This is how it feels (St. Johnstone 05 03 2022)

[Jonnyboy]

Unbeaten in the last five games, including four clean sheets sounds impressive on paper and constitutes a fine positive but that run has been made less impressive by the fact that we have scored only five goals with three of those coming in the cup tie at Arbroath. The two goals from Jake Doyle-Hayes against Ross County brought the only win in the last four in the league. Those league results have us hanging on to fourth place but on the same points as Livingston, who have a game in hand, in fifth with the next three sides just a point behind. It’s unbelievably tight and equally unbelievably frustrating to watch.

Shaun Maloney made just one change to his starting eleven, forced upon him by the unavailability of the suspended Rocky Bushiri. Sylvester Jasper was drafted in, and Hibs started the game with a back three of Cadden, Porteous and Doig. Stevenson and Wright played wide of a four that included Doyle-Hayes and Campbell whilst Henderson and Jasper sat in behind Doidge. It was a line up that looked cobbled together and made obvious the fact that we have ten players unavailable through injury and illness.

Both sides were acutely aware of the fact that three points would considerably aid their cause with Hibs looking to strengthen their 4th place and St. Johnstone desperate to climb out of the bottom two. With that in mind there were plenty of nerves evident from the off and passes were regularly going astray on a less than impressive looking playing surface.

A tepid start to the game was brightened briefly when a Jasper cross found Henderson, but the resultant left footed shot was blocked on the way to goal. The trickery of Jasper was a delight to watch at times and he certainly had his marker(s) worried on occasion and around the twenty minute mark he took a pass from Stevenson, wriggled past his marker and got a shot away but Zander Clark was well placed to save the effort.

There was plenty of effort on display but little in the way of creativity from both sides as the minutes ticked away as Josh Campbell for Hibs and Callum Hendry for St Johnstone saw shots easily blocked by packed defences. I thought referee Craig Napier was being very lenient at some of the tackles and I mean that for fouls committed by both sides. Ten minutes from the interval, Doidge set up a chance for Henderson, but the left footed effort was weak and failed to trouble Clark. Next up, Drey Wright fouled Crawford but MacPherson’s shot from the resultant free kick was wide of the target.

Former Hibee Melker Hallberg was having a decent game in midfield and managed to create space for a shot from the edge of the box, but the ball sailed harmlessly wide of the target. With five to go, Jasper rifled in a shot that Clark failed to hold, and Doidge was on hand for the rebound, but the big striker was quickly closed down as Clark saved again. I’m fairly certain that at that point, neither goalkeeper had had to make a save of any note which kinda sums up how the game was going.

The second half started with the same eleven Hibs players on the park and the echo of the referee’s whistle was still just about audible when Cleary brought down Jasper, but referee Napier didn’t see it as a yellow card challenge. With the visitors enjoying more possession, Hendry had a shot blocked before, at the other end, Cleary upended Jasper again and this time he did get a deserved yellow card. Not long afterwards, Cammy MacPherson launched a two footed tackle and cleaned out Jake Doyle-Hayes. It was a shocker and Hibs players surrounded Craig Napier, but the ref saw it only as a yellow card even though both feet were off the ground and studs were showing which made it, quite frankly, a ludicrous decision.

On the hour mark, Shaun Maloney brought on fresh legs in the shape of Elias Melkerson and Scott Allan and the change almost paid off immediately as Allan set up Melkerson who made space on the edge of the box before firing a shot at goal. Unfortunately, the effort was blocked and flew over both the head of Clark and the St. Johnstone crossbar. The crowd was lifted by this positivity and for a few minutes Hibs played in a much more expansive way and Melkerson saw another effort blocked after being set up by Doyle-Hayes. Sitting watching I was more than a tad encouraged by the fact that we finally had a striker on the park that was willing to take a shot on goal.

