Should we rest McGinn?

[The Green Goblin]

Player of the season for me, but the poor lad looked absolutely dead on his feet out there today. Would it be better resting him for the quarters in hopes that we get through and he has a bit more in the tank for the semis? Or is it too big a risk?

[Lee Marvin]

Player of the season for me, but the poor lad looked absolutely dead on his feet out there today. Would it be better resting him for the quarters in hopes that we get through and he has a bit more in the tank for the semis? Or is it too big a risk?

Unfortunately we have now missed our chance to rest him.

[Alfred E Newman]

I would rest him on Wednesday .

[21.05.2016]

Yes. The guy has been off the boil for a wee while now and today he looked knackered which is hardly surprising really considering how much he's played this season between hibs busy schedule and international duty. I'd bench him for wednesday and give him a chance to recuperate a bit.

[Pete]

Rest him in all the first legs. Goes for some other players too.

We have to get smart and utilise our whole squad (who are all more than capable)

[ronaldo7]

Player of the season for me, but the poor lad looked absolutely dead on his feet out there today. Would it be better resting him for the quarters in hopes that we get through and he has a bit more in the tank for the semis? Or is it too big a risk?

I thought he looked out of it in the first half, however he came into his own in the second when he was playing down the left hand side. He's lost a bit of confidence, and it showed today as nothing was coming off for him. He turned into a few tackles, instead of moving away from them, but I would say he should be in the team as he gives us more in, than out.

I believe in McGinn.

[Smartie]

Player of the season for me, but the poor lad looked absolutely dead on his feet out there today. Would it be better resting him for the quarters in hopes that we get through and he has a bit more in the tank for the semis? Or is it too big a risk?

Now McGeouch's back we have options in midfield.

I think Stubbs has done well to rotate the team in the past week or so - Cummings and Gray have had a decent rest, McGregor got a day off today, Bartley hasn't played for a week or so plus Keatings, Gunnarson, Fontaine and Logan have had some valuable game time.

I still think McGinn played ok today but he doesn't look as sharp as he did a few weeks/ months ago, although tbh this is to be expected given the amount of games he's played (including the Scotland game too).

It would be good to see McGinn bounce back fresh again in a week or so, rested and ready to play a big part in some of these big games instead of him dragging his backside through games with fit players on the bench.

[21.05.2016]

Unfortunately we have now missed our chance to rest him.

I agree finishing second would have been ideal, not just for McGinn but for everyone in the team. I do fear that if we get past Raith this will be a huge advantage that Falkirk will have over us.

[bingo70]

Was he not rested against Morton?

I don't think he needs rested, just think he needs to find some form again, hopefully with Mcgeouch back he will take some of the pressure and responsibility off him.

[J-C]

He looked like he blowing out his erse after 10 minutes today, he should've been off last couple of games after the 60 minutes to give him a wee rest, Stubbs has said he has a back problem, then why play him so much.

[Lee]

Player of the season for me, but the poor lad looked absolutely dead on his feet out there today. Would it be better resting him for the quarters in hopes that we get through and he has a bit more in the tank for the semis? Or is it too big a risk?

If you'd asked this question 60min into the game, it would have been an undeniable "yes"

Looked tired and not really involved.

Not sure if it concided with Dylan coming on and the slight change in role, but he tackled and pressed like a player as fresh as a daisy for the last bit of the game. Won possession a few times and made decent runs into the box too.

Tough call....with Dylan back, can we play him and Hendo (or Fyvie?) with big Marv back, and keep McGinn fresh for Saturday?

I'd probably go with Dylan (if fit), McGinn and Marvin as the 3 in the middle for Starks park, personally.

[Onceinawhile]

Win the first leg two nil and rest him for the second. He should have been rested this week, imo, but dylan's injuries have probably denied us that option.

[hibsdaft]

not sure he'd my first XI for wednesday on form anyway tbh.

bring bartley back in, and try to ensure we get a clean sheet. no away goals are there? so a 0-0 (or better) is going to be a very solid away result.

[Big_Franck]

He shouldn't play our next game. You could call it resting him or you could say he's being dropped after being very average for weeks now, it doesn't make much difference.

As much as I like McGinn he has been below par for several weeks. He was one paced today and his first touch on numerous occasions was brutal. He was caught in possession more than any other Hibs player I reckon. Also, his refusal to shoot when in good positions and his habit of constantly taking one touch too many in the box is becoming really frustrating.

I'd go with Bartley, Fyvie and Henderson/McGeough on Wednesday.

[LustForLeith]

Yes

Rest him against Raith Player of the season but looks more tire with every passing game.

[rcarter1]

I haven't watched Hibs in the last few weeks, but by all accounts McGinn is suffering a drop of form. The simple solution is to put a player that is raring to go and champing at the bit to take his place. He will get his chance again, and is clearly a great player capable of a high standard. Being dropped should be part of the game.

[AlbertK86]

On radio on the way home from the game that Starks park is a tattie field

If it's heavy as well his legs will struggle.

Give him a weeks rest

Bartley, Fyvie / Dylan and Hendo for me if we continue 4-3-3

Boyle needs to do more of what he did to set up Jason's goal today if he is to stay in the team. Dylan's passing was incisive today and think he could exploit Boyles pace

[Lancs Harp]

I would be inclined to leave him in. He's a different player when McGeouch is in the team. The two play off each other very well.

[Nicho87]

Bartley hendo Fyvie

Mcginn has to be rested.

The above 3 plus dylan are more than capable.

[Giro Playboy]

The boy has been playing on memory for weeks.. Now that McGeouch is back there is no reason to keep dragging him out every week. I would give him a good weeks rest.

[Tommy75]

Seems like every other thread on here refers to the players as 'knackered' or 'shattered'. Yes, they have played more games this season than most (all?) other teams in Scotland but this is no excuse for tiredness. These are young guys who get well paid to play professional football. They should be elite athelites more than capable of meeting the damands currently being placed on them. I fully appreciate that two games per week over the course of a month is a mental challenge as well as a physical challenge but given the level of opposition I fail to how this could 'shatter' or 'knacker' our young squad.

[SJM]

No, the team peforms better with him in it. He's off form but hopefully it will re-appear. Dropping him for the most important match in years on Weds would be mental.

[stoneyburn hibs]

Probably rest him for Wednesday. He wasn't at his best today, although when Dylan came on for the last 20 minutes I thought Johns play improved. It's a big decision for the manager.

[neil7908]

If Mcgeough is 100% ready for 90 mins I'd go with him, Fyvie/Bartley and Henderson. Central midfield is where we have far and away the most options and we have the resources to rest John for a game. I definitely think he physically and mentally needs a break.

[neil7908]

Bartley hendo Fyvie

Mcginn has to be rested.

The above 3 plus dylan are more than capable.

I worry a little that the 3 named there will struggle creatively in the final 3rd. I actually think we have a cracking set of midfielders now but frankly Bartley and Fyvie don't contribute much going forward, leaving Henderson with a lot of work to do

[NadeAteMyLunch!]

Love the guy but nobody can deny he is currently in the worst form out of him, Fyvie, Bartley and Henderson. McGeough also looked far sharper when he came on. Time for a rest I think. Get him back sharp for Falkirk/Rangers

[Viva_Palmeiras]

We'll rest mcGinn,
Super John McGinn,
He just doesn't have the strength to stand
He'll have to be on hand
To gie our team a chance
Tae get our Scottish Cup a win

[Waxy]

We Got Mcginn, tired John Mcginn
I just dont think you understand
He's no been at his best when he gets a little rest
We'll have super John Mcginn

[JimBHibees]

I thought he looked out of it in the first half, however he came into his own in the second when he was playing down the left hand side. He's lost a bit of confidence, and it showed today as nothing was coming off for him. He turned into a few tackles, instead of moving away from them, but I would say he should be in the team as he gives us more in, than out.

I believe in McGinn.

Agree mixture of a wee dip in confidence and some fatigue. He is a huge player for us though and can't see him being rested now. Thought he looked better second half.

[Libby Hibby]

I'd rest him, we have the players to cover v Raith Rovers game but bring him back for Falkirk at home and tell him that Mark Kerr was sniffing about his burd to get him really fired up haha

[davidw]

Player of the season for me, but the poor lad looked absolutely dead on his feet out there today. Would it be better resting him for the quarters in hopes that we get through and he has a bit more in the tank for the semis? Or is it too big a risk?

A friend knows his mum. Says he feels knackered and is also struggling with his back problem. So some kind of rest would probably help.

[The_Exile]

Seems like every other thread on here refers to the players as 'knackered' or 'shattered'. Yes, they have played more games this season than most (all?) other teams in Scotland but this is no excuse for tiredness. These are young guys who get well paid to play professional football. They should be elite athelites more than capable of meeting the damands currently being placed on them. I fully appreciate that two games per week over the course of a month is a mental challenge as well as a physical challenge but given the level of opposition I fail to how this could 'shatter' or 'knacker' our young squad.

Disagree with this, if your body needs to rest it needs to rest irrespective of how much money you earn and how young or fit you are, there's not many players that have that natural fitness to play 50 games over the course of 9 months, and especially in centre midfield.

[Itsnoteasy]

Player of the season for me, but the poor lad looked absolutely dead on his feet out there today. Would it be better resting him for the quarters in hopes that we get through and he has a bit more in the tank for the semis? Or is it too big a risk?

