Midfield

[Thegreenside]

Do not care about injuries, or who we lost in the summer.

THERE IS NO EXCUSE TO BE SPINELESS IN A DERBY.

[California-Hibs]

Mallen was a disgrace today, an absolutely empty shirt.

[essexhibee]

We don’t have a midfield. End of debate.

[Cod Boy]

Mallen was a disgrace today, an absolutely empty shirt.

And 9 others

[Juice-Terry]

PISH midfield. End of.

[Scottie]

NEXT MUST DO BETTER :yawn:

[A Hi-Bee]

We don’t have a midfield. End of debate.

Hear, hear, why is anyone surprised that our reserve side could not beat them ***in farmers in manky maroon

[sauzee=legend]

Diamond doesn’t work against 5 midfielders!!

[leithsansiro]

Diamond doesn’t work against 5 midfielders!!

This. Lennon should’ve sussed our Hearts tactics would be to physically dominate the midfield.

That said, I’m not sure any current personnel are going to offer anything different. We need new bodies in January

[Smartie]

Now I've had half a season to watch them, I'm going to call it now and say that NONE of the midfielders who arrived in the summer are good enough, and never will be.

Slivka and Bartley can do a job with the right players around them.

Hyndman should be punted back to Bournemouth asap, we need to see what it would cost us to get rid of Milligan, but I don't think he has what it takes.

Mallan is the one that really bugs me. He's a passenger, week after week who offers zilch from open play. He's far too slow to ever make the grade as a footballer and will manage to get a few decent moves yet off an impressive highlights reel, but anyone who watches him week in week out will realise that he doesn't have the physical attributes to succeed as a modern midfielder.

If we can get shot of him (and better still, possibly get money for him) then we should.

There seems little point in hanging around waiting for Agyepong to be fit, we're waiting for the day that will never come.

Mackie is very encouraging indeed, and he's probably only been given a chance through necessity, not unlike Kevin Thomson was. I can't believe a kid thrown in from the reserves can make an impact over a handful of games that the Australia captain, a USA internationalist and a Scotland under 21 cap cannot.

I'm hesitant to point much blame at the strikers, the defence, or anyone else, because the midfield is so far short of being acceptable it is hard to assess whether or not they are up to scratch, other than the fact that they most certainly were acceptable in the first half of this year.

[Jones28]

Hear, hear, why is anyone surprised that our reserve side could not beat them ***in farmers in manky maroon

Hey! What's wrong with farmers?

[Ozyhibby]

Now I've had half a season to watch them, I'm going to call it now and say that NONE of the midfielders who arrived in the summer are good enough, and never will be.

Slivka and Bartley can do a job with the right players around them.

Hyndman should be punted back to Bournemouth asap, we need to see what it would cost us to get rid of Milligan, but I don't think he has what it takes.

Mallan is the one that really bugs me. He's a passenger, week after week who offers zilch from open play. He's far too slow to ever make the grade as a footballer and will manage to get a few decent moves yet off an impressive highlights reel, but anyone who watches him week in week out will realise that he doesn't have the physical attributes to succeed as a modern midfielder.

If we can get shot of him (and better still, possibly get money for him) then we should.

There seems little point in hanging around waiting for Agyepong to be fit, we're waiting for the day that will never come.

Mackie is very encouraging indeed, and he's probably only been given a chance through necessity, not unlike Kevin Thomson was. I can't believe a kid thrown in from the reserves can make an impact over a handful of games that the Australia captain, a USA internationalist and a Scotland under 21 cap cannot.

I'm hesitant to point much blame at the strikers, the defence, or anyone else, because the midfield is so far short of being acceptable it is hard to assess whether or not they are up to scratch, other than the fact that they most certainly were acceptable in the first half of this year.

Agree 99% with that but still hold out a bit of hope for Mallan, although it’s possible that is because I was so keen for us to sign him originally and hate being wrong.


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[A Hi-Bee]

Hey! What's wrong with farmers?

Nothing specific they generally play a different game than football, the ball they play wi is a bit flatter shall we say.

[A Hi-Bee]

This. Lennon should’ve sussed our Hearts tactics would be to physically dominate the midfield.

That said, I’m not sure any current personnel are going to offer anything different. We need new bodies in January

Who else did he have to put in the middle of the park?
For the whole game.

[Unseen work]

Mallan is a good player who currently has no confidence.

Before this season he has never played as a deep lying playmaker, a role that you need to be full of confidence to play and continuously keep getting on the ball

Once we get a settled midfield of other good players around him we will again see the Mallan from the start of the season.

There is nothing wrong with his physicality.