St. Johnstone were still a threat and a deep cross from Hallberg was just too high for Hendry who got his head on the ball but couldn’t steer it towards goal. With twenty minutes left, Drey Wright was replaced by Runar Hauge who looked lively from the off. The visitors had brought Michael O’Halloran off the bench, and he soon found his name in the book for a crude challenge on Josh Doig. Moments later, Scott Allan was booked for pulling back Cammy MacPherson and soon after the St. Johnstone man struck a fierce drive that Dabrowski confidently let zoom over the bar.

As the end of the game drew near, Josh Doig was so unlucky when his fiercely hit shot was deflected over the bar and then Chris Cadden saw a shot fly high and wide before O’Halloran was denied a shot at goal by a superb Ryan Porteous block. Melkerson was then booked for pulling down Ciftci with the St Johnstone man taking out his frustration on Runar Hauge and then Doyle-Hayes saw yellow for deliberately tripping O’Halloran. Referee Napier was a busy man and might have been busier but missed Melkerson leading with the arm in a challenge with Gordon. Melkerson had already been booked and must consider himself lucky.

Another ninety minutes, another clean sheet but crucially another ninety minutes without scoring a goal and if truth be told, we never looked like scoring. It’s a worry and given that our next match is a cup tie, a repeat of the lack of any goals may see us out of the competition, a penalty shootout aside.

The players

Dabrowski – Kevin was untroubled throughout as St. Johnstone looked even less likely than the hosts to score. I like the fact that Kevin is alert to the quick throw out to get things moving, something that Matt Macey could do with improving on.

Cadden – Playing on the right side of a back three, Chris performed his defensive duties well and still managed to get forward at times, looking to get crosses into the box.

Porteous – Excellent again from Porto but what on earth was he thinking of when he rushed to collect a ball for a throw in when the pass down the line had stayed in the park!

Doig – A fabulous performance from Josh who looked assured in his back three position and yet still got forward on numerous occasions. It’s worth pointing out that he and Lewis were on the same wavelength on the left side of the park. Josh is my man of the match.

Wright – Playing ahead of Cadden I thought that on occasion, Drey didn’t make himself available for a pass but, on the plus side, he quickly filled the gap left if Cadden ran beyond him.

Doyle-Hayes – Up against the busy Hallberg and MacPherson, I thought Jake acquitted himself well. I’d still like to see him break forward more from the middle of the park.

Campbell – A bit like Doyle-Hayes, he was energetic in the middle third but his lapses in concentration at times is a worry as those lapses allow opponents to break through the lines.

Stevenson – Another excellent performance from Lewis who used all of his experience when others around him were overly nervous at times. Pushed hard for my man of the match but just lost out.

Henderson – A few lovely touches and one or two fine passes but I felt the game was kinda passing him by a lot of the time. I am, however, convinced that he’ll become a key player for us in time.

Jasper – I mentioned on the Jasper thread that I think he’s a player that will both excite and frustrate at times, and I feel that was evident today. His quick feet create excitement in the stands but for me he lacks the right pass at the right time occasionally and that is frustrating.

Doidge – There was evidence of more physical effort from Christian today but he’s still well short, in my opinion, of where he was pre injury/covid.

Allan – Gave the crowd an immediate lift and there were signs of the Allan of old in terms of picking a pass but the flip side of that is that he doesn’t look anywhere near as physically fit before the health issue.

Melkerson – Elias can be a bit of a livewire and can also be a bit feisty too. He’s very busy, always looking for the ball and not afraid to have a pop at goal.

Hauge – It’s great to see a player that plays with a smile on his face. Runar looks so happy to be here and that combined with his energy and commitment will stand him in good stead.

Shaun Maloney – Knows where the problems lie and will be doing his level best to address them and given the fit players, he has available to him I’m tempted to offer a glass half full opinion and say we’ve gone five games undefeated and conceded only one goal in that period.

Referee – Craig Napier was at times too lenient and at times too harsh. One of the most obvious bit of leniency came when he decided a two footed challenge with studs showing and both feet off the ground was worthy of only a yellow card.

