The passing game

[theonlywayisup]

IMO Barcelona have a lot to answer for.

It seems every club now wants to get the ball, retain possession and pass it to create an opening.

Some teams are good at it. IMO Man Utd are great in passing the ball forward.

Hibs, well no. We seem to pass it across the midfield and the back to the defenders, who lump it forward. Not Barcelona class!

I recall someone from 30 years ago saying "the best pass is into space, not to the man". We seem incapable of playing the measured ball into space, that one of our players runs onto. On Thursday, I saw passes to team-mates (sometimes) but never into space that a teamate would run onto. Yet Malmo were excellent at it.

Is this just basic skills that we have lost.

My other frustration watching my own wee boy playing boys club football is that when a boy gets a ball in a forward position it is head down, and try to dribble past players or try to score from impossible positions, when there will be a player in better position who could/should score. What I noticed on Thursday, was two or three occasions when the Malmo striker could have shot, but chose to pass infield to a player in a better position, who usually was left with a tap-in. Yet there was one time deep in the second half when Vine got the ball outside the box, and chose to drag it to his right foot, closer to the Malmo defender and the result was a shot, high over the crossbar. Yet, he had the option of playing a simple one yard pass into Handling who was running into the box with space in front of him, and a better IMO chance to score. Vine chose the wrong option.

When to pass, and when not to!

[4 Front Teeth]

We have always prided ourselves on at least trying to play good football. In hopeless desperation, after a long run of poor results....... even though we thought we would never do it....... we sold our souls for results and backed Pat........ who plays Hearts/Wimbledon/Mayaswellnotbother football..... in return for results. Now look what's happened...... we are everything we don't want to be....... appalling football, appalling results and an absolute embarrassment.

We are embarrassing and we have been for a number of years. With the wages we pay it would take a genius to make us this bad! This is like some massive practical joke, at some point Rod will run onto the pitch and pull off a disguise to reveal Jeremy Beadle is alive and well.

Please can go back to being a team that at least attempts to play good football and build from that standpoint?

[Kojock]

Please can go back to being a team that at least attempts to play good football and build from that standpoint?

Please can we forget this myth that Hibs are a flair team. Managers such as Bertie Auld and Alex Millar to name but two produced many years of crap football.

The only teams to play good football were the Famous Five, Turnbulls Tornadoes and Tony Mowbrays team, as for the rest mediocre at best.

[greenlex]

Please can we forget this myth that Hibs are a flair team. Managers such as Bertie Auld and Alex Millar to name but two produced many years of crap football.
In over 40 years of watching Hibs I've seen maybe 8 years of it. It stems back to the famous 5 era. We have rarely been close since and when we ave it's been fleetingly.
It is something to aspire to but the culture is being turned around within the club but the mentality is taking longer. The flair football is miles away.

[hibee19]

Please can we forget this myth that Hibs are a flair team. Managers such as Bertie Auld and Alex Millar to name but two produced many years of crap football.

The only teams to play good football were the Famous Five, Turnbulls Tornadoes and Tony Mowbrays team, as for the rest mediocre at best.

These are values that most Hibs fans believe in, even if we haven't always achieved it we should always aspire to play football the way it was meant to be played. Lets give this club an identity other than the laughing stock of scottish football.

[lord bunberry]

These are values that most Hibs fans believe in, even if we haven't always achieved it we should always aspire to play football the way it was meant to be played. Lets give this club an identity other than the laughing stock of scottish football.

Absolutely right

[4 Front Teeth]

Please can we forget this myth that Hibs are a flair team. Managers such as Bertie Auld and Alex Millar to name but two produced many years of crap football.

The only teams to play good football were the Famous Five, Turnbulls Tornadoes and Tony Mowbrays team, as for the rest mediocre at best.


At least there was denial in the past - now we openly admit that we are happy to have a manager like Pat. Mixu was hounded out because the fans misunderstood a comment about direct football. A few fears later most of the fans seem to have sold their souls for results, they should be ashamed of themselves.

[hibIBZ]

I hate the Scottish football idea of get it doon and pass about. This sort of pass it and knock it about stuff. Yogi was a great example of it as well. What's the point in all this passing it around If there is no purpose to it? In my eyes al it seems to lead to is the ten with the ball eventually gets swamped by the others midfield. Malmo played proper long ball direct football at times. Passing in to space with purpose. All we seem to do is tap it around the midfield and back four until it is either hoofed aimlessly under pressure of its taken off us

[LongshanksED]

I remember sauzee getting a round of applause at ER once for playing a sublime ball into space that our striker (cant remember who) was supposed to run into but was standing still. One of those passes that just ripped open the opponents defence yet our players couldn't see the run.

