BBC Highlights - Motherwell v Hibs

[GreenCastle]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/scotland/17146917

Some interesting defending...think Stack should have cut out that low cross surely for the 2nd? On the plus side he always seems to at least guess the right way at penalties and get close or even save them - just a shame he's had so much practice!

[greenlex]

Not sure either of those challenges are penalties to be honest.

[HFC07]

good link up play between Griffiths and Osborne for the 1st goal and Griffiths attempt on goal ion the second half.

[Andy74]

Typical of your luck when you are down there. When will Higdon ever do that again?

[richard_pitts]

Utterly stupid defending for the first. If you put your keeper under that much pressure, you will concede goals Someone should have cut out the cross before the bicycle kick as well. Agree about Griffiths - we look like we can score goals with him up front. Oh, and how is O'Connor so fat?

[HFC07]

I agree they just did not deal with things at the back, to many free Motherwell players in the box. If we don't concede we cant loose - simple

[PeeJay]

Some interesting comments about Griffiths having a good game - I only saw the highlights on Hibs TV and he seemed (to me) to ruin anything good he may have done by an awful final ball or shots wide of target - he really needs to be much more effective where it counts...

... while we seem to have played well in spells - defending is still a joke...

[Davy Mac]

Doherty should have dealt with the situation better than he did but not so sure Stack needed to go bundling into a player who was running away from goal and Stack should have never been beaten at the near post with a cross like that.

Other than that I thought Hibs looked decent and didn't look like they deserved to lose the game based on the highlights.

[SloopJB]

I was talking to a motherwell fan who was at the game, he said at no time during the game did he feel confident they would win, he couldn't understand how we are in the position we are in as he reckoned that Hibs team were one of the best teams Motherwell have played at Fir Park apart from Rangers and Celtic and were much better than Hearts.

Those comments wont take us up the league but it's worth seeing how others see us.

[JennaFletcher]

Griffiths looked good, and this game shows that we do have goals in the team... just odd they're no longer coming from O'Connor! He looks quite slow now?!

Shame about those 2 penalties...

[hibsbollah]

You can see Dohertys idea was to head it across to McPake to clear away from the pressurising attacker but mistimed it. Both pens looked a bit soft.

The question is how can we return to the defence that kept clean sheets against Aberdeen and Kilmarnock (?) and not the one that has let in 9 in two games. My guess is return to Kujabi at LB, McPake and Doh in the middle and Francomb on the right.

Garrys shorts look like theyre struggling to contain the everincreasing, massive expanse of erse within.

[JennaFletcher]

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I was talking to a motherwell fan who was at the game, he said at no time during the game did he feel confident they would win, he couldn't understand how we are in the position we are in as he reckoned that Hibs team were one of the best teams Motherwell have played at Fir Park apart from Rangers and Celtic and were much better than Hearts.

Those comments wont take us up the league but it's worth seeing how others see us.

At times I do see sparks of brilliance in the team, but it's not there for the full 90 yet at all. If we could hold onto the tempo/creative play for the whole 90 we'd be in a much better position. When we start playing more scrappy it always leads to us conceding goals that should never be conceded which is frustrating (think O'Halon's howlers at Rangers, Stack vs Celtic, Doherty vs Well) I think Fenlon is working on that and we have to give him time.

[JennaFletcher]

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You can see Dohertys idea was to head it across to McPake to clear away from the pressurising attacker but mistimed it. Both pens looked a bit soft.

The question is how can we return to the defence that kept clean sheets against Aberdeen and Kilmarnock (?) and not the one that has let in 9 in two games. My guess is return to Kujabi at LB, McPake and Doh in the middle and Francomb on the right.

I would agree with that. Quite annoyed Kujabi didn't start last night, he's my fave newbie! Crafty, not afraid to move up the park with the ball and always puts his guts into returning to def and annoying strikers!

[Pretty Boy]

Looking at that and having seen the Killie and Aberdeen games I don't think we are a million miles from being a decent side.

Cut out the silly goals and start finishing our own chances and we should be ok.

[ancient hibee]

We've just lost by the odd goal in 7(while outscoring them from open play)to a team going hard for 2nd place who have just beaten the 4th team 3-0 while playing half the game with 10 men.I don't think that there's any need to form an orderly queue at the Dean Bridge yet.

[stubble]

[QUOTE=hibsbollah;3126338]You can see Dohertys idea was to head it across to McPake to clear away from the pressurising attacker but mistimed it.

The first law of defending: boot it/hoof it/header it CLEAR!
Doherty was a rabbit in the headlights and did none of the aforementioned. He was also guilty of not attacking the returned ball and standing off Higdon for the overhead kick goal. So, one defender, two avoidable goals. No wonder Fenlon is left shaking his head.

[S.sct]

If we were sitting mid table that might have been an enjoyable game to watch.........

[Alfred E Newman]

Interesting to see Higdon giving the Well fans the " get it up ye" after his goal. Over to you Mr Complience Officer

[500miles]

The Motherwell striker knocked Doherty over, and HE gets the penalty? Baffling.

[Brooster]

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Some interesting comments about Griffiths having a good game - I only saw the highlights on Hibs TV and he seemed (to me) to ruin anything good he may have done by an awful final ball or shots wide of target - he really needs to be much more effective where it counts...

... while we seem to have played well in spells - defending is still a joke...

Sparky was brilliant last night, at the end the players got a lukewarm reception from the massive Hibs support, sparky ran over from the bench to a resounding reception, says it all. Fat occonnor needs to have a word with himself.

[Captain Trips]

Interesting to see that Higdon for his overhead had enough time for a cigar a read at the paper a pint then slowly get into position for his goal, utterly disgraceful defending yet again for 2 goals.

[truehibernian]

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Sparky was brilliant last night, at the end the players got a lukewarm reception from the massive Hibs support, sparky ran over from the bench to a resounding reception, says it all. Fat occonnor needs to have a word with himself.

Shouldn't be in the squad IMHO brooster.....I think his form has been nothing short of woeful, his hold up play causes the midfield and ultimately defence major issues, and he is around a stone and a half overweight. In the Killie cup game, Garry twice was knocked on his behind, fairly, yet he remained on the deck protesting whilst all other outfield Hibees were getting torn into their Killie counterparts. His form makes me livid I have to say.....as it is down to lack of fitness and application IMO. LG is just the sort of striker we need up top....good technique, willing runner, more often than not hits the target and defends from the front too. I thought Fenlon might persevere with Doyle and Griffiths given their movement off the ball and workrate.

Use Ross Caldwell, Doyle and O'Donovan and see how we get on. As far as I'm concerned, GOC is spent. Jeez, when David Stephens played up top for a half he managed to keep the ball better and worked defenders more than GOC has these last 10 games.

[SouthamptonHibs]

just watched the highlights = ouch! 1st division here we come we are by far getting worse!
That defence is shocking! If anything it's getting worse

How many games do we give the players to settle in? there's not many left...squeeky bum time for us Hibees

Positives we scored 3 goals.......but still lost

[number9dream]

Not sure we can complain about either pen. Poor play from Doherty on both occasions, although no need for Stack to clatter into Ojamaa.
Stack should also have cut out that cross for Murphy's tap in.
Doherty again dozing when Higdon was given about five minutes to settle himself for overhead kick.

Think we need to stick with Garry O & Griffiths up top.

[basehibby]

Looking at that neither of the penalties looked clear cut - I think Stack actually got the ball in the 1st so no penalty - the 2nd one I think Doherty did get to the ball but maybe caught a bit of their man on the way so ref was probably right.

Stack could probably have done better with the low cross for well's tap in goal. Re the overhead kick I think you just have to hand it to Higdon for taking his chance so well - a goal doesn't always have to be someone's fault!

On the upside, Hibs created plenty enough chances of our own and showed decent fighting spirit - on another day we might just have won that game.

[Hainan Hibs]

From seeing that we played some alright stuff, however that defence is sending us down. We done well in the 1st half and then defending of south gyle standard lets Motherwell right back in it. For the 2nd goal Stack should have done more, however the defence as a whole are to blame.

Both penalty decisions were correct IMO. Not your complete stonewallers but there was enough contact to warrant a penalty in both cases.

Also I would've been sent off at the end for nutting someone in a Motherwell shirt during the handbags after Sproule scored

[BSEJVT]

Put simply all of our "good" play is utterly wasted as we just cannot defend

The goals we continuously lose are a joke

If the guy pings one in the top corner from 30 yards fair enough.

We lose most of our goals from within the goal line to the penalty spot.

It is lack of concentration, lack of bravery to go in where it hurts and guys too slow to react.

Truly truly worrying times as faults evident for months dont go away in days.

[Wellfan1984]

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I was talking to a motherwell fan who was at the game, he said at no time during the game did he feel confident they would win, he couldn't understand how we are in the position we are in as he reckoned that Hibs team were one of the best teams Motherwell have played at Fir Park apart from Rangers and Celtic and were much better than Hearts.

Those comments wont take us up the league but it's worth seeing how others see us.

Not much else to add from a 'Well point of view except as soon as Ojamaa got going there was only going to be one winner. His never give up attitude the difference. Two things summed it up, his chase and slide to keep the ball in play where he had no right to, and the 90th minute when he kept the ball, ripping the piss out of 3 Hibernian defenders, turning back in to just do it again.

No one, and I mean no one can ever question Hibernian's going forward ability - our defence usually can't cope - but then again Hibs defence can't cope - hence why most Motherwell v Hibs games seem to be pick of the seasong games - lucky for us it was our turn to win it!

Interesting to see Higdon giving the Well fans the " get it up ye" after his goal. Over to you Mr Complience Officer

That's his celebration! The players and fans force him to do it - even when it is not him scoring :D

[SMAXXA]

Doc has had a howler theres no disputing that, felt Hanlon was ball watching for the 2nd, the tap in im sure it was him ended in the net with Murphy as for the overhead kick, Doc and Hanlon need to grow a pair and put there heed in where it hurts, take a kick in the mush if thats what it will take, cant believe he got such an easy ride with the overhead kick, fair play to finish it tho.

[GreenCastle]

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Put simply all of our "good" play is utterly wasted as we just cannot defend

The goals we continuously lose are a joke

If the guy pings one in the top corner from 30 yards fair enough.

We lose most of our goals from within the goal line to the penalty spot.

It is lack of concentration, lack of bravery to go in where it hurts and guys too slow to react.

Truly truly worrying times as faults evident for months dont go away in days.

This is the problem that annoys me - no coincidence we are bottom if we don't do the basics.

Too many goals from set pieces (corners / free kicks / pens - even against the yams a simple long throw).

Giving goals away at crucial times - just before or after half time or first 15 mins when the game should be kept tight.

Conceding just after we score - we get back into it - then lose concentration and are level again or losing.

Individual moments of madness - recently O'Hanlon at Ibrox - Doc against Well - simple defensive clearances.

All of that can be deflating to the players / manager / supporters.

Kilmarnock was a prefect example - defend well (not perfect but good enough) and you will get a chance at the other end = Hibs win 1v0.

Hopefully we cut cheap goals out towards the end of the season