[Helensburghhibs]

I wonder if hauge is able to play more advanced around melkerson as once we have 3 fit cbs cadden must play right wing

[JohnM1875]

Unbeaten in the last five games, including four clean sheets sounds impressive on paper and constitutes a fine positive but that run has been made less impressive by the fact that we have scored only five goals with three of those coming in the cup tie at Arbroath. The two goals from Jake Doyle-Hayes against Ross County brought the only win in the last four in the league. Those league results have us hanging on to fourth place but on the same points as Livingston, who have a game in hand, in fifth with the next three sides just a point behind. It’s unbelievably tight and equally unbelievably frustrating to watch.

Shaun Maloney made just one change to his starting eleven, forced upon him by the unavailability of the suspended Rocky Bushiri. Sylvester Jasper was drafted in, and Hibs started the game with a back three of Cadden, Porteous and Doig. Stevenson and Wright played wide of a four that included Doyle-Hayes and Campbell whilst Henderson and Jasper sat in behind Doidge. It was a line up that looked cobbled together and made obvious the fact that we have ten players unavailable through injury and illness.

Both sides were acutely aware of the fact that three points would considerably aid their cause with Hibs looking to strengthen their 4th place and St. Johnstone desperate to climb out of the bottom two. With that in mind there were plenty of nerves evident from the off and passes were regularly going astray on a less than impressive looking playing surface.

A tepid start to the game was brightened briefly when a Jasper cross found Henderson, but the resultant left footed shot was blocked on the way to goal. The trickery of Jasper was a delight to watch at times and he certainly had his marker(s) worried on occasion and around the twenty minute mark he took a pass from Stevenson, wriggled past his marker and got a shot away but Zander Clark was well placed to save the effort.

There was plenty of effort on display but little in the way of creativity from both sides as the minutes ticked away as Josh Campbell for Hibs and Callum Hendry for St Johnstone saw shots easily blocked by packed defences. I thought referee Craig Napier was being very lenient at some of the tackles and I mean that for fouls committed by both sides. Ten minutes from the interval, Doidge set up a chance for Henderson, but the left footed effort was weak and failed to trouble Clark. Next up, Drey Wright fouled Crawford but MacPherson’s shot from the resultant free kick was wide of the target.

Former Hibee Melker Hallberg was having a decent game in midfield and managed to create space for a shot from the edge of the box, but the ball sailed harmlessly wide of the target. With five to go, Jasper rifled in a shot that Clark failed to hold, and Doidge was on hand for the rebound, but the big striker was quickly closed down as Clark saved again. I’m fairly certain that at that point, neither goalkeeper had had to make a save of any note which kinda sums up how the game was going.

The second half started with the same eleven Hibs players on the park and the echo of the referee’s whistle was still just about audible when Cleary brought down Jasper, but referee Napier didn’t see it as a yellow card challenge. With the visitors enjoying more possession, Hendry had a shot blocked before, at the other end, Cleary upended Jasper again and this time he did get a deserved yellow card. Not long afterwards, Cammy MacPherson launched a two footed tackle and cleaned out Jake Doyle-Hayes. It was a shocker and Hibs players surrounded Craig Napier, but the ref saw it only as a yellow card even though both feet were off the ground and studs were showing which made it, quite frankly, a ludicrous decision.

On the hour mark, Shaun Maloney brought on fresh legs in the shape of Elias Melkerson and Scott Allan and the change almost paid off immediately as Allan set up Melkerson who made space on the edge of the box before firing a shot at goal. Unfortunately, the effort was blocked and flew over both the head of Clark and the St. Johnstone crossbar. The crowd was lifted by this positivity and for a few minutes Hibs played in a much more expansive way and Melkerson saw another effort blocked after being set up by Doyle-Hayes. Sitting watching I was more than a tad encouraged by the fact that we finally had a striker on the park that was willing to take a shot on goal.

