The players

[Weegreenman]

Need to step up and start playing for their future.

I’ve been reading that this is all down to the manager and his formations/tactics. Bollox!!!

The players have it within them to turn this around. It’s over to them or this is going to get very messy and it kills me to watch this club get so low.

[BlackSheep]

Need to step up and start playing for their future.

I’ve been reading that this is all down to the manager and his formations/tactics. Bollox!!!

The players have it within them to turn this around. It’s over to them or this is going to get very messy and it kills me to watch this club get so low.

While most of the players are out of form, a lot of the blame cannot be laid at their feet... you can’t blame the players who are being asked to play out of position, play to their weaknesses or in some cases not even getting a game!

We have a talented and strong squad but that matters nothing if the man making the decisions can’t see how to set up his team.

[B.H.F.C]

Complete lack of leadership on the pitch.

None of them demand anything from each other. Nobody trying to set a standard.

[BlackSheep]

Complete lack of leadership on the pitch.

None of them demand anything from each other. Nobody trying to set a standard.

They’ve been set up like headless chickens and in turn are acting like headless chickens... and yes, there’s no one of the pitch capable of changing that at the moment... Hanlon being the vice captain used to be great, but in the past 12 months he has gone off the boil and he lacks confidence now.

[The Leith Dutch]

The reason the manager is getting it right is that he's sending out a formation that doesn't work, that the players clearly don't understand, that doesn't play players in the right positions and that doesn't have a proper midfield to compete or exert any kind of pressure.

No amount of the players trying to turn that around will fix it.

Doesn't mean they get a pass but the manager is showing a level of incompetence that will result in failure every time.

[SMAXXA]

The biggest problem we have with our players is simple for me, ability aside we have no leaders who will take them by the scruff of the neck when we don’t have SDG and Mcgregor in the side. Dreading the derby

[BlackSheep]

The reason the manager is getting it right is that he's sending out a formation that doesn't work, that the players clearly don't understand, that doesn't play players in the right positions and that doesn't have a proper midfield to compete or exert any kind of pressure.

No amount of the players trying to turn that around will fix it.

Doesn't mean they get a pass but the manager is showing a level of incompetence that will result in failure every time.

This.

And I know I’ll get pelters for suggesting this, but right now, without a strong player in midfield the solution would be to flood the middle of the park with players... so 5... but our strike force are all better when up top as a 2.... that leaves 3 at the backnand I know everyone hates it, but we did have some success playing this way under Lennon.

Our recruitment should have been focusing on finding excellent wing backs, who are both capable of defending and contributing to the attack.

Because we have Gray, Stevenson and Boyle we haven’t been looking at developing this style and it’s clear that our current personnel are not fantastic at playing as a 352/532 formation and tactics.

IMHO this is the only way we should set up with the current squad we have available (injuries aside).

When Tom James is back and Lewy is up to speed we should be trying this out again... but I know Heckingbottom dislikes 3 at the back. This is another reason why he needs to go.

My first 11 would look like this:-

Marciano

Lewy (LWB)

Hanlon
Jackson
Porteous

James (RWB)

Vela (CM)
Hallberg (CM)

Allan (AM/number 10/free role)

Kamberi
Doidge

The team needs to play the ball on the ground, passing in from wide positions to gain ground and either slotting it through to the strikers or playing it out wide to the wing backs to cross in and find the strikers.

Right now its worth a shot, what have we got to lose.

This formation is a double setup too... when we attack we we play as a 5 in the midfield and as we defend the wing backs drop back and create a wall of 5 in defence. If this is drilled into the team then it could be successful... I think it’s the most flexible formation that our squad can work with.

I also think Allan has what it takes to lead the team, I think his career experience I the past few years looks to have matured him a lot and I can see in his game some passion, and this is what’s lacking.

New Players have to develop this and it takes time... but Scotty gets it, he knows what Hibs are about.

[BlackSheep]

No feedback on my post.... lol... either on the mark or way past it?

[bigwheel]

No feedback on my post.... lol... either on the mark or way past it?

Tbh. Probably our best 11 currently [emoji106]

[The 90+2]

No feedback on my post.... lol... either on the mark or way past it?

No, your post was spot on. It’s not going to happen anytime soon though unfortunately.

[BlackSheep]

It’s a shame.... how can we as fans see these things yet the people paid to manage the team can’t!

So frustrating !!!!

[The Leith Dutch]

This.