[K.Marx]

Was grim watching Djoum and Haring stroll around like they owned the place in the first half. Midfield needs major surgery but Lennon seems set that kamberi’s the problem

[Scottie]

Was grim watching Djoum and Haring stroll around like they owned the place in the first half. Midfield needs major surgery but Lennon seems set that kamberi’s the problem
Thought and hoped Bartley would have got on tonight. No power and grunt in the midfield tonight that we needed.

[The Captain....]

Malian seems to have enjoyed the luxury of a 'Free role prior to his move South. I've rarely seen a midfield player with such a lack of positional sense..he is constantly caught wrong side of his opponent. He's too easily nullified in a game and leaves huge gaps meaning others are pulled out of position. His passing isnt great imo either. He can strike a ball tho..maybe we can just bring him on for free kicks. The rest of the midfield all look like they're terrified to get on the ball. Horgan gets in decent positions but lacks a final ball..Slivka has flattered to deceive for too long and Milligan just looks like he's gone a season too far. All pretty depressing after the sublime midfield we enjoyed last season. Whole midfield needs rebuilt still.

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[Diclonius]

We have a midfield?

[loanheadhibby]

Thought and hoped Bartley would have got on tonight. No power and grunt in the midfield tonight that we needed.

Another player who has been constantly injured this season. Are the players too soft (as hinted at by Lennon) or is there a genuine problem with the sports science at East mains?

[Thegreenside]

Diamond doesn’t work against 5 midfielders!!

Worked okay last season. The players aren’t good enough

[calumhibee1]

Every single one of them is happy to just plod around the edges of the game other than Bartley. Michael Stewart summed it up on the radio, players like Scott Allan have a big impact on games on a regular basis. None of our midfielders can come close to saying that.

[Scottie]

Another player who has been constantly injured this season. Are the players too soft (as hinted at by Lennon) or is there a genuine problem with the sports science at East mains?
Yep Lennon saying he's fed up with players having soft tissue injuries and need tougher players in the window. No clue if its East mains issues or just bad luck :dunno:

[loanheadhibby]

Yep Lennon saying he's fed up with players having soft tissue injuries and need tougher players in the window. No clue if its East mains issues or just bad luck :dunno:

It's not before time the players were called out for being constantly injured. No one play thru the pain barrier any more? Too comfy in the Physio's room?

i'd have all injured players in 9-6 every day (assuming they are not already) . Would not fancy many of them in the trenches.

[.Sean.]

Mallan is a good player who currently has no confidence.

Before this season he has never played as a deep lying playmaker, a role that you need to be full of confidence to play and continuously keep getting on the ball

Once we get a settled midfield of other good players around him we will again see the Mallan from the start of the season.

There is nothing wrong with his physicality.
‘No confidence’ ie *****bag. If an atmosphere like that can’t get you pumped up and putting in challenge then cheerio. Was like a man down

[Smartie]

Yep Lennon saying he's fed up with players having soft tissue injuries and need tougher players in the window. No clue if its East mains issues or just bad luck :dunno:

I get what he's saying, but we've currently got Lewis Stevenson out with a soft tissue injury. He's the wrong side of thirty and it's the first of his career.

He has signed a good few of the injury-prone players.

I like Lennon and still back him, but scouting players, signing them knowing their injury histories, conditioning them then blaming them for getting injured a lot doesn't sound like someone taking responsibility - it sounds like a poor workman blaming his tools.

[Smartie]

Mallan is a good player who currently has no confidence.

Before this season he has never played as a deep lying playmaker, a role that you need to be full of confidence to play and continuously keep getting on the ball

Once we get a settled midfield of other good players around him we will again see the Mallan from the start of the season.

There is nothing wrong with his physicality.

There's nothing wrong with his physicality, other than the fact that he's far too slow, he can't perform when he's closed down, he can't cover the ground he needs to leaving too much for the other midfielders to do, he's small and can't win a header and he's too slow to make a tackle.

He strikes a nice ball.

Nearly every week he's a passenger, and he's the number 1 problem in our team right now.

[SideBurns]

The midfield is the glaring difference between last season and this, as I suspect most of us feared it would be. SJM has thus far proven to be irreplaceable, Mallan & Hyndman are presumably supposed to be filling the boots of Dylan & Allan but are failing miserably.

It is difficult to properly analyse the performance of the strikers, all 3 of whom were banging in goals last season, without taking into account the disparity between the midfield we had and the one which has replaced it. There is no creativity or drive from the middle of the park.

[emerald green]

The current midfield is simply not good enough. It's unbalanced and too lightweight, lacks height, strength and guile. Neither Mallan, Hyndman or Horgan, while each having certain qualities, can tackle.

The midfield is definitely the area of the squad that needs urgent strengthening.

[Fergos]

None of our current midfield (that gets regular game time) takes any responsibility whatsoever. They are happy to give the ball back to a defender for distribution rather than take the ball and make things happen.