[Chump]

I hate the Scottish football idea of get it doon and pass about. This sort of pass it and knock it about stuff. Yogi was a great example of it as well. What's the point in all this passing it around If there is no purpose to it? In my eyes al it seems to lead to is the ten with the ball eventually gets swamped by the others midfield. Malmo played proper long ball direct football at times. Passing in to space with purpose. All we seem to do is tap it around the midfield and back four until it is either hoofed aimlessly under pressure of its taken off us

I think you are missing the point.....we don't have the talent to do what these managers are trying to accomplish.

To be able to do that you have to have 1 or 2 players in midfeld who have vision/ability to make a first time ball into the space. You also have to encourage your players to be more fluid and move into space. We seem to be static and willing to accept the easy ball option.


I hate the Scottish football idea of get it doon and pass about. This sort of pass it and knock it about stuff. Yogi was a great example of it as well. What's the point in all this passing it around If there is no purpose to it? In my eyes al it seems to lead to is the ten with the ball eventually gets swamped by the others midfield. Malmo played proper long ball direct football at times. Passing in to space with purpose. All we seem to do is tap it around the midfield and back four until it is either hoofed aimlessly under pressure of its taken off us

Only because Hibs playing a high line defence made it easy for them to do so....the majority of their play was slick, pass and move football, with most of their players comfortable and confident to play a first time ball.

[hibIBZ]

If we don't have the talent to play like that then why try to? You must try to play to you strengths although I will concede that it is pretty hard to determine what our strengths are. Plus I think Thomson has the ability to pick passes in midfield but if ours are standing watching/hiding behind defenders/isolated on their own up front it's no wonder we end up going sideways and backwards.

Technically I don't think they were miles ahead of us. They had done their home work, were well organised and were physically miles ahead of us

[PISTOL1875]

If we don't have the talent to play like that then why try to? You must try to play to you strengths although I will concede that it is pretty hard to determine what our strengths are. Plus I think Thomson has the ability to pick passes in midfield but if ours are standing watching/hiding behind defenders/isolated on their own up front it's no wonder we end up going sideways and backwards.

Technically I don't think they were miles ahead of us. They had done their home work, were well organised and were physically miles ahead of us


You have to be the only person who watched that game on Thursday who didn't think that..

Utter madness............

[Springbank]

Please can we forget this myth that Hibs are a flair team. Managers such as Bertie Auld and Alex Millar to name but two produced many years of crap football.

The only teams to play good football were the Famous Five, Turnbulls Tornadoes and Tony Mowbrays team, as for the rest mediocre at best.
Not in my name hsh

I support Hibs because I like a certain brand of football

[Pretty Boy]

The reason Malmo were able to play good passing football was simple.

They had players moving ahead of them to pass to.
Every player, goalkeeper included, was comfortable playing 1 and 2 touch football.
Every player had a good 1st touch to allow them to do the above.
They were able to pass the ball in front of a player to run onto as opposed to Hibs, every pass we made seemed to be misplaced half a yard behind the target.

Playing a fast, attacking game has to be the ultimate goal but we are technically unable at the moment because it's been beaten out our players over the last few years and replaced with industrial pish.

I don't believe it's that difficult to get back to either. Bobby Williamson made a crop of fantastic youngsters look poor at times because he had them playing hoofball crap, Tony Mowbray transformed that group of players within about 5 weeks.

[Kojock]

Not in my name hsh

I support Hibs because I like a certain brand of football

Not trying to be a smart ar5e but can you enlighten me to what that certain brand of football is and what Hibs team(s) you have seen play it.

Here is a list of all the managers that have been at Hibs since I started watching in the 60's

Bob Shankly, Willie MacFarlane, Dave Ewing, Eddie Turnbull, Willie Ormond, Bertie Auld, Pat Stanton, John Blackley, Alex Miller, Jim Duffy, Alex McLeish, Frank Sauzee, Bobby Williamson, Tony Mowbray, John Collins, Mixu Paatelainen, John Hughes, Colin Calderwood and last but not least Pat Fenlon.

The ones in bold are the managers I have seen Hibs play good football under. Which is around 14 years out of 45

[TheFamous1875]

You need the mixture of both. You need to build from the back, and create the passing, beautiful game on top that. No point in being the Hibs team from 6/7 years ago and leaking goals. Back then if we had a few more experienced heads and a few less Billy Big Boots in our squad we could've made something of it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD