Is it a Mental Issue with Hibs

[Wellbankhibby]

I have supported Hibs for over Fifty Years and have watched the Good and Bad performances.
In my opinion I think we suffer from a Mental hurdle especially when the crunch games come along.
I think we are often too soft in the tackle and at times we are beaten before we even kick off.
I have watched us give up far too easily against the Yams, Sevco and we are now struggling with Raith and QOS and Falkirk. Teams know we are a soft touch and our confidence is very fragile. At the start of this season we as supporters were in low mood after relegation and I dont think many of us would have thought we would come back up this Year. We still have a chance but I think we have blown it again also there is a chance of another cup final but we all know HIBS NEVER do things the easy way. There is the chance of a great season Promotion and a Cup win, but its more likely we will be the Bridesmaids again in Both competitions. We need a bit of Fight in our team.

[Hibernia&Alba]

We've been like that for decades. Certainly in my time as a fan I can hardly remember a real crunch game which I was confident of winning beforehand; the derby being the main example. It's often said that we're too nice, and I think there's something in that. We just don't seem to have a ruthless winning mentality, and too often fail when it really counts. I don't know why that is, nor how we change it, but I wish it would happen.

[Swedish hibee]

yes.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Was discussing this very subject with guys in the pub after Saturdays game, it doesnae matter who the players or manager are, when it comes down to the crunch there is something lacking throughout ER, dear knows what it actually is though.

[Waxy]

Yes. Negativity seems attached to us, we break away from it in spells but it's always there in the background.Like a curse or something.I'm not sure how it started but it seems that the worst that could happen, happens to us.
We need to sacrifice a chicken on the centre circle or call in an excorcist.

[Alfred E Newman]

I started watching Hibs during the Walter Galbraith era in the early sixties when the club was almost relegated. When Stein came we suddenly took off . The Summer Cup was won in 1964 and Jock put together a fantastic team then , bang! Just as we thought we were in with a chance of winning the double off he goes to Celtic and out of the cup we go to Dunfermline in the semi and finish 3rd in the league. At least we started to beat Hearts on a regular basis, something that lasted almost 20 years. Since then, other than brief spells under Turnbull, McLeish and Mowbray and 3 League Cup wins, it's been one step forward and two back. Star players are either sold at the least opportune moment or pick up injuries before crunch games. Shock cup exits over the years to second rate teams abound. Just as you think we are turning the corner it's back to square one. We are now caught in an endless cycle of managerial changes and team re building. In fact, the club is now at a level I never thought I would see in my lifetime. I would like to think it can't get any worse but I won't hold my breath.

[greenpaper55]

Simple, when we have better quality players and a manager with half a brain we do well ! some folk would have you believe that if we had the Celtic team and manager we would still be a soft touch ! The league does not lie and we are where we should be with the squad we have at the present. For me problems at our club all stem from the top, sure they don't pick the team but their level of passion and knowledge is mirrored in the position we keep finding ourselves. I see no way out of this position unless in a few years the the championship is a really weak one and we might haul ourselves out of this league but i fear the cycle will continue until we have an owner and chairman who bother and care where we are in the league.

[Leithenhibby]

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Was discussing this very subject with guys in the pub after Saturdays game, it doesnae matter who the players or manager are, when it comes down to the crunch there is something lacking throughout ER, dear knows what it actually is though.

The Fans.
We are far too quick to jump on the players backs, you can sense the nervous tension within 20 minutes of a game. Having watched the Marseille v PSG last night, I was pleasantly surprised at the reception the home fans gave their team at the final whistle (and still full). If we are getting beat with 5 minutes to go the place is empty.....

[Ronniekirk]

I have no idea what the root of the problem is as we were told the new regime profile players and mental toughness was one of the attributes they were looking for .in Farid and fontaine there is a physical presence and determination which allow them to put themselves about more and they also look fit .
But we don't have enough of that type of player and when the going gets tough we still seem to lack confidence which on the back of our long unbeaten run you would think we could get back but it has deserted us just now a couple of key players missing at a my time a Gray and Mcgeoch on Saturday and we can struggle
We can't push Farid too soon as he has potential to get our Season back on Track ,but equally an Injury set back now could also set back the Team .dont know if Stubbs knows who would be best to partner Farid and if he knows how to play a system that will get the best out of him , and think we may not see things come back together till after the Derby which I would rather wasn't last game before an important Cup Semi Final in sense of danger of injuries getting picked up
I think a Stubbs will ring the changes for Dumarton game and think we will win that but not be scoring six like last time we were there ,but we will win it by a few and then Derby takes care of itself re motivation .Foster needs some game time if he is going to be playing in the Semi Final,I would think as if we just throw him into that one when he hasn't played for so long in first team it isn't fair on the player.

[Alfred E Newman]

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The Fans.
We are far too quick to jump on the players backs, you can sense the nervous tension within 20 minutes of a game. Having watched the Marseille v PSG last night, I was pleasantly surprised at the reception the home fans gave their team at the final whistle (and still full). If we are getting beat with 5 minutes to go the place is empty.....

You are right to a point, but the lack of confidence and defeatism from the fans is the result of years of disappointments and let downs. In my time only Turnbull and McLeish assembled a team that played good football but also had players that could dish it out when the going got tough. We have had plenty good footballing sides but an endless stream of managers have put together teams with a soft centre. These teams always imploded at the worst possible moment. Fenlon and Yogi tried to bring in grafters and battlers but that was all they were . I think Stubbs is close to getting a balance but the old failing is still there.

[rcarter1]

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You are right to a point, but the lack of confidence and defeatism from the fans is the result of years of disappointments and let downs. In my time only Turnbull and McLeish assembled a team that played good football but also had players that could dish it out when the going got tough. We have had plenty good footballing sides but an endless stream of managers have put together teams with a soft centre. These teams always imploded at the worst possible moment. Fenlon and Yogi tried to bring in grafters and battlers but that was all they were . I think Stubbs is close to getting a balance but the old failing is still there.

This. How important were John O'Neil and Matty Jack to McLeishes Hibs team? Again I think you nailed it with Yogi and Fenlon, where they got battlers in, but were way behind in being decent footballers. The fans have become a stumbling block to a small extent, however I still believe that one proper summer with a manager that knows what they are doing can create the balanced side that we've been missing for so long. If the team shows grit on a regular basis, the fans will respond to this and be less inclined to throw the dummy themselves.

Oh and the chap who made the comment that it starts at the top is also right. If the owners/chairman demand success and passion, it will filter through (would help if they had the faintest idea about football)

How many years have we been saying this?

[JimBHibees]

There is no issue better players win more games.

[Leithenhibby]

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You are right to a point, but the lack of confidence and defeatism from the fans is the result of years of disappointments and let downs. In my time only Turnbull and McLeish assembled a team that played good football but also had players that could dish it out when the going got tough. We have had plenty good footballing sides but an endless stream of managers have put together teams with a soft centre. These teams always imploded at the worst possible moment. Fenlon and Yogi tried to bring in grafters and battlers but that was all they were . I think Stubbs is close to getting a balance but the old failing is still there.

7 years of neglect isn't going to go away in months. Our club have made big inroads, but not as fast as some fans demand

[greenpaper55]

IMHO we should have better players than teams outwith the old firm Hearts and Aberdeen, we have not had this for years and questions have to be asked why this is, our average crowds are three or four time the size of many SPL teams that regularly out perform us so where is the cash going ?. For me the running costs and purchase of EM must have been and still are a huge factor in our inability to buy decent players, sure we need a training facility but not one the size and cost that we have, Rod playing football managers was a huge factor in this i think.

[Hibrandenburg]

We've not had a gaffer since TM. The weakest link in the chain is the manager. We need a manager who's job is guaranteed come hell or high water. Players need to tremble when they chap his door and know it's their arse on the line and not his when they're out on the turf.

[J-C]

I still feel we're still missing a leader on the park, not a finger pointer like Craig but a real captain who is capable of rallying the team during adversity, Gray as good a player as he is, aint a captain either.

[Brightside]

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I still feel we're still missing a leader on the park, not a finger pointer like Craig but a real captain who is capable of rallying the team during adversity, Gray as good a player as he is, aint a captain either.

And i didnt hear a peep from Fontaine at the weekend either.

[El Gubbz]

We need a ****** style player in our team that everyone else hates for being a ****** on the park and not because he gets himself in bother on a night out.

Hearts, Rangers and Celtic have always had this type of players yet I can't remember the last one we had since maybe Brown.


*The stars above relate to a word that begins with see and ends in tee

[lyonhibs]

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We've not had a gaffer since TM. The weakest link in the chain is the manager. We need a manager who's job is guaranteed come hell or high water. Players need to tremble when they chap his door and know it's their arse on the line and not his when they're out on the turf.

I think that's what Butcher was aiming for, and that didn't go exactly as planned.

Ruling by fear will not work these days I'm afraid. Agree with your 2nd point though.

On the OP, it certainly helps to have a mental issue when it comes to supporting Hibs

But the underlying point is correct. Manager's have changed, players have changed sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but the common theme of almost always ****ting it when it comes to the big, big games remains a constant repeating factor in the last few years.

A lot of these big games, especially league, have been lost against teams with smaller budgets and thereotically "pisher" players, so the idea that Hibs win if Hibs have "better" players in the starting line-up is overly simplistic IMO.

[JimBHibees]

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And i didnt hear a peep from Fontaine at the weekend either.

He has captained in England for years.

[basehibby]

I know right now it seems like Deja Vue from previous seasons where our form has often seemed to go off a cliff in the latter part of the season, but I'm not giving up hope just yet. Farid's return will be a major boost to us - adding a physical element and more direct option to our attack, just as some teams seem to be getting the hang of shackling the up to now successfull Cummings/Malonga partnership. I saw enough on Saturday to be cheered by his return in the certain knowledge that he does add an additional positive dimension to our play.

Of course it could still all go awry - the playoffs were always going to be a nerve jangling lottery, and our form against Falkirk this season has shown exactly why a Scottish Cup Final place should not be taken for granted - BUT it is still all there to play for and no doubt about it, nothing is certain but it was ever thus, so lets keep our chins up and continue to get right behind Stubbs and his side until the last chips are down and the season is done.