Mallan is a passenger and was in the last derby also, never asks for the ball from the back 3 and quite happy to hide and point. He was shocking tonight but wasnt the only one, Hyndeman needs ahipping and a managers decision needs taken on Slivka.

[Ilovehibs]

[QUOTE=emerald green;5646173]The current midfield is simply not good enough. It's unbalanced and too lightweight, lacks height, strength and guile. Neither Mallan, Hyndman or Horgan, while each having certain qualities, can tackle.

The midfield is definitely the area of the squad that needs urgent strengthening.[/QUOTE

Spot on. Was obvious from the outset of the season

[NAE NOOKIE]

Its an area that needs sorted without a doubt. We just have too many players in there who aren't dynamic enough on the ball cant tackle and cant compete in the air … game after game we are losing the fight for second balls.

Horgan …. probably the most dynamic of the midfield, but there's rarely an end product and even when he's clearly the best Hibs midfielder on the park Lennon chooses to sub him.

Hyndman … a luxury player if I ever saw one, neat and tidy when he has time, but an absolute passenger when it comes to winning the battle and playing under pressure.

Mallan …. pretty well the same as Hyndman … now that his goals have dried up the focus has moved to his general play and it simply isn't good enough.

Slivka …. Another one who has reasonable technical ability, but just never seems to make anything happen.

Milligan …. Came with a decent pedigree, but its interesting that he had several failed attempts to get into the European game before coming to us, that was mostly blamed on technical issues … but IMO if he had been worth it somebody would have found a way and I'm beginning to see why nobody made the effort.

Bartley …. Does what he does better than anybody in Scotland on his day, he owes Hibs nothing … but he isn't the answer to our lack of creativity.

Whittaker …. at this stage he should be the guy you chuck in as a last resort to solve an injury and suspension crisis, he certainly cant be seen as a solution to this problem.

Boy do we need a couple of quality signings for the midfield ….. I cant say I have much confidence in our ability to do that because A) its harder o find what you want in January …. and B) most of our recent signings have turned out to be pretty meh or haven't been given a game at all, which doesn't say much for what they have shown in training.

[houstonhibbee]

Now I've had half a season to watch them, I'm going to call it now and say that NONE of the midfielders who arrived in the summer are good enough, and never will be.

Slivka and Bartley can do a job with the right players around them.

Hyndman should be punted back to Bournemouth asap, we need to see what it would cost us to get rid of Milligan, but I don't think he has what it takes.

Mallan is the one that really bugs me. He's a passenger, week after week who offers zilch from open play. He's far too slow to ever make the grade as a footballer and will manage to get a few decent moves yet off an impressive highlights reel, but anyone who watches him week in week out will realise that he doesn't have the physical attributes to succeed as a modern midfielder.

If we can get shot of him (and better still, possibly get money for him) then we should.

There seems little point in hanging around waiting for Agyepong to be fit, we're waiting for the day that will never come.

Mackie is very encouraging indeed, and he's probably only been given a chance through necessity, not unlike Kevin Thomson was. I can't believe a kid thrown in from the reserves can make an impact over a handful of games that the Australia captain, a USA internationalist and a Scotland under 21 cap cannot.

I'm hesitant to point much blame at the strikers, the defence, or anyone else, because the midfield is so far short of being acceptable it is hard to assess whether or not they are up to scratch, other than the fact that they most certainly were acceptable in the first half of this year.




You didnt mention Horgan and I woukd give him more opportunities
hyndman and slivka get rid I agree
mallan doesn’t work as a defensive mid, think he’ll be ok as an attacking mid and will get goals

[Hi Heid Yin]

Its an area that needs sorted without a doubt. We just have too many players in there who aren't dynamic enough on the ball cant tackle and cant compete in the air … game after game we are losing the fight for second balls.

Horgan …. probably the most dynamic of the midfield, but there's rarely an end product and even when he's clearly the best Hibs midfielder on the park Lennon chooses to sub him.

Hyndman … a luxury player if I ever saw one, neat and tidy when he has time, but an absolute passenger when it comes to winning the battle and playing under pressure.

Mallan …. pretty well the same as Hyndman … now that his goals have dried up the focus has moved to his general play and it simply isn't good enough.

Slivka …. Another one who has reasonable technical ability, but just never seems to make anything happen.

Milligan …. Came with a decent pedigree, but its interesting that he had several failed attempts to get into the European game before coming to us, that was mostly blamed on technical issues … but IMO if he had been worth it somebody would have found a way and I'm beginning to see why nobody made the effort.

Bartley …. Does what he does better than anybody in Scotland on his day, he owes Hibs nothing … but he isn't the answer to our lack of creativity.