He should have been dropped months ago.
Can't understand why he took Henderson off. The lad was gutted to be subbed. Just shows how poor the rest of the team have been. McGinn gets POTY & he has only really performed in the 1st half of the season

[Monts]

Seems like every other thread on here refers to the players as 'knackered' or 'shattered'. Yes, they have played more games this season than most (all?) other teams in Scotland but this is no excuse for tiredness. These are young guys who get well paid to play professional football. They should be elite athelites more than capable of meeting the damands currently being placed on them. I fully appreciate that two games per week over the course of a month is a mental challenge as well as a physical challenge but given the level of opposition I fail to how this could 'shatter' or 'knacker' our young squad.
Some of these players are basically running the equivalent of a 10k run every 3-4 days. But it's not as simple as that, as in a normal 10k there is no sprinting, no jostling, no sharp changes of direction. If you factor that in, as well as training in between, not many people could keep that up indefinitely. We've been doing it for 2 months now.

[hfcnic]

Player of the season for me, but the poor lad looked absolutely dead on his feet out there today. Would it be better resting him for the quarters in hopes that we get through and he has a bit more in the tank for the semis? Or is it too big a risk?

In my opinion he has not been at his best for a while due to playing so much, so yes rest him and get him back for the final.

:flag:

[Arch Stanton]

Now we're in the playoffs the likes of McGinn and Henderson will have room to move and play a bit - while I saw signs of frustration I didn't see the 'knackered' that people are talking about.

Playing against teams that play 10/11 behind the ball AND play a high line doesn't leave any space to operate - worse than Princes Street on Christmas Eve.

No need for resting other than judicious squad rotation in my view.

[Arch Stanton]

Some of these players are basically running the equivalent of a 10k run every 3-4 days. But it's not as simple as that, as in a normal 10k there is no sprinting, no jostling, no sharp changes of direction. If you factor that in, as well as training in between, not many people could keep that up indefinitely. We've been doing it for 2 months now.


Surely the top European players do that and a lot more. I would say that having done it for 2 months then we will be conditioned to it.

[Ronniekirk]

If one posters description of Starks Park is right ( looks like a Tattie field and is cutting up ) may be too risky a surface for Dylan
But agree if Dylan gets more game time that will help McGinn ,but i do think we need to try and give him a break as he is the sort of player who gives everything and puts in a great shift which is difficult to achieve playing three games a week at end of a hard season with all the cup games as well
A lot has been expected of him at times in his first season with us If we can keep him he will go from strength to strength next season
Did he not miss some pre season with that javelin injury from stephen Thompson while at St Mirren



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Monts]

Surely the top European players do that and a lot more. I would say that having done it for 2 months then we will be conditioned to it.

Since the start of February to the end of the season we could play a possible (hopefully) 28 games.
Comparing that to Barcelona (24 games), or Bayern (25 games) shows that it is a lot. Especially when we don't have the depth of squad, or sport science teams that these clubs have.

[Arch Stanton]

Since the start of February to the end of the season we could play a possible (hopefully) 28 games.
Comparing that to Barcelona (24 games), or Bayern (25 games) shows that it is a lot. Especially when we don't have the depth of squad, or sport science teams that these clubs have.

Makes some difference I suppose - but not masses I don't think. No reason to be pessimistic anyway.

These clubs have been playing 2 games a week for most of the season after all.

[Smartie]

McGinn is the only player that imo looks tired.

He's not had a break all season though, has played almost every game, played during the International break and I don't know how his preparation for the season was following the "spear" incident.

Fyvie, McGeouch and Hanlon all look fresh for having missed a spell through injury. I don't know how Stevenson does it, he powers up and down that line all day and never looks in the least jaded. Henderson has occasionally looked tired late in games and has benefitted from having a rest at times. I suspect Gray will come back stronger for missing the last couple of matches and it was a good decision to leave out McGregor on Saturday.

I think Stubbs has done quite well with his rotation of late to only have one player looking tired after all these matches.

[Alex Trager]

Some of these players are basically running the equivalent of a 10k run every 3-4 days. But it's not as simple as that, as in a normal 10k there is no sprinting, no jostling, no sharp changes of direction. If you factor that in, as well as training in between, not many people could keep that up indefinitely. We've been doing it for 2 months now.

To be fair though, they do it in the English championship almost week in week out

[Monts]

To be fair though, they do it in the English championship almost week in week out

Middleborough will have played 21 games from the start of Feb to the end of the season, assuming they are in the playoffs.

[LaMotta]

I don't think Stubbs will rest him on Wednesday. He is our player of the season, and whilst he was poor first half on Sun, he was instrumental in the second half and showed lots of energy which led to the red card and the booking quickly after.

He certainly didn't look tired against Rangers last week, however we shall see on Wednesday what Stubbs does :greengrin

[Mikey09]

Personally think he's mentally tired. A lot of big games been played by a young lad can, whatever any old school manager or supporter tells you, take its toll.

