Tavares

Good to see him back.

Fresh start for him which can only be a good thing. I hope he takes the opportunity to impress and is able to make a positive contribution to the first team squad. However, he’ll need to show more than he has based on previous appearances, albeit limited minutes thus far.

We all want all Hibs players to do well

Hope he kicks on will be like a new signing

Good luck to him

Based on what I saw from him before, I still think it’ll be a surprise if he makes a real impact. I sincerely hope he does though as we have no real cover for Youan and Boyle otherwise.

Yes, looks like he needs his confidence building up. Hopefully that happens in the next three home games.

There is a player there with the assistant manager knowing Jair hopefully he can come good

I'm hopeful and doubtful. I don't quite know the weighting between the two, but probably in equal measure.

Would love to see Tavares come good. Hopefully he grabs this opportunity of a clean slate.

Nothing against the lad, but there was a reason (having seen him play) he was told he was free to leave (and couldn’t or wouldn’t get another club) he is simply not good enough. No doubt get the usual deluge of happy clapper replies shouting me down but imo the guy would struggle to hold down a first team place in the championship.

While he didn’t set the heather alight, his limited chances mainly came at a time when the team was struggling and many of our players weren’t impressing. Some of these other players have now shown form and found themselves starting, and I think criticism of Jair probably ended up overstated because of assumptions around LJ not fancying him/freezing him out etc.

He could be useful for us yet.

Or not.

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Originally Posted by thebausburst

Nothing against the lad, but there was a reason (having seen him play) he was told he was free to leave (and couldn’t or wouldn’t get another club) he is simply not good enough. No doubt get the usual deluge of happy clapper replies shouting me down but imo the guy would struggle to hold down a first team place in the championship.

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so you know better than the new management team and they’re just happy clappers too 🤔?

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Originally Posted by thebausburst

Nothing against the lad, but there was a reason (having seen him play) he was told he was free to leave (and couldn’t or wouldn’t get another club) he is simply not good enough. No doubt get the usual deluge of happy clapper replies shouting me down but imo the guy would struggle to hold down a first team place in the championship.

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I thought he was awful virtually every time he played, but as Monty said, everyone gets a clean slate, hopefully he gets something from him the last one couldn't.

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Originally Posted by WeeRussell

While he didn’t set the heather alight, his limited chances mainly came at a time when the team was struggling and many of our players weren’t impressing. Some of these other players have now shown form and found themselves starting, and I think criticism of Jair probably ended up overstated because of assumptions around LJ not fancying him/freezing him out etc.

He could be useful for us yet.

Or not.

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Agreed.

A wingers game is all about confidence and I don’t think he had any last season.

From the outside looking in I don’t think he was managed very well, throwing him into games where everyone struggled, then giving him the odd brief sun appearance before banishing him from the squad completely.

I don’t know if he’ll be any good or not but I don’t think we were ever likely to see the best of him using him the way we did last season. I normally take the clean slate chat from a new manager with a pinch of salt but in his case, with our new assistant manager knowing him from Benfica I think he really could benefit from the change.

Time will tell but I thought he made an encouraging start to turning things around when he came on at the weekend.

He’s nowhere near as bad as made out, his reported wage and reputation I think has clouded people’s judgement, including the old management team who just refused to play him to try force him out.

Last pre season he shows flashes of skill. His first competitive game he came on in the cup and in one touch scooped/flicked it over the defender - ridiculous skill.

St Johnstone and Livi were his first 2 games and in the first he created a good amount of chances with his direct running in behind, picked out constantly by Cabraja. The second game he was poor on that pitch, but he was no worse than anyone else.

Since then he’s hardly got a sniff, he came on against st Johnstone again and won a pen which was later called offside, again as a result of his threatening run in behind.

The game that made me think there is 100% something there was against Raith during the Christmas break last year. He was our best player by a mile and skinned his man repeatedly, going outside and inside.

Johnson said himself there’s been friendly games he’s the best player on the park but for some reason never gave him a chance?

Sunday there I thought his movement was again good looking to get in behind but wasn’t picked out, also had a couple of good touches.

The club and Johnson piled the pressure on him, not Jair himself.

Let’s get behind him and give him a chance

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Originally Posted by thebausburst

Nothing against the lad, but there was a reason (having seen him play) he was told he was free to leave (and couldn’t or wouldn’t get another club) he is simply not good enough. No doubt get the usual deluge of happy clapper replies shouting me down but imo the guy would struggle to hold down a first team place in the championship.

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There are hundreds of examples of players looking miles off it but a new manager with a different approach etc managing to turn things round. Happens all the time. It’s not to say it will happen for Tavares but the new management team clearly see something in him.

I’d absolutely love it if he could come good and play a part with us. I remember seeing Doidge and Newell under Heckingbottom and thinking that they were dreadful, now look at them. Even Doidge at the start of last season looking finished, and now look at him.

Jair, Melkersen (if he returns), Kenneh (likewise), Delferriere, Marshall - they all get a clean slate for me - I trust that our new manager knows how to get the best out of a player.

Was there a reason he was essentially publicly shunned?

I remember him coming off the bench at Tannadice last season and having a bit of a shocker but I'm sure he still made the squad a few times after that.

Pre season came and he was playing in Berwick whilst the 1st team squad were in Spain. I'm guessing it went deeper than looking off it when he was in the team, he started games at the beginning of last season so clearly wasn't seen as a development project. He didn't really deliver on the park but that could go for a fair few members of the squad last season and none of them were 'punished' quite so publicly. There must be more to it.

New day, new start. Every player has to think that and like others I wonder if having a coach that not only knows him, but also speaks his language, might be just what he needed.

