win the ball back and at times that proved a difficult thing to do but Hibs stuck at it and another pile driver from Mallan saw Linde beat the ball away from above his head. I couldn’t help but think that the ferocity of the shot would have beaten Linde had it been either side of him.

At the other end a timely interception by Paul Hanlon stopped the lively Chima from getting a shot away. Both Paul and Ryan were up against strong and aggressive strikers but for the most part they held fast and when one of the strikers did get the better of them, Efe and Lewis tucked in to good effect to clear the danger. Chima was quite a handful but seemed to have only one ‘trick’ in his book in that he liked to take the ball in to feet with his back to goal and then try and turn his marker. Early in the game, Ryan in particular seemed unsure how to deal with that but he’s a quick learner and Chima was eventually substituted.

The visitors enjoyed their best spell in the first ten minutes of the second half but they offered no real penetration and indeed Ross Laidlaw didn’t have one single shot to save in the whole ninety minutes. A lot of that was due to good defending but an amount of it was attributable to Molde seeming to enjoy passing square passes across the 18 yard box without ever really breaking through into a dangerous area.

Once Hibs re-established control of possession the home fans roared them on as they pushed forward looking for the opener. A brilliant through ball by Slivka saw Boyle cleverly prod the ball towards goal but unfortunately it went just wide with Linde completely flat footed on his line. Another effort by Boyle, following Kamberi’s knock down was hit with force but struck a defender and went out for a corner. Then, David Gray got in on the act, meeting a Mallan corner flush on the forehead but Linde somehow got down to divert the ball onto the post and back into his arms. With time rapidly running out, a Boyle shot was pushed out by Linde and substitute Emerson Hyndman threw himself at it but watched his header slide agonisingly wide.

Hibs didn’t manage to score but they created good chances while Molde seemed toothless in front of goal without their star man Haaland in the line-up. In a week’s time we’ll need to take at least one of those chances and hope that Haaland, who’s now signed for Salzburg but has been loaned back to Molde, doesn’t sign off with a goal or two of his own.

The players

Ross Laidlaw – The big fella was a virtual spectator at times as Molde stroked the ball around but failed to get even one shot on target.

Efe – I thought Efe was excellent tonight and yes he had a couple of ‘nearly’ Efe moments but his general play was first class.

Ryan – Once he got to grips with Chima he was magnificent for such a young lad and Lenny must be delighted with that performance.

Paul – A few dodgy moments in terms of passes going astray but also a few timely interceptions made possible by his excellent reading of the game.

SDG – The captain who keeps on giving so very nearly got another goal against a team in blue! Was up and down that line like a youngster and it was nice to see Ole Gunner-Solskjaer chatting to him at the final whistle. The Norwegian was, of course, at Manchester United when David was there as a youngster.

Slivka – I thought he had a good first half and though he visibly tired in the second he never stopped closing down Molde players or prompting team mates to go forward.

Marv – Heard his song numerous times tonight and he deserved the adulation. He was fantastic in the engine room and laid to waste my theory that he only delivers in every other game. So impressed was I that I’ve made him my man of the match.

Stevie – The lad is still finding his feet and clearly needs a few more games under his belt to fully settle in but his overall play was good and he certainly made Linde work for his money tonight.

Lewis – The wee man was sparkling tonight with a number of excellent crosses into the box. When he went in for a 50/50 challenge in the second half you just knew he was never pulling out and the only way to stop him earned the Molde player a yellow card.

Boyler – Ran until he dropped; scared the life out of their defenders and became acquainted with every blade of grass in the process earning himself the sponsors man of the match.

Flo – The big guy doesn’t look 100% fit at the moment but it’s fair to say that with Boyler’s nonstop movement and willingness to chase back, Flo was often on his own against a couple of bulky centre-half’s. I’ll be surprised if he’s not rested on Sunday.

Oli – Got the last ten minutes or so and did well enough with the scraps on offer.

Emerson – Much the same as Oli and was unlucky not to get a debut goal with his late diving header.

Jamie – Only came on so that Boyler could get the acclaim of the crowd for his efforts. I expect to see him starting on Sunday.

Lenny – Sounded upbeat after the game and rightly so in my opinion.

The Ref – A bit fussy at times and infuriated some around me when he booked Ryan for a jersey pull but failed to book the Molde player who had chopped down Mallan in full flight. Clearly he felt pulling a jersey is far more dangerous that hacking an opponent down.

The fans – Hats off to every single Hibs fan tonight. I thought the atmosphere was great and I love the fact that it’s become the norm to cheer the lads on when the clock is running out.

Cheers as always Johnny pretty much agree with most of that. Going against the grain here I’m not convinced on Slivka. For a guy who’s been at a club like Juve I expected so much more. He drifts out of games and doesn’t ever do anything spectacular. Loved to be proved wrong but praying we only see him come off the bench this season that a starter.

[Speedy]

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Cheers as always Johnny pretty much agree with most of that. Going against the grain here I’m not convinced on Slivka. For a guy who’s been at a club like Juve I expected so much more. He drifts out of games and doesn’t ever do anything spectacular. Loved to be proved wrong but praying we only see him come off the bench this season that a starter.