And I know I’ll get pelters for suggesting this, but right now, without a strong player in midfield the solution would be to flood the middle of the park with players... so 5... but our strike force are all better when up top as a 2.... that leaves 3 at the backnand I know everyone hates it, but we did have some success playing this way under Lennon.

Our recruitment should have been focusing on finding excellent wing backs, who are both capable of defending and contributing to the attack.

Because we have Gray, Stevenson and Boyle we haven’t been looking at developing this style and it’s clear that our current personnel are not fantastic at playing as a 352/532 formation and tactics.

IMHO this is the only way we should set up with the current squad we have available (injuries aside).

When Tom James is back and Lewy is up to speed we should be trying this out again... but I know Heckingbottom dislikes 3 at the back. This is another reason why he needs to go.

My first 11 would look like this:-

Marciano

Lewy (LWB)

Hanlon
Jackson
Porteous

James (RWB)

Vela (CM)
Hallberg (CM)

Allan (AM/number 10/free role)

Kamberi
Doidge

The team needs to play the ball on the ground, passing in from wide positions to gain ground and either slotting it through to the strikers or playing it out wide to the wing backs to cross in and find the strikers.

Right now its worth a shot, what have we got to lose.

This formation is a double setup too... when we attack we we play as a 5 in the midfield and as we defend the wing backs drop back and create a wall of 5 in defence. If this is drilled into the team then it could be successful... I think it’s the most flexible formation that our squad can work with.

I also think Allan has what it takes to lead the team, I think his career experience I the past few years looks to have matured him a lot and I can see in his game some passion, and this is what’s lacking.

New Players have to develop this and it takes time... but Scotty gets it, he knows what Hibs are about.

Thing I like about that formation more than anything else is that it's straightforward. Players in decent positions and who know what they should be doing. Solid when it needs to be and capable of controlling the game.

[calumhibee1]

Some of the players have been dreadful. There's been a few inexcusable moments the last few games where the blame can only be put on the players. Horgan inexplicably not managing to play Flo through when we were 2-1 up against St J when he had a whole half of the pitch to play the ball into yet he hit the first man (who was about 20 yards away from Flo and also 20 yards away from Horgan, how he never managed to get it past him I've no idea).. Some of Rockys goalkeeping recently. Stevenson and Hanlons performances.

Some of the players really need to give themselves a shake.

[calumhibee1]

Thing I like about that formation more than anything else is that it's straightforward. Players in decent positions and who know what they should be doing. Solid when it needs to be and capable of controlling the game.

If you reckon that the players can't play a 4-3-3 - probably the most common formation in football - because they don't know it, then I'm not sure a 3-5-2 is the way to go.

There's no way anybody in football nowadays doesn't know how to play in a 4-3-3.

[The Leith Dutch]

If you reckon that the players can't play a 4-3-3 - probably the most common formation in football - because they don't know it, then I'm not sure a 3-5-2 is the way to go.

There's no way anybody in football nowadays doesn't know how to play in a 4-3-3.

We're not playing a 4-3-3 though

[MrSmith]

Higher levels of fitness not yet seen at the club and high pressing football?

Erm, has it happened yet?

[Tyler Durden]

We're not playing a 4-3-3 though

We are and it’s the same formation that most of the players played since the manager came in. Certainly since the Rangers home game when he moved Flo wide at HT.

The only person arguably out of position is Mallan also, so not sure what your point is there either. Definitely lacking aggression and intensity all over the park and the players aren’t doing the basics (the Horgan example is a good one) which points to them downing tools.

[The Leith Dutch]

We are and it’s the same formation that most of the players played since the manager came in. Certainly since the Rangers home game when he moved Flo wide at HT.

The only person arguably out of position is Mallan also, so not sure what your point is there either. Definitely lacking aggression and intensity all over the park and the players aren’t doing the basics (the Horgan example is a good one) which points to them downing tools.

What the manager is doing with the 3 in the middle isn't what you do in a 4-3-3. It's doing very specific and overly smart arse stuff with Mallan and Allan neither of whom are centre mids (presumably some kind of 4-1-2-3 or other nonsense).

The result of which is getting over run in midfield all the time.

[Tyler Durden]

The reason the manager is getting it right is that he's sending out a formation that doesn't work, that the players clearly don't understand, that doesn't play players in the right positions and that doesn't have a proper midfield to compete or exert any kind of pressure.

No amount of the players trying to turn that around will fix it.

