Hibs v Falkirk: Scottish Cup Semi-Final 2013

[TheFamous1875]

How did we ever get away with that? We may have miraculously came back from the dead, but we were a semi good SPL side against a semi good First Division side. How we were 3-0 down in 30 mins I'll never understand.

If I were manager, I'd have told them "this is a potential banana slip, don't get can't out by these guys, we're better than them. Be on top of everything, be stronger, be more experienced. Use this to your advantage and grind them down!"

I honestly can't think of any manager ever being as bad at motivating his team before a big match than Fenlon. Surely that's the easy part???

[I'm_cabbaged]

Heard him once in an interview, can't remember before what game saying "you've got to play the team, not the occasion"

I'm not a sports psychologist but doing that to me makes sure that the other teams are coming out the traps quicker and flying into tackles harder.

[jodjam]

I ken you are hurting but the Falkirk game has been done to death.

[Finbar]

I thought the Falkirk game had been a turning point. It seemed after that game hibs played a more attacking style and it was working. But this season we've gone back to the way things were.

[Aldo]

Is it not the case that a couple of the players, one being KT let rip at half time.

God I don't know. I never want to see Hibs getting beat... EVER but after Sundays embarrassment along with other just as bad if not worse results the man has to go.

[khib70]

The Falkirk game was a huge embarrassment, as Fenlon set us up all wrong and we were overrun. By all accounts only a virtual player revolt at HT and the virtuosity of Griffiths and Harris saved the day. It should have been game over for him after the final.

In assessing Fenlon's disastrous tenure, the eventual win doesn't stop that game being one of four major (and countless minor) humiliations he inflicted on our club. I was genuinely shocked that anyone who sat through that awful first half hour could still defend Fenlon, and continue to punt out the "work in progress", "in Pat we trust" nonsense.

He's been cut more slack than any failing Hibs manager I can remember. He's had a shedload of backing he never deserved. He can have no complaints. His dignity and integrity will remain intact but only if he walks out the door now.

[Seven Zero]

Lets not forget that we won that game. As much as it was his fault we were 3-0 down it was as much his fault we won 4-3. Alot of ppl would have burried their head and gave up (like a lot of the fans that day) but he never and half time there was quite rightly words said and a little more. I think he has to go now tbh but to be digging up this game is abit ****ty. A semi final we won and will go down as one of the most exciting ever. Base him on games like Malmo, not games we actually won.

[Beefster]

Is it not the case that a couple of the players, one being KT let rip at half time.

God I don't know. I never want to see Hibs getting beat... EVER but after Sundays embarrassment along with other just as bad if not worse results the man has to go.

Thomson and McPake pretty much did the half-time talk.

[matty_f]

Lets not forget that we won that game. As much as it was his fault we were 3-0 down it was as much his fault we won 4-3. Alot of ppl would have burried their head and gave up (like a lot of the fans that day) but he never and half time there was quite rightly words said and a little more. I think he has to go now tbh but to be digging up this game is abit ****ty. A semi final we won and will go down as one of the most exciting ever. Base him on games like Malmo, not games we actually won.

Correct.

[MrRobot]

If its true about KT letting rip and motivating them, as much as I love Williams and McPake, I do think Kev should be captain. He has experience and is one of the first on the team sheet every week.

Probably not a popular opinion but I'd like to see it happen.

[Phil D. Rolls]

How did we ever get away with that? We may have miraculously came back from the dead, but we were a semi good SPL side against a semi good First Division side. How we were 3-0 down in 30 mins I'll never understand.

If I were manager, I'd have told them "this is a potential banana slip, don't get can't out by these guys, we're better than them. Be on top of everything, be stronger, be more experienced. Use this to your advantage and grind them down!"

I honestly can't think of any manager ever being as bad at motivating his team before a big match than Fenlon. Surely that's the easy part???

Who cares, 1-5, 1902 etc.

[JollyGreenGiant]

At half-time during that game, it was the first indication to me that Fenlon didn't have the management skills to be the Hibs manager.

Ok, we turned it around that day, but what if we had turned up like that against a better team, such as Celtic, Well or dare I say the Yams!

We could argue all day about his tactics, but for me he does not know how to motivate a team for a game, even the biggest games, cup finals, semi's, Derby's and European games. In too many of these games the team has not even woken up until after half-time!

Fenlon seems like a good guy, but imo his time is up!

[DH1875]

Is it not the case that a couple of the players, one being KT let rip at half time.

God I don't know. I never want to see Hibs getting beat... EVER but after Sundays embarrassment along with other just as bad if not worse results the man has to go.


I'm also led to believe this is what happened. Pretty sure Pat even came out and said something along of the lines of him having to say nothing as the players were doing the talking.

[GreenArmyyy!]

It could also be seen as one of the most inspiring comebacks in our history? No of course not, that would make the game a positive.

[john18722]

It could also be seen as one of the most inspiring comebacks in our history? No of course not, that would make the game a positive.

This, don't turn all positives into negatives.:agree:

Yes there are games to complain about but we WON the semi final and at the end of the day thats what matters!

[TheFamous1875]

I can't disagree that it was a testament to the team (and Pat?) that we came through that in the end, but if we actually look back and remember that scenario for what it was, it still fills me with rage that we ever got ourselves into a humiliating situation like that.

Malmo and Celtic, we have an excuse: they are better teams. Falkirk and Hearts?

Falkirk was the first big one after months of gutless '4-5-1' performances, we didn't win for months at home since Celtic at ER and before that, things were already looking shaky, Dundee at Dens being the turning point.

I just expect a level of consistency when you build a team. No matter what league, or what money is available. There should be a standard for a club like Hibernian Football Club. It seems the standard has been that it's acceptable to let the fans down time and time again. I can accept that we are probably the most unluckiest club in world football, that's fine, but what I can't accept is not trying, not being organised, and not wanting to win.

Right now it feels like we are all of those things. We have a squad MORE than capable of beating a Hearts youth team, or a jet lagged and weakened Motherwell team, and we let them come at us! We had small spurts of playing decent football for about 10 minutes each match - why aren't we doing that for 90 minutes?

Why aren't we doing the right things year after year?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[LancashireHibby]

Lets not forget that we won that game. As much as it was his fault we were 3-0 down it was as much his fault we won 4-3. Alot of ppl would have burried their head and gave up (like a lot of the fans that day) but he never and half time there was quite rightly words said and a little more. I think he has to go now tbh but to be digging up this game is abit ****ty. A semi final we won and will go down as one of the most exciting ever. Base him on games like Malmo, not games we actually won.

Spot on. As bad as it was to get in to the situation in the first place, it was still a hell of a comeback.

[Pete]

One of our greatest ever comebacks is now under attack. It was only a matter of time I suppose. I can't wait to hear about the problems surrounding our league cup win in 2007.

Is nothing sacred?

[ahibby]

It could also be seen as one of the most inspiring comebacks in our history? No of course not, that would make the game a positive.

If it had been an SPL team we played we could have gone more than three down and wouldn't have gotten back in to the game. He was lucky it was only Falkirk.

[ahibby]

Spot on. As bad as it was to get in to the situation in the first place, it was still a hell of a comeback.

Against a mid table first division side.

[LancashireHibby]

Against a mid table first division side.
A mid table First Division side who were in the semi final on merit.

The game at Kilmarnock in the previous round was one of the best Hibs games I've ever been to, shall we start tearing that one up as well?

We know the bloke isn't doing well and he's had enough of a chance to turn it round in the league, but give credit where it's due at least.

[Pete]

A mid table First Division side who were in the semi final on merit.

The game at Kilmarnock in the previous round was one of the best Hibs games I've ever been to, shall we start tearing that one up as well?

We know the bloke isn't doing well and he's had enough of a chance to turn it round in the league, but give credit where it's due at least.

What credit does he deserve?

Apparently Thomson told him to sit down and shut it at half time and he did just that.

Pat can have the first half but credit for the second? Are you mad?

[LancashireHibby]

What credit does he deserve?