St. Johnstone were still a threat and a deep cross from Hallberg was just too high for Hendry who got his head on the ball but couldn’t steer it towards goal. With twenty minutes left, Drey Wright was replaced by Runar Hauge who looked lively from the off. The visitors had brought Michael O’Halloran off the bench, and he soon found his name in the book for a crude challenge on Josh Doig. Moments later, Scott Allan was booked for pulling back Cammy MacPherson and soon after the St. Johnstone man struck a fierce drive that Dabrowski confidently let zoom over the bar.

As the end of the game drew near, Josh Doig was so unlucky when his fiercely hit shot was deflected over the bar and then Chris Cadden saw a shot fly high and wide before O’Halloran was denied a shot at goal by a superb Ryan Porteous block. Melkerson was then booked for pulling down Ciftci with the St Johnstone man taking out his frustration on Runar Hauge and then Doyle-Hayes saw yellow for deliberately tripping O’Halloran. Referee Napier was a busy man and might have been busier but missed Melkerson leading with the arm in a challenge with Gordon. Melkerson had already been booked and must consider himself lucky.

Another ninety minutes, another clean sheet but crucially another ninety minutes without scoring a goal and if truth be told, we never looked like scoring. It’s a worry and given that our next match is a cup tie, a repeat of the lack of any goals may see us out of the competition, a penalty shootout aside.

The players

Dabrowski – Kevin was untroubled throughout as St. Johnstone looked even less likely than the hosts to score. I like the fact that Kevin is alert to the quick throw out to get things moving, something that Matt Macey could do with improving on.

Cadden – Playing on the right side of a back three, Chris performed his defensive duties well and still managed to get forward at times, looking to get crosses into the box.

Porteous – Excellent again from Porto but what on earth was he thinking of when he rushed to collect a ball for a throw in when the pass down the line had stayed in the park!

Doig – A fabulous performance from Josh who looked assured in his back three position and yet still got forward on numerous occasions. It’s worth pointing out that he and Lewis were on the same wavelength on the left side of the park. Josh is my man of the match.

Wright – Playing ahead of Cadden I thought that on occasion, Drey didn’t make himself available for a pass but, on the plus side, he quickly filled the gap left if Cadden ran beyond him.

Doyle-Hayes – Up against the busy Hallberg and MacPherson, I thought Jake acquitted himself well. I’d still like to see him break forward more from the middle of the park.

Campbell – A bit like Doyle-Hayes, he was energetic in the middle third but his lapses in concentration at times is a worry as those lapses allow opponents to break through the lines.

Stevenson – Another excellent performance from Lewis who used all of his experience when others around him were overly nervous at times. Pushed hard for my man of the match but just lost out.

Henderson – A few lovely touches and one or two fine passes but I felt the game was kinda passing him by a lot of the time. I am, however, convinced that he’ll become a key player for us in time.

Jasper – I mentioned on the Jasper thread that I think he’s a player that will both excite and frustrate at times, and I feel that was evident today. His quick feet create excitement in the stands but for me he lacks the right pass at the right time occasionally and that is frustrating.

Doidge – There was evidence of more physical effort from Christian today but he’s still well short, in my opinion, of where he was pre injury/covid.

Allan – Gave the crowd an immediate lift and there were signs of the Allan of old in terms of picking a pass but the flip side of that is that he doesn’t look anywhere near as physically fit before the health issue.

Melkerson – Elias can be a bit of a livewire and can also be a bit feisty too. He’s very busy, always looking for the ball and not afraid to have a pop at goal.

Hauge – It’s great to see a player that plays with a smile on his face. Runar looks so happy to be here and that combined with his energy and commitment will stand him in good stead.

Shaun Maloney – Knows where the problems lie and will be doing his level best to address them and given the fit players, he has available to him I’m tempted to offer a glass half full opinion and say we’ve gone five games undefeated and conceded only one goal in that period.

Referee – Craig Napier was at times too lenient and at times too harsh. One of the most obvious bit of leniency came when he decided a two footed challenge with studs showing and both feet off the ground was worthy of only a yellow card.

Couldn't agree more in relation to Doig, Was fantastic today and easily my man of the match.

