bigwheel
25-09-2019, 11:12 PM
I felt like wee joe harper turning up to replace the legend that is Jimmy O’Rourke...The dot net equivalent standing in for Jonnyboy. Should never happen ! so I won’t even try to replicate his magic ...Like you all, I really enjoy his summarises after each match. I will try though to bring the game a little to life for those not there ..apologies in advance [emoji119]
The tone of the evening started on the way to the match. Unusually for me I took one of the supporters buses. On the way on to the bus, just approaching the steps, the guy behind me muttered under his breath “Dear oh Dear”...he was saying out loud how most of us were feeling. Most seemed to be heading with little hope of a result.
I also heard on the bus of two guys who have sent their season tickets back to the club ! As a protest against performances ...quite a statement ..I wonder if another win at the weekend , will have them working out how they get they get them back [emoji2]
As we approached the ground there were a few big changes for the fans to discuss from Sunday’s team . Both Allan and Kamberi dropped , James, Middleton and Doidge starting . The other change was Naismith, assuming rested or injured as he was not stripped. It felt a set of big calls by the manager..
And to the game itself . I’d have to say overall we worked hard but still lacked incisive play going forward . Mind you so did Killie. We were better balanced with the 4 -2-3-1 shape..although it evolved a few times during the match. Width from both Horgan and Middleton gave us a more
Natural shape. With Porto again at the back and adding Doidge and James we have a bit more steel too than in recent weeks in the first 11 . Some boys were commenting how poor we were after the match . And yes, it was far from a vintage performance . But I respect the organisation, work rate, effort and application that saw us through a tricky tie. Sometimes you need to create your own lick and I’d say the players did that today..
On to the match , I thought Kilmarnock settled earlier, but we grew more in to the game during the first half . Neither side causing much goal mouth action, with a few crosses and some long range efforts all either team had to show for it
Hallberg certainly works hard, pressed without the ball - not the strongest passer of the ball though . James looked a good addition and strong defensively . Kilmarnock, had a bit more fluency at first, but Hibs gradually got in to the game with a neat Doidge lay off creating a shot opening for Mallan but he missed the target.
Hallberg had a wayward effort in about 30mins. Then I thought we perhaps got away with one when Porteous tussled one of their players to the ground as a cross came in in the first half .referee ignored it completely
Porto made up for it with a commanding performance overall and one clearing header as the half wore on was top drawer
At half time the tone in the stands around me was fairly neutral. Not a great performance but battling well. We had looked a bit more physical. But still
Largely huffing and puffing. Vela not winning many fans and Doidge frustrating some - not me I admit though - I quite liked the more physical presence that he brought to our front line
No changes for either side at half time
Kilmarnock started to gain more ground , but not sure Maxwell had a save of note to make . There were a few balls that wizzed across our box mind you
70 mins. Shaw and Allan replaced our two wide men
Allan seemed to keep looking for the perfect pass, that said, thought he closed down well and worked hard . Shaw helped stretch Killie and as the half wore in we perhaps had our best period of the game. A few crosses were put in but no takers in either occasion
Extra Time
Killie started in too and I’d say we’re stronger in the first half. Again though without creating a saves from Maxwell.
In the second half of ET Doidge had a header in target at a corner but it was an easy save and at the other end a Maxwell slip gave Brophy a great chance from distance but it was well off target
Hallberg had run his battery dry and made way for Newell.
As the game opened up Hanlon made a great interception in box to stop a goal scoring opportunity.
With two minutes to go Kamberi was due to come On for Doidge , but Porto’s red card stopped that. Jackson came on for Doidge . Seemed a very cautious choice as with 2 mins to go until penalties it meant Shaw was the only forward left on the pitch . Mind you he was also our only penalty miss.
For Us the penalty takers in order where
Allan scores
Shaw. Tame shot
Mallan scores
Hanlon scores
James slipped but still scores
Newell - Pen of the evening
Maxwell saved the last pen to give the team a hard well earned victory .
Players
Maxwell - other than the penalties didn’t have too much to do..a couple of scares with balls flashing across goals from out wide, and one when he slipped on the way out to collect a through ball, leaving a good opportunity for Brophy
James - a decent shift I thought - looked fairly solid defensively ..didn’t venture forward too much , but looked largely assured. Will do him good to get 120 mins . He will be relieved to see his penalty “panenka” in after slipping as he struck it
Lewis - a typical Lewis performance - gritty 6/7 out of 10..saw off Chris Burke and did well as balls were thrown toward him from Killie
Hanlon - good pen and overall a decent if not top notch shift ..was lucky that a slip late on didn’t get punished ..worked hard though - also nod of appreciation for winning the penalty toss and getting them up our end
Porto - a late red card will go down as taking one for the team ..resulted in not one but two Killie players pushing him over. Do they realise who they are dealing with ? ;). before that though i thought he was head and shoulders the best player on the park ..leadership, aggression and good game awareness ..this boy could end up being some player. MOM
Vela - worked hard but overall struggled to make much impact for most of the match I thought - lacks pace..was one of our poorer performers . Only balancing point is that as the game went on and players tired, his engine was still going and he won a few battles towards the end
Hallberg - technically a better player than Vela - but still off the pace for me ..worked hard . But also little impact - subbed as he tired . Perhaps too early to judge
Mallan - must have played about three or four different roles after starting in an advanced role in midfield ..still struggling to find form. not one of his better shifts - stepped up and delivered on the pens though
Horgan- hardworking shift without much joy..got a decent reception when he went off..wish he wouldn’t play crosses as deep as often as he does
Middleton - started on the left and switched to the right .. along with Horgan gave us more natural width..brings a bit of trickery, put in a couple of decent crosses . Can be happy with his evening or as the guy behind me put it - “I quite like that wee hun guy”...
Doidge - he is an old fashioned number nine - have more menace to the front line without hitting many heights. Had a couple of neat Kay off back heels to link up and create shooting chances . Will benefit from the near 120 mins ..
Shaw - thought Olly added a bit of pace and variety to us ..had a good chance to score in extra time but blazed over..hit a tame penalty which was easily saved ..that said, I thought we looked a better team with him on the park
Jackson - got 2 mins , on for Doidge when Port was sent off . Don’t think he touched the ball
Joe Newell - did nothing of note when he came on ..other than (importantly) he hit the best penalty of the night ..so fair play !
The referee
Collum got most of the big decisions right ..could have given them a pen for a bundle in the box .
Manager
Delighted for the guy. Made some bold selections , and can be pleased with his evenings work. I thought we were a touch more resilient. Was interesting that he came and saluted the fans with a bit of passion. Was equally interesting to see how the players celebrated with him, they all looked genuinely pleased for him too. I’ve not liked to see the personal nature of some of the criticism of him, so thrilled that he got a result tonight. Think he deserves it. I actually think he might be a decent coach . Unfortunately, looks like he has made a number of poor signing choices and that means he remains with a very difficult task.
Fans ..
Good turnout - I’d say circa 7-800. Got behind the team well. I was dreading Killie scoring , as you could sense it was one of these nights where some of the fans would have immediately turned on the team..that said, as the game went on the fans kept behind the side, and stayed with the team all the way to the end...the young team kept signing all the way through ...credit to them...didn’t like some of the “we are *****” songs but the anti dot net songs in their songbook deserve a nod of appreciation - top
Class that ! [emoji2]
Overall, was t a great performance but the tenacity was top class. can’t fault the application from the team ..all of them put in a real shift - no doubt we lack quality compared to recent years..so we will have a hard shift this season. That said I was absolutely delighted for the team , manager and the fans . The players worked so hard, they deserved the wee break to win on pens and go through to the semi finals ..anything can happen at Hampden - as we know ..
Baton firmly handed back to Jonnyboy...now I know how the understudy feels on a Broadway show when they fill in for the main star. Booed before the curtain comes up ! [emoji2][emoji106].
Ps. I did this on my phone so apologies for the typos ...
The tone of the evening started on the way to the match. Unusually for me I took one of the supporters buses. On the way on to the bus, just approaching the steps, the guy behind me muttered under his breath “Dear oh Dear”...he was saying out loud how most of us were feeling. Most seemed to be heading with little hope of a result.
I also heard on the bus of two guys who have sent their season tickets back to the club ! As a protest against performances ...quite a statement ..I wonder if another win at the weekend , will have them working out how they get they get them back [emoji2]
As we approached the ground there were a few big changes for the fans to discuss from Sunday’s team . Both Allan and Kamberi dropped , James, Middleton and Doidge starting . The other change was Naismith, assuming rested or injured as he was not stripped. It felt a set of big calls by the manager..
And to the game itself . I’d have to say overall we worked hard but still lacked incisive play going forward . Mind you so did Killie. We were better balanced with the 4 -2-3-1 shape..although it evolved a few times during the match. Width from both Horgan and Middleton gave us a more
Natural shape. With Porto again at the back and adding Doidge and James we have a bit more steel too than in recent weeks in the first 11 . Some boys were commenting how poor we were after the match . And yes, it was far from a vintage performance . But I respect the organisation, work rate, effort and application that saw us through a tricky tie. Sometimes you need to create your own lick and I’d say the players did that today..
On to the match , I thought Kilmarnock settled earlier, but we grew more in to the game during the first half . Neither side causing much goal mouth action, with a few crosses and some long range efforts all either team had to show for it
Hallberg certainly works hard, pressed without the ball - not the strongest passer of the ball though . James looked a good addition and strong defensively . Kilmarnock, had a bit more fluency at first, but Hibs gradually got in to the game with a neat Doidge lay off creating a shot opening for Mallan but he missed the target.
Hallberg had a wayward effort in about 30mins. Then I thought we perhaps got away with one when Porteous tussled one of their players to the ground as a cross came in in the first half .referee ignored it completely
Porto made up for it with a commanding performance overall and one clearing header as the half wore on was top drawer
At half time the tone in the stands around me was fairly neutral. Not a great performance but battling well. We had looked a bit more physical. But still
Largely huffing and puffing. Vela not winning many fans and Doidge frustrating some - not me I admit though - I quite liked the more physical presence that he brought to our front line
No changes for either side at half time
Kilmarnock started to gain more ground , but not sure Maxwell had a save of note to make . There were a few balls that wizzed across our box mind you
70 mins. Shaw and Allan replaced our two wide men
Allan seemed to keep looking for the perfect pass, that said, thought he closed down well and worked hard . Shaw helped stretch Killie and as the half wore in we perhaps had our best period of the game. A few crosses were put in but no takers in either occasion
Extra Time
Killie started in too and I’d say we’re stronger in the first half. Again though without creating a saves from Maxwell.
In the second half of ET Doidge had a header in target at a corner but it was an easy save and at the other end a Maxwell slip gave Brophy a great chance from distance but it was well off target
Hallberg had run his battery dry and made way for Newell.
As the game opened up Hanlon made a great interception in box to stop a goal scoring opportunity.
With two minutes to go Kamberi was due to come On for Doidge , but Porto’s red card stopped that. Jackson came on for Doidge . Seemed a very cautious choice as with 2 mins to go until penalties it meant Shaw was the only forward left on the pitch . Mind you he was also our only penalty miss.
For Us the penalty takers in order where
Allan scores
Shaw. Tame shot
Mallan scores
Hanlon scores
James slipped but still scores
Newell - Pen of the evening
Maxwell saved the last pen to give the team a hard well earned victory .
Players
Maxwell - other than the penalties didn’t have too much to do..a couple of scares with balls flashing across goals from out wide, and one when he slipped on the way out to collect a through ball, leaving a good opportunity for Brophy
James - a decent shift I thought - looked fairly solid defensively ..didn’t venture forward too much , but looked largely assured. Will do him good to get 120 mins . He will be relieved to see his penalty “panenka” in after slipping as he struck it
Lewis - a typical Lewis performance - gritty 6/7 out of 10..saw off Chris Burke and did well as balls were thrown toward him from Killie
Hanlon - good pen and overall a decent if not top notch shift ..was lucky that a slip late on didn’t get punished ..worked hard though - also nod of appreciation for winning the penalty toss and getting them up our end
Porto - a late red card will go down as taking one for the team ..resulted in not one but two Killie players pushing him over. Do they realise who they are dealing with ? ;). before that though i thought he was head and shoulders the best player on the park ..leadership, aggression and good game awareness ..this boy could end up being some player. MOM
Vela - worked hard but overall struggled to make much impact for most of the match I thought - lacks pace..was one of our poorer performers . Only balancing point is that as the game went on and players tired, his engine was still going and he won a few battles towards the end
Hallberg - technically a better player than Vela - but still off the pace for me ..worked hard . But also little impact - subbed as he tired . Perhaps too early to judge
Mallan - must have played about three or four different roles after starting in an advanced role in midfield ..still struggling to find form. not one of his better shifts - stepped up and delivered on the pens though
Horgan- hardworking shift without much joy..got a decent reception when he went off..wish he wouldn’t play crosses as deep as often as he does
Middleton - started on the left and switched to the right .. along with Horgan gave us more natural width..brings a bit of trickery, put in a couple of decent crosses . Can be happy with his evening or as the guy behind me put it - “I quite like that wee hun guy”...
Doidge - he is an old fashioned number nine - have more menace to the front line without hitting many heights. Had a couple of neat Kay off back heels to link up and create shooting chances . Will benefit from the near 120 mins ..
Shaw - thought Olly added a bit of pace and variety to us ..had a good chance to score in extra time but blazed over..hit a tame penalty which was easily saved ..that said, I thought we looked a better team with him on the park
Jackson - got 2 mins , on for Doidge when Port was sent off . Don’t think he touched the ball
Joe Newell - did nothing of note when he came on ..other than (importantly) he hit the best penalty of the night ..so fair play !
The referee
Collum got most of the big decisions right ..could have given them a pen for a bundle in the box .
Manager
Delighted for the guy. Made some bold selections , and can be pleased with his evenings work. I thought we were a touch more resilient. Was interesting that he came and saluted the fans with a bit of passion. Was equally interesting to see how the players celebrated with him, they all looked genuinely pleased for him too. I’ve not liked to see the personal nature of some of the criticism of him, so thrilled that he got a result tonight. Think he deserves it. I actually think he might be a decent coach . Unfortunately, looks like he has made a number of poor signing choices and that means he remains with a very difficult task.
Fans ..
Good turnout - I’d say circa 7-800. Got behind the team well. I was dreading Killie scoring , as you could sense it was one of these nights where some of the fans would have immediately turned on the team..that said, as the game went on the fans kept behind the side, and stayed with the team all the way to the end...the young team kept signing all the way through ...credit to them...didn’t like some of the “we are *****” songs but the anti dot net songs in their songbook deserve a nod of appreciation - top
Class that ! [emoji2]
Overall, was t a great performance but the tenacity was top class. can’t fault the application from the team ..all of them put in a real shift - no doubt we lack quality compared to recent years..so we will have a hard shift this season. That said I was absolutely delighted for the team , manager and the fans . The players worked so hard, they deserved the wee break to win on pens and go through to the semi finals ..anything can happen at Hampden - as we know ..
Baton firmly handed back to Jonnyboy...now I know how the understudy feels on a Broadway show when they fill in for the main star. Booed before the curtain comes up ! [emoji2][emoji106].
Ps. I did this on my phone so apologies for the typos ...