Apparently Thomson told him to sit down and shut it at half time and he did just that.

Pat can have the first half but credit for the second? Are you mad?
Leave out all the "apparently" lark and let's just deal with the facts. Yes, Hibs had a horrendous first half, but the end result was that we won, something that was being offered at 30/1 after half an hour. Give Falkirk the respect they deserve for a start.

[Pete]

Leave out all the "apparently" lark and let's just deal with the facts. Yes, Hibs had a horrendous first half, but the end result was that we won, something that was being offered at 30/1 after half an hour. Give Falkirk the respect they deserve for a start.

I know mate I was being sarcastic.

No smileys on a phone. :-(

[LancashireHibby]

I know mate I was being sarcastic.

No smileys on a phone. :-(

Haha sorry, long day :thumbsup:

[Keith_M]

One of our greatest ever comebacks is now under attack. It was only a matter of time I suppose. I can't wait to hear about the problems surrounding our league cup win in 2007.

Is nothing sacred?


Aye, we let them score a goal.


AND I got covered in snow

[Phil D. Rolls]

One of our greatest ever comebacks is now under attack. It was only a matter of time I suppose. I can't wait to hear about the problems surrounding our league cup win in 2007.

Is nothing sacred?

5-1 against a team with Gary Locke in it? Surprised Collins even made it along the M8.

[The Sea-gull]

The Falkirk game was a huge embarrassment, as Fenlon set us up all wrong and we were overrun. By all accounts only a virtual player revolt at HT and the virtuosity of Griffiths and Harris saved the day. It should have been game over for him after the final.

In assessing Fenlon's disastrous tenure, the eventual win doesn't stop that game being one of four major (and countless minor) humiliations he inflicted on our club. I was genuinely shocked that anyone who sat through that awful first half hour could still defend Fenlon, and continue to punt out the "work in progress", "in Pat we trust" nonsense.

He's been cut more slack than any failing Hibs manager I can remember. He's had a shedload of backing he never deserved. He can have no complaints. His dignity and integrity will remain intact but only if he walks out the door now.

Excellent post :top marks.

With that game it is a chicken and egg scenario in terms of the credit he gets. Any credit he gets for the come back is immediately cancelled out if not over taken by the criticism he gets for being 3-0 after half an hour. You can only beat who is put in front of you and all you have to do is beat them but this is yet another example of "wee Pat" doing the bare minimum to get pass marks so his over-sensitive, blinkered wee army of backers (who now seem to have severly dwindled in numbers) on here can defend him and "Pat" him on the back for the "progress" he has made.

I notice some of his biggest backers on here have been absent since Sunday. They are quick to criticise folk for "hiding" and not coming on to give credit when Pat led us to the odd good result or we went on a wee run but what they are doing now is exactly the same. Hiding when they should be on here criticising the shight we have had to put up with from wee Pat recently. They can't even come on and defend him coz he is now indefensible even for his most ardent fan.

Your point about him receiving a level of backing he should never have got and being cut more slack than any failing Hibs manger is bang on. Look at Bobby Williamson for example. He came in midway through a season and saved us from the drop. He took us to the fringes of the top 6 and a (significantly less) embarrassing cup final defeat in a smilar time frame to Pat's tenure. He got absolute Dog's abuse yet he did a similar job to Pat in fact he did a much better job coz he didn't get the comparative budget Pat has had and while the football was not great under Williamson the worst of Pat's stuff is miles behind any of Blobby's teams worst performances.

I know this observation won't be popular and I have kind of alluded to this before but I do feel among the reasons one of these guys got absolute pelters and the other has got off lightly until now is because one is grumpy Fat Blobby a Weegie Hun and the other is nice wee Saint Patrick Fenlon from the Eire who has the same Hibernian Irishness as our founding fathers. i think there may be people who like the idea that Pat is of Irish origin just like the club and have cut him some slack because of this.

The in Pat we trust and the keep the faith in Pat stuff has never lacked more foundation than it does right now and I can't belive the abuse handed out to a lot of people who just didn't buy into it from folk on here.