Such a frustrating game of football to watch. If Melkersen doesn't start next game I'd be surprised. Doidge looks so far off it.

[darwenhibby]

Good post JB
Was wondering where it was on a long boring train journey back

[Hiber-nation]

Good stuff JC. Agree Doig man of the match, Porto not far behind. A bit disappointed in Cadden for the 2nd game running but the formation we are having to play with all these absentees doesn't really suit him.

[GreenCastle]

Dabrowski- fine but flapped at a few crosses and actually felt he did start some good attacks but still times he was too slow to distribute. He’s doing fine but next week against Motherwell I would expect some dangerous balls into box to test him.

Melkersen going to be an interesting watch - was trying to get crowd going and had a lot to say for himself. Think he will add some bite to the team.

[GreenCastle]

Good stuff JC. Agree Doig man of the match, Porto not far behind. A bit disappointed in Cadden for the 2nd game running but the formation we are having to play with all these absentees doesn't really suit him.

Cadden isn’t a right back let alone a back 3 right back.

Annoyingly his play has been scarified to play further back - so we are seeing less dangerous crosses into the box.

[Billy Whizz]

Cadden isn’t a right back let alone a back 3 right back.

Annoyingly his play has been scarified to play further back - so we are seeing less dangerous crosses into the box.

Should have played Daz today, that would have allowed him to play further forward

[3pm]

Should have played Daz today, that would have allowed him to play further forward

The end for Darren by the look of it. 😭

[GreenCastle]

The pitch is also crap - very bumpy and while it’s the same for both teams it really doesn’t suit us trying to play possession football at times.

[BILLYHIBS]

Thanks Jonnyboy

Sad to say that game not even worth £5

Was hoping for a better performance to bring the missing fans back

Excellent report as always

[loanheadhibby]

Unbeaten in the last five games, including four clean sheets sounds impressive on paper and constitutes a fine positive but that run has been made less impressive by the fact that we have scored only five goals with three of those coming in the cup tie at Arbroath. The two goals from Jake Doyle-Hayes against Ross County brought the only win in the last four in the league. Those league results have us hanging on to fourth place but on the same points as Livingston, who have a game in hand, in fifth with the next three sides just a point behind. It’s unbelievably tight and equally unbelievably frustrating to watch.

Shaun Maloney made just one change to his starting eleven, forced upon him by the unavailability of the suspended Rocky Bushiri. Sylvester Jasper was drafted in, and Hibs started the game with a back three of Cadden, Porteous and Doig. Stevenson and Wright played wide of a four that included Doyle-Hayes and Campbell whilst Henderson and Jasper sat in behind Doidge. It was a line up that looked cobbled together and made obvious the fact that we have ten players unavailable through injury and illness.

Both sides were acutely aware of the fact that three points would considerably aid their cause with Hibs looking to strengthen their 4th place and St. Johnstone desperate to climb out of the bottom two. With that in mind there were plenty of nerves evident from the off and passes were regularly going astray on a less than impressive looking playing surface.

A tepid start to the game was brightened briefly when a Jasper cross found Henderson, but the resultant left footed shot was blocked on the way to goal. The trickery of Jasper was a delight to watch at times and he certainly had his marker(s) worried on occasion and around the twenty minute mark he took a pass from Stevenson, wriggled past his marker and got a shot away but Zander Clark was well placed to save the effort.

There was plenty of effort on display but little in the way of creativity from both sides as the minutes ticked away as Josh Campbell for Hibs and Callum Hendry for St Johnstone saw shots easily blocked by packed defences. I thought referee Craig Napier was being very lenient at some of the tackles and I mean that for fouls committed by both sides. Ten minutes from the interval, Doidge set up a chance for Henderson, but the left footed effort was weak and failed to trouble Clark. Next up, Drey Wright fouled Crawford but MacPherson’s shot from the resultant free kick was wide of the target.