[basehibby]

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The Fans.
We are far too quick to jump on the players backs, you can sense the nervous tension within 20 minutes of a game. Having watched the Marseille v PSG last night, I was pleasantly surprised at the reception the home fans gave their team at the final whistle (and still full). If we are getting beat with 5 minutes to go the place is empty.....

We have some faint hearts amongst our support but no more than any other side I think. The truth is that morale in the stands has been worn down over a number of years and so the capacity of the more positive fans to lift the place has been somewhat drained. It can be restored though and some fans have been trying very hard to do so over the last few years. Hats off in that respect go to the singing section in the East and others like them. If we could get a similar buzz going in the Famous Five - now that would make a difference as well.

Overall though, the biggest and best tonic for the fans will be the team on the park giving them more to cheer about - Stubbs has made a good start but it'll be a wee while yet before a lot of fans get out of the habit of sitting on their hands and moaning and back into the swing of singing once more.

[Bobo]

There has always been an obvious lack of ambition from the club for me!

Setting out each season with the aim of being "best of the rest" always rankled with me as having a defeatist attitude before a ball had even been kicked meant we were technically just happy to make up the numbers and playing for F-all. Unfortunately though their ambitions have progressively got worse and they've aimed for "top four", " top six", "avoid relegation" and now ultimately "make the playoffs" in the diddyest of diddy leagues!

We care more about offending opponents despite being shat on by all and sundry while letting every team bully and walk all over us ... We've no ambition, belief or mental fortitude, that's been evident for decades!

Hibernian FC are perpetual underachievers, a soft touch and sadly every other club knows it!

[Peanut Shaz]

In my humble opinion I think some of the problem comes from trying to be the 'nice guys' off the field and not unsettling the opposition. Go to Tynie, they wind us up from start to finish. Ibrox, Celtic Park the same. We need to start winding up the opposition fans, making the away team feel uncomfortable and trying though God knows how to get the noise levels up from the crowd when the teams run out. Much as I despise the twirly scarfs and the Hey Jude Crap. It works. It winds me up. We need some of the same. We must get tougher and stop worrying about being liked and doing things to not offend. Rant over!!

[Vini1875]

We have to take a lot of the blame as well. The fans very often think typical Hibs and we fear other teams and players, as well as a lack of confidence. It would be better if we got more pissed off at anyone who had the temerity to score against us rather than curse our defenders for their frailties. It would be better if we got at the opposition rather than at our own players.

It might be a chicken and egg scenerio, but how often do you hear the cry of frustration followed by "typical f***ing Hibs." Did we develop this from losing important games or do we lose important games because of this attitude. I remember during the 2007 final when Killie scored to make it 3-1, there was a hush in that game over our support until the 4th when in.

[weonlywon6-2]

Hibs just never seem to bounce back from a bad result, been like that for years now.

[bobbyhibs1983]

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There has always been an obvious lack of ambition from the club for me!



We care more about offending opponents despite being shat on by all and sundry while letting every team bully and walk all over us ... We've no ambition, belief or mental fortitude, that's been evident for decades!

Hibernian FC are perpetual underachievers, a soft touch and sadly every other club knows it!

100% agree
I recall a few incidents like this.
1 when we played heartz and that *offside* goal. well that imo changed the game.of course what did we, hibs do about it?nothing we did not make a complaint despite these sorta incidents happening a few times.I would have expect someone from teh club our chairman, or whomever to compalin about it but no course we wont we wont wanna upset anyone wont we?
2.as above in a way that refree craig thomson(i think) who seems to have it in for us, again as a club we should make it clear we do not want him reffering our matches but we dont.
3.i recall reading on here our match dj(is that what we call them?) getting sacked for playing a tune(something to do with money n if i recall?)though the heartz person does it alot and it is okay to do so, whilst ours gets sacked

as for being soft, damn right we are.I think the only way to adress this is to let everyone know what the standards are, our standards SHOULD be to be top, to be the best, anything less than that should be deemed not good enough.
I recall somone once saying "the only thing wrong with losing is you not learning anything from it".we as a club seem to lose, not learn anything and lose again for the same reasons. Until things get adressed, things like losing and being soft will continue.

[Waxy]

We could still win the cup AND go up. It's down to the players at the end of the day. They've already proved they're good enough on any given day.

[bobbyhibs1983]

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We could still win the cup AND go up. It's down to the players at the end of the day. They've already proved they're good enough on any given day.

I agreew tih you in regards your first couple of points but in regards your third point the players being good enough on any given day well, we have lost our last 3 matches, lose a match, a one off, a bad day it would seem,The bottom line is, you must WIn to go up and win every game to win the cup, unfourntently for us we are notm able to lose anymore league games(imo) for us to get second, and we can ill afford another loss for 3rd.as for the player offs, win every game 2 nil and well go up

[Turkish Green]

I was taken to my first game at Easter Rd in 1970 to see then play Malmo in the Fairs Cup. It has always been thus.