The Defence

[The Modfather]

A lot of credit was given for fixing the defence in the league cup group stages. What are peoples opinions now?

I think Ohora looks a solid addition, outside of that I don’t see much to be positive about or different from last season.

The fullbacks are the same, though Obita looks to have regressed at a worrying rate. I don’t particularly rate any of our full backs and looking forward to moving them on next summer.

Ekpetia looks like a straight swap for Rocky in that he’s mainly fine but has a regular howler in him. I’d probably go back to playing Rocky.

The keeper looks a downgrade on Marshall and a real weak link.

Early days, but does our defensive rebuild look like one good signing and two duds and a backup keeper who looks suspect? I can’t see us adding any new first choice defenders this window.

[Tambo]

I think alot of us expected us to be harder to break down and wouldn't concede poor goals, I think every goal so far in the league has been poor goals to concede and yet again today.

The goalkeeper is already coming under pressure with some fans, Obita wasn't very good today and I'm still in two minds over Miller.

Two games vs Celtic don't help but I'm not wanting to be using that as an excuse.

[Bostonhibby]

A lot of credit was given for fixing the defence in the league cup group stages. What are peoples opinions now?

I think Ohora looks a solid addition, outside of that I don’t see much to be positive about or different from last season.

The fullbacks are the same, though Obita looks to have regressed at a worrying rate. I don’t particularly rate any of our full backs and looking forward to moving them on next summer.

Ekpetia looks like a straight swap for Rocky in that he’s mainly fine but has a regular howler in him. I’d probably go back to playing Rocky.

The keeper looks a downgrade on Marshall and a real weak link.

Early days, but does our defensive rebuild look like one good signing and two duds and a backup keeper who looks suspect? I can’t see us adding any new first choice defenders this window.

Pretty much how I see it, read a couple of times that Ekpiteta could well be the no nonsense guy who wins a lot in the air and hard tackling ball winner on the ground but distribution not great. So why are we persisting in thinking we can play out from the back through him at all?

Obita has regressed and the goalkeeper seems to be having his preseason now, unless this is as good as he gets so we have somehow scouted 2 keepers who might not be any better than Marahall on the way down.

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[jeffers]

Obita has been terrible so far, the concern is who do we replace him with ?

[Stuart93]

Obita looking like a player who knows his position is safe. He’s got no challenger.

We need a LB in.

We need a CB in to play beside O’Hora

[McD]

I think alot of us expected us to be harder to break down and wouldn't concede poor goals, I think every goal so far in the league has been poor goals to concede and yet again today.

The goalkeeper is already coming under pressure with some fans, Obita wasn't very good today and I'm still in two minds over Miller.

Two games vs Celtic don't help but I'm not wanting to be using that as an excuse.


I think it’s hard to completely judge the back line when our midfield don’t offer much protection at all. And for all the criticism I’ve given Joe Newell, it’s not his fault. It’s not his game to be the ball winner/protector in there, he isn’t that player. It’s on successive Hibs managers for not signing the right kind of midfielder to do that. I think the defence would look more solid if a Bartley or Milligan was there.

[sauzee1989]

We have signed two centre backs and amazingly still need another 3 more. None are good enough and none of them comfortable on ball to pass it out back

[HibeeMackenzie]

I’d rather Rocky than Ekpiteta

[Tambo]

I think it’s hard to completely judge the back line when our midfield don’t offer much protection at all. And for all the criticism I’ve given Joe Newell, it’s not his fault. It’s not his game to be the ball winner/protector in there, he isn’t that player. It’s on successive Hibs managers for not signing the right kind of midfielder to do that. I think the defence would look more solid if a Bartley or Milligan was there.

Very good point, feels like last season again where we're relying on our defence to keep us in games as the midfield and forwards never helped.

I've been wanting Megwa to get a chance in the RB/RWB position, done well pre season games and league cup.

We really need Kwon to hit the ground running early and be a key player for us.

[Heisenberg]

Ekpiteta already sold two goals with dreadful passes backwards. He’s worse than Rocky and it’s not even close.

