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View Full Version : Saints v Hibs the run in to the split.



spike220
02-03-2014, 07:11 AM
Our games before the split and what we could realistically hope for.

Hibs Fixtures:
Motherwell 1pts
ICT 1pt
Partick 3pts
St J 3pts
Hearts 1pts
Aberdeen 0 pts
Total 9pts

The bottom line is we need to be taking points, but a few draws will still be good enough. I hope TB kicks their backsides for the next few weeks.


Saints Fixtures:
Dundee United v Saints. 0pts
Saints v Ross County. 1pts
Saints v Hibernian. 0pts
St Mirren v Saints . 3pts
Saints v Partick Thistle. 1pts
Kilmarnock v Saints. 0pts
Total 5pts

I am working off the premise the Saints will continue their cup run and this deplete their squad and attention.


Conclusion: The top six is still very doable as long as the saints don't go on a winning run and find some form, the good news is they play Dundee U, who are flying at the moment and will hopefully kick them in the teeth next week. At the end of the day I think injuries and a few decisions will decide who makes the top six.

GGTTH

Spike Mandela
02-03-2014, 07:15 AM
The game in Perth is a must win game for us. If we can do that we only need to take 1 point more than them in the other 5 games.

Is the current team form good enough to see us go to Perth and turn them over? I'm not so sure.

Beefster
02-03-2014, 07:18 AM
The squad is guff, confidence is rock bottom and our current form is the worst in the league. I'm not too focused on top six.

spike220
02-03-2014, 07:25 AM
The squad is guff, confidence is rock bottom and our current form is the worst in the league. I'm not too focused on top six.

Is that you Pat??

3pm
02-03-2014, 07:33 AM
No chance of top 6 based on Friday.

spike220
02-03-2014, 07:39 AM
No chance of top 6 based on Friday.

Dundee U have scored 9 goals in their last 3 games, I didn't think we would get near them and was surprised we hung on as long as we did. I think they will give St J a going over next week too.

3pm
02-03-2014, 08:25 AM
Dundee U have scored 9 goals in their last 3 games, I didn't think we would get near them and was surprised we hung on as long as we did. I think they will give St J a going over next week too.

But we need to collect more points than St J and I am pretty sure we won't.

Hope I am wrong but the performances haven't been great.

Reaper
02-03-2014, 10:22 AM
I dont think we're consistent enough to get a run going to pip St J's. Stranger things have happened. If we dont, I do think we'll finish seventh comfortably.

Saorsa
02-03-2014, 10:30 AM
No chance of top 6 based on Friday.I certainly dinnae see us picking up any mair points than they will before the split. Looking very much like bottom 6 for the 4th season in a row.

Hibercelona
02-03-2014, 10:47 AM
If we're going to beat St Johnstone, we're going to have to do much better than 1 or 2 shots on target in the game.

There needs to be a complete change in tactics, because the current tactics over the last couple of games have been brutal.

We won't get anything from ICT, Motherwell or St Johnstone, simply by lumping long balls up the park for 90 minutes.

NAE NOOKIE
02-03-2014, 10:53 AM
I certainly dinnae see us picking up any mair points than they will before the split. Looking very much like bottom 6 for the 4th season in a row.

Looks that way to me too. I didnt expect us to stop Utd scoring, but their defending is a bit suss given the number of times teams have managed more than a goal at Tannadice ... but they strolled through the game at ER and that tells me our stuttering forward line .... or should that be forward ... aint going to win us many games.

DanHFC1875
02-03-2014, 11:22 AM
I'd like to believe top 6 is possible, I don't believe it is though. Think Motherwell will shaft us. :-/ can't see us getting 4 points more than St J out of the remaining games. Over to you Hibernian FC...prove me wrong! I hope I am proven to be wrong!!

Onion
02-03-2014, 11:32 AM
Following TB's series of scathing remarks and promises of major change, this current batch of Hibs players are now treading water and simply want is to get to the summer unharmed and with as little effort as possible. There is zero evidence to suggest they are capable of picking up 3 more points than St J.

And let's be honest, the prize for a top 6 finish will be five major beatings by much better teams.

Heisenberg
02-03-2014, 11:53 AM
As far as I can remember we've only won once against the top six sides this season and that was away to St Johnstone ages ago. We are a poor team which is no better than those in the bottom six. 7th is the best we'll get this season IMO. Then let the overhaul of Fenlons terrible squad commence in the summer.

Sir David Gray
02-03-2014, 01:11 PM
We have a much tougher run than they do.

Four out of our next six matches are against top six sides, whereas St Johnstone only have one out of their next six games against other top six teams.

It's going to be very hard.