Montgomery clearly seems to be a manager prepared to give everybody a chance, he proved that at CCM if reports are accurate.

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Originally Posted by Unseen work

He’s nowhere near as bad as made out, his reported wage and reputation I think has clouded people’s judgement, including the old management team who just refused to play him to try force him out.

Last pre season he shows flashes of skill. His first competitive game he came on in the cup and in one touch scooped/flicked it over the defender - ridiculous skill.

St Johnstone and Livi were his first 2 games and in the first he created a good amount of chances with his direct running in behind, picked out constantly by Cabraja. The second game he was poor on that pitch, but he was no worse than anyone else.

Since then he’s hardly got a sniff, he came on against st Johnstone again and won a pen which was later called offside, again as a result of his threatening run in behind.

The game that made me think there is 100% something there was against Raith during the Christmas break last year. He was our best player by a mile and skinned his man repeatedly, going outside and inside.

Johnson said himself there’s been friendly games he’s the best player on the park but for some reason never gave him a chance?

Sunday there I thought his movement was again good looking to get in behind but wasn’t picked out, also had a couple of good touches.

The club and Johnson piled the pressure on him, not Jair himself.

Let’s get behind him and give him a chance

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Good post

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Originally Posted by Pretty Boy

Was there a reason he was essentially publicly shunned?

I remember him coming off the bench at Tannadice last season and having a bit of a shocker but I'm sure he still made the squad a few times after that.

Pre season came and he was playing in Berwick whilst the 1st team squad were in Spain. I'm guessing it went deeper than looking off it when he was in the team, he started games at the beginning of last season so clearly wasn't seen as a development project. He didn't really deliver on the park but that could go for a fair few members of the squad last season and none of them were 'punished' quite so publicly. There must be more to it.

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I think it could just be because Johnson wanted to force him out the door and off the wage bill.

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Originally Posted by Northernhibee

I’d absolutely love it if he could come good and play a part with us. I remember seeing Doidge and Newell under Heckingbottom and thinking that they were dreadful, now look at them. Even Doidge at the start of last season looking finished, and now look at him.

Jair, Melkersen (if he returns), Kenneh (likewise), Delferriere, Marshall - they all get a clean slate for me - I trust that our new manager knows how to get the best out of a player.

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Totally agree. There’s still an outside chance that the much maligned transfer window from last summer actually pays off, albeit it looks unlikely at this stage.

If Monty can get a tune out of the players it listed, who all have age and potential on their side (Marshall excepted) then it could save or make us a lot of money.

Could part of the issue with him previously be a language barrier, i.e. not clear on what was being asked of him? If so, hopefully having a Portuguese coach will help. My only worry is he seems quite lightweight.

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Originally Posted by overdrive

Could part of the issue with him previously be a language barrier, i.e. not clear on what was being asked of him? If so, hopefully having a Portuguese coach will help. My only worry is he seems quite lightweight.

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I noticed at the weekend, he was getting instructions from the great Raimundo and Obita (I think) was getting his from Montgomery. I know it’s just a small thing but that must make such a difference to someone like Jair who will likely have been a bag of nerves on Saturday.

Ultimately having a coach speaking the same language won’t be the deciding factor if he ends up being successful or not but it might just tip the scales a little bit if it helps him relax.

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Originally Posted by overdrive

Could part of the issue with him previously be a language barrier, i.e. not clear on what was being asked of him? If so, hopefully having a Portuguese coach will help. My only worry is he seems quite lightweight.

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Wouldn't be a surprise if there had been a language barrier and not just with Jair as this half-time team talk shows.

https://youtu.be/0UJZF5iRhNg?si=XswrZDVU53p5y4sS

He was definitely uninspiring when he played last season, but he's a young lad and needs support to settle into the game. If you're going to sign someone who has pretty much zero senior minutes in his home country let alone to come make an impact in ours, you need to be patient and I feel like the previous regime was less than patient with him. I think while some of us probably have an opinion on him from what we've seen we can probably all agree that we've not actually seen a lot either.

Hope he turns it around.

I'm all for seeing Jair getting a clean slate and a chance at us , I'd also like to see melkersen get a chance too . Never felt playing him on the right really suited him TBH and with Monty playing two upfront I think that would suit him too Still think there's a player there.

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Originally Posted by Donegal Hibby

I'm all for seeing Jair getting a clean slate and a chance at us , I'd also like to see melkersen get a chance too . Never felt playing him on the right really suited him TBH and with Monty playing two upfront I think that would suit him too Still think there's a player there.

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Same could be said for McKirdy.

Signed him as a striker and played him as a winger.

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Originally Posted by matty_f

Totally agree. There’s still an outside chance that the much maligned transfer window from last summer actually pays off, albeit it looks unlikely at this stage.

If Monty can get a tune out of the players it listed, who all have age and potential on their side (Marshall excepted) then it could save or make us a lot of money.

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As well as some others such as Tait and MacKay, contracts are starting to run down on a lot of players now. My fear is that a few of them will come good and we could end up losing out.. Not seen anything of Tait since the Norwich friendly. But I thought Mackay played well and scored an excellent goal that got chopped off against Bournemouth, in the pre-season friendly. Joe Newell was co-commentator for that match and from his comments he seemed to rate Dan MacKay. I don't think either of them have had a fair crack at it. But like I said not sure how well they are playing now or if they are even getting a game atm. MacKay in particular seemed to have a strong finish to last season, genuinely thought he was going to kick on. Gutted for him tbh

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Originally Posted by badabing67

As well as some others such as Tait and MacKay, contracts are starting to run down on a lot of players now. My fear is that a few of them will come good and we could end up losing out.. Not seen anything of Tait since the Norwich friendly. But I thought Mackay played well and scored an excellent goal that got chopped off against Bournemouth, in the pre-season friendly. Joe Newell was co-commentator for that match and from his comments he seemed to rate Dan MacKay. I don't think either of them have had a fair crack at it. But like I said not sure how well they are playing now or if they are even getting a game atm. MacKay in particular seemed to have a strong finish to last season, genuinely thought he was going to kick on. Gutted for him tbh

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MacKay is currently struggling to get a game at Livingston, having had some fairly ordinary loan spells, and Tait is back playing in League 1. Appreciate they are both young but I don’t think there is much to be worrying ourselves about. I

I've mentioned this before but I'm currently in Portugal and have a friend who's involved with the Sporting Academy. Also another who has a peripheral connection to Benfica. Both of them congratulated me when we signed Jair and said he was more highly rated at Benfica than Duk. I would love to see him make it.
Incidentally Sylvester Jasper is now playing just along the coast at Portimonense. He started yesterday in a good away win.

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Originally Posted by bingo70

Same could be said for McKirdy.

Signed him as a striker and played him as a winger.

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I could be totally wrong here though I thought Mckirdy had played for Swindon both on the left and right sides at times and was more versatile. Though it's quite possible Mckirdy would be better played more central too .

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Originally Posted by Donegal Hibby

I could be totally wrong here though I thought Mckirdy had played for Swindon both on the left and right sides at times and was more versatile. Though it's quite possible Mckirdy would be better played more central too .

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Swindon fan that posts on here said at the time although he had played right wing for them he wasn’t great there and all his success had come playing central with a strike partner. Sure he said as much as he loved McKirdy he couldn’t understand why we signed him when we played with central striker up front.

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Originally Posted by bingo70

Same could be said for McKirdy.

Signed him as a striker and played him as a winger.

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Correct

He came on against Ross County at home last season when we lost 0-2. I think he shot instead of crossing and Porteous went absolutely through him and his head completely dropped and it wasn’t great to see. Melkersen went over to put his arm round him and recognised it too

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Originally Posted by S4uzee

He came on against Ross County at home last season when we lost 0-2. I think he shot instead of crossing and Porteous went absolutely through him and his head completely dropped and it wasn’t great to see. Melkersen went over to put his arm round him and recognised it too

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One of the reasons why Porteous had to leave imo.

He was guilty of slaughtering boys for trying things yet he would make more mistakes/poor decisions than them at times

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Originally Posted by Unseen work

One of the reasons why Porteous had to leave imo.

He was guilty of slaughtering boys for trying things yet he would make more mistakes/poor decisions than them at times

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Sure Porteous had a go at Melkersen a few times last season.

I thought he didnt really get much of a chance to show what ability he did have last season, both Melkerson and McKirdy have both had far more game time than he has. It'll be interesting to see if he has settled and developed, IMO.

Couple of lads along from me on Saturday were singing his name. He heard them and looked genuinely moved by it.

If he turns out good let's get Bojang back as well 😂

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Originally Posted by Donegal Hibby

I'm all for seeing Jair getting a clean slate and a chance at us , I'd also like to see melkersen get a chance too . Never felt playing him on the right really suited him TBH and with Monty playing two upfront I think that would suit him too Still think there's a player there.

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I have noticed you have a bit of an obsession with wanting Melkersen to do well, obviously we all do as Hibs fans, but what is it you have seen that makes you think he would be good for us? Was it footage from his previous club or something? Just curious as I have really struggled to see what he offers.

Going to need Jair between now and Jan, Boyle and youan won’t be fit for every game and we’re short out wide, Monty’s done well involving him straight away and attempting to give the guy a bit of a confidence boost hopefully between that and the new coaches being able to communicate with him will help the guy settle and show us what he has.

Agree with comments about melkerson and mckirdy as well maybe the 2 up top will suit them much better as well both too lightweight to play as a lone central striker and not enough in their game to play on the wing, 3 much better options at the club ahead of them just now though imo

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Originally Posted by bingo70

Swindon fan that posts on here said at the time although he had played right wing for them he wasn’t great there and all his success had come playing central with a strike partner. Sure he said as much as he loved McKirdy he couldn’t understand why we signed him when we played with central striker up front.

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Pretty much every Swindon fan I know has said the opposite, possible you've mixed it up? Harry is a winger and pretty much always has been. He can play up front like Boyle can, ie, to cover, but he's not a striker. He played most of his games for Swindon out wide.

There's also more to the Mckirdy story than meets the eye as far as I'm aware. Similar to Jair. It's not as simple as 'both crap' like some fans thought, some big fallouts behind the scenes with LJ.

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Originally Posted by cameronw-hfc

Pretty much every Swindon fan I know has said the opposite, possible you've mixed it up? Harry is a winger and pretty much always has been. He can play up front like Boyle can, ie, to cover, but he's not a striker. He played most of his games for Swindon out wide.

There's also more to the Mckirdy story than meets the eye as far as I'm aware. Similar to Jair. It's not as simple as 'both crap' like some fans thought, some big fallouts behind the scenes with LJ.

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Going by transfer market, which I know isn't the most reliable, he definitely played more games in League Two as a centre forward. 32, compared to 16 RW and 14 LW. Then a smattering of games in midfield.

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Originally Posted by cameronw-hfc

Pretty much every Swindon fan I know has said the opposite, possible you've mixed it up? Harry is a winger and pretty much always has been. He can play up front like Boyle can, ie, to cover, but he's not a striker. He played most of his games for Swindon out wide.

There's also more to the Mckirdy story than meets the eye as far as I'm aware. Similar to Jair. It's not as simple as 'both crap' like some fans thought, some big fallouts behind the scenes with LJ.

