This is how it feels (Partick 2 December)

[Jonnyboy]

I’m not entirely sure why, but I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Partick Thistle. Perhaps it’s the fact that they have a small but loyal support, when the pull of following either Celtic or The Rangers must be so strong? Regardless, there were around 3,000 or so of them in attendance today and they must be a worried bunch because although they play some neat football, they are quite toothless up front. Rocky had two or three good saves but I have to say I couldn’t see them scoring, despite trying out various different strike combinations during the game. Our back three and then four were excellent and big Daz looked like he’d never been away after a slightly hesitant first ten minutes.

Ahead of the game, there was some debate about who would replace the suspended John McGinn and would a place be made available for the in favour again Anthony Stokes. The answer to those queries was the predictable inclusion of Slivka in the midfield and the equally predictable inclusion of Stokes in the front two with Simon Murray as Neil Lennon opted to go with three at the back and have Boyler and Lewis as the wingbacks. My brother suggested that with the midfield we had, there was no obvious player capable of taking on the McGinn surges forward with the ball and so it proved to be.

The first half wasn’t great with the hosts creating a couple of good chances only to be thwarted by Rocky who made excellent saves for both efforts. Boyler and Lewis tried to get forward when the chance arose but though each took a shot of being unmarked in acres of space, none of our midfielders could pick them out. Even the creativity of Dylan failed to create a spark and in truth the half time whistle was a welcome sound when it came.

When the players came out for the second half there was a bizarre moment when Neil Lennon got his players into a huddle inside their own half to impart some final words of wisdom. Those words had an almost instant effect when Boyler took possession of the ball just inside the Thistle half and went scampering towards goal with defenders in his wake. Just before he reached the Thistle box, Ross Turnbull hacked him down and got a booking for his troubles in doing so. Twenty or so yards out and set up for a left foot strike at goal, both Lewis and Stokesy stood over the ball. The latter shot straight at the wall and when Lewis picked up the rebound, his curling left foot cross skimmed the head of Adam Barton and landed in the corner of the net with Cerny flat footed. It was technically an own goal but the Hibs players mobbed Lewis to celebrate.

Hibs were dominant now and should have increased their lead as they had numerous chances to do just that. Stokes rounded the keeper but the angle was too tight for a shot so he fed Slivka eight yards out but the Lithuanian elected to pass sideways to Boyler when a shot at goal would almost certainly have gone in. Further chances fell to both Boyler and Efe but the one nil lead was still in force as Thistle made a series of changes to try and rescue something from the game. In response, Neil Lennon reverted to a back four with Efe on the right and Lewis on the left. It proved a wise move and blunted Thistle as an attacking force with our forwards and midfielders pressing Thistle high and forcing them to go long.

At the final whistle, Neil Lennon turned to the huge travelling support of around 1,900 fans and gave them a fist pump salute while the players showed obvious delight after consoling their opponents and going to the Hibs fans to acknowledge their backing. Result wise it was a good start to what is going to be a very challenging month but maintaining an astonishing away record and finishing the day in third place, just a point behind Aberdeen must surely breed confidence in the ranks. Next week we face a rampant Celtic and who knows, maybe we can cut the points deficit to five!

The players

Rocky – had three excellent saves and looked as safe as houses throughout.

Efe – the guy just never looks flustered defensively and he made a couple of excellent forays forward in the second half.

Big Daz – as I said earlier, Daz looked a wee bit off the pace in the first ten minutes but once he’d settled down he was magnificent, not giving any of a variety of Thistle strikers any leeway at all.

Paul – surely he is in the best form of his life right now as once again he strolled through this game, defending well, making telling forward passes and even executing a couple of one-two’s on the edge of the thistle box.

Boyler – another in brilliant form, Neil Lennon in his post-match interview described Boyler as one of the best players in the league right now and to be honest, it’s hard to disagree.

Marv – the big fella is there to protect the back line and to break up the oppositions play in midfield and today he did both with some aplomb.

Slivka – for ages I’ve been saying we’ll see the best of Slivka when he plays centrally. The absence of McGinn gave Slivka the chance to make his case but sadly he was largely ineffective in my view. To his credit he doesn’t hide and is always willing to show for the ball but I expected more from him.

Dylan – suffered a few knocks again today and deserved better protection from the referee but that aside I felt this was one of Dylan’s quieter performances. In the past I’ve suggested he dallies on the ball too much at times and I feel he was very guilty of that today.