Former Hibee Melker Hallberg was having a decent game in midfield and managed to create space for a shot from the edge of the box, but the ball sailed harmlessly wide of the target. With five to go, Jasper rifled in a shot that Clark failed to hold, and Doidge was on hand for the rebound, but the big striker was quickly closed down as Clark saved again. I’m fairly certain that at that point, neither goalkeeper had had to make a save of any note which kinda sums up how the game was going.

The second half started with the same eleven Hibs players on the park and the echo of the referee’s whistle was still just about audible when Cleary brought down Jasper, but referee Napier didn’t see it as a yellow card challenge. With the visitors enjoying more possession, Hendry had a shot blocked before, at the other end, Cleary upended Jasper again and this time he did get a deserved yellow card. Not long afterwards, Cammy MacPherson launched a two footed tackle and cleaned out Jake Doyle-Hayes. It was a shocker and Hibs players surrounded Craig Napier, but the ref saw it only as a yellow card even though both feet were off the ground and studs were showing which made it, quite frankly, a ludicrous decision.

On the hour mark, Shaun Maloney brought on fresh legs in the shape of Elias Melkerson and Scott Allan and the change almost paid off immediately as Allan set up Melkerson who made space on the edge of the box before firing a shot at goal. Unfortunately, the effort was blocked and flew over both the head of Clark and the St. Johnstone crossbar. The crowd was lifted by this positivity and for a few minutes Hibs played in a much more expansive way and Melkerson saw another effort blocked after being set up by Doyle-Hayes. Sitting watching I was more than a tad encouraged by the fact that we finally had a striker on the park that was willing to take a shot on goal.

St. Johnstone were still a threat and a deep cross from Hallberg was just too high for Hendry who got his head on the ball but couldn’t steer it towards goal. With twenty minutes left, Drey Wright was replaced by Runar Hauge who looked lively from the off. The visitors had brought Michael O’Halloran off the bench, and he soon found his name in the book for a crude challenge on Josh Doig. Moments later, Scott Allan was booked for pulling back Cammy MacPherson and soon after the St. Johnstone man struck a fierce drive that Dabrowski confidently let zoom over the bar.

As the end of the game drew near, Josh Doig was so unlucky when his fiercely hit shot was deflected over the bar and then Chris Cadden saw a shot fly high and wide before O’Halloran was denied a shot at goal by a superb Ryan Porteous block. Melkerson was then booked for pulling down Ciftci with the St Johnstone man taking out his frustration on Runar Hauge and then Doyle-Hayes saw yellow for deliberately tripping O’Halloran. Referee Napier was a busy man and might have been busier but missed Melkerson leading with the arm in a challenge with Gordon. Melkerson had already been booked and must consider himself lucky.

Another ninety minutes, another clean sheet but crucially another ninety minutes without scoring a goal and if truth be told, we never looked like scoring. It’s a worry and given that our next match is a cup tie, a repeat of the lack of any goals may see us out of the competition, a penalty shootout aside.

The players

Dabrowski – Kevin was untroubled throughout as St. Johnstone looked even less likely than the hosts to score. I like the fact that Kevin is alert to the quick throw out to get things moving, something that Matt Macey could do with improving on.

Cadden – Playing on the right side of a back three, Chris performed his defensive duties well and still managed to get forward at times, looking to get crosses into the box.

Porteous – Excellent again from Porto but what on earth was he thinking of when he rushed to collect a ball for a throw in when the pass down the line had stayed in the park!

Doig – A fabulous performance from Josh who looked assured in his back three position and yet still got forward on numerous occasions. It’s worth pointing out that he and Lewis were on the same wavelength on the left side of the park. Josh is my man of the match.

Wright – Playing ahead of Cadden I thought that on occasion, Drey didn’t make himself available for a pass but, on the plus side, he quickly filled the gap left if Cadden ran beyond him.

Doyle-Hayes – Up against the busy Hallberg and MacPherson, I thought Jake acquitted himself well. I’d still like to see him break forward more from the middle of the park.