[hibsbollah]

Its the most depressing part of the squad because it looked like it was being fixed. OHora is obviously a miss but Bursic and Ekpetita look to be a retrograde step on what we had, and Obita has got worse.

[Smartie]

Very good point, feels like last season again where we're relying on our defence to keep us in games as the midfield and forwards never helped.

I've been wanting Megwa to get a chance in the RB/RWB position, done well pre season games and league cup.

We really need Kwon to hit the ground running early and be a key player for us.

I think Kwon should make a huge difference.

If we can get back to a back 4, with a proper player protecting them then I think we'll be on the right track again.

Obita has been mince, he needs to buck his ideas up big time.

You're never going to get a 100% success rate with transfers and so far O'Hora looks very good to me and Ekpiteta like a more error-prone version of Rocky.

I'm not convinced we've improved much and I was always of the opinion that Hanlon and Stevenson would be much harder to replace than many people realised.

If the truth be told though... next season? If the aim is genuinely to get third in the league, I'd be keeping O'Hora and looking for improvements in GK, LB, RB, CB and ideally bringing in a DM permanently. It's becoming a cliche but it brings up the "calls into question the recruitment in recent years" thing again...

Although in defence of the defence - they've been up against some very good players these past few weeks.

[number9dream]

We can't expect Kwon to make a huge difference immediately. He's played less than 10 games at this level and was in South Korea division two before that...
I hope he's an overnight success but he may well need a bit of time to bed in.

The scrawny keeper is wretched and Rocky is way better than Ekpiteta. Not a great recruitment start from MM.

[Northernhibee]

O’Hora is decent. Obita has regressed badly. Miller is poor and needs to try to play football rather than trying to buy fouls and the like. Ekpiteta looks like someone trying to play FIFA but they don’t know what button does what.

O’Hora and Hanlon would have been a perfectly decent partnership this season.

[Wheat Hound]

We look to have somehow downgraded on what was a poor defence last year.

Obita has been terrible so far, so slow and passive.

O'Hora the only one to get anything approaching pass marks and even that's a stretch.

Worrying

[Hibees1973]

We look to have somehow downgraded on what was a poor defence last year.

Obita has been terrible so far, so slow and passive.

O'Hora the only one to get anything approaching pass marks and even that's a stretch.

Worrying

Really don't know why O'Hora is getting praise as even he looks out of his depth. His positioning at times is poor and I expected him to be more physical.

It's likely that Ekpiteta & Bushiri make him look good.

As for Miller & Obtia. I doubt there is a worse right/left back duo in the league.

[B.H.F.C]

They’re terribly exposed with absolutely nothing in front of them.

But they look disorganised and Ekpiteta, in particular, keeps making bad decisions and passing the ball backwards.

Not good, the next three games will give us a good idea if they can improve.

[worcesterhibby]

Ekpiteta will be fine, kwon will make a huge difference playing in front of our defence and Marvin and OHora will form a very solid partnership. I’ll save forming any opinions about Bursik until he’s played half a season at least. One thing I will say, he comes and collects more crosses than the last half dozen keepers we’ve had.

[fiolex1]

I thought Nicky Cadden could play LB?

[BoomtownHibees]

O’Hora is decent. Obita has regressed badly. Miller is poor and needs to try to play football rather than trying to buy fouls and the like. Ekpiteta looks like someone trying to play FIFA but they don’t know what button does what.

O’Hora and Hanlon would have been a perfectly decent partnership this season.

I thought Miller was decent today again after arguably being our best player last week

[worcesterhibby]

I thought Miller was decent today again after arguably being our best player last week

agree, he’s not perfect but shows lots of fight and always looking to drive forward. Switches off occasionally, but he’s young, has had a very good start to the season.

[Pretty Boy]

I think the defence leave a lot to be desired. I keep harping on about it but the line is a shambles and screams a group that aren't a cohesive unit. In fairness 3 of the 5 (or 6 today) including the keeper are new so it maybe isn't that much of a shock. It's all just a bit ragged and disorganised and we seem to be a team making defending look difficult.