You need to remember that these big clubs hoover up loads of youngsters based on potential and that he was never anywhere near actually playing for them.

[snooky]

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Cheers as always Johnny pretty much agree with most of that. Going against the grain here I’m not convinced on Slivka. For a guy who’s been at a club like Juve I expected so much more. He drifts out of games and doesn’t ever do anything spectacular. Loved to be proved wrong but praying we only see him come off the bench this season that a starter.

I'm going with your grain Cat. I'm not impressed with Slivka. IMO, he's average and at times reminds me of Tudor Jones (left in no man's land) - Helmet donned

One other point, why does Hanlon not pass to Lewis these days? I noticed that a good few times in recent games he's chosen against playing the obvious pass to LS and (wrongly, IMO) played a pass inside.

[Brightside]

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I'm going with your grain Cat. I'm not impressed with Slivka. IMO, he's average and at times reminds me of Tudor Jones (left in no man's land) - Helmet donned

One other point, why does Hanlon not pass to Lewis these days? I noticed that a good few times in recent games he's chosen against playing the obvious pass to LS and (wrongly, IMO) played a pass inside.

Lewis wouldn’t look after Paul’s cat when he was on holiday. It’s escalated to this point. ITK

[Stevie Reid]

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I'm going with your grain Cat. I'm not impressed with Slivka. IMO, he's average and at times reminds me of Tudor Jones (left in no man's land) - Helmet donned

One other point, why does Hanlon not pass to Lewis these days? I noticed that a good few times in recent games he's chosen against playing the obvious pass to LS and (wrongly, IMO) played a pass inside.

You'll need more than a helmet man, Jesus!

OTJ made 9 starts for us and didn't make a single positive contribution for Hibs. In an injury hit first season, Slivka still made a very good impression and scored winners against both halves of the Old Firm.

It's funny because I was tempted to frame how good Slivka is in another post by making a comparison with some of the awful players we've had occupy our midfield in the last decade, but I decided against it. I honestly can't believe that statement, they're light years apart as footballers.

[snooky]

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You'll need more than a helmet man, Jesus!

OTJ made 9 starts for us and didn't make a single positive contribution for Hibs. In an injury hit first season, Slivka still made a very good impression and scored winners against both halves of the Old Firm.

It's funny because I was tempted to frame how good Slivka is in another post by making a comparison with some of the awful players we've had occupy our midfield in the last decade, but I decided against it. I honestly can't believe that statement, they're light years apart as footballers.

Okay, I was deliberately being inflamitory I must admit, however like Cat says Slivka drifts out the game quite a lot. I thought he played very well for the first half of the first half, I'll grant you that.

[Stevie Reid]

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Okay, I was deliberately being inflamitory I must admit, however like Cat says Slivka drifts out the game quite a lot. I thought he played very well for the first half of the first half, I'll grant you that.

On another note, I didn't think the atmosphere was flat last night at all (not directed at you, was mentioned by others in the thread). When I think the atmosphere is lacking on a big European night at ER in front of 16K+, I think I'll give up.

Was a good natured contest, which I think meant it didn't reach stellar levels last night - not a huge amount of needle, no shocking tackles, penalty shouts, and the referee in the main was very good. No away support either. All makes a big difference to the atmosphere, but I still really enjoyed last night.

[NAE NOOKIE]

I thought it was a decent performance by Hibs, though not a brilliant one. The one big encouragement for me was that for an away team in Europe I actually thought Molde were quite positive in their attacking intent and it was testimony to our defence that Laidlaw was rarely troubled. Like a lot of folk I would have liked to have seen a re jig at one point to get Boyle out to the wing, IMO it would have increased our attacking threat significantly.

Laidlaw …. 6 …. Did what he had to do efficiently enough, though as mentioned rarely called into serious action.

Gray …. 7 …. Tireless up and down the right side and happily looking like he has re discovered that ability to sneak in at the back post .. a captains performance and only denied a goal by a great save.

Ambrose …. 7 …. A solid performance from him and he kept rushes of blood to a minimum too.

Porteous …. 7 …. Frustrating at times for him as his direct opponent clearly liked the ball played to him with his back to goal leaving little chance for Ryan to challenge for the ball directly, but he found the guys measure eventually and put in a great performance for a young kid at this level … its testament to say I doubt McGregor would have handled the guy any better.

Hanlon …. 7 …. Yes he had a wee period where his usual good distribution deserted him, but at least twice he saved our bacon by tracking a runner into the box, overall he contributed massively to our clean sheet and well worth his 7

Stevenson …. 7 …. Defended very well and put in some great crossed … his usual tireless performance.

Bartley …. 8 …. My joint man of the match, he was absolutely immense and more than any other Hibs player prevented Molde from getting a real grip on midfield, apart from that 10 minute spell after half time, with his tackling and breaking up of play … no wonder he cramped up near the end.

Slivka …. 6 …. He did some decent work in the first half, but I'm afraid I fall into the camp of people who want to see more from him, especially now he has that central midfield berth that folk seem to think will reveal him as a top class player … he needs to influence games more and the way he tires towards the end just about every time you see him makes his fitness questionable IMO. Some guys just aren't 90 minute players no matter how much they train or play and I'm beginning to worry that Slivka is one of them.