Campbell – A bit like Doyle-Hayes, he was energetic in the middle third but his lapses in concentration at times is a worry as those lapses allow opponents to break through the lines.

Stevenson – Another excellent performance from Lewis who used all of his experience when others around him were overly nervous at times. Pushed hard for my man of the match but just lost out.

Henderson – A few lovely touches and one or two fine passes but I felt the game was kinda passing him by a lot of the time. I am, however, convinced that he’ll become a key player for us in time.

Jasper – I mentioned on the Jasper thread that I think he’s a player that will both excite and frustrate at times, and I feel that was evident today. His quick feet create excitement in the stands but for me he lacks the right pass at the right time occasionally and that is frustrating.

Doidge – There was evidence of more physical effort from Christian today but he’s still well short, in my opinion, of where he was pre injury/covid.

Allan – Gave the crowd an immediate lift and there were signs of the Allan of old in terms of picking a pass but the flip side of that is that he doesn’t look anywhere near as physically fit before the health issue.

Melkerson – Elias can be a bit of a livewire and can also be a bit feisty too. He’s very busy, always looking for the ball and not afraid to have a pop at goal.

Hauge – It’s great to see a player that plays with a smile on his face. Runar looks so happy to be here and that combined with his energy and commitment will stand him in good stead.

Shaun Maloney – Knows where the problems lie and will be doing his level best to address them and given the fit players, he has available to him I’m tempted to offer a glass half full opinion and say we’ve gone five games undefeated and conceded only one goal in that period.

Referee – Craig Napier was at times too lenient and at times too harsh. One of the most obvious bit of leniency came when he decided a two footed challenge with studs showing and both feet off the ground was worthy of only a yellow card.
Lewis had a steady game but you reckon Josh Doig just pipped him for MOM.
Just my opinion but Doig was our best player by a mile.

[IberianHibernian]

Thanks for report as always .
Some days noone deserves MOM , others there are 4 or 5 candidates . Today was nearer first than second I thought . For me , Jasper was our best player in the first half though he`ll never do much stuck on wing , we need to get best out of him nearer goal . In second half , I thought Melkerson added something and took pressure off Jasper who unfortunately was too tired to make a big impact by then . Porteous solid throughout but reality is that with almost a full team unavailable ( Macey , Clarke, McGinn, Rocky, Hanlon, McGennis, Newall, Mitchell, Mueller, Nesbit , Scott ) we can`t expect to win many matches however frusrating that is .

[Hermit Crab]

The pitch is also crap - very bumpy and while it’s the same for both teams it really doesn’t suit us trying to play possession football at times.



We've had a bout 2 months of storms including heavy rain, snow and gales with little sunshine. Its always bad at this time of year. Still better than a 4G pitch though.

[AZhibee]

Thanks Jonnyboy

[OldEast]

Hallberg would still have a big part to play at Hibs right now.

[Stanton Spence]

Hallberg would still have a big part to play at Hibs right now.No more than the 11 players out injured ill or suspended
Halberg had plenty time to play a big part at hibs and never done so.
I'm glad he's found a club where he will start most games but we had to move on

Sent from my G3121 using Tapatalk

[GreenCastle]

We've had a bout 2 months of storms including heavy rain, snow and gales with little sunshine. Its always bad at this time of year. Still better than a 4G pitch though.

Correct and don’t want 4G but other clubs seems to have better surfaces in Scotland. Not the sole we are doing crap but it’s not helping.

[Eyrie]

Hallberg would still have a big part to play at Hibs right now.

Only as an equally safe alternative to Doyle-Hayes and Campbell because he wouldn't give us any drive or creativity in midfield.

Letting him move was the right decision.