Doesn't mean they get a pass but the manager is showing a level of incompetence that will result in failure every time.

I don’t see the fixation that a different formation is going to solve our problems. Last week we played a 4-4-2 and this week we reverted to 4-3-3 (or 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1 if you’d rather). These are formations that the players all understand and certainly in the case of 4-3-3 they’ve been successful with before.

It’s a wider issue than formations

[one day maybe...]

Its incredibly frustrating because in there somewhere is the makings of a decent team.

For me tightening things up centrally would give us a better platform to build from and yes the players need to take a huge amount of responsibility.

Marciano

Lewy (LWB)

Hanlon
Jackson
Porteous

James (RWB)

Vela (HM)
Hallberg (CM)
Slivka (CM)

Allan (AM/number 10/free role)

Kamberi

As I say I think there is a good team in there but they all need to apply themselves better and take some responsibility on the ball

[Tyler Durden]

What the manager is doing with the 3 in the middle isn't what you do in a 4-3-3. It's doing very specific and overly smart arse stuff with Mallan and Allan neither of whom are centre mids (presumably some kind of 4-1-2-3 or other nonsense).

The result of which is getting over run in midfield all the time.

Totally agree with that. Seems more the personnel than formation though is all I’d say.

He talks about Omeonga being our best defender last year, which seems spot on to me in terms of energy and desire to win the ball back. But for some reason we have seemingly made no attempt to replace him or Milligan with a player who has those attributes. It’s bizarre and is gonna cost the man his job

[tonyrougier123]

Need to step up and start playing for their future.

I’ve been reading that this is all down to the manager and his formations/tactics. Bollox!!!

The players have it within them to turn this around. It’s over to them or this is going to get very messy and it kills me to watch this club get so low.

Heckinbottom is as bad an appointment as calderwood.and he went on to build a squad of imposters we never recovered from because he was given too much time and resources.

[calumhibee1]

We're not playing a 4-3-3 though

We are imo. I get what you're saying about there being slightly different roles to a standard 4-3-3 but I think saying its not a 4-3-3 would be like saying a 4-4-2 diamond is a 4-1-2-1-2 and not a 4-4-2.

I don't actually disagree that a 3-5-2 could be a potentially decent formation, but imo one thing that can't be labelled at PH is that he has the players playing a formation they don't understand as it's pretty much the formation used by 90% of teams now. If the players don't know it then they shouldn't be pro footballers.

There's no doubting somethings not right at Hibs and that PH has to improve but the players have got off pretty lightly imo. Some of the individual performances the last couple of weeks have been awful. Things like Rocky diving out the way of O'Hallarans shot, his horrendous attempt at clearing the ball against O'Hallaran, the Horgan example I gave earlier, Doidge missing a couple open goals.. they're nothing to do with formations and purely down to horrendous pieces of individual play that have cost us dearly (maybe not so much the Marciano tackle or the Doidge open goals). They sort of things are out of the managers control.

[noz]

Fair enough, PH should take the blame and rightly so, but the players are responsible too.
Both our right backs are injured so he plays Whittaker, Im keen to know who else we could have played.
Then Jackson inexplicably handles the ball, not the managers fault, then Marciano fluffs the third.
Theres only so much a manager can do but he cant do anything about these mistakes?

[ancient hibee]

Totally agree with that. Seems more the personnel than formation though is all I’d say.

He talks about Omeonga being our best defender last year, which seems spot on to me in terms of energy and desire to win the ball back. But for some reason we have seemingly made no attempt to replace him or Milligan with a player who has those attributes. It’s bizarre and is gonna cost the man his job

I can’t think that anyone who watches football regularly could disagree with that.Bizarre is definitely the word.Mallan’s feeble pretendy tackle shown on Sportscene was embarrassing.

[Torto7]

We need energy in the team imo. I have no issue with the 3 at the back other than the lack of a ball playing centre half. Efe was vital in the 3 because he could bring the ball out but also go into the rb role when Boyle was pushed up the pitch. The thought of Jackson getting dragged out to the RB area gives me the fear.


I like Fraser Murray and I'd get him into midfield alongside Lewis Stevenson:wink:. So going with his current 4-3-3 I'd have.

