Highly Frustrating Season

[Dashing Bob S]

This dominating teams and not killing them off lark is becoming somewhat frustrating. It’s already got that ‘just you watch next season vibe to it.

The league is opening up in its usual way, two distinctly average sides at the top, a couple of no hopers who already seem to be battling for relegation slots, leaving a pack of eight chasing two European positions. There’s little to choose between this pack and we should be strong candidates to be best of the rest.

But that’s now three defeats on the spin. The Parkhead loss -though not the scale of it- we can’t complain about, but Dundee United and St Johnstone is unacceptable for a club with our ambitions.

That was a huge match for us, a full house under the floodlights, and we blew it. What was looking like a blip after 60 mins feels like a slump now.

The worse thing about it is that I find it hard to find fault with the players.

[Hibernian Verse]

This dominating teams and not killing them off lark is becoming somewhat frustrating. It’s already got that ‘just you watch next season vibe to it.

The league is opening up in its usual way, two distinctly average sides at the top, a couple of no hopers who already seem to be battling for relegation slots, leaving a pack of eight chasing two European positions. There’s little to choose between this pack and we should be strong candidates to be best of the rest.

But that’s now three defeats on the spin. The Parkhead loss -though not the scale of it- we can’t complain about, but Dundee United and St Johnstone is unacceptable for a club with our ambitions.

That was a huge match for us, a full house under the floodlights, and we blew it. What was looking like a blip after 60 mins feels like a slump now.

The worse thing about it is that I find it hard to find fault with the players.

Bob, with all due respect there were clear errors from players tonight and at Dundee Utd which contributed to us losing games we really shouldn’t have.

Utd - Cadden’s defending
St J - Magennis sending off, Porteous diving for a free kick instead of heading the ball clear and Porteous losing a header to Stevie May who has scored very few goals in the last 5 years.

[Phil MaGlass]

Thats it, frustrating, :brickwall, lose a couple of players (McKirdy) get a striker in/back, replace Newell with a real midfielder and well have a team.

[Pagan Hibernia]

Highly frustrating club.

[MWHIBBIES]

Playing like we are and dominating games will lead to more positive results than negative ones. Folk expecting a finished article and getting on the teams back already are frankly idiots. No red card last night = another easy 3 points and comfy in 3rd. Kyles mistake changed the game. Thats it.

[MWHIBBIES]

Thats it, frustrating, :brickwall, lose a couple of players (McKirdy) get a striker in/back, replace Newell with a real midfielder and well have a team.

Newell excellent last night. By far our best midfielder, probably player. His passes for Boyle and Cabraja 2nd half absolutely sensational. Cabraja punts it into the east and Youan misses another good chance. Aye, ****ing Joe Newell is the problem. About 16 players to replace before Newell.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Playing like we are and dominating games will lead to more positive results than negative ones. Folk expecting a finished article and getting on the teams back already are frankly idiots. No red card last night = another easy 3 points and comfy in 3rd. Kyles mistake changed the game. Thats it.

Have you not been quite the advocate of the “our good play got players sent off” line of thinking? Which btw I agree has some merit, so that’s not a dig.

To then turn round though and ignore that fact when the shoe is on the other foot is a bit disingenuous.

We got what we deserved from that game last night imo due to an average-poor performance and poor play at key moments from some players.

[MWHIBBIES]

Have you not been quite the advocate of the “our good play got players sent off” line of thinking? Which btw I agree has some merit, so that’s not a dig.

To then turn round though and ignore that fact when the shoe is on the other foot is a bit disingenuous.

We got what we deserved from that game last night imo due to an average-poor performance and poor play at key moments from some players.

Aren't you quite the advocate of red cards not impacting games? :wink:

Kyle made a dumb mistake, and his first booking was pretty soft.

We didn't get what we deserved. St Johnstone couldn't get near us for 70 minutes. We totally had them until the red card. 2 dumb fouls by Magennis in the middle of the park isn't their good play. He can sit out for a few weeks and earn his way back in now. Raging he cost us those points.

[Zambernardi1875]

Game management and player intelligence are my concerns. Not learning from previous games and mistakes also.

[Clarence]

Playing like we are and dominating games will lead to more positive results than negative ones. Folk expecting a finished article and getting on the teams back already are frankly idiots. No red card last night = another easy 3 points and comfy in 3rd. Kyles mistake changed the game. Thats it.

If we are 3 up before the sending off it’s a different game. Don’t think it’s unreasonable for folk to expect better finishing from a group of professional footballers.

[MWHIBBIES]

If we are 3 up before the sending off it’s a different game. Don’t think it’s unreasonable for folk to expect better finishing from a group of professional footballers.