[cannastar]

think overall we are doing well with the so called reserve players in most positions nice to know that we can count on them to come in and do a job when required though perhaps some will be now pushing to be first choice selections or at least giving the manager a reason for removing them. game time is invaluable especially for the younger ones or the newcomers which can only prove beneficial for us in the long run. fact that we are not conceding is good and would suggest that defensively we are performing well and hopefully the remainder of the team will catch up and goals and wins will start to come. we should be encouraging any player who pulls on the hibs jersey regardless of age or experience and that is why i am more than pleased that lewis has came in from the cold and performed well i believe his guidance to the younger players through the games will help them no end.performances of campbell and wright against celtic were surprising but welcoming and showed that given the chance they could do a job when required. its good some weeks when its hard to seperate an outstanding display as it probably means that its been more of a team performance than one or two carrying us though also its great when we do have someone who has a great match to keep the fans purring.

[LewysGot2]

The players who got proper pass marks yesterday were Porto, Josh D and Lewis.

Cadden completely neutered by the formation but I'm not blaming him or even Maloney. It's no Hanlon, no Rocky, no Mitchell, no McGinn that has hamstrung selections.

The biggest problem is lack of pace in the middle to front of the pitch. Nobody getting beyond the lines and teams setting up togive us lots of the ball knowing this.

That's a long term issue masked by Boyle. It's a massive issue right now.

Rumours of the return of Omeonga might not fill folk with excitement but he's definitely more mobile, aggressive than the ones there just now. However, we need pace as a priority

[greenlex]

Melkerson simply must start games.

[Golden Bear]

We've had a bout 2 months of storms including heavy rain, snow and gales with little sunshine. Its always bad at this time of year. Still better than a 4G pitch though.

Maybe not a 4g but we certainly should be looking at a hybrid surface. Edinburgh rugby have such a surface and on Friday night it looked immaculate. The technology behind hybrid pitches has improved beyond all recognition in the last 10 years or so and its something we should definitely be considering.

[eastterrace]

Maybe not a 4g but we certainly should be looking at a hybrid surface. Edinburgh rugby have such a surface and on Friday night it looked immaculate. The technology behind hybrid pitches has improved beyond all recognition in the last 10 years or so and its something we should definitely be considering.
Hibs are looking at the hybrid pitch but seems Ron wants the fans to pony up for this ( or put towards it) as he said at the AGM.

[Golden Bear]

Hibs are looking at the hybrid pitch but seems Ron wants the fans to pony up for this ( or put towards it) as he said at the AGM.

I'd rather contribute to that than seeing my hard earned go towards the wages of some of the imposters we've signed over the last few years.

[erin go bragh]

The first 75 mins was a brutal watch . Doidge was murder and Wright offers nothing going forward , ditto for Campbell. The changes on 75 mins at last seen us play with some attacking purpose . Meeker son looks a player and must start before Doidge

[Hermit Crab]

The first 75 mins was a brutal watch . Doidge was murder and Wright offers nothing going forward , ditto for Campbell. The changes on 75 mins at last seen us play with some attacking purpose . Meeker son looks a player and must start before Doidge




Its the same every week. All 3 of them are not good enough to play for us.

[superfurryhibby]

As always a great summary JB and a fair reflection of what I saw.

In terms of formation, the players did drills as a back four pre match with Doig and Porto in the middle. During the game it seemed like a 4-2-3-1 line up rather than a back 3?

I thought Jasper did well enough and with a bit more support and a bit more savvy, he could have created mayhem. With him it will come, he has excellent movement and a bit of arrogance about him.

I was really disappointed with Henderson, he was lightweight and ineffectual. Doidge was just so far off it, you wonder wtf is going on with him.

Plus points were another clean sheet and the performances of Porto, Doig and Stevenson. They were decent. Melkerson showed willing and looked ready to start. Hauge was a bit lost. Allan added some forward impetus, but he was well off the pace.

Credit to the fans for turning out. That was also the biggest St J crowd I can recall at ER, and they made a bit of noise too.

I liked the entertainment, good on Hibs for giving it a go and well done to the singer. Wouldn’t it be good if we could persuade some of our better known Hibees to step up and give us a tune.... before the match, eh Craig or Charlie, Malcom Ross, Tam Dean Burn, Ross Wilson:greengrin Then ye kin say you played at Easter Road .