Whittaker …. at this stage he should be the guy you chuck in as a last resort to solve an injury and suspension crisis, he certainly cant be seen as a solution to this problem.

Boy do we need a couple of quality signings for the midfield ….. I cant say I have much confidence in our ability to do that because A) its harder o find what you want in January …. and B) most of our recent signings have turned out to be pretty meh or haven't been given a game at all, which doesn't say much for what they have shown in training.

That's pretty close to how I would critique/rate the same players.:agree:

[Ozyhibby]

Its an area that needs sorted without a doubt. We just have too many players in there who aren't dynamic enough on the ball cant tackle and cant compete in the air … game after game we are losing the fight for second balls.

Horgan …. probably the most dynamic of the midfield, but there's rarely an end product and even when he's clearly the best Hibs midfielder on the park Lennon chooses to sub him.

Hyndman … a luxury player if I ever saw one, neat and tidy when he has time, but an absolute passenger when it comes to winning the battle and playing under pressure.

Mallan …. pretty well the same as Hyndman … now that his goals have dried up the focus has moved to his general play and it simply isn't good enough.

Slivka …. Another one who has reasonable technical ability, but just never seems to make anything happen.

Milligan …. Came with a decent pedigree, but its interesting that he had several failed attempts to get into the European game before coming to us, that was mostly blamed on technical issues … but IMO if he had been worth it somebody would have found a way and I'm beginning to see why nobody made the effort.

Bartley …. Does what he does better than anybody in Scotland on his day, he owes Hibs nothing … but he isn't the answer to our lack of creativity.

Whittaker …. at this stage he should be the guy you chuck in as a last resort to solve an injury and suspension crisis, he certainly cant be seen as a solution to this problem.

Boy do we need a couple of quality signings for the midfield ….. I cant say I have much confidence in our ability to do that because A) its harder o find what you want in January …. and B) most of our recent signings have turned out to be pretty meh or haven't been given a game at all, which doesn't say much for what they have shown in training.

Agyepong is another summer waste of a wage.


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[we are hibs]

It's embarrassing the amount of second balls we lose out on in midfield. They all stand about waiting on someone else making something happen or putting a tackle in instead of taking the lead. Midfield full of hiders.

[LaMotta]

Diamond doesn’t work against 5 midfielders!!


This. Lennon should’ve sussed our Hearts tactics would be to physically dominate the midfield.

That said, I’m not sure any current personnel are going to offer anything different. We need new bodies in January

We didnt play with a diamond:confused:.

It was a 3 5 2 like it was against the Huns at Ibrox.

[SideBurns]

Its an area that needs sorted without a doubt. We just have too many players in there who aren't dynamic enough on the ball cant tackle and cant compete in the air … game after game we are losing the fight for second balls.

Horgan …. probably the most dynamic of the midfield, but there's rarely an end product and even when he's clearly the best Hibs midfielder on the park Lennon chooses to sub him.

Hyndman … a luxury player if I ever saw one, neat and tidy when he has time, but an absolute passenger when it comes to winning the battle and playing under pressure.

Mallan …. pretty well the same as Hyndman … now that his goals have dried up the focus has moved to his general play and it simply isn't good enough.

Slivka …. Another one who has reasonable technical ability, but just never seems to make anything happen.

Milligan …. Came with a decent pedigree, but its interesting that he had several failed attempts to get into the European game before coming to us, that was mostly blamed on technical issues … but IMO if he had been worth it somebody would have found a way and I'm beginning to see why nobody made the effort.

Bartley …. Does what he does better than anybody in Scotland on his day, he owes Hibs nothing … but he isn't the answer to our lack of creativity.

Whittaker …. at this stage he should be the guy you chuck in as a last resort to solve an injury and suspension crisis, he certainly cant be seen as a solution to this problem.

Boy do we need a couple of quality signings for the midfield ….. I cant say I have much confidence in our ability to do that because A) its harder o find what you want in January …. and B) most of our recent signings have turned out to be pretty meh or haven't been given a game at all, which doesn't say much for what they have shown in training.

More or less just how I see our midfield options, which makes it all the more puzzling why Lennon feels the need to publicly berate strikers (Kamberi in particular) who showed last season that they were capable of banging in the goals when given decent service.

Like you, I'm also not optimistic that the problem of creativity will be easily solved in the transfer window; indeed, if the rumours are true about Efe, we might lose the one player presently capable of carrying the ball forward! Horgan certainly tries, he can beat a man but struggles to get away from him, and the majority of his crosses don't hit their target.

[Onceinawhile]

We didnt play with a diamond:confused:.

It was a 3 5 2 like it was against the Huns at Ibrox.

We switched to a diamond when Hyndman came on.