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I always thought that the issue was Harry being played as a winger when he is a striker preferably one of a two ( Doidge ) according to a Swindon fan that posts on here

I see Mattys limbered uo practicing pronouncing his name :)

This dude must be a right laugh at parties - a Jambo probably ;)

https://youtu.be/AMfbJu41XOA?si=4_MOvrIlGKJ3fuio

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Originally Posted by JohnM1875

Going by transfer market, which I know isn't the most reliable, he definitely played more games in League Two as a centre forward. 32, compared to 16 RW and 14 LW. Then a smattering of games in midfield.

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Could be that he was turned into a striker at Swindon and I've misremembered the Swindon fans post, but I know 2 lads from down there and have spoken to a few on twitter who all say he's a winger.

I knew of Harry before Hibs as he came through the villa academy so always kept an eye on him and always seemed to see him playing out wide but I didn't see a lot of Swindon that season so I could be wrong, could have been converted to a striker.

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Originally Posted by cameronw-hfc

Could be that he was turned into a striker at Swindon and I've misremembered the Swindon fans post, but I know 2 lads from down there and have spoken to a few on twitter who all say he's a winger.

I knew of Harry before Hibs as he came through the villa academy so always kept an eye on him and always seemed to see him playing out wide but I didn't see a lot of Swindon that season so I could be wrong, could have been converted to a striker.

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I don't know anything about his career prior to Hibs, but I can confirm the the Swindon fan who came on here said he's better in a two up front

That being said, I don't see him getting a game ahead of any of our forward line options as we're very strong there. I reckon he'll be for sale next summer having played very little football for us.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Hibee Mac

I don't know anything about his career prior to Hibs, but I can confirm the the Swindon fan who came on here said he's better in a two up front

That being said, I don't see him getting a game ahead of any of our forward line options as we're very strong there. I reckon he'll be for sale next summer having played very little football for us.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

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Final Game of the season against Hearts after the split. Doidge injured (Against Kilmarnock of course) Vente suspended for giving the finger to Rangers fans. Alf playing up top with Boyle. 0-0 with 20 mins to go and Alf is subbed for McKirdy in his first game back after injury. The Swindon Van Basten causes mayhem due to his foot-high green mohawk getting in defenders faces at corners. His first goal is a toe poke from a loose ball..his second a knuckle ball 30 yarder that dips into the top corner...his third a volley that smashes Zander Clarke in the face, breaks his nose and flies in off the crossbar... Harry runs to the centre of pitch, drops his shorts to reveal a second green mowhak and takes out the whole of the Hearts directors box with an imaginary machine gun.

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Originally Posted by worcesterhibby

Final Game of the season against Hearts after the split. Doidge injured (Against Kilmarnock of course) Vente suspended for giving the finger to Rangers fans. Alf playing up top with Boyle. 0-0 with 20 mins to go and Alf is subbed for McKirdy in his first game back after injury. The Swindon Van Basten causes mayhem due to his foot-high green mohawk getting in defenders faces at corners. His first goal is a toe poke from a loose ball..his second a knuckle ball 30 yarder that dips into the top corner...his third a volley that smashes Zander Clarke in the face, breaks his nose and flies in off the crossbar... Harry runs to the centre of pitch, drops his shorts to reveal a second green mowhak and takes out the whole of the Hearts directors box with an imaginary machine gun.

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I'll safely say I'll sit in a bath of beans if this happens.

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Originally Posted by Hibee Mac

I don't know anything about his career prior to Hibs, but I can confirm the the Swindon fan who came on here said he's better in a two up front

That being said, I don't see him getting a game ahead of any of our forward line options as we're very strong there. I reckon he'll be for sale next summer having played very little football for us.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

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I think it just highlights how all over the place our recruitment was at times. We maybe didn't exclusively sign a whole load of bad players, albeit there have been a few stinkers, but we seemed to sign a whole host of players with no idea how or where we were actually going to play them.

We play 1 up top so lets bring in McKirdy who excels in a 2 and stick him out on the right, ditto with Melkerson. Hoppe was another about whom it was often said that he 'has to play as a 2'. Obviously you want options but last season it was Nisbet then trying to shoehorn others in around him, bizarrely we also had the situation that when Nisbet wasn't fit we really had no one who could play up top on their own in a comparable way to him so had to shuffle the whole team to try and accommodate that or have someone totally unsuited to the lone striker role huffing and puffing for 60 minutes until they were replaced by someone else to take a 30 minute turn being frustrated.

Hopefully now we seem to have a wee bit more cohesion around what we are doing we start to see players coming in and playing to their strengths rather than desperately trying to turn them into something they are clearly not. It might even see guys like McKirdy, Melkerson and Jair show why we were so keen to spend money on bringing them in.

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Originally Posted by Mango Man

I have noticed you have a bit of an obsession with wanting Melkersen to do well, obviously we all do as Hibs fans, but what is it you have seen that makes you think he would be good for us? Was it footage from his previous club or something? Just curious as I have really struggled to see what he offers.

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I'll throw my name in for this as well as someone who is a bit 'obsessed' with wanting Melkersen to do well. Much like Jair he was signed at a young age (even younger at just turning 19 days before signing) and I think he has shown in glimpses (Motherwell is the obvious one) there is a footballer in there for such a young lad who was settling in, and perhaps just needs a bit more of a push/first team football to unlock it further. The loan to Rotterdam was a poor choice from the club as they clearly went chasing the big sum of money to get their investment back quickly when actually he might have been better served going out to a Raith Rovers etc for 6 months, but I'm still hoping that this current spell back home will perhaps reset his batteries while letting him play proper senior football and then we can reassess in January when he returns if he's bulked up/come on another level that we can work with.