Marciano

James Mcgregor/Jackson Porteous Hanlon
Murray Hallberg Stevenson
Allan
Kamberi Horgan

[Jonnyboy]

The biggest problem we have with our players is simple for me, ability aside we have no leaders who will take them by the scruff of the neck when we don’t have SDG and Mcgregor in the side. Dreading the derby

:agree: We need a Scott Brown type to sort them out

[BlackSheep]

We're not playing a 4-3-3 though

It doesn’t suit our squad though... when attacking we have 3 up but are left light in midfield, when defending we are left with 1 up front, usually Flo, and he just isn’t a lone striker...!

While a 1 up top with wide men works down south and on the continent, it just doesn’t work in our league cos teams just shut up shop and then you are trying to break them down, time and time again, leading to this slow boring build up which comes to nothing!!

On top of that it’s nothing to do with understanding... its to do with execution... it plain that our squad isn’t executing the tactics of a 433/4213/whatever it is, so why do we persist!!! As someone on another thread said about playing players out of position, it’s a square peg ina round hole.... let’s just set up simply and get the basics right then see where we go from there.

[One Day In Time]

We've got a decent squad but we're also missing real leaders like McGregor, SDG and Ryan. The players need to be taking some flack though. Talk of dressing room split - sort it out FFS. Bunch of grown men

[The 90+2]

We've got a decent squad but we're also missing real leaders like McGregor, SDG and Ryan. The players need to be taking some flack though. Talk of dressing room split - sort it out FFS. Bunch of grown men

We haven’t got a decent squad at all. The defence is a shambles and we have one decent striker.

[One Day In Time]

We haven’t got a decent squad at all. The defence is a shambles and we have one decent striker.

I think we're light up top. Defence has been done by injuries. Midfield is a decent one

[Edinburgh Green]

Some of the players have been dreadful. There's been a few inexcusable moments the last few games where the blame can only be put on the players. Horgan inexplicably not managing to play Flo through when we were 2-1 up against St J when he had a whole half of the pitch to play the ball into yet he hit the first man (who was about 20 yards away from Flo and also 20 yards away from Horgan, how he never managed to get it past him I've no idea).. Some of Rockys goalkeeping recently. Stevenson and Hanlons performances.

Some of the players really need to give themselves a shake.

That Horgan pass is still baffling. Bruce Grobelaar was done for less.

[calumhibee1]

That Horgan pass is still baffling. Bruce Grobelaar was done for less.

I don’t know why but that in particular really pissed me off. Any decent 5 a side player could have just played it over the defender and into 40 yards of space for Flo to run on to.

[jacomo]

No feedback on my post.... lol... either on the mark or way past it?


Unfortunately James is currently injured and Lewis isn’t really a wing back. So you’ve got to find another solution at rwb and compensate for a lack of width on the left.

However, we are currently shipping goals, so I agree that we need to shore it up pronto.

[basehibby]

If you reckon that the players can't play a 4-3-3 - probably the most common formation in football - because they don't know it, then I'm not sure a 3-5-2 is the way to go.

There's no way anybody in football nowadays doesn't know how to play in a 4-3-3.

But whether they "know" 4-3-3 or not they are currently getting ripped for arse paper trying to play it! Our fullbacks are being exposed week in week out and it's resulting in some dire performances.

Something's got to change and 3-5-2 could be the way to go.

[JimBHibees]

But whether they "know" 4-3-3 or not they are currently getting ripped for arse paper trying to play it! Our fullbacks are being exposed week in week out and it's resulting in some dire performances.

Something's got to change and 3-5-2 could be the way to go.

It certainly should have been tried probably at Ibrox and certainly in our league cup group games.

[calumhibee1]

But whether they "know" 4-3-3 or not they are currently getting ripped for arse paper trying to play it! Our fullbacks are being exposed week in week out and it's resulting in some dire performances.

Something's got to change and 3-5-2 could be the way to go.

That’s true, we were outplayed at the weekend while playing it. I’m not sure it’s the systems fault though. Some of the individual mistakes and performances from players have been really poor and things like Marciano diving out the way of shots and the other examples listed wouldn’t necessarily stop happening because we changed formation.

[BILLYHIBS]

Some of the players have been dreadful. There's been a few inexcusable moments the last few games where the blame can only be put on the players. Horgan inexplicably not managing to play Flo through when we were 2-1 up against St J when he had a whole half of the pitch to play the ball into yet he hit the first man (who was about 20 yards away from Flo and also 20 yards away from Horgan, how he never managed to get it past him I've no idea).. Some of Rockys goalkeeping recently. Stevenson and Hanlons performances.