[Big_Franck]

McGinn is the only player that imo looks tired.

He's not had a break all season though, has played almost every game, played during the International break and I don't know how his preparation for the season was following the "spear" incident.

Fyvie, McGeouch and Hanlon all look fresh for having missed a spell through injury. I don't know how Stevenson does it, he powers up and down that line all day and never looks in the least jaded. Henderson has occasionally looked tired late in games and has benefitted from having a rest at times. I suspect Gray will come back stronger for missing the last couple of matches and it was a good decision to leave out McGregor on Saturday.

I think Stubbs has done quite well with his rotation of late to only have one player looking tired after all these matches.

Totally agree with that. One of the things Stubbs has done well this season is rotate and rest the squad when appropriate, with the exception of McGinn. With Gray and Cummings having had a decent rest recently and with others not long back from injuries most of our squad should be relatively fresh.

[J-C]

Some of these players are basically running the equivalent of a 10k run every 3-4 days. But it's not as simple as that, as in a normal 10k there is no sprinting, no jostling, no sharp changes of direction. If you factor that in, as well as training in between, not many people could keep that up indefinitely. We've been doing it for 2 months now.


Stubbs said in an interview a couple of months ago that when they are playing twice a week the training will change dramatically, he said that in between games it's all about rest and working more on tactics, set pieces etc.

[Eyrie]

I don't think the Starks Park pitch is a good idea for McGeouch, so I'd play McGinn on Wednesday and replace him with McGeouch on Saturday.

[ancient hibee]

Take 5 off Raith on Wednesday and we can rest a few on Saturday.

[Bad Martini]

If he's physically or mentally unable to play, by all means rest the laddie.

However, if we dont make it through these games, he'll have a big rest anyway.

I'd go with the thinking that we need him and the strongest team possible for this first match and lets kill this tie so the return to Easter Road is somewhat academic. I DONT expect Raith to sit there and let us do it - not at all. But, we are a better team than Raith on our day. So, lets no piss about; one more serious shift and a great big effort from them all. Get a few goals and THEN start talking about resting our best player(s).

Till then, the job carries on unless someone is ruled out medically....we're just no good enough to do anything other than play our best team for this match and hope to keep the tie in our hands as we would like.

[Forthview]

The league cup final was the first time I really watched his movement and it was pretty much non existent, I haven't seen him contribute anything since that game. He looks knackered, he needs a rest for a week or so.

[Hi Heid Yin]

We have a first class recovery and conditioning team on our books. They will be doing everything to ensure that all our players, including McGinn, are in peak condition. Massages, resting, diet will figure highly in each players programme.
I feel we have momentum and we can't risk losing it by dropping key players for whole games. McGinn is a key player, so, for me, he has to be involved in every game, though not necessarily for 90 minutes.

[Hi Heid Yin]

If he's physically or mentally unable to play, by all means rest the laddie.

However, if we dont make it through these games, he'll have a big rest anyway.

I'd go with the thinking that we need him and the strongest team possible for this first match and lets kill this tie so the return to Easter Road is somewhat academic. I DONT expect Raith to sit there and let us do it - not at all. But, we are a better team than Raith on our day. So, lets no piss about; one more serious shift and a great big effort from them all. Get a few goals and THEN start talking about resting our best player(s).

Till then, the job carries on unless someone is ruled out medically....we're just no good enough to do anything other than play our best team for this match and hope to keep the tie in our hands as we would like.

I concur with the bit in bold. We do not have the strength in depth we like to think we have. Our poor recent run highlighted this when key players were missing. Now they have returned one by one and our results have improved no end.

[Unseen work]

Imo he shouldn't start.

We should play our best team against raith and at this moment in time Mcginn isnt out performing anyone.

He has had a couple of games where he has been rested and it's not made a difference.

He's going through a bad spell right now, he's had a fantastic season but with that he has had alot of pressure put on him. I think it's mentally drained him

For me the midfield should be Fyvie bartley and Henderson as the central 3 in a 352.

Hopefully that will give him the appetite to get going again as it currently looks like he is just going through the motions.

[J-C]

Imo he shouldn't start.

We should play our best team against raith and at this moment in time Mcginn isnt out performing anyone.

He has had a couple of games where he has been rested and it's not made a difference.

He's going through a bad spell right now, he's had a fantastic season but with that he has had alot of pressure put on him. I think it's mentally drained him

For me the midfield should be Fyvie bartley and Henderson as the central 3 in a 352.

Hopefully that will give him the appetite to get going again as it currently looks like he is just going through the motions.


I agree but remember we're talking about Stubbs here, he's not known for changing his mind too much, he played Cummings every game through his bad spell when it was clear he needed dropped, I personally think McGinn is the 1st name on the team sheet no matter what form he's in.