Mikey
02-03-2014, 01:22 PM
Conclusion: The top six is still very doable............

Definitely, there are plenty of games left. We'll need to avoid defeat up there though.

Ronniekirk
02-03-2014, 04:11 PM
Our games before the split and what we could realistically hope for.

Hibs Fixtures:
Motherwell 1pts
ICT 1pt
Partick 3pts
St J 3pts
Hearts 1pts
Aberdeen 0 pts
Total 9pts

The bottom line is we need to be taking points, but a few draws will still be good enough. I hope TB kicks their backsides for the next few weeks.


Saints Fixtures:
Dundee United v Saints. 0pts
Saints v Ross County. 1pts
Saints v Hibernian. 0pts
St Mirren v Saints . 3pts
Saints v Partick Thistle. 1pts
Kilmarnock v Saints. 0pts
Total 5pts

I am working off the premise the Saints will continue their cup run and this deplete their squad and attention.


Conclusion: The top six is still very doable as long as the saints don't go on a winning run and find some form, the good news is they play Dundee U, who are flying at the moment and will hopefully kick them in the teeth next week. At the end of the day I think injuries and a few decisions will decide who makes the top six.

GGTTH
We won't get anything from well game ,and United should beatSaints .Ross county's away form isn't great so they will look to win that one and we certainly won't beat Inverness Cayley ..So by time we play them at Perth it will be a must win game for us If we don't beat them could seal our fate in bottom six. saints could also beat Killie in last game before split as If Boyd doesn't score they look like struggling to win games .Our run in is defo harder than there's ,especially with T B dropping Collins and Cairney who had been at times instrumental in that sequence of unbeaten games we had .Craigs loss of form has come at wrong time ,and persevering with Harris simply isn't helping the team .the back four who he had keeping clean sheets don't seem able to do that ,and individual errors by them are costing us goals Does he persevere with Hayes on his own which for away games might be ok .Think he will want to bring in Watmore as soon as match fit and think with T T being suspended K T has to get a chance .Stanton is away with international squad so if he plays for them we might see dip in his form for Motherwell game as he hasn't played a lot of first team football .So there's lots of things that could go against us, but Team Morale and work Ethic are going to be key and with so many players now knowing they are surplus to requirements in the summer and others maybe thinking they won't be first picks next season ,then this could undermine T Bs call to make Top Six

Dashing Bob S
02-03-2014, 04:16 PM
Think we'll get more than 9 and 5 sounds about right for Saints. I'm of the opinion that 6th is pretty much in the bag.

Ronniekirk
02-03-2014, 04:23 PM
Think we'll get more than 9 and 5 sounds about right for Saints. I'm of the opinion that 6th is pretty much in the bag.
Don't t think it's I the bag unless saints hit real bad patch of form.if we had their fixtures would of been more confident .

Allan45
02-03-2014, 04:31 PM
This game is our cup final in my opinion, 3 points a must. The team is poor and we have had a slap in the face with Raith Rovers in the cup, and Fridays poor show. Confidence is low at present and hope we can turn it round.
confidence can be low with so many factors, as players know they are not up to the mark. I would just go for it and play 2 up front in all our games, nothing to lose, maybe, but maybe we could flip the script and get some scrappy wins before the league split. :cb:flag:

basehibby
02-03-2014, 11:05 PM
The squad is guff, confidence is rock bottom and our current form is the worst in the league. I'm not too focused on top six.

Ahem - on what do you base this bald statement?

From what I can see
on last 3 matches 5 teams have worse form than Hibs
on last 5 matches 2 teams have worse form
on last 10 matches 7 teams have worse form.

I'm not trying to say everything in the garden is rosy but surely your stance here is overly bleak.

Dashing Bob S
03-03-2014, 12:13 AM
Don't t think it's I the bag unless saints hit real bad patch of form.if we had their fixtures would of been more confident .

I'm convinced we'll be sixth. Fifth probably now beyond us.

Hibercelona
03-03-2014, 01:02 AM
Ahem - on what do you base this bald statement?

From what I can see
on last 3 matches 5 teams have worse form than Hibs
on last 5 matches 2 teams have worse form
on last 10 matches 7 teams have worse form.

I'm not trying to say everything in the garden is rosy but surely your stance here is overly bleak.

Thats true if you base form soley on the results. But we've been pretty dreadful for quite some time, even when we do scrape a few points together.

In our current form, it's difficult to see where the next point is going to come from. No doubt we'll pick up some points some how, but our inability to step out of 1st gear, puts teams who are capable of doing so in a more favourable position of finishing above us.

basehibby
03-03-2014, 01:32 AM
Thats true if you base form soley on the results. But we've been pretty dreadful for quite some time, even when we do scrape a few points together.

