Mark Milligan article

[Heisenberg]

Nice read. He really seems to have enjoyed it and you could tell at that last game how gutted he was to be leaving.

https://www.nottheoldfirm.com/exclusive/mark-milligan-looking-to-macarthur-challenge-as-he-fondly-remembers-hibs-spell/

[johncrobertson@]

Really good article - he really got what Hibs are about. Feel he left a year early.

[fiolex1]

Agree, a good read. Sells the club and the city pretty well. Liked him as a player and agree we could’ve got another 1-2 years out of him

[BILLYHIBS]

He looked to be slowing down ( Celtic away ) but came back from that Asian Cup revitalised under a new Manager and became a very important player for us

I was sorry to see him go

IIRC he was on megabucks with us (supposedly) so a second year was an expensive option that had been put in place by a previous Manager?

[stalbanshibby]

Liked him as a player. Worked his socks off and letting him and Bartley go at the same time, and not replacing either of them with a CDM was why a) we had such a poor season last year as our midfield was constantly overrun, and b) as a consequence Heck lost his job.

[Curried]

Great article. He clearly got Hibs, and loved living in Edinburgh. Heckys decision to let him go was baffling to me, and underlined just what a crap manager he was.

[HendoDelivered]

Great article. He clearly got Hibs, and loved living in Edinburgh. Heckys decision to let him go was baffling to me, and underlined just what a crap manager he was.

:agree:

[stalbanshibby]

Liked him as a player. Worked his socks off and letting him and Bartley go at the same time, and not replacing either of them with a CDM was why a) we had such a poor season last year as our midfield was constantly overrun, and b) as a consequence Heck lost his job.

[fiolex1]

Agree, a good read. Sells the club and the city pretty well. Liked him as a player and agree we could’ve got another 1-2 years out of him

[Clarence]

That team looked passable with him in it and terrible when he was out of it. Maybe if he stayed then we’d still be navigating the dank and murky waters of mediocrity with Hecky at the wheel.

[007]

He looked to be slowing down ( Celtic away ) but came back from that Asian Cup revitalised under a new Manager and became a very important player for us

I was sorry to see him go

IIRC he was on megabucks with us (supposedly) so a second year was an expensive option that had been put in place by a previous Manager?

To be fair to Heckingbottom, he said letting Milligan go was one of the hardest decisions he's had to make. As you say, he was on a big salary so I imagine that was a big factor. Heckingbottom was hoping to replace him with someone younger on a lower salary and of similar quality and he thought the Ojo deal was over the line. Not saying Ojo is of similar quality as I've not seen enough of him though he hasn't looked great when I have but I think that was the thinking at the time. It could be argued he should have waited until a deal with Ojo was signed 1st before letting Milligan go but sometimes it isn't as easy as that, he maybe had to decide on Milligan and didn't have the luxury of being able to wait any longer.

[Northernhibee]

Nice guy but a player who has gotten ten times better since he departed. A bang average midfielder who we hugely overspent on (he was reportedly on a large wage). We now have a considerably better option in Gogic.

[BILLYHIBS]

To be fair to Heckingbottom, he said letting Milligan go was one of the hardest decisions he's had to make. As you say, he was on a big salary so I imagine that was a big factor. Heckingbottom was hoping to replace him with someone younger on a lower salary and of similar quality and he thought the Ojo deal was over the line. Not saying Ojo is of similar quality as I've not seen enough of him though he hasn't looked great when I have but I think that was the thinking at the time. It could be argued he should have waited until a deal with Ojo was signed 1st before letting Milligan go but sometimes it isn't as easy as that, he maybe had to decide on Milligan and didn't have the luxury of being able to wait any longer.
:agree:

Agree with all of that

[Forza Fred]

Nice guy but a player who has gotten ten times better since he departed. A bang average midfielder who we hugely overspent on (he was reportedly on a large wage). We now have a considerably better option in Gogic.

I wonder how many other ‘bang average midfielders’ have been at 4 world cups with any country in the world?

[Northernhibee]

I wonder how many other ‘bang average midfielders’ have been at 4 world cups with any country in the world?

Depends, but I'm guessing the standard to get into the Australian national team isn't as high as most squads that have made four world cups during the time period of his playing career.

He's a bang average midfielder.

[Scouse Hibee]

Depends, but I'm guessing the standard to get into the Australian national team isn't as high as most squads that have made four world cups during the time period of his playing career.

He's a bang average midfielder.

Who we missed massively as part of our team.

[Sammy7nil]

Seems like a good guy. Is it just me or is he saying Hecky wanted a culture change and some were not up for it?

[Northernhibee]

Who we missed massively as part of our team.

We didn't miss Mark Milligan - we just missed a defensive midfielder.

He did his best for us, but the fact he went to Southend and didn't set the world on fire tells a story. If we got him ten years before he may have been good, but quite frankly eight out of ten defensive midfielders in the top flight and a half in Scotland would have done the same job.

[Scouse Hibee]

We didn't miss Mark Milligan - we just missed a defensive midfielder.

He did his best for us, but the fact he went to Southend and didn't set the world on fire tells a story. If we got him ten years before he may have been good, but quite frankly eight out of ten defensive midfielders in the top flight and a half in Scotland would have done the same job.

We missed Mark Milligan he was our defensive midfielder, how he performed at Southend is immaterial, he done a great job for us and the difference without him was there for all to see.

[Northernhibee]

We missed Mark Milligan he was our defensive midfielder, how he performed at Southend is immaterial, he done a great job for us and the difference without him was there for all to see.

Quite honestly, I don't think he did anything special with us that couldn't have been done by a number of half decent defensive midfielders at all. I'd say it's a huge stretch to call his contribution for us "great". Competant or adequate, yes, maybe even good, but not irreplaceable. It's just the case that we didn't replace him with anybody at all to play that role.

I much prefer Gogic so far.

[Since90+2]

We missed Mark Milligan he was our defensive midfielder, how he performed at Southend is immaterial, he done a great job for us and the difference without him was there for all to see.

I think it's stretching it somewhat to say he did a great job for us. He was decent and steady enough but I can't remember him having many outstanding performances.

[BoomtownHibees]

We missed Mark Milligan he was our defensive midfielder, how he performed at Southend is immaterial, he done a great job for us and the difference without him was there for all to see.

I don’t think he done what could be classed as a “great” job. He done a job and I wasn’t particularly fussed about him leaving at the time.

The bigger issue is that we never replaced him

[Scouse Hibee]

I think it's stretching it somewhat to say he did a great job for us. He was decent and steady enough but I can't remember him having many outstanding performances.

Consistently decent and steady is a great job to me.

[The Modfather]

Consistently decent and steady is a great job to me.

For the money we must have been paying him (he wasn’t financially viable when we looked at him earlier in the summer window before he did sign) and the pedigree he came with, I’d be looking for a lot more than “consistently decent and steady”.

He looked like he was probably a very good player in his prime. He was ok for us nothing more nothing less IMO. Like Bartley, I felt it was the right decision to move him on, the fact we didn’t replace them until Gogic is a different discussion but it was the right time to move both on IMO. Although obviously we’d all have kept one or both if we knew we wouldn’t sign a defensive midfielder.

[we are hibs]

Milligan is one of the most underwhelming players ive seen at hibs. Had big hopes given the reputation he arrived with but he was pretty anonymous most of the time. Best game i seen him have was at home v motherwell at centre back. Might have been Heckingbottoms first game.

[Forza Fred]

Depends, but I'm guessing the standard to get into the Australian national team isn't as high as most squads that have made four world cups during the time period of his playing career.

He's a bang average midfielder.

So basically you are saying, none that I know of.

[Forza Fred]

Milligan is one of the most underwhelming players ive seen at hibs. Had big hopes given the reputation he arrived with but he was pretty anonymous most of the time. Best game i seen him have was at home v motherwell at centre back. Might have been Heckingbottoms first game.

In all honesty I only thought he had two bad games.

One against Celtic when forest left him standing, and one against Killie where Greg Stewart beat him 3 times in as many seconds.

Other than that I thought he was a consistent performer.

[Northernhibee]

So basically you are saying, none that I know of.

No, you’re quite right, he’s on the level of Messi or Ronaldo who have also played in several World Cup finals. Why oh why did we ever let that 34 year old world journeyman go.

I actually was saying how that’s something of an anomaly as Australia stand a great chance of getting into World Cup finals because of the weak qualifying group they’ll find themselves in, so to make four World Cup finals for Australia doesn’t necessarily make you of a level that would make you a star player for Hibs.

[Scouse Hibee]

In all honesty I only thought he had two bad games.

One against Celtic when forest left him standing, and one against Killie where Greg Stewart beat him 3 times in as many seconds.

Other than that I thought he was a consistent performer.

Me too.

[The 90+2]

Seems a great guy and had a great following but I’ve seen milk turn quicker and wasn’t disappointed he left.

[S4uzee]

In all honesty I only thought he had two bad games.

One against Celtic when forest left him standing, and one against Killie where Greg Stewart beat him 3 times in as many seconds.

Other than that I thought he was a consistent performer.

Very good tackler aswell. Something we miss

[The 90+2]

Very good tackler aswell. Something we miss

Gogic?