I totally agree. Boyle, Cabraja, Youan and the big forward missed chances to finish the game off. Thats not Lee Johnsons fault, or Joe Newells, or Ian Gordons.

Play consistently like we did for 70 minutes, we'll have a good season.

[SlickShoes]

Game management and player intelligence are my concerns. Not learning from previous games and mistakes also.

It's been like this for years now, last season was the same, some of the games in the run that Jack Ross the sack weren't completely terrible but we were always undone by someone making a stupid decision or terrible mistake.

I just expect that even if we are playing well, someone is going to do something stupid and ruin everything good we have done.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Aren't you quite the advocate of red cards not impacting games? :wink:

Kyle made a dumb mistake, and his first booking was pretty soft.

We didn't get what we deserved. St Johnstone couldn't get near us for 70 minutes. We totally had them until the red card. 2 dumb fouls by Magennis in the middle of the park isn't their good play. He can sit out for a few weeks and earn his way back in now. Raging he cost us those points.

I can’t say I watched a game where St J couldn’t get anywhere near us for 70 minutes imo. I thought we were alright, probably the slightly better team. Throw in the terrible last 20 minutes, stupid red card and school boy defending from Porteous and I’m not sure we really deserved to come away from that game with anything, definitely not all 3 points.

[MWHIBBIES]

I can’t say I watched a game where St J couldn’t get anywhere near us for 70 minutes imo. I thought we were alright, probably the slightly better team. Throw in the terrible last 20 minutes, stupid red card and school boy defending from Porteous and I’m not sure we really deserved to come away from that game with anything, definitely not all 3 points.
The better team :faf: literally hoofed it to our center backs for 70 minutes. Wave after wave of Hibs. The first half stats show utter Hibs domination.

[SlickShoes]

I can’t say I watched a game where St J couldn’t get anywhere near us for 70 minutes imo. I thought we were alright, probably the slightly better team. Throw in the terrible last 20 minutes, stupid red card and school boy defending from Porteous and I’m not sure we really deserved to come away from that game with anything, definitely not all 3 points.

Unbelievable, they did absolutely nothing while it was 11v11, we didn't play amazing during that time but they couldn't get anywhere near even getting a shot at goal.

[tamig]

Thats it, frustrating, :brickwall, lose a couple of players (McKirdy) get a striker in/back, replace Newell with a real midfielder and well have a team.

Newell had a great game last night - as he has for quite a few games now. Not sure why anyone would want him replaced.

[The_Exile]

If we finish outwith that bang average 5th to 10th bracket I'll be absolutely staggered. Same old story, great patches of form followed by absolute mince, no consistency and the standard battling for top 6 heading into the final few weeks before the split awaits.

[GreenCastle]

Newell had a great game last night - as he has for quite a few games now. Not sure why anyone would want him replaced.

Not sure I would use the word great.

I’ve seen Hibs midfielders run games and play great like like SJM, Latapy and Dylan over the years.

Being at the game maybe not picked up for those watching on tv was the runs the Saints players were making and our midfield wasn’t tracking them.

Newell definitely isn’t a defensive midfielder as he doesn’t win the ball / makes enough tackles. He’s a luxury attacking midfielder and plays better with midfielders with energy around him.

[B.H.F.C]

Not sure I would use the word great.

I’ve seen Hibs midfielders run games and play great like like SJM, Latapy and Dylan over the years.

Being at the game maybe not picked up for those watching on tv was the runs the Saints players were making and our midfield wasn’t tracking them.

Newell definitely isn’t a defensive midfielder as he doesn’t win the ball / makes enough tackles. He’s a luxury attacking midfielder and plays better with midfielders with energy around him.

Thought Newell was good up until the sending off when, like the rest of them, he disappeared. Always been my biggest issue with him. He’ll look good when we do, but when something goes against us he’s not the type that is going to drag us through. We lack that elsewhere, that’s not just his issue.

[loanheadhibby]

Newell had a great game last night - as he has for quite a few games now. Not sure why anyone would want him replaced.

Newell slows the game down too much. Every time he gets the ball, it’s 3 or 4 touches, thus letting St Johnstone get everyone behind the ball.

He played a couple of brilliant one touch passes, needs to do that more. In general, we are too ponderous on the ball.

[tamig]

Newell slows the game down too much. Every time he gets the ball, it’s 3 or 4 touches, thus letting St Johnstone get everyone behind the ball.

He played a couple of brilliant one touch passes, needs to do that more. In general, we are too ponderous on the ball.

I thought he was moving the ball really well and quickly last night. He also took the ball under pressure on several occasions and showed good strength to retain, turn and get the ball away quickly to keep the move going. I’ve seen a lot of that in his last 5 or 6 games.