Mallan …. 7 …. Of all our players he was the biggest goal threat and on another night one of his shots might have been far enough away from the keeper to go in. He annoyed the crowd at one point in the 2nd half by trying to beat three guys when the correct option was to pass the ball back, but I thought he showed real commitment. The other thing I really liked from him was the handful of McGinnesque long accurate passes he hit … started his Hibs career very promisingly.

Boyle … 8 …. My joint man of the match. He came so close to scoring and worked and worked and worked to try and influence the game … my big fear for him is that he'll be burnt out in a few seasons the amount of effort he puts in. Is it my imagination or does he look a bit leaner than last season?

Kamberi …. 6 …. He clearly looks a wee bit short of full fitness, but even so he worked really hard and won his fair share of headers against a pretty robust defence, barely had a look in as far as chances to score were concerned, though considering the amount of crosses we got into the box I would have liked to see him near at least one of them, which he wasn't, hence his 6 points.

Subs:

Shaw … 4 …. Did fine when he came on, but didn't have a lot to feed off of, I thought he showed good patience when he got the ball in the box but didn't feel he could get a shot off, when he did eventually play the ball he was unlucky to see it go just our of Boyle's reach at the back post.

Hyndman … 4 …. In the short time he was on I thought he showed he could turn out to be a real asset, he played a really nice ball over the top to Kamberi I think it was and looked a decent player overall.

MacLaren … 10 … 9 sympathy points for the manager forcing him to have to have a shower when there seemed little point in bringing him on with two minutes to go.

Lenny: I was surprised he didn't move Boyle out wide when it seemed to be the obvious thing to do, but overall his system worked pretty effectively and we did make chances without leaving ourselves wide open at the back as we have done a bit too much recently. I liked his positive interview after the match and how full of praise he was for the team.

Molde ….. They look a neat and tidy outfit and pretty physical too … but in all honesty I wouldn't put them down as a team any better than our last European opponents were and if their star man cant play in the second leg as has been mentioned we do have a chance of putting them out, though I'm not pretending it wont be a tough ask, especially on a sodding plastic pitch … ban the buggers

[jacomo]

Another great match report.

I thought we lacked a little composure in midfield but that will hopefully improve.

What I liked most is how we dealt with that 10 minute spell after half time when Molde were on top. We kept our shape and contained them, then had a half chance and were back in the ascendancy again.

Shame not to score a goal but pretty encouraging.

[SirDavidsNapper]

Good report for us that couldn't make the game. Over all i think it was a good result against an experienced European side half way though their season. Next week we'll have another 90 mins under our belts with Emerson and wee Tam settled in. I've got to say we look very competitive at this level which is very pleasing.

[MB62]

I'm with the 'CAT' re Slivka. The guy frustrates me with doing some really good things, then immediately effs things up. Personally don't think he is good enough for a team that is looking to finish in the top 4 again, but certainly could be a handy squad player.
Guys round me were having a go at Mallan last night for doing a lot of pointing and not tackling. Whilst they were right, Stevie is not on the pitch to be sinking tackles in, he's a play maker and goal scorer and the man who almost opened the scoring for us after 0-7 minutes, but those guys conveniently forgot about that effort. Okay, he still struggles for fitness, or at least looks that way to me, another few weeks training and gym work should help enormously with that, but I think he will be a great asset to us.

It was a strange sort of atmosphere last night, bit like being at the wake of a good friend, didn't know whether to mourn his loss or celebrate the good times we had with him. Ultimately, I thought the fans did their best to get the players going, especially late on when they looked as though they were tiring.

Molde passed the ball about well and will be delighted with the score, but we are far from out of this tie, with a bit of good luck this time, we might be able to snatch a goal, or two, we deserved to have done last night.

[Stevie Reid]

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I'm with the 'CAT' re Slivka. The guy frustrates me with doing some really good things, then immediately effs things up. Personally don't think he is good enough for a team that is looking to finish in the top 4 again, but certainly could be a handy squad player.
Guys round me were having a go at Mallan last night for doing a lot of pointing and not tackling. Whilst they were right, Stevie is not on the pitch to be sinking tackles in, he's a play maker and goal scorer and the man who almost opened the scoring for us after 0-7 minutes, but those guys conveniently forgot about that effort. Okay, he still struggles for fitness, or at least looks that way to me, another few weeks training and gym work should help enormously with that, but I think he will be a great asset to us.

It was a strange sort of atmosphere last night, bit like being at the wake of a good friend, didn't know whether to mourn his loss or celebrate the good times we had with him. Ultimately, I thought the fans did their best to get the players going, especially late on when they looked as though they were tiring.

Molde passed the ball about well and will be delighted with the score, but we are far from out of this tie, with a bit of good luck this time, we might be able to snatch a goal, or two, we deserved to have done last night.

Come on man. I'm all for the canonisation of SJM, but that's a bit much. I can honestly say that I didn't think about McGinn once last night, until one of my mates said that he thought we missed him and Dylan as we were leaving.