Some of the players really need to give themselves a shake.
Horgans play that day was criminal for a professional footballer

Stevenson is only about 60% fit

Hanlon has not been right for the last 12 months although had a good game versus St Mirren

Rocky is just rocky and needs serious competition

He was absolutely outstanding the second half of last season when he had Bogdan breathing down his neck

Perhaps needs to be dropped to give Maxwell a chance

[Cataplana]

Mallam should never play for Hibs again. He didn't it even pretend to tackle the guy in the lead up to the third goal.

I can't understand how anybody can be playing at that level and think they can get by without tackling.

[calumhibee1]

Mallam should never play for Hibs again. He didn't it even pretend to tackle the guy in the lead up to the third goal.

I can't understand how anybody can be playing at that level and think they can get by without tackling.

Yup. Was like watching people playing 5s. Jockey them until they make a mistake but don’t put in much of a physical tackle.. if they don’t make a mistake then you’re toiling.

[Smartie]

Mallam should never play for Hibs again. He didn't it even pretend to tackle the guy in the lead up to the third goal.

I can't understand how anybody can be playing at that level and think they can get by without tackling.

I think his performances are central to a good number of our current problems, as they were during the first half of last season.

He either needs dropped (which I think MUST happen) or somehow have our team tweaked and added to so he is in a position where his weaknesses don't cost us every single ****ing week.

I say I'd prefer him to be dropped - I still don't think we have an obvious candidate to replace him, which is frankly inexcusable.

[The Leith Dutch]

Totally agree with that. Seems more the personnel than formation though is all I’d say.

He talks about Omeonga being our best defender last year, which seems spot on to me in terms of energy and desire to win the ball back. But for some reason we have seemingly made no attempt to replace him or Milligan with a player who has those attributes. It’s bizarre and is gonna cost the man his job

I know where you're coming from and formation is definitely not the only issue.

Player wise - yep I agree: the players in the midfielder part of the formation should have the core skill set of a Centre midfielder (broadly: positioning, energy, tackling, closing down space and distribution) and they should be selected for having those attributes. Omeonga and Milligan were in the team for those reasons (not saying either were perfect before I cop flack on them but we were at least selecting players whose attributes were suitable to play that role).

Allan and Mallan especially don't have those attributes and are being selected for having the core skill set of an attacking midfielder (set up passes, splitting a defence, occupying defenders and creating space, goals and assists). And not saying Mallan is delivering on that fwiw - just that those are the reasons we would possibly select him.

Ultimately the most significant problem we have is playing both Allan and Mallan, playing them quite high up the pitch - the much vaunted high pressing game - and in very prescribed areas (see PH's comments on Allan's role following substitution-gate). Because those two players just don't work in those areas the formation and approach to the game will never work due to any competently set up team easily controlling the midfield against us.

I feel the bit with the specifics of the Allan and Mallan positioning is a little fiddly too - it sounds a little like zonal marking for attacking.
The kind of thing that can be made to work with good players and precise drilling but which can easily come unstuck and look daft if the players aren't quite good enough or there isn't enough drilling work done. This is at the root of my problem with PH: I suspect he thinks he's a better coach than he actually is and has us focused on nuance while the basic foundations are all wrong.

I'm not particularly obsessed with formations but, to me, an important aspect of a 4-3-3 would be that the middle three ensure you compete in the midfield first and foremost.
If anything the preference expressed for the 5-3-2/3-5-2 in the post I responded to is that it has a sensible number of purely attacking players (3: Allan and two strikers) which I feel gives us more control and more protection if things go against us.

PH's formation, whatever it's correct label is, has five players who I would not expect to give us much to the team except in attack.
It's why I'm not particularly keen to blame the players - there are errors and performances from individuals could go up a notch but to me the team he's putting out and the instructions he's giving them are likely beaten before a ball is kicked by managers who have sent out less good players in a straightforward set up. If we don't change that I doubt it would matter what players we'd signed or how they played.

[Cataplana]

I think his performances are central to a good number of our current problems, as they were during the first half of last season.

He either needs dropped (which I think MUST happen) or somehow have our team tweaked and added to so he is in a position where his weaknesses don't cost us every single ****ing week.

I say I'd prefer him to be dropped - I still don't think we have an obvious candidate to replace him, which is frankly inexcusable.

I'd prefer him dropped. As I said, any player that thinks pretending to tackle will get him anywhere at this level is in the wrong job.