In our current form, it's difficult to see where the next point is going to come from. No doubt we'll pick up some points some how, but our inability to step out of 1st gear, puts teams who are capable of doing so in a more favourable position of finishing above us.

Well - that is usually how form is calculated in my experience - on results. I think performance wise we were doing pretty well under the new manager, seeing an improvement up to mid January but have seen a fall off with poor showings against St Mirren and Raith Rovers in particular.

Re where the results are coming from I think there's a real gap in quality between the top 5 teams and the bottom 5, with Hibs and St Johnstone inhabiting the nether region in between. I'd say therefore that we should be favourites against the teams below us but will be looking to raise our game considerably to get anything out of Motherwell, Aberdeen or ICT.

Hibercelona
03-03-2014, 02:18 AM
Well - that is usually how form is calculated in my experience - on results. I think performance wise we were doing pretty well under the new manager, seeing an improvement up to mid January but have seen a fall off with poor showings against St Mirren and Raith Rovers in particular.

Re where the results are coming from I think there's a real gap in quality between the top 5 teams and the bottom 5, with Hibs and St Johnstone inhabiting the nether region in between. I'd say therefore that we should be favourites against the teams below us but will be looking to raise our game considerably to get anything out of Motherwell, Aberdeen or ICT.

To be honest, if we play the way we did against Dundee Utd against any other team in the league, we won't be taking points from them.

As dreadful as some of the teams are, they're all capable of playing football to some degree at least.

Unless we start showing signs again that we are capable of playing some football, St Johnstone will just widen the gap.

Steve-O
03-03-2014, 07:53 AM
Is there any point in making the top 6?

Beefster
03-03-2014, 08:05 AM
Ahem - on what do you base this bald statement?

From what I can see
on last 3 matches 5 teams have worse form than Hibs
on last 5 matches 2 teams have worse form
on last 10 matches 7 teams have worse form.

I'm not trying to say everything in the garden is rosy but surely your stance here is overly bleak.

On this.

http://www.statto.com/football/stats/scotland/premiership/2013-2014/form-table/full

spike220
03-03-2014, 08:08 AM
Is there any point in making the top 6?

$

Steve-O
03-03-2014, 08:10 AM
$

Yeah there is that, though it's probably minimal. Think I'd rather see us potentially win 5 games in the bottom 6 than get beat 5 times in the top 6.

Overall, the split is rubbish, but I suppose that's another story.

Ronniekirk
03-03-2014, 08:12 AM
$

Did you just give up or do you want someone else to finish sentence for you:wink::wink:

matty_f
03-03-2014, 08:30 AM
Is there any point in making the top 6?

No, i'd rather we made it interesting and bottomed out to fight to avoid the play-off place for the third or fourth season in a row.

F*** moving in the right direction, what's the point?

Steve-O
03-03-2014, 08:33 AM
No, i'd rather we made it interesting and bottomed out to fight to avoid the play-off place for the third or fourth season in a row.

F*** moving in the right direction, what's the point?

Fighting relegation is actually more exciting than getting papped 5 times and finishing 6th. True story.

spike220
03-03-2014, 08:42 AM
Fighting relegation is actually more exciting than getting papped 5 times and finishing 6th. True story.

I think we could experiment a bit more in the top six without the fear of dropping down the league further.

The Sea-gull
03-03-2014, 08:54 AM
The top 6 is massively do-able. Despite a poor season, we are three points off the team we are chasing which proves they drop points near enough as much as we do. They do have a big advantage in that they have a goal scorer and we don't.

I expect us to be bottom 6 because I am now used to Hibs regular failures to achieve targets!

I'm torn as to whether I want us to make top 6. Better money to be made and better for club morale but going on our record against the better teams we'd lose all the games which is never a great way to end a season. Actually, scrub that, don't want to be in the bottom 6 as we would then probably be on the fringes of a scrap to avoid the play off and while I maintain my stance that we will not be in the play off due to the fact that 4 teams won't over-take us, it would still be a bit close for comfort!

Anyway, looking at the OP's listed fixtures, Saints only have to play one top 6 team where as we have 4. Can't see us finishing above them personally but it is do-able if we can keep pace with them and beat them when we play them. If a 3 point gap becomes a 6 point at any stage then we can kiss it good bye given the respective fixture lists. Suspect if we do pip them it will down to them not picking up many points rather than us going on a surge.

Waxy
03-03-2014, 09:41 AM
As long as we are well safe, i'd give up top 6 this year just so we can give the yams a going away pummeling at Easter road.