Lewis – the wee man has taken some criticism in recent weeks, some of it deserved and some of it just miles off the mark but I thought he was excellent today, both at wingback and then left back. The goal came because he delivered a telling cross into a difficult area and a later pass flew across the six yard box just waiting to be tapped in. With others coming close, I’ve opted for Lewis as my man of the match.

Simon – I really like Simon but he wasn’t at his best today. Seemed unable to gather the ball in at times and frequently couldn’t get it under his control. He’ll have better games for Hibs, I’m sure.

Stokesy – after all the shenanigans of the last week or so I thought we might see a hungry, energetic and creative Stokes today but we got none of those as I thought he was flat throughout. I’m aware there are Hibs fans who won’t hear a bad word said about him but as one of those fans, I offer the opinion that he was miles off where he should be.

Oli – came on for Simon with a good twenty-five minutes left and didn’t let himself down. Great first touch, great turn of speed and perhaps best of all, given that some say he is too lightweight at the moment, he was totally unfazed at playing up against two very solid and physical central defenders.

Brandon – got the last fifteen minutes or so, replacing Stokes but once again failed to really impress going forward and was so slow in chasing back he was no help to Lewis on the left side. I quite like Barker but he’s miles behind Boyler in terms of a wide threat to defences.

Big Dave – got his obligatory thirty seconds and was ‘meticulous’ throughout.

Neil Lennon – from my vantage point in the stand with loads of pillars I was able to watch Neil quite a lot during the game. The man must be exhausted at the end of games because he is animated throughout and not afraid to let the object of his ire know his feelings. A number of players got the treatment, especially Stokesy who clearly wasn’t doing enough for the manager and was subbed as a result. It’s great, if still a little strange, to hear Hibs fans singing “There’s only one Neil Lennon” given his lack of popularity when he was Celtic’s gaffer but I’ll tell you what, I’m more than happy to sing that long and loud as I reckon we’ve got the right man to lead us onwards and upwards.

The ref

A strange performance from Thomson as he only really rattled the Hibs fans on a handful of occasions. I’d like to see the challenge on Boyler in the second half again because I don’t think the defender got anywhere near the ball with his sliding challenge.

The fans – once again we turned out in huge numbers and once again the Since 1875 group offered loud and encouraging support. Some great ‘new’ songs involving Boyler and Marv! Keep up the good work.

[greenlex]

Agree with it all JC. Meticulous indeed.
I wish sometimes a player in possession on the edge or just inside the box would put their laces through it rather than passing the buck. It’s like we want to walk it in there.
Before I forget. Since 1875 Boys. Drop the stokes song. It was aired once and it was one too many for me.

[Borderhibbie76]

Excellent summary once again and 100% agree with wee Lewy a worthy MOM too. Goodhard fought 3 points

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[007]

Thanks Jonnyboy, excellent summary as always.

Great to have Daz back. I always feel we are so much better with both Daz and Paul in the side together, which I don't think we've seen much of in 2017. If they can both stay injury free I think we're in for a good December.

[nonshinyfinish]

It's the 2nd of December ya radge, check your advent calendar.

[Sir David Gray]

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Agree with it all JC. Meticulous indeed.
I wish sometimes a player in possession on the edge or just inside the box would put their laces through it rather than passing the buck. It’s like we want to walk it in there.
Before I forget. Since 1875 Boys. Drop the stokes song. It was aired once and it was one too many for me.

Yeah a couple of embarrassing songs heard today. I'm all for creating a good atmosphere and on the whole they have been a positive presence at games but they need to cut out the nonsense.

As for the match report, I agree with it all. Poor first half from both teams, it just didn't get going. Much better from us in the second half, should have scored two or three and Marciano earned his money this week with a few very good saves.

Bring on the Celtic.

[number9dream]

First half was like walking football, both sides well off the pace.
Boyle got us going after the interval but we were pretty lucky to get the comedy own goal.
No chemistry between Stokes & Murray.
Slivka had his opportunity and didn’t take it, huge gap between midfield and front two.
Good energy from Stevenson in last 20 mins.
Hanlon strolled it again.
One excellent save from Rocky with his leg.
Overall, just shaded it with a pretty poor display. A generous 6/10.

[Lago]

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I’m not entirely sure why, but I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Partick Thistle. Perhaps it’s the fact that they have a small but loyal support, when the pull of following either Celtic or The Rangers must be so strong? Regardless, there were around 3,000 or so of them in attendance today and they must be a worried bunch because although they play some neat football, they are quite toothless up front. Rocky had two or three good saves but I have to say I couldn’t see them scoring, despite trying out various different strike combinations during the game. Our back three and then four were excellent and big Daz looked like he’d never been away after a slightly hesitant first ten minutes.

Ahead of the game, there was some debate about who would replace the suspended John McGinn and would a place be made available for the in favour again Anthony Stokes. The answer to those queries was the predictable inclusion of Slivka in the midfield and the equally predictable inclusion of Stokes in the front two with Simon Murray as Neil Lennon opted to go with three at the back and have Boyler and Lewis as the wingbacks. My brother suggested that with the midfield we had, there was no obvious player capable of taking on the McGinn surges forward with the ball and so it proved to be.

The first half wasn’t great with the hosts creating a couple of good chances only to be thwarted by Rocky who made excellent saves for both efforts. Boyler and Lewis tried to get forward when the chance arose but though each took a shot of being unmarked in acres of space, none of our midfielders could pick them out. Even the creativity of Dylan failed to create a spark and in truth the half time whistle was a welcome sound when it came.

When the players came out for the second half there was a bizarre moment when Neil Lennon got his players into a huddle inside their own half to impart some final words of wisdom. Those words had an almost instant effect when Boyler took possession of the ball just inside the Thistle half and went scampering towards goal with defenders in his wake. Just before he reached the Thistle box, Ross Turnbull hacked him down and got a booking for his troubles in doing so. Twenty or so yards out and set up for a left foot strike at goal, both Lewis and Stokesy stood over the ball. The latter shot straight at the wall and when Lewis picked up the rebound, his curling left foot cross skimmed the head of Adam Barton and landed in the corner of the net with Cerny flat footed. It was technically an own goal but the Hibs players mobbed Lewis to celebrate.

Hibs were dominant now and should have increased their lead as they had numerous chances to do just that. Stokes rounded the keeper but the angle was too tight for a shot so he fed Slivka eight yards out but the Lithuanian elected to pass sideways to Boyler when a shot at goal would almost certainly have gone in. Further chances fell to both Boyler and Efe but the one nil lead was still in force as Thistle made a series of changes to try and rescue something from the game. In response, Neil Lennon reverted to a back four with Efe on the right and Lewis on the left. It proved a wise move and blunted Thistle as an attacking force with our forwards and midfielders pressing Thistle high and forcing them to go long.

At the final whistle, Neil Lennon turned to the huge travelling support of around 1,900 fans and gave them a fist pump salute while the players showed obvious delight after consoling their opponents and going to the Hibs fans to acknowledge their backing. Result wise it was a good start to what is going to be a very challenging month but maintaining an astonishing away record and finishing the day in third place, just a point behind Aberdeen must surely breed confidence in the ranks. Next week we face a rampant Celtic and who knows, maybe we can cut the points deficit to five!

The players

Rocky – had three excellent saves and looked as safe as houses throughout.

Efe – the guy just never looks flustered defensively and he made a couple of excellent forays forward in the second half.

Big Daz – as I said earlier, Daz looked a wee bit off the pace in the first ten minutes but once he’d settled down he was magnificent, not giving any of a variety of Thistle strikers any leeway at all.

Paul – surely he is in the best form of his life right now as once again he strolled through this game, defending well, making telling forward passes and even executing a couple of one-two’s on the edge of the thistle box.

Boyler – another in brilliant form, Neil Lennon in his post-match interview described Boyler as one of the best players in the league right now and to be honest, it’s hard to disagree.

Marv – the big fella is there to protect the back line and to break up the oppositions play in midfield and today he did both with some aplomb.

Slivka – for ages I’ve been saying we’ll see the best of Slivka when he plays centrally. The absence of McGinn gave Slivka the chance to make his case but sadly he was largely ineffective in my view. To his credit he doesn’t hide and is always willing to show for the ball but I expected more from him.

Dylan – suffered a few knocks again today and deserved better protection from the referee but that aside I felt this was one of Dylan’s quieter performances. In the past I’ve suggested he dallies on the ball too much at times and I feel he was very guilty of that today.

Lewis – the wee man has taken some criticism in recent weeks, some of it deserved and some of it just miles off the mark but I thought he was excellent today, both at wingback and then left back. The goal came because he delivered a telling cross into a difficult area and a later pass flew across the six yard box just waiting to be tapped in. With others coming close, I’ve opted for Lewis as my man of the match.

Simon – I really like Simon but he wasn’t at his best today. Seemed unable to gather the ball in at times and frequently couldn’t get it under his control. He’ll have better games for Hibs, I’m sure.