I will concede though that time is running out for him and if he can't come back and stake a claim going into next season it's perhaps not going to happen at all. But I always have sympathy with the younger lads we sign, as it will never be an instant result, we do have to nurture and develop them like we would a Josh O'Connor and afford them more time to show what they've got than say a 28 year old first team signing.

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Originally Posted by Centre Hawf

I'll throw my name in for this as well as someone who is a bit 'obsessed' with wanting Melkersen to do well. Much like Jair he was signed at a young age (even younger at just turning 19 days before signing) and I think he has shown in glimpses (Motherwell is the obvious one) there is a footballer in there for such a young lad who was settling in, and perhaps just needs a bit more of a push/first team football to unlock it further. The loan to Rotterdam was a poor choice from the club as they clearly went chasing the big sum of money to get their investment back quickly when actually he might have been better served going out to a Raith Rovers etc for 6 months, but I'm still hoping that this current spell back home will perhaps reset his batteries while letting him play proper senior football and then we can reassess in January when he returns if he's bulked up/come on another level that we can work with.

I will concede though that time is running out for him and if he can't come back and stake a claim going into next season it's perhaps not going to happen at all. But I always have sympathy with the younger lads we sign, as it will never be an instant result, we do have to nurture and develop them like we would a Josh O'Connor and afford them more time to show what they've got than say a 28 year old first team signing.

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Firmly in the wanting Melkersen to succeed here as well. Always have been.

Think he'll absolutely benefit a lot from this current loan, actually starting games as a striker through the middle and will come back in January a better player.

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Originally Posted by B.H.F.C

MacKay is currently struggling to get a game at Livingston, having had some fairly ordinary loan spells, and Tait is back playing in League 1. Appreciate they are both young but I don’t think there is much to be worrying ourselves about. I

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Nah. Mackay to be filed alongside Fraser Murray and Stephen Bradley under - players who were let go at the right time, that were never going to make it at Hibs.

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Originally Posted by JohnM1875

Firmly in the wanting Melkersen to succeed here as well. Always have been.

Think he'll absolutely benefit a lot from this current loan, actually starting games as a striker through the middle and will come back in January a better player.

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I hope he comes back and succeeds too, but other than the Motherwell game he's looked miles off it. The games he played in this season, he was absolutely useless.

He's starting games while away on loan, which can only be good for him.

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Originally Posted by easty

Nah. Mackay to be filed alongside Fraser Murray and Stephen Bradley under - players who were let go at the right time, that were never going to make it at Hibs.

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... or who might have made it at Hibs, but we'd have had to have been operating at a level at the time way below attempting to compete for 3rd in the premier league. Either of them might have found themselves establishing themselves in a Championship Hibs or one of our weaker, bottom 6 efforts.

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Originally Posted by easty

I hope he comes back and succeeds too, but other than the Motherwell game he's looked miles off it. The games he played in this season, he was absolutely useless.

He's starting games while away on loan, which can only be good for him.

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Think the important thing is he's starting games as a striker through the middle. The laddie is never going to be a winger. Doesn't have the attributes for that.

Definitely think this is probably make or break for him in regards to his Hibs career.

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Originally Posted by Viva_Palmeiras

I see Mattys limbered uo practicing pronouncing his name :)

This dude must be a right laugh at parties - a Jambo probably ;)

https://youtu.be/AMfbJu41XOA?si=4_MOvrIlGKJ3fuio

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Matty's a Jambo?

Suddenly everything makes sense!

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Originally Posted by easty

Nah. Mackay to be filed alongside Fraser Murray and Stephen Bradley under - players who were let go at the right time, that were never going to make it at Hibs.

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I would have quite liked to have seen MacKay get a little run between now and January as well to see if he was capable, but Lee Johnson clearly didn't fancy him (at this point I'm questioning who he did fancy as he had a habit of freezing people out/not giving minutes). But considering he's played about 10 minutes so far this season since joining Livi I think we can probably assume he was never going to make an impact at us and LJ was perhaps right.

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Originally Posted by Centre Hawf

I would have quite liked to have seen MacKay get a little run between now and January as well to see if he was capable, but Lee Johnson clearly didn't fancy him (at this point I'm questioning who he did fancy as he had a habit of freezing people out/not giving minutes). But considering he's played about 10 minutes so far this season since joining Livi I think we can probably assume he was never going to make an impact at us and LJ was perhaps right.

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Joe Newell spoke highly of Dan Mackay during his recent co-commentary

Starting to think LJ let his personal feelings cloud his judgement of a player to the detriment of the club and the player’s career been a few examples recently

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Originally Posted by easty

Nah. Mackay to be filed alongside Fraser Murray and Stephen Bradley under - players who were let go at the right time, that were never going to make it at Hibs.

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:agree:

Dan Mackay will never play at as high a level as Hibs again in his career imo.

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Originally Posted by Stubbsy90+2

:agree:

Dan Mackay will never play at as high a level as Hibs again in his career imo.

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Have to agree. The only times he's looked decent is against weak opposition (European games, pre-season friendlies, etc.) - and that's been under a few managers so it wasn't just LJ not fancying him.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stubbsy90+2

:agree:

Dan Mackay will never play at as high a level as Hibs again in his career imo.

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I agree. Tait as well. I'm glad we took a chance on the lads as there was potential there but i think they've found their level, which is good but not Hibs standard. Melkersen i just don't think will make it. Everyone mentions the Motherwell game after he arrived but i can't remember him doing anything significant other than this and that's coming up for two years ago now. Tavares? Big question marks but he has an opportunity. Hope he takes it.