[Tyler Durden]

Newell slows the game down too much. Every time he gets the ball, it’s 3 or 4 touches, thus letting St Johnstone get everyone behind the ball.

He played a couple of brilliant one touch passes, needs to do that more. In general, we are too ponderous on the ball.

I think the back 3 last night slowed us right down. Just an extra body in there to pass the ball around and Newell seemed to be instructed to sit too deep. Also don’t think Cabraja can manage the full length of the park without a player ahead of him to work with.

With a back 4 we’ve typically moved the ball quicker. Need to get back to that next week

[A Hi-Bee]

Ha, perhaps once in every decade we dont have such a frustrating season, its Hibs we follow.

[NAE NOOKIE]

Positives:

Rocky, as he did last night, is showing that he's a better player than we thought he was, he did brilliantly to come over and cover for Hanlon at one point in the 2nd half as he was clearly struggling to keep pace with a St Johnstone player heading towards our box, his overall play was good. I'm still not convinced about him in the air, but at least now he's challenging for everything and at worst making life difficult for his opponent.

Magennis, before his brain fart, was having a very good game IMO and there's no doubt our midfield will benefit from him if he can stay fit. As it is with his suspension and the WC break he'll have quite a bit of down time which kind of takes the decision whether to ease him in gently or not out of the manager's hands.

Kukharevych, Took his goal brilliantly, which would have been his 2nd in 3 games but for a bad decision at Tannadice, and has decent feet too ... I still feel he could impose himself more though.

Newell, I don't care what anybody says the guy is a good player, he was miles from being our worst last night and played two superb defence opening passes, which as usual our profligate forward line failed to make anything of.

Negatives:

I'll mention incidents from last night as evidence, but the overall points apply to our season in general.

First the blindingly obvious one. We are getting plenty of balls into the box without anybody getting near them and even when we do some of our finishing is woeful, as evidenced by Youan's weak attempt at a finish from a good position right in the centre of goal last night.

Porto. Overall he's still a good player, but last night he was nowhere as they scored twice from a corner and a cross, his defending in the box needs to be better, though when you lose two goals like the ones we did last night that applies to all our central defenders.

Youan, from looking like he might be an asset he has at best stagnated, yes I know he scored at Celtic, but when he came on last night his contribution was practically nil. he had one really decent chance as I've mentioned and tried to be far too cute with it, at least from where I was sitting, and I'm sure it was him who absolutely cushed out of what should have been a 50/50 causing some consternation in the crowd ... I was a long way away so if that was Tavares I apologise and aim this comment at him instead.

Cadden, the guy isn't a defender, end of story.

Boyle. For a few weeks now his end product has been missing, from being a guy who couldn't hit the side of a barn with 20 footballs he had become a pretty decent finisher, but last night was the second home game in a row where he had gotten himself into a good shooting position and given the keeper an easy save .... It might be unfair to think the world cup is playing on his mind, but you can't help thinking it.

McKirdy. What can you say about this guy ... I'm lead to believe that decision making aside he had a half decent game at Tannadice, forget Celtic Park, nobody came out of that looking good ... But from what I've seen of him he seems far more interested in getting into the ear of the ref than he does playing the actual game. He needs to be told and bloody quick that refs in this league have absolutely no patience and are not prepared to argue the toss .. from what I saw last night he got booked for his reaction to the ref giving a foul against him, not for the foul itself, if this continues Hibs need to start fining him when he gets booked for backchat.

You can see the guy might have a bit about him and maybe he had deservedly earned himself a 'fans favourite' loveable maverick with the goals to back it up tag in the heady heights of EFL 2. But for all those Swindon fans talking about coming to Hibs being a sideways move re the level of football the evidence is clear that it's anything but. you aren't just going to be allowed to waltz past defenders in this league and you can't start bitching the first time the ball gets taken away from you because of it. It seems Hibs parted with a fair wedge to acquire this guy's services, but if he has any pretensions of making himself a starter he needs to screw the nut and realise he has a whole load of new fans to win over .... like any other support we'll take loveable mavericks to our heart, just so long as there's an end product to back it up.

Lee Johnson. Talks a good game and there has been evidence to show he can produce a style worth watching, but got it horribly wrong at Celtic Park and seemed to have no answer last night after we went down to 10 men. Overall our defence isn't that bad and in premiership terms neither is our midfield, when things are going their way at least. His huge issue is the lack of goals and unless that can be addressed we can forget about 3rd place and his job will be at risk on the back of it. Can we address the situation in January and will he get lucky with Nisbet coming back and hitting the ground running? He better hope so.

[Paulie Walnuts]

The better team :faf: literally hoofed it to our center backs for 70 minutes. Wave after wave of Hibs. The first half stats show utter Hibs domination.

You don’t think we were the better team? :confused: