The most frightening things about yesterday......

[jiggerman]

How unidimensional, tentative and lacking in quality we are in an attacking the opposition. It has been the same in all the other games. The three goals we have scored have been down to the tenacity and bullishness of our best player, with an added slice of fortune. For me this is down to a combination of not having a 'playmaker' and a general lack of quality in the midfield (I actually think we have good striking options). Several of our midfielders have good qualities (Murray's battling qualities, Sproule's evident pace, Galbraith's fleeting but good crossing ability) but simply are not consistent in their output (our ball retention yesterday was embarrassing, lost 50/50s, niggling fouls) and are not able to intelligently support the forwards - I have little belief when we counter attack that it going to be done with any incisiveness.
How good St Mirren and Kilmarnock have looked on what must be smaller budgets. Both the aforementioned teams have (it appears) brought in good players who are more comfortable and incisive with the ball than our players and above all, are entertaining to watch. We gave St Mirren the points yesterday (literally) but they were far better at zipping the ball about, winning 50/50s and draining the fight from us - remember, despite giving the two gilt edged opportunities, they put them away crisply. McGowan, Thompson and Teale (basically a game intelligent Ivan Sproule, with a little less pace) were impressive - Hasselbaink wasn't even playing! Kilmarnock totally outplayed us. There are good players out there, but it looks like we haven't signed them - McGowan is exactly the type of player we are missing.
I don't think I have typed anything most on here would not already have recognised, and don't think I have typed anything controversial and am going to avoid the temptation to make predictions for a season when we are only 4 games in, other than to say I hold out little hope and have little faith in several of the players crossing the white line on match days representing our club. I would also say, CC may turn it round, he will know far more than I do :greengrin, and may have expected all this (he has said in the press the opening to the season was going to be tough) and I will continue to support the team.

I think the biggest boost would be for us to sign some creativity in the centre of the park or who could drift in from the left - otherwise, Berwick must be looking forward to Tuesday.........:rolleyes:

J

[Hibernia Na Eir]

perhaps the poor quality manager we have can take the blame. CC must go!

[SaudiHibby]

I have been watching/supporting Hibs for 45 years (jeezo). The first ten years 66 to 76 were fabulous times. The subsequent 35 years have been woeful (aside from a few fleeting moments of course). This is primarly because I was 'spoilt' during the first ten.

My non Hibs supporting friends tell me that I should forget the glory days and realise that we are always going to lose more than we win and that the days of seeing Hibs flying are gone. No more big European nights, no more fabulous football, no more packed Easter Road, no more pride in saying I am a Hibby.

I have therefore changed my outlook. I expect to get beat every week so that I can get excited when we win. I fully expect a shocking performance against Berwick and a defeat. I expect to get horsed against the Jamtawats. My friends tell me I am a happier person all round.

Who do I blame? No-one really. This manager is no better or worse than anyone out there who would take the Hibs job. The players are no better or worse than those earning 1-3,000 per week elsewhere. We are where we are and thats it.

I am still a Hibby and will die a Hibby but I am a changed Hibby with less mouth about our once great club.:flag:

[edwards]

jiggerman :top marks



But there are also other concerns which I would have expected Calderwood to have resolved long before now.
It is a well known fact that CC played at a high level as a defender with club and country, for him to stand and watch our defence ravaged by the Kilmarnock forward line last week he must have SURELY realised that the defence needed changing for the St Mirren game.
Danny Lennon probably couldn't believe his luck that Calderwood had stuck out the same back four. :rolleyes:
As a manager you start form the back and sort out your problems, yes we did buy O'Hanlon but after observing his defence over the past few weeks he must SURELY realise that we need a more mature player in the centre of defence beside O'Hanlon,could that be Murray !!! We also need a right back that is blatantly obvious.
I didn't manage the game yesterday as I was working but I was informed that Murray refused to shake Calderwoods hand at the end of the game. How much truth is there in that I am unsure.
If we should get knocked out by Berwick midweek than beat by Hearts the following week pressure will mount on Calderwood and Mr Petrie and the chance of getting money from Birmingham will have gone, the window will have closed and it will be up to the next manager to motivate what Calderwood has left him.
Calderwood working on his own and not having an assistant to me sends out a message he doesn't intend to hang about ER much longer. Lets hope for everyone's sake that he can pull this out the bag or we will be facing another long hard season.:timebomb:

[edwards]

I have been watching/supporting Hibs for 45 years (jeezo). The first ten years 66 to 76 were fabulous times. The subsequent 35 years have been woeful (aside from a few fleeting moments of course). This is primarly because I was 'spoilt' during the first ten.

