Season Going forward

[rcarter1]

I think Pat has reached a crossroads.

I think relegation is virtually impossible - very good to be saying that this early in the season. On the other hand performances do not suggest a Top 3 finish (European qualification places) is likely either.

Top 6 is useful but not essential.

Is it time for Pat to let go of the defensive mind set, and start setting up the team to go forward? I know we aren't good enough to really pull this off with great success, but perhaps we can afford to focus more on establishing a style of play rather than results. I don't think crowds will start increasing until the hoofball approach is replaced. I feel some players at the club - Sproule? have suffered with the way the team is set up.

Do we have anything to lose?

:flag:

[Kaff]

I think Pat has reached a crossroads.

I think relegation is virtually impossible - very good to be saying that this early in the season. On the other hand performances do not suggest a Top 3 finish (European qualification places) is likely either.

Top 6 is useful but not essential.

Is it time for Pat to let go of the defensive mind set, and start setting up the team to go forward? I know we aren't good enough to really pull this off with great success, but perhaps we can afford to focus more on establishing a style of play rather than results. I don't think crowds will start increasing until the hoofball approach is replaced. I feel some players at the club - Sproule? have suffered with the way the team is set up.

Do we have anything to lose?

:flag:

Agree with the sentiment of your post but i would at least wait til we see how the cup progresses before we change our setup.

[danhibees1875]

4th position, where we currently stand, gets a spot in Europe doesn't it?

At which point I think we still have plenty to fight for. :agree:

[lord bunberry]

4th position, where we currently stand, gets a spot in Europe doesn't it?

At which point I think we still have plenty to fight for. :agree:

I don't think it does I think we get 1 champions league place and 3 europa league places 1 of which goes to the cup winner's

[rcarter1]

Agree with the sentiment of your post but i would at least wait til we see how the cup progresses before we change our setup.

True, a different approach is required for the Cup - given we can still win it! If we beat Aberdeen, I think our league games should be about preparing for the Cup games.

[rcarter1]

I don't think it does I think we get 1 champions league place and 3 europa league places 1 of which goes to the cup winner's

exactly - Europe requires top 3 finish (or cup).

[bob12345]

There's obviously a decent chance Celtic will win the cup, so being in the mix for fourth spot shouldn't be disregarded.

[Ozyhibby]

Glad none of you lot are the manager. Second spot is achievable and we should be trying our hardest to make it happen. I'm sick of this always building for next season attitude.

[Gatecrasher]

Glad none of you lot are the manager. Second spot is achievable and we should be trying our hardest to make it happen. I'm sick of this always building for next season attitude.
We are making progress from last season and a good start to the season got us into the position we are in, there is no reason why we cant go for it if we string a few results together. :agree:

[JoeTortolanoFanClub]

I find it very difficult to agree with anyone who uses the phrase 'going forward'...

[danhibees1875]

I don't think it does I think we get 1 champions league place and 3 europa league places 1 of which goes to the cup winner's

Ah okay, I'd still like to backtrack and say it's far too early to resign ourselves to mid table obscurity. 3rd and even 2nd isn't impossible for any team given the tightness of the league- all anyone needs is a wee run.

[rcarter1]

Ill believe it when I see us in third.. Anyhow, if we continue playing in the fashion that we do, I think we are going to lose morale of any creative attack minded players that we have. IMO building a new team is about establishing a style of play as much as getting in new players. We've done really well to steady the ship points wise, but Id rather us have a go at teams more, now that we are safe. Good habits and all that.

[jacomo]

I find it very difficult to agree with anyone who uses the phrase 'going forward'...

:agree:

Especially annoying as OP also uses 'going forward' in its correct footballing context - i.e. attacking.

[lyonhibs]

I think Pat has reached a crossroads.

I think relegation is virtually impossible - very good to be saying that this early in the season. On the other hand performances do not suggest a Top 3 finish (European qualification places) is likely either.

Top 6 is useful but not essential.

Is it time for Pat to let go of the defensive mind set, and start setting up the team to go forward? I know we aren't good enough to really pull this off with great success, but perhaps we can afford to focus more on establishing a style of play rather than results. I don't think crowds will start increasing until the hoofball approach is replaced. I feel some players at the club - Sproule? have suffered with the way the team is set up.

Do we have anything to lose?

:flag:

The difference between a 4th/5th place obtained through "stodgy" counter attacking football based around being tough to beat and a 9th/10th obtained through a gung-ho "We'll score 1 more than you (but don't have the players for this....)" style is a 6 figure sum, I'm sure.

And anyway, last I checked, we were clear in 4th place, 1 point behind 3rd. 3rd place is eminently achievable.

[Seveno]

We should be aiming for 2nd place if only for the massive financial reward. Other teams are potentially being weakened through loss of key players whereas we look like we might be able to come out of the transfer/ loan period intact. If we could get rid of Galbraith and Kujabi then we might have the money to do a deal with St Johnstone and get Craig now.

I think we are still hoping to sign a winger although I would be more than happy if we could get Erskine from Partick Thistle.

[basehibby]

I think Pat has reached a crossroads.

I think relegation is virtually impossible - very good to be saying that this early in the season. On the other hand performances do not suggest a Top 3 finish (European qualification places) is likely either.

Top 6 is useful but not essential.

Is it time for Pat to let go of the defensive mind set, and start setting up the team to go forward? I know we aren't good enough to really pull this off with great success, but perhaps we can afford to focus more on establishing a style of play rather than results. I don't think crowds will start increasing until the hoofball approach is replaced. I feel some players at the club - Sproule? have suffered with the way the team is set up.

Do we have anything to lose?

:flag:

I think there may yet be some transfer activity to come which could make a difference to the team and how it plays. As things stand we don't look like Euro-qualifying material but a couple of astute signings could change that as the league is still very tight (Celtic excepted who are predictably pulling away) - so ...every point remains a prisoner.

In any case, I don't hold with the idea that fans will come flocking back to watch more open but ultimately losing football - which is likely what we'll get if we try to play more expansively without the right personel (and Sproule, regardless of his excellent start with Ross County showed very little to sugest he could supply that over the last 18 months).

The manager's responsibility is to get Hibs finishing as high up the table as possible - which will guarantee more money from the prize pot rather than relying on the whims of the more faint hearted amongst our support.

[TheFamous1875]

I think we need to have the players first, in order to adapt a more "positive" style of play. The players we have (4CDMs) aren't those kind of players. You need to let your team play the way that they can play and get the best out of them, which is why we are the way we are. I just hope Fenlon will be more positive when he can add to the team, and seeing Liam Craig scoring goals makes me think that he will be.

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[Ozyhibby]

I agree we need an attacking midfielder but right now our two centre halfs, McPake especially, look like they need a lot of protecting. Sometimes you can't fix one problem without first dealing with another. Our defence need tightened up big time.

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Don't see a crossroads at all. The remit for this season was a league place in single figures. So that was ninth or better. All this talk about changing things or we might not get second or third is somewhere between fairy stories and wishfull thinking based on where we were less than a year ago.

[TheFamous1875]

I also think our defence need to start ****in concentrating when they're defending. I'm not being funny, but practically every goal against us has been from a defensive error, or we're sleeping when we're getting attacked. I seriously can not think of 1 goal we've conceded this season that has been because the opposing team have attacked well or they've outplayed us. I think apart from 1 or 2 great strikes (Dundee's first at Dens is the last one I mind) or just sheer luck (Ross County at home), it's mostly been Hibs' own fault they've conceded on most occasions.


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[Scouse Hibee]

I think Pat has reached a crossroads.

I think relegation is virtually impossible - very good to be saying that this early in the season. On the other hand performances do not suggest a Top 3 finish (European qualification places) is likely either.

Top 6 is useful but not essential.

Is it time for Pat to let go of the defensive mind set, and start setting up the team to go forward? I know we aren't good enough to really pull this off with great success, but perhaps we can afford to focus more on establishing a style of play rather than results. I don't think crowds will start increasing until the hoofball approach is replaced. I feel some players at the club - Sproule? have suffered with the way the team is set up.

Do we have anything to lose?

:flag:

Unbelievable, yet another poster who thinks Hibs can be managed as easily as they can manage a team on football manager or FIFA! Thanks but I'll take the style of play of an established manager who has started a job he is now where near finishing just yet rather than your speculative this might work and look good approach.

[rcarter1]

Well clearly the consensus is on keeping it steady until the players can be brought it which does make sense.

My point however was more about using the security of our league position to starting now on developing a more attacking style of play - which our current players get used to, so that when the quality comes in we know what we are doing. I feel our players may get a bit engrained in a style of play that suddenly we will want to change because we get some creative players.

Knowing how best to defend when employing an attacking set up, and defending when you keep things tight are different. Perhaps why we had the success against celtic, yet lose to ross county and draw with dundee?

:flag: