Jonnyboy
27-01-2021, 10:31 PM
Ever since losing to St. Johnstone last weekend and, to be fair probably before that result too, many had called for changes in terms of who makes the starting eleven. Several players had been singled out for criticism and tonight, some of those players had to settle for a seat on the bench. Jack Ross made significant changes both to his starting eleven and indeed the formation that eleven would play in, opting for a 3-5-2 with McGinn, McGregor and Porteous the three with Cadden, Gogic, Hallberg, Irvine and Doig across the middle and Doidge brought in alongside Nisbet.
I confess that when I saw the team line up, I was more than a little surprised. McGregor’s recall when he’d played so little in recent months and Cadden’s inclusion, when I thought he looked miles off the pace against St. Johnstone, worried me a bit but as it turned out, my concerns were unfounded. It was important that Hibs approached this challenge positively and I feel they did just that, losing to a goal scored by a player that should have long since been in the bath.
As you might expect, the Rangers started on the front foot and as early as the first minute, Porteous was penalised for a challenge on Morelos. Those two would see quite a lot of each other in the coming minutes. From the resultant free kick, Goldson headed wide of the target. That start set the tone for the early exchanges but despite enjoying the bulk of possession, the Rangers never really threatened the Hibs goal. Around twelve minutes in, a poorly delivered corner by Hallberg saw a possible breakaway halted when Josh Doig pulled an opponent down, earning a yellow card in the process. It was one of those challenges that the youngster took one for the team. Moments later a weak effort from Aribo was easily collected by Marciano.
What came next was quite simply disgraceful. On the edge of the Hibs box, Morelos and Porteous contested for the ball. The Rangers man barged Porteous to the ground before quite deliberately stamping on the leg of the Hibs defender. Referee Kevin Clancy had a perfect view of the challenge but simply gave a free kick. It was a shocking error by a poor referee and Hibs would pay the price for that later in the game. Soon after, Doig broke free down the left and his low ball into the box was directed goalwards by Doidge but failed to beat McGregor.
Hibs were slowly getting a foothold in the game and shortly after a Ryan Kent effort sailed harmlessly wide, Kevin Clancy made another clear error as a Cadden cross from the right was parried but not held by Alan McGregor. As the ball rolled free, Doidge pounced to take control, but McGregor clearly had a hand on the ball and so a foul should have been awarded against Doidge. It wasn’t and Doidge’s cutback was thrashed wildly over the bar from Jackson Irvine from close range. Seconds later, Doidge was on hand again when a deep cross from Doig found Barisic underneath the ball, but the Hibs striker weakly headed wide of the target from inside the six yard box.
Ryan Kent had lots of possession on the Rangers left but Chris Cadden handled that threat really well and it was the Hibs man that started a sequence of events where over the space of around thirty seconds, Irvine and Doidge had efforts blocked by last ditch challenges before Doig rifled a right foot effort from distance that McGregor saved comfortably. Having reached half time on level terms I felt Hibs had more than earned that as the fight, passion and heart, missing for the second half at Hampden was back in abundance.
It was always going to be the case that the Rangers would up the tempo at the start of the second half and around five minutes in, Morelos punished Hibs by putting the visitors a goal up. Porteous seemed to have done well enough in the left back area in denying Morelos access to the penalty area but when the Rangers man laid the ball off to Davis, Porteous switched off and failed to follow Morelos in to the danger area. Davis rolled the ball to Aribo who played a clever round the corner pass to free the now unmarked Morelos who shot home with his left foot, giving Rocky no chance. It was a sickener, but I thought that now we’d see if Hibs had learned from their collapse at Hampden.
We nearly didn’t as slack play in midfield allowed the Rangers to break and when Kent fired the ball across the six yard box, he found Morelos totally unmarked, but the Rangers man sliced his effort well wide with the goal gaping. On the hour mark, a headed effort from Irvine flashed wide whilst at the other end, Porteous seemed to be concerned about his hamstring and before it could be further tested, Jack Ross replaced him with Paul Hanlon.
Martin Boyle arrived at the same time as Hanlon, replacing Josh Doig which meant Cadden switched to the left as Boyle took up his usual station. I thought Hibs were holding their own at this point and the Rangers defenders were being tested as Irvine and Doidge both tried to engineer chances. Hallberg was next to leave the field with Magennis replacing him and the new man had to look lively when Tavernier seemed likely to break free but was stopped in his tracks by a fine tackle.
The Rangers were still testing the Hibs defence, but McGregor marshalled his colleagues well and Rocky didn’t really have a notable save to make. To be fair to Jack Ross he still had Hibs on the front foot and the introduction of Scott Allan for Gogic with ten minutes left certainly emphasised that. Right at the death, Boyle took in a pass and scampered his way down the right with Barisic in close attendance. Boyle’s cross looked destined for a Hibs head until Helander made a timely headed clearance. The visitors had one final attempt but Itten could only find the side net.
I honestly believe Hibs deserved something from the game tonight. A pathetic non decision by the referee and a momentary switch off from Porteous effectively denied us the point I thought we were worth. In general, this was a Hibs performance of the kind I want to see and although those that do will criticise Jack Ross for failing again to beat a ‘big team’ I thought he got a lot more right than wrong tonight.
The players
Marciano – Rocky had absolutely no chance with the goal and for all their possession, the Rangers rarely troubled him.
McGinn – I thought Paul was solid enough and together with Cadden they never really let the tricky Ryan Kent get the better of them. Kent saw a lot of the ball, but his penetrative play was stymied by McGinn for the most part.
McGregor – As I alluded to earlier, I was genuinely worried that Darren had been called into action, but I needn’t have fretted because he was magnificent tonight and easily wins my man of the match award. His post-match interview certainly brought a lump to my throat!
Porteous – Ryan was the victim of a thug tonight but got no protection from a referee that bottled out of making the correct decision. He played well but unfortunately his one lapse of concentration probably cost us the game.
Cadden – I was critical of the laddie for his showing at Hampden, but I thought he was good tonight, especially in attending to his defensive duties.
Irvine – I had hoped for more from him in an attacking sense and let’s be honest he should have burst the net with that close range effort that sailed over the bar. Imagine if he’d scored – Alan McGregor might literally have exploded.
Hallberg – Melker got about the pitch well but a 50% pass rate on his dead ball deliveries needs to be worked on.
Gogic – Like Hallberg he racks up the miles but tonight I lost count of the number of times he either miscontrolled the ball or simply gave it away.
Doig – Once again some fine crosses and his duel with Tavernier was interesting. I thought for the most part they kinda cancelled each other out. A fine performance from the youngster though.
Doidge – I know he didn’t score and missed at least one decent chance to do so but I thought the big man did well tonight both in attack and defence. He certainly gave Goldson and Helander plenty to think about.
Nisbet – Another game without a goal but to be fair he wasn’t given many chances to grab one.
Hanlon – Paul replaced Porteous which gave the back three a more balanced look with him being a lefty. Played well enough though he did miss one through ball that might have hurt us had Daz not been on hand to bail him out.
Boyle – Whilst Martin didn’t set the heather on fire I was delighted when he received a pass and set off into attack with Barisic in his wake. His cross was excellent too and it’s like he remembered how good he is at running at defenders. I hope we see more of that from him in the games to come.
Magennis – Hallberg was tiring, and Kyle took his place in midfield. Plenty of energy but nothing else of real note.
Allan – Once again Scotty gets some vital minutes in his legs. I long for the day when he’s back in our starting eleven.
Jack Ross – After the flak he got following the St Johnstone defeat I think he deserves some credit tonight. He made some bold changes to both the starting eleven and the formation/tactics and for me they paid off. I know we lost but the overall performance was much more Hibs like.
The referee – Kevin Clancy is a fully fledged, bona fide bottle merchant. The stamp by Morelos could not have been more blatant and I refuse to believe he didn’t have a clear view of it.
I confess that when I saw the team line up, I was more than a little surprised. McGregor’s recall when he’d played so little in recent months and Cadden’s inclusion, when I thought he looked miles off the pace against St. Johnstone, worried me a bit but as it turned out, my concerns were unfounded. It was important that Hibs approached this challenge positively and I feel they did just that, losing to a goal scored by a player that should have long since been in the bath.
As you might expect, the Rangers started on the front foot and as early as the first minute, Porteous was penalised for a challenge on Morelos. Those two would see quite a lot of each other in the coming minutes. From the resultant free kick, Goldson headed wide of the target. That start set the tone for the early exchanges but despite enjoying the bulk of possession, the Rangers never really threatened the Hibs goal. Around twelve minutes in, a poorly delivered corner by Hallberg saw a possible breakaway halted when Josh Doig pulled an opponent down, earning a yellow card in the process. It was one of those challenges that the youngster took one for the team. Moments later a weak effort from Aribo was easily collected by Marciano.
What came next was quite simply disgraceful. On the edge of the Hibs box, Morelos and Porteous contested for the ball. The Rangers man barged Porteous to the ground before quite deliberately stamping on the leg of the Hibs defender. Referee Kevin Clancy had a perfect view of the challenge but simply gave a free kick. It was a shocking error by a poor referee and Hibs would pay the price for that later in the game. Soon after, Doig broke free down the left and his low ball into the box was directed goalwards by Doidge but failed to beat McGregor.
Hibs were slowly getting a foothold in the game and shortly after a Ryan Kent effort sailed harmlessly wide, Kevin Clancy made another clear error as a Cadden cross from the right was parried but not held by Alan McGregor. As the ball rolled free, Doidge pounced to take control, but McGregor clearly had a hand on the ball and so a foul should have been awarded against Doidge. It wasn’t and Doidge’s cutback was thrashed wildly over the bar from Jackson Irvine from close range. Seconds later, Doidge was on hand again when a deep cross from Doig found Barisic underneath the ball, but the Hibs striker weakly headed wide of the target from inside the six yard box.
Ryan Kent had lots of possession on the Rangers left but Chris Cadden handled that threat really well and it was the Hibs man that started a sequence of events where over the space of around thirty seconds, Irvine and Doidge had efforts blocked by last ditch challenges before Doig rifled a right foot effort from distance that McGregor saved comfortably. Having reached half time on level terms I felt Hibs had more than earned that as the fight, passion and heart, missing for the second half at Hampden was back in abundance.