My non Hibs supporting friends tell me that I should forget the glory days and realise that we are always going to lose more than we win and that the days of seeing Hibs flying are gone. No more big European nights, no more fabulous football, no more packed Easter Road, no more pride in saying I am a Hibby.

I have therefore changed my outlook. I expect to get beat every week so that I can get excited when we win. I fully expect a shocking performance against Berwick and a defeat. I expect to get horsed against the Jamtawats. My friends tell me I am a happier person all round.

Who do I blame? No-one really. This manager is no better or worse than anyone out there who would take the Hibs job. The players are no better or worse than those earning 1-3,000 per week elsewhere. We are where we are and thats it.

I am still a Hibby and will die a Hibby but I am a changed Hibby with less mouth about our once great club.:flag:



Don't get to down Saudi I to was about in that era, Our choice in managers over the past few year hasn't been spectacular and I am unsure whether Calderwood is the obvious choice.
Unless we sort our pesent defence out we probably will lose more than we win.
But hey ho football is a funny old game lets see what is waiting round the corner.
Cmon the HIBEES

:flag:

[SaudiHibby]

Don't get to down Saudi I to was about in that era, Our choice in managers over the past few year hasn't been spectacular and I am unsure whether Calderwood is the obvious choice.
Unless we sort our pesent defence out we probably will lose more than we win.
But hey ho football is a funny old game lets see what is waiting round the corner.
Cmon the HIBEES

:flag:

Not down Edwards, that's the point. I know how it feels to be a Falkirk fan now, or a Dunfermline fan, or a Morton fan. RIP the Mighty Hibees and Long Live the hibs:flag:

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

The most frightening thing for me?......probably the gut feeling I got as soon as the Saints scored the second goal. We didn't have another two goals in us. Confidence is always the team's best player but just now we are leaving him in the dressing room struggling to tie his laces up.

[truehibernian]

Good post I have to say.

Hibs are, and have been for the last 4 seasons, far too slow in their build up play. There is no 'zip' and the ball takes far too long to circulate to the right areas. For me it's two things - the midfield balance has always been wrong and the defence has no experience in it's spine. Under Mowbray and to a lesser degree Collins, you had a good balance. Thomson was excellent at spreading play, good control, also good in the tackle (albeit late on occasion). Brown was what I would call an insolent player - a nice bit of arrogance to him because he actually had the talent to go alongside it. He wound up opponents who then tried too hard to get back at him, which allowed him to use his talent to get by them. Boozy had a coolness about his play......nothing fazed him and he was a beautiful player to watch. Michael Stewart had both dig and energy. What all four had though is/was the willingess to work tirelessly for 90 minutes, for each other......they all wanted to win for the team and each other. At present that's what we don't have - we are back to 11 individuals playing for themselves and not for each other. The other key thing about these four players is that they all scored goals from midfield. When was the last Hibs team you could honestly say that any of the midfield would be on the scoresheet ? We just don't have the players who can get into that area and score, or take a chance and shoot from all angles. Wotherspoon took two seasons to treble his tally (IIRC), Stevenson has only scored one in around 4 seasons, Murray I can't recall scoring, Thornhill hasn't scored in a competitive game, Palsson has only scored a penalty (again IIRC).


Defensively - all over the place due to poor positioning. We play very slow, but very flat. Even their second goal yesterday, for me, could have been avoided after VP made a dog's breakfast of a tackle on their full back. You have to anticipate a cut back as well as a cross across the 6 yard box. Both Hanlon and Stephens ended up marking space, not a man. Again, no one from midfield tracked runners. But let's be completely honest about yesterday - each and every time a cross came into the Hibs box there was danger. Hanlon leaving crosses (probably still has the O.G on his mind), Stephens slow, Stack rooted to his line. Twice they could have punished us with better finishing rather than finding the side netting.


If there is money left in the biscuit tin, as CC has alluded to, my choice would be to buy a right back and left back, both with experience, push Boothy up into left midfield, Palsson back into the middle of the park replacing Murray, and getting in a creative midfielder too. That's three players we are short IMHO. O'Hanlon coming back will help both Paul and David whoever plays.


And I would also tell CC to quit it with the 'showing DVD's of the game' - if pro footballers need to rewatch their mistakes they shouldn't be pro footballers. They know in their hearts their failings. Get on that training pitch, not in a comfy lounge. That's where you learn to root out the mistakes Colin, not from watching Barcelona games !