It can't be easy playing behind that midfield though. Teams just walk through them for long spells, there is very little protection for the defence and a total lack of discipline there in holding shape, tracking runners and indeed providing an out ball and relieving the pressure.

We were too easy to score against last season, it was that rather than an inability to score that left us floundering in the bottom 6. We clearly tried to address that early in this window and thus far we look as easy, if not easier, to score against this season.

My memory of Kwon was he was a big lad who bullied and dominated our midfield at ER last season. That should help but I suppose the caveat is it was our midfield he bullied so maybe that doesn't tell us much.

[Unseen work]

I think big Marv defends well.

But that’s 3 games in a row now that he’s turned and passed it back to the goalie without paying attention to what’s around him

A complete lack of concentration

I think he’ll be dropped for Rocky next week based on Gray’s comments.

I would also drop Bursik but it appears Smith was only brought in as a sub goalie and someone that will not play unless absolutely needed. Wollacott is better than Bursik

[SHODAN]

O'Hora is good

Ekpiteta is meh

Bursik is ugh

[AlbertK86]

I think it’s hard to completely judge the back line when our midfield don’t offer much protection at all. And for all the criticism I’ve given Joe Newell, it’s not his fault. It’s not his game to be the ball winner/protector in there, he isn’t that player. It’s on successive Hibs managers for not signing the right kind of midfielder to do that. I think the defence would look more solid if a Bartley or Milligan was there.

Hopefully Kwon can be the one that protects the back line


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[.Sean.]

I’d rather Rocky than Ekpiteta
No secret on this forum how little I rate Rocky, but I cannot believe we’ve signed a centre half who actually looks worse than the player he’s meant to have been replacing

[Bronson]

O'hora is the only one I'd keep. The rest need emptied asap all miles off it.

We must be the only club in the world how could downgrade from Marshall and Hanlon from last season.

[scottish_sleepy]

Ekpiteta was absolutely honking. Exactly the same as last week. Looks like bambi on ice whenever he gets near the ball. With him and probably the worst keeper I've seen at ER in a long time the defence is worse than ever.

[AlbertK86]

Obita has been terrible so far, the concern is who do we replace him with ?

Agree re Obita but luckily he won’t be up against Khun and O’Riley every week.

Think he was shaky at the beginning of last season before getting into his stride.

Hopefully Kwon, McCowan (fingers crossed) and another new midfielder may help ease the pressure on our full backs !!

Seems to be an overload on them every game just now.

One point today Celtic were 7 v 4 midway into our half and the three amigos in our midfield were all jogging back in a line behind their 7.


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[HendoDelivered]

I thought Nicky Cadden could play LB?

Not his natural position and describes himself as a winger. Defo need a LB who can defend in the door.

[eastmainsmsh]

Ekpiteta was absolutely honking. Exactly the same as last week. Looks like bambi on ice whenever he gets near the ball. With him and probably the worst keeper I've seen at ER in a long time the defence is worse than ever.

Did Ian Gordon Sign Marvin in Coral island

[Alfred E Newman]

Just watched the highlights and it is almost beyond belief that our summer rebuild of the defence has actually made us look even worse. I know we won’t be up against Celtic again for a while but it is worrying that we are now stuck with this lot for the rest of the season. We’ll know better after our next few games but whoever was responsible for sanctioning these transfers should be sacked.

[Donegal Hibby]

Its the most depressing part of the squad because it looked like it was being fixed. OHora is obviously a miss but Bursic and Ekpetita look to be a retrograde step on what we had, and Obita has got worse.

I don’t think Obita was particularly good defensive wise last season and certainly didn’t contribute a lot in an attacking sense either . I was genuinely surprised he got Poty tbh . The big weakness in our defence imo .

[sauzee1989]

Watching the goals back the first two could easily be blamed on Rocky losing a man twice

[WestStandWillie]

O'Hora only one I trust at the moment.

Hoping Marv can redeem himself but he needs to be switched on at all times.

That goalie is back up at best. Need an experienced head in there who's vocal and will work with the defenders.