It was always going to be the case that the Rangers would up the tempo at the start of the second half and around five minutes in, Morelos punished Hibs by putting the visitors a goal up. Porteous seemed to have done well enough in the left back area in denying Morelos access to the penalty area but when the Rangers man laid the ball off to Davis, Porteous switched off and failed to follow Morelos in to the danger area. Davis rolled the ball to Aribo who played a clever round the corner pass to free the now unmarked Morelos who shot home with his left foot, giving Rocky no chance. It was a sickener, but I thought that now we’d see if Hibs had learned from their collapse at Hampden.
We nearly didn’t as slack play in midfield allowed the Rangers to break and when Kent fired the ball across the six yard box, he found Morelos totally unmarked, but the Rangers man sliced his effort well wide with the goal gaping. On the hour mark, a headed effort from Irvine flashed wide whilst at the other end, Porteous seemed to be concerned about his hamstring and before it could be further tested, Jack Ross replaced him with Paul Hanlon.
Martin Boyle arrived at the same time as Hanlon, replacing Josh Doig which meant Cadden switched to the left as Boyle took up his usual station. I thought Hibs were holding their own at this point and the Rangers defenders were being tested as Irvine and Doidge both tried to engineer chances. Hallberg was next to leave the field with Magennis replacing him and the new man had to look lively when Tavernier seemed likely to break free but was stopped in his tracks by a fine tackle.
The Rangers were still testing the Hibs defence, but McGregor marshalled his colleagues well and Rocky didn’t really have a notable save to make. To be fair to Jack Ross he still had Hibs on the front foot and the introduction of Scott Allan for Gogic with ten minutes left certainly emphasised that. Right at the death, Boyle took in a pass and scampered his way down the right with Barisic in close attendance. Boyle’s cross looked destined for a Hibs head until Helander made a timely headed clearance. The visitors had one final attempt but Itten could only find the side net.
I honestly believe Hibs deserved something from the game tonight. A pathetic non decision by the referee and a momentary switch off from Porteous effectively denied us the point I thought we were worth. In general, this was a Hibs performance of the kind I want to see and although those that do will criticise Jack Ross for failing again to beat a ‘big team’ I thought he got a lot more right than wrong tonight.
The players
Marciano – Rocky had absolutely no chance with the goal and for all their possession, the Rangers rarely troubled him.
McGinn – I thought Paul was solid enough and together with Cadden they never really let the tricky Ryan Kent get the better of them. Kent saw a lot of the ball, but his penetrative play was stymied by McGinn for the most part.
McGregor – As I alluded to earlier, I was genuinely worried that Darren had been called into action, but I needn’t have fretted because he was magnificent tonight and easily wins my man of the match award. His post-match interview certainly brought a lump to my throat!
Porteous – Ryan was the victim of a thug tonight but got no protection from a referee that bottled out of making the correct decision. He played well but unfortunately his one lapse of concentration probably cost us the game.
Cadden – I was critical of the laddie for his showing at Hampden, but I thought he was good tonight, especially in attending to his defensive duties.
Irvine – I had hoped for more from him in an attacking sense and let’s be honest he should have burst the net with that close range effort that sailed over the bar. Imagine if he’d scored – Alan McGregor might literally have exploded.
Hallberg – Melker got about the pitch well but a 50% pass rate on his dead ball deliveries needs to be worked on.
Gogic – Like Hallberg he racks up the miles but tonight I lost count of the number of times he either miscontrolled the ball or simply gave it away.
Doig – Once again some fine crosses and his duel with Tavernier was interesting. I thought for the most part they kinda cancelled each other out. A fine performance from the youngster though.
Doidge – I know he didn’t score and missed at least one decent chance to do so but I thought the big man did well tonight both in attack and defence. He certainly gave Goldson and Helander plenty to think about.
Nisbet – Another game without a goal but to be fair he wasn’t given many chances to grab one.
Hanlon – Paul replaced Porteous which gave the back three a more balanced look with him being a lefty. Played well enough though he did miss one through ball that might have hurt us had Daz not been on hand to bail him out.
Boyle – Whilst Martin didn’t set the heather on fire I was delighted when he received a pass and set off into attack with Barisic in his wake. His cross was excellent too and it’s like he remembered how good he is at running at defenders. I hope we see more of that from him in the games to come.
Magennis – Hallberg was tiring, and Kyle took his place in midfield. Plenty of energy but nothing else of real note.
Allan – Once again Scotty gets some vital minutes in his legs. I long for the day when he’s back in our starting eleven.
Jack Ross – After the flak he got following the St Johnstone defeat I think he deserves some credit tonight. He made some bold changes to both the starting eleven and the formation/tactics and for me they paid off. I know we lost but the overall performance was much more Hibs like.
The referee – Kevin Clancy is a fully fledged, bona fide bottle merchant. The stamp by Morelos could not have been more blatant and I refuse to believe he didn’t have a clear view of it.