Dan Mackay scored a cracker against Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final IIRC

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Originally Posted by Pretty Boy

I think it just highlights how all over the place our recruitment was at times. We maybe didn't exclusively sign a whole load of bad players, albeit there have been a few stinkers, but we seemed to sign a whole host of players with no idea how or where we were actually going to play them.

We play 1 up top so lets bring in McKirdy who excels in a 2 and stick him out on the right, ditto with Melkerson. Hoppe was another about whom it was often said that he 'has to play as a 2'. Obviously you want options but last season it was Nisbet then trying to shoehorn others in around him, bizarrely we also had the situation that when Nisbet wasn't fit we really had no one who could play up top on their own in a comparable way to him so had to shuffle the whole team to try and accommodate that or have someone totally unsuited to the lone striker role huffing and puffing for 60 minutes until they were replaced by someone else to take a 30 minute turn being frustrated.

Hopefully now we seem to have a wee bit more cohesion around what we are doing we start to see players coming in and playing to their strengths rather than desperately trying to turn them into something they are clearly not. It might even see guys like McKirdy, Melkerson and Jair show why we were so keen to spend money on bringing them in.

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Totally agree, hopefully now that we have a director of football in place we shouldn't see a repeat of that.

Was a very poor decision all round when we binned the director of football position entirely after one or two poor windows in a row. Think we just needed a new man in that role rather than scrapping it.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by WeAreHibs

I'll safely say I'll sit in a bath of beans if this happens.

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I will join you if it happens

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Originally Posted by Unseen work

He’s nowhere near as bad as made out, his reported wage and reputation I think has clouded people’s judgement, including the old management team who just refused to play him to try force him out.

Last pre season he shows flashes of skill. His first competitive game he came on in the cup and in one touch scooped/flicked it over the defender - ridiculous skill.

St Johnstone and Livi were his first 2 games and in the first he created a good amount of chances with his direct running in behind, picked out constantly by Cabraja. The second game he was poor on that pitch, but he was no worse than anyone else.

Since then he’s hardly got a sniff, he came on against st Johnstone again and won a pen which was later called offside, again as a result of his threatening run in behind.

The game that made me think there is 100% something there was against Raith during the Christmas break last year. He was our best player by a mile and skinned his man repeatedly, going outside and inside.

Johnson said himself there’s been friendly games he’s the best player on the park but for some reason never gave him a chance?

Sunday there I thought his movement was again good looking to get in behind but wasn’t picked out, also had a couple of good touches.

The club and Johnson piled the pressure on him, not Jair himself.

Let’s get behind him and give him a chance

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Spot on with every word. Will he become something special? Who knows until we give him a proper chance.

“He’s a very talented boy and, from what I’ve seen in training this week, he’s got a good attitude. You see some of the touches he had, he’s a very good player.

"The 22-year-old, a free transfer from Benfica B in the summer of 2022, was completely excluded from this year’s pre-season trip to Spain, with Johnson declaring that it was time for the wide man to move on.


https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.c...avares-4338902

Good to hear that Tavares has shown the right attitude and made an impression on Monty, it would be great if he could turn his Hibs career around. I seem to recall Martin Boyle being a mixed bag when he arrived at Hibs, plenty pace but not much arising from it. Coaching changed that?

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Originally Posted by superfurryhibby

“He’s a very talented boy and, from what I’ve seen in training this week, he’s got a good attitude. You see some of the touches he had, he’s a very good player.

"The 22-year-old, a free transfer from Benfica B in the summer of 2022, was completely excluded from this year’s pre-season trip to Spain, with Johnson declaring that it was time for the wide man to move on.


https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.c...avares-4338902

Good to hear that Tavares has shown the right attitude and made an impression on Monty, it would be great if he could turn his Hibs career around. I seem to recall Martin Boyle being a mixed bag when he arrived at Hibs, plenty pace but not much arising from it. Coaching changed that?

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Free transfer.

I've been under the impression that we paid decent money for him.

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Originally Posted by Hibbyradge

Free transfer.

I've been under the impression that we paid decent money for him.

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https://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/articl...s-hibernian-fc

Seems to suggest we paid something for him

I seem to remember the talk at the time was that it was a free transfer with a large sell on fee 50-60%

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Originally Posted by overdrive

https://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/articl...s-hibernian-fc

Seems to suggest we paid something for him

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“He’s a player we’ve monitored closely for a period of time and were able to take advantage of a specific clause in his contract. He is a real talent that’ll only get better.”

"The terms of the transfer will remain undisclosed"

Sometimes players just don't work out or they don't develop as you'd hope, occasionally it's the player's aptitude and sometimes they just plateau. Perfect examples are Handling, Stanton, Murray etc.

He’s looked absolutely dire every time I’ve seen him. Also has the misfortune of smiling each time he loses the ball (basically all the time), which makes it look like he couldn’t care less.

Still, I hope he can contribute if he’s brought back into the fold, but I don’t understand why he was given more opportunities than the likes of MacKay or Bradley.

Guy deserves a second chance for sure. Was never given a proper chance by Lee Johnson and then frozen out completely. Felt the treatment of him was unfair.

Had barely any time on saturday but in his short time showed a few good touches and made a good run that should have been picked out by Marshall.

Really want to see him turn it around at Hibs.

Aye at first I was thinking, although different positions. Remember Jorge Claros after around 15 games nobody wanted him to return after the summer, he did and I and many others were gutted when he left.

However Tavares has had longer at the club and a lot less games. I would love nothing more than to see him turn it around as we need back up in those positions and when they used to post the videos of them training etc on twitter or elsewhere he was like a different player completely on the ball and striking too.

Could be a confidence thing but I don't think so, those videos they kept pumping out of dribbling taking players on in training, crossing and long shots etc were more likely in the hope some club would take him off our hands. Hope he does it but I just cant see it. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst eh !

Also on the subject of Claros I checked Wiki as I couldn't remember where he ended up after us, been a few clubs but looks like he's still playing for some club back home in Honduras by the looks of wiki, says they finished 1st but runners up so they must have a set up like the MLS or something with play offs etc/

Will be an interesting outcome if Jairzinho turns out to be a player.

Here’s a thing to ponder…

If LJ didn’t coach the team and didn’t do much in the way of tactics wtf was he doing?

As for passing judgment on a player he apparently was on the trail of Jair for some time.
He then gives him little game time, omits from preseason and then shows him the door. How much credence do we give to LJs ability to spot/coach players? Are we to believe that he was a reluctant signatory of recruited players - which players were 100% his?

For so many reasons in hindsight a pretty bizarre tenure.

I don’t think NM is the messiah with reportedly only 60 games under his belt but that was 60 games more than Mowbray.

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Originally Posted by worcesterhibby

Final Game of the season against Hearts after the split. Doidge injured (Against Kilmarnock of course) Vente suspended for giving the finger to Rangers fans. Alf playing up top with Boyle. 0-0 with 20 mins to go and Alf is subbed for McKirdy in his first game back after injury. The Swindon Van Basten causes mayhem due to his foot-high green mohawk getting in defenders faces at corners. His first goal is a toe poke from a loose ball..his second a knuckle ball 30 yarder that dips into the top corner...his third a volley that smashes Zander Clarke in the face, breaks his nose and flies in off the crossbar... Harry runs to the centre of pitch, drops his shorts to reveal a second green mowhak and takes out the whole of the Hearts directors box with an imaginary machine gun.

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Yes please :hilarious

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Originally Posted by Mango Man

I have noticed you have a bit of an obsession with wanting Melkersen to do well, obviously we all do as Hibs fans, but what is it you have seen that makes you think he would be good for us? Was it footage from his previous club or something? Just curious as I have really struggled to see what he offers.

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Not really a obsession though I suppose it's abit of everything really in footage at his previous club , his two goals against Motherwell in the cup especially the first one which I thought was excellent play from him for two different reasons . Even the games he played for us I thought his movement was good at times .

I think we played him out of position on the right and it didn't suit him , I also think the first loan move was a disaster and didn't help him or us in anyway at all .

With the new manager coming in and playing 4-4-2 I think it would suit him playing more central with a strike partner. Of Tavares , Kenneh and melkersen I thought melkersen had more potential than the other two , still do tbh though that doesn't mean to say I'm right but I'd really like to see him get another chance under the new manager .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Donegal Hibby

Not really a obsession though I suppose it's abit of everything really in footage at his previous club , his two goals against Motherwell in the cup especially the first one which I thought was excellent play from him for two different reasons . Even the games he played for us I thought his movement was good at times .

I think we played him out of position on the right and it didn't suit him , I also think the first loan move was a disaster and didn't help him or us in anyway at all .

With the new manager coming in and playing 4-4-2 I think it would suit him playing more central with a strike partner. Of Tavares , Kenneh and melkersen I thought melkersen had more potential than the other two , still do tbh though that doesn't mean to say I'm right but I'd really like to see him get another chance under the new manager .

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Agree with all of that. I have always thought he has something about him, which he has shown in glimpses. Never given a fair shot in a position, or, system that suits him. As many others have said on numerous threads, you can’t sign players who looked good in a different position and system, then say they are rubbish because they were no good when playing in a different position that they are not suited to. Hopefully he gets a chance to show that and make us some money too. Otherwise he has been a costly recruitment mistake.

https://www.hibs.net/images/hibsnet/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by worcesterhibby https://www.hibs.net/images/hibsnet/...post-right.png
Final Game of the season against Hearts after the split. Doidge injured (Against Kilmarnock of course) Vente suspended for giving the finger to Rangers fans. Alf playing up top with Boyle. 0-0 with 20 mins to go and Alf is subbed for McKirdy in his first game back after injury. The Swindon Van Basten causes mayhem due to his foot-high green mohawk getting in defenders faces at corners. His first goal is a toe poke from a loose ball..his second a knuckle ball 30 yarder that dips into the top corner...his third a volley that smashes Zander Clarke in the face, breaks his nose and flies in off the crossbar... Harry runs to the centre of pitch, drops his shorts to reveal a second green mowhak and takes out the whole of the Hearts directors box with an imaginary machine gun.

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Originally Posted by SaulGoodman

Yes please :hilarious

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To be honest, it's the goals Hibs have scored and games we have won ...in my imagination..that keep me supporting the club :greengrin:greengrin

To be honest, it's the goals Hibs have scored and games we have won ...in my imagination..that keep me supporting the club :greengrin:greengrin[/QUOTE]

Similar here only for me Keira Knightley has the season ticket next to me!

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Originally Posted by SaulGoodman

Yes please :hilarious

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by snedzuk

To be honest, it's the goals Hibs have scored and games we have won ...in my imagination..that keep me supporting the club :greengrin:greengrin

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Similar here only for me Keira Knightley has the season ticket next to me![/QUOTE]

Be careful, she's always nicking my pie in my dreams !! :greengrin

I've seen nothing to date to suggest Tavares will be a success with us - I don't doubt he has some ability but even in the scouting videos going around it was fairly obvious it was a huge gamble based on the relative lack of physicality and intensity in his game and the level he was playing at. I do understand Duk has been a success coming from there but they are completely different players.

Having said all that - if Monty has seen something and is willing to give him a chance, then we should too. I remain sceptical but would be absolutely delighted to be proven wrong. If Monty can somehow get more out of the existing squad (beyond the quality we already know we have) we are going to be in a great position to challenge for 3rd.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by patlowe

I've seen nothing to date to suggest Tavares will be a success with us - I don't doubt he has some ability but even in the scouting videos going around it was fairly obvious it was a huge gamble based on the relative lack of physicality and intensity in his game and the level he was playing at. I do understand Duk has been a success coming from there but they are completely different players.

Having said all that - if Monty has seen something and is willing to give him a chance, then we should too. I remain sceptical but would be absolutely delighted to be proven wrong. If Monty can somehow get more out of the existing squad (beyond the quality we already know we have) we are going to be in a great position to challenge for 3rd.

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The way I see it for Jair is that he now has until January really to persuade Monty he's got enough about him that can be coached/improved to be a good player at this level. No one can really take him off our hands until then so we may as well put his wages to good use until it gets to a point he's actively hurting the team being involved.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by patlowe

I've seen nothing to date to suggest Tavares will be a success with us - I don't doubt he has some ability but even in the scouting videos going around it was fairly obvious it was a huge gamble based on the relative lack of physicality and intensity in his game and the level he was playing at. I do understand Duk has been a success coming from there but they are completely different players.

Having said all that - if Monty has seen something and is willing to give him a chance, then we should too. I remain sceptical but would be absolutely delighted to be proven wrong. If Monty can somehow get more out of the existing squad (beyond the quality we already know we have) we are going to be in a great position to challenge for 3rd.

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I don’t think physicality has been the big issue, for me it has been his decision making. There have been plenty of Hibs attackers over the years who haven’t been very physical but have been excellent players - the key is knowing how to use the ball, when it’s appropriate to dribble or when it’s appropriate to pass.

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Originally Posted by CapitalGreen

I don’t think physicality has been the big issue, for me it has been his decision making. There have been plenty of Hibs attackers over the years who haven’t been very physical but have been excellent players - the key is knowing how to use the ball, when it’s appropriate to dribble or when it’s appropriate to pass.

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He has played 242 minutes over 10 games; i really don’t think we’ve seen which to judge his decision making so far. On top of that, his confidence must have been shot to pieces.

No wonder Jairs confidence was low with Johnson and Co that's why he is in fold again and Johnson at Fleetwood lol

See Rabbie Matondo is having a decent start to the season for Rangers, was he not bombed out the picture last season like Tavares was with us?

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Originally Posted by bingo70

See Rabbie Matondo is having a decent start to the season for Rangers, was he not bombed out the picture last season like Tavares was with us?

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Not quite sure, looks like 30 appearances across all competions. Four appearances last May alone.

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Originally Posted by Hibbyradge

Free transfer.

I've been under the impression that we paid decent money for him.

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It wasn't free. It was an undisclosed fee

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Originally Posted by Winston Ingram

It wasn't free. It was an undisclosed fee

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Hes also in the top earner bracket of the wages too.

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Originally Posted by Since452

I agree. Tait as well. I'm glad we took a chance on the lads as there was potential there but i think they've found their level, which is good but not Hibs standard. Melkersen i just don't think will make it. Everyone mentions the Motherwell game after he arrived but i can't remember him doing anything significant other than this and that's coming up for two years ago now. Tavares? Big question marks but he has an opportunity. Hope he takes it.

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Tait is a decent player, stinking attitude though and thats why he was shipped back out early.

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Originally Posted by Slim Shady

Hes also in the top earner bracket of the wages too.

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How much are we paying him?

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Originally Posted by Slim Shady

Hes also in the top earner bracket of the wages too.

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I'm absolutely convinced this is just a "hibs.net FACT" rather than being reality.

Much like "that Chris Mueller is on £10k a week".

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Originally Posted by Slim Shady

Hes also in the top earner bracket of the wages too.

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Mid-range than rather than top bracket.

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Originally Posted by Slim Shady

Tait is a decent player, stinking attitude though and thats why he was shipped back out early.

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Who told you?

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Originally Posted by Slim Shady

Hes also in the top earner bracket of the wages too.

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Can you list the salaries of all the 1st team squad?

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Originally Posted by easty

I'm absolutely convinced this is just a "hibs.net FACT" rather than being reality.

Much like "that Chris Mueller is on £10k a week".

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To be fair, Chris Mueller had owls 🦉 to feed.

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Originally Posted by CapitalGreen

Mid-range than rather than top bracket.

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Yup. Fair to say it’s been a very poor return so far. Be interesting to see if he kicks on under Monty.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CapitalGreen

I don’t think physicality has been the big issue, for me it has been his decision making. There have been plenty of Hibs attackers over the years who haven’t been very physical but have been excellent players - the key is knowing how to use the ball, when it’s appropriate to dribble or when it’s appropriate to pass.

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I don't disagree with you really - I probably used the wrong word but I wouldn't expect him to be 'physical' as such, it's more the nature of the league relative to what our scouts would have seen him doing and what he was up against previously. From what I saw he looked...OK ability wise, quick-ish maybe, not great decision making as you say, and in a much less intense environment with different expectations physically. Our league is fast, intense and direct - and decision making would absolutely be a part of adapting to that. As such I had/have my doubts, but if Monty can get a tune out of him then great.

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Originally Posted by Winston Ingram

It wasn't free. It was an undisclosed fee

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Edinburgh Green has said above there was discussion at the time that it was a free transfer with a 50%-60% sell-on. Normally Hibs would announce the transfer fee is undisclosed but for Tavares it said the
terms of the transfer are undisclosed so it feasibly could be along the lines Edinburgh Green has said.

Starts today!