Stokesy – after all the shenanigans of the last week or so I thought we might see a hungry, energetic and creative Stokes today but we got none of those as I thought he was flat throughout. I’m aware there are Hibs fans who won’t hear a bad word said about him but as one of those fans, I offer the opinion that he was miles off where he should be.

Oli – came on for Simon with a good twenty-five minutes left and didn’t let himself down. Great first touch, great turn of speed and perhaps best of all, given that some say he is too lightweight at the moment, he was totally unfazed at playing up against two very solid and physical central defenders.

Brandon – got the last fifteen minutes or so, replacing Stokes but once again failed to really impress going forward and was so slow in chasing back he was no help to Lewis on the left side. I quite like Barker but he’s miles behind Boyler in terms of a wide threat to defences.

Big Dave – got his obligatory thirty seconds and was ‘meticulous’ throughout.

Neil Lennon – from my vantage point in the stand with loads of pillars I was able to watch Neil quite a lot during the game. The man must be exhausted at the end of games because he is animated throughout and not afraid to let the object of his ire know his feelings. A number of players got the treatment, especially Stokesy who clearly wasn’t doing enough for the manager and was subbed as a result. It’s great, if still a little strange, to hear Hibs fans singing “There’s only one Neil Lennon” given his lack of popularity when he was Celtic’s gaffer but I’ll tell you what, I’m more than happy to sing that long and loud as I reckon we’ve got the right man to lead us onwards and upwards.

The ref

A strange performance from Thomson as he only really rattled the Hibs fans on a handful of occasions. I’d like to see the challenge on Boyler in the second half again because I don’t think the defender got anywhere near the ball with his sliding challenge.

The fans – once again we turned out in huge numbers and once again the Since 1875 group offered loud and encouraging support. Some great ‘new’ songs involving Boyler and Marv! Keep up the good work.

What can excellent review, thank you.

[Posh Hibby]

These reviews are great! Love reading them for away games that I miss. Keep em coming!

[danhibees1875]

Thanks for the detailed analysis!

Sounds like a promising start to December with 3 points anyway, big month coming up.

[monktonharp]

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Yeah a couple of embarrassing songs heard today. I'm all for creating a good atmosphere and on the whole they have been a positive presence at games but they need to cut out the nonsense.

As for the match report, I agree with it all. Poor first half from both teams, it just didn't get going. Much better from us in the second half, should have scored two or three and Marciano earned his money this week with a few very good saves.

Bring on the Celtic.

was not there. what are these embarrassing songs from a bunch of young guys?I was more embarrassed a couple of weeks ago when we were in a Miners club in Hamilton. our bus driver said, see that bunch that came oot before ye, they were all over the bowlin' green. that is embarrassing!

[ehf]

Stokes was woeful; if that's the best he can do, he can bolt.

[Sir David Gray]

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was not there. what are these embarrassing songs from a bunch of young guys?I was more embarrassed a couple of weeks ago when we were in a Miners club in Hamilton. our bus driver said, see that bunch that came oot before ye, they were all over the bowlin' green. that is embarrassing!

Something about Stokes' dad being "in the 'ra" and another about Craig Thomson being a paedophile (clearly meant for the ex-Hearts player but was particularly inappropriate considering the other Craig Thomson was the referee today).

As I said, I'm in favour of these guys in general as I think their contribution is usually very positive but they need to cut that sort of crap out of their songbook.

[Borderhibbie76]

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Stokes was woeful; if that's the best he can do, he can bolt.

Just not necessary he was no worse than Murray today

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[AFKA5814_Hibs]

Partick is a great day out and one I always look forward to. An afternoon out at the wedge without the worry about all the sectairian stuff. Very good result. Marciano made some important saves.

[660]

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Stokes was woeful; if that's the best he can do, he can bolt.

Nonsense

[Still Smiling]

Stop all songs about paedofiles and unnecessary swearing. It’s embarrassing and I cringe when kids and women are around. Stick with the songs everyone can join in!

[hibbydog]

Always go looking for your ‘this is how it feels’ posts on a Sunday AM. A great read, thank you sir.

GGTTH

[Mikey]

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Slivka – for ages I’ve been saying we’ll see the best of Slivka when he plays centrally. The absence of McGinn gave Slivka the chance to make his case but sadly he was largely ineffective in my view. To his credit he doesn’t hide and is always willing to show for the ball but I expected more from him.

I was hoping that he'd be able to step in if/when SJM is sold but perhaps not on yesterday's showing.

[yonder1875]

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Stop all songs about paedofiles and unnecessary swearing. It’s embarrassing and I cringe when kids and women are around. Stick with the songs everyone can join in!