His performances are cowardly and lazy, and he is very immature to think no one is noticing. It gets my goat that players like Whittaker, who is doing his best, get it in the neck from fans, when Mallan can preen and pose and get away with it.

[The 90+2]

I'd prefer him dropped. As I said, any player that thinks pretending to tackle will get him anywhere at this level is in the wrong job.

His performances are cowardly and lazy, and he is very immature to think no one is noticing. It gets my goat that players like Whittaker, who is doing his best, get it in the neck from fans, when Mallan can preen and pose and get away with it.

Whittaker is a weak link but at least he never hides. Saying that it’s not Mallans fault he gets picked every single week and there’s nobody better been brought in for someone Hecky didn’t think was good enough for his Barnsley side. Mallan has been terrible for a whole year now, he started off very good alongside McGinn but since been weak and anonymous.

[The Leith Dutch]

We are imo. I get what you're saying about there being slightly different roles to a standard 4-3-3 but I think saying its not a 4-3-3 would be like saying a 4-4-2 diamond is a 4-1-2-1-2 and not a 4-4-2.

I don't actually disagree that a 3-5-2 could be a potentially decent formation, but imo one thing that can't be labelled at PH is that he has the players playing a formation they don't understand as it's pretty much the formation used by 90% of teams now. If the players don't know it then they shouldn't be pro footballers.

There's no doubting somethings not right at Hibs and that PH has to improve but the players have got off pretty lightly imo. Some of the individual performances the last couple of weeks have been awful. Things like Rocky diving out the way of O'Hallarans shot, his horrendous attempt at clearing the ball against O'Hallaran, the Horgan example I gave earlier, Doidge missing a couple open goals.. they're nothing to do with formations and purely down to horrendous pieces of individual play that have cost us dearly (maybe not so much the Marciano tackle or the Doidge open goals). They sort of things are out of the managers control.

While I hate getting into semantics those differences are kind of what I'm getting at.
Ultimately I don't really care about formation but the one thing that I'd say about 4-3-3 is that you wouldn't expect the midfield to be over run.

You can say 4-1-2-3 is basically 4-3-3 but whether it's formation or this high press horse**** PH bangs on about there's one guy trying to hold the midfield.

My understanding of the principle of a 4-3-3 (and I'm not a coach so apologies if this is missing something crucial ;) ) is that the middle 3 are there to provide the platform for the attacking 3. In the formation we're playing two of the three man midfield roles are not being occupied by Centre Midfielders but by attacking players standing in positions that are very advanced.

Like I say - keen to avoid semantics and I think other posters have made the point that the player selection may be the main thrust of my issues but ultimately at the moment I genuinely think we're probably beaten before we kick a ball by poor managerial decisions.

[The Leith Dutch]

I think his performances are central to a good number of our current problems, as they were during the first half of last season.

He either needs dropped (which I think MUST happen) or somehow have our team tweaked and added to so he is in a position where his weaknesses don't cost us every single ****ing week.

I say I'd prefer him to be dropped - I still don't think we have an obvious candidate to replace him, which is frankly inexcusable.

I like Mallan but am in a similar frame of mind about him being dropped and think it has to happen.

Part of the issue is that I think he's best deployed in the central playmaker role behind 2 strikers or front 3 and that has the twin issues that he'd be behind Scott Allan in the pecking order for that role and we're not letting anyone play in that role right now.

[The Leith Dutch]

Whittaker is a weak link but at least he never hides. Saying that it’s not Mallans fault he gets picked every single week and there’s nobody better been brought in for someone Hecky didn’t think was good enough for his Barnsley side. Mallan has been terrible for a whole year now, he started off very good alongside McGinn but since been weak and anonymous.

I suspect playing alongside McGinn I could look like a decent player ;)

[The 90+2]

I suspect playing alongside McGinn I could look like a decent player ;)

Very true, perhaps not me though :greengrin

[Hiber-nation]

I'd prefer him dropped. As I said, any player that thinks pretending to tackle will get him anywhere at this level is in the wrong job.

His performances are cowardly and lazy, and he is very immature to think no one is noticing. It gets my goat that players like Whittaker, who is doing his best, get it in the neck from fans, when Mallan can preen and pose and get away with it.

As far as I'm concerned, Mallan's getting more dog's abuse than any other player.

[Cataplana]

As far as I'm concerned, Mallan's getting more dog's abuse than any other player.

If that's the case, then it's thoroughly deserved.

[Swedish hibee]

Experienced players let the club down on Saturday.