I agree about the paedophile references at games.. but swearing?? It's just the way it is that football grounds will be full of people swearing and swearing during songs. It happened when I was younger and went with my dad and it'll continue.

Not great for kids but it won't change.

[Ronniekirk]

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I was hoping that he'd be able to step in if/when SJM is sold but perhaps not on yesterday's showing.

Big chance to impress yesterday and agree he didn't take it Seems not to be living up to his early promise


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[Ronniekirk]

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Just not necessary he was no worse than Murray today

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Think Lennon had built him up to come out and give a really good performance In that respect he didn't deliver imo


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[greenlex]

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I was hoping that he'd be able to step in if/when SJM is sold but perhaps not on yesterday's showing.

Exactly where I am/was. Hope he kicks on but it will have to be better than yesterday. Missed opportunity for him I feel.

[NAE NOOKIE]

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Just not necessary he was no worse than Murray today

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SIMON MURRAY:

Clubs .... Montrose, Downfield, Tayport, Dundee Violet, Arbroath, Dundee Utd ( 54 games ) Hibs.

Honours .... none.

European appearances .... none.

Full international caps .... none.

ANTHONY STOKES:

Clubs .... Arsenal, Falkirk, Sunderland, Sheffield Utd, Crystal Palace, Hibs, Celtic, Hibs, Blackburn Rovers, Hibs.

Honours .... Scottish premier league 4, Scottish cups 3, Scottish league cups 1

European appearances .... 20 odd

Full international caps .... 9

And the measure of his performance is ........... 'he was no worse than Murray today' ..... really?

[Borderhibbie76]

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SIMON MURRAY:

Clubs .... Montrose, Downfield, Tayport, Dundee Violet, Arbroath, Dundee Utd ( 54 games ) Hibs.

Honours .... none.

European appearances .... none.

Full international caps .... none.

ANTHONY STOKES:

Clubs .... Arsenal, Falkirk, Sunderland, Sheffield Utd, Crystal Palace, Hibs, Celtic, Hibs, Blackburn Rovers, Hibs.

Honours .... Scottish premier league 4, Scottish cups 3, Scottish league cups 1

European appearances .... 20 odd

Full international caps .... 9

And the measure of his performance is ........... 'he was no worse than Murray today' ..... really?

Unlike some.on here id rather focus on the fact we won than slag off oneof our players who happens to be a cup winning legend. No he wasnt great yesterday but none of our forwards were with the exception of Shaw and Boyle (2nd half)

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[NAE NOOKIE]

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Unlike some.on here id rather focus on the fact we won than slag off oneof our players who happens to be a cup winning legend. No he wasnt great yesterday but none of our forwards were with the exception of Shaw and Boyle (2nd half)

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I'm well focused on what is a great away record and a very good start to the season. But that doesn't mean I cant have an opinion on individual players and how they are or are not performing. I'm also well aware of Anthony Stokes status within this club, which will live on long after he has left us ... how could it not?

Lewis Stevenson is a Hibs legend, he has won more honours with Hibs than any player since the 50s and what seems to have gone unnoticed
is he has played in more derby matches than any Hibs player in history, if what the Hibs TV guys said during the cup tie last season was correct, that on that night he had equalled Pat Stanton's record. But none of that stops Stevenson getting pelters on here about once every 3 games does it? ... including from me from time to time and I love the wee guy.

Lets face it .... when it comes to AS we aren't just talking about yesterday are we, that was just one in a long line of ineffective performances this season and as I've said before, I expect better from a player of his obvious talent and experience, cup legend or not.

[hfc-1875]

Very good post as always however what's with the Celtic(ish) title this is how how it feels

[green day]

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Very good post as always however what's with the Celtic(ish) title this is how how it feels

Celtic(ish)?

The thread title is (IIRC) based on the old MH HM fanzine which had a regular article with the same title.

Might even have been the same author actually.

[Hiber-nation]

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Very good post as always however what's with the Celtic(ish) title this is how how it feels

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Celtic(ish)?

The thread title is (IIRC) based on the old MH HM fanzine which had a regular article with the same title.

Might even have been the same author actually.

It was and based on an Inspiral Carpets song title. Absolutely nothing to do with Celtc and not sure why anyone would think that.

[Steve20]

The amount of Hibs fans who can't wait to turn on Stokes is appalling. People just don't seem to want him to do well. He's not been at his best since coming back, but he's certainly been nowhere near as bad as some say.

Murray was worse on Saturday, but he gets away with that because he's not Stokes.