This is how it feels (Stirling Albion 13 07 19)

[Jonnyboy]

I confess I had thought my first offering of the season would be full of glowing references to the play of this newly moulded Hibs side but sadly that could not be further from the truth. After the abject performance against a plucky Stirling Albion I was left feeling deflated, disillusioned and not a tad confused. This was a side that should have been capable of tucking a few past Albion but in truth they had to rely on the lottery of a penalty shootout to gain a ‘bonus’ point and there was little or no evidence of the much talked of high press, pace and athleticism.

Injuries and the mysterious absence of Flo Kamberi meant a starting place for Whitty at right back and a midfield four of Horgan, Mallan, Campbell and Newell. You might be asking why I’ve not included Scotty Allan but for reasons I cannot fathom he was deployed in some sort of no man’s land between the middle four and Doidge in the striking role. The effect of this was that Scotty was largely anonymous when his creativity was sorely missed in midfield. Stevie Mallan sat deep, far too deep in my view and with Horgan wide right and Newell wide left, only Josh Campbell filled the gap between Mallan and Allan/Doidge. To be fair to Josh I thought he put in a great shift with his non-stop running and his willingness to always be available for a pass.

Joining Whitty in defence were Hanlon who looked more assured today, Jackson who is a no nonsense centre back in the Daz mould and Tom James whom I’ve now seen a number of times and have yet to be impressed, given his seeming reluctance/inability to tackle an opponent. That may sound harsh but it’s an honest opinion and I hope the laddie flourishes with decent coaching.

As to the game itself I felt that Hibs huffed and puffed for almost the entire first half and judging by the mood of those fans around me, only a late penalty goal from Scotty Allan ensured there would be little or no booing. It wasn’t a great performance and although Albion rarely threatened us we, in turn, rarely threatened them.

I hoped for better in the second half but it was not forthcoming. Indeed the most notable event occurred around twenty minutes from the end when comical defending on the left side of our defence allowed Wilson to fire a rocket shot beyond Maxwell and into the roof of the net. For a few minutes, Hibs were rocked and Albion tried to apply pressure but the best chances came at the other end with the Albion goalie making a string of fine saves as the full time whistle approached.

Penalties it was then and everyone scored until Scotty Allan stepped forward as the third of our takers. Unlike his first half effort which he stroked home he did a little dance move in his run up and basically passed the ball back to the goalkeeper. It was a stinker to be sure. Further conversions meant Albion had a chance to win it with the last of the regulation five but Maxwell saved and we were into sudden death. Fraser Murray stepped forward and scored before Maxwell saved again, this time from Trusedale.

A frustrating, worrying and stuttering start to one of the two opportunities of silverware we have.

The players

Maxwell – No chance with the goal, two good penalty saves and pretty much untroubled otherwise.

Whitty – Not everyone’s favourite I know, but he was solid today

Adam – As I said earlier, he’s a no nonsense centre half. Offers a threat from attacking free kick’s and corners.

Paul – Looked more like himself today and pretty much strolled through the game. Mind you, there was far too much strolling throughout the team for my liking.

Tom – I’ve seen him a few times now and let’s just say I think there is cause for concern, although I hope he goes on to make me eat my words.

Daryl – The enigma that is Daryl Horgan was on full view today. One minute there’s a great wee run and clever dribble and the next he trips over the ball or pulls out of a fifty fifty challenge.

Stevie – Tried very hard from his deep position but the lack of movement ahead of him didn’t help.

Josh – Not guilty, in his case for lacking movement, as he never stopped. Can pick a pass, has a bit of pace and isn’t afraid to mix it. I was impressed enough to award him my man of the match.

Joe – I thought he drifted through the game and was rarely involved in anything constructive.

Scotty – Wasted in whatever role was set for him. He should be at the heart of our midfield, not isolated in some sort of number ten role.

Doidge – The big fella already splits opinion but I quite like the fact that he’s physical, can protect the ball well and can bring team mates into the game.

Fraser – Brought on to try and help the late push for a winner but struggled because other than Josh, nobody else seemed to want to join in.

Referee – Greg Aitken was given quite an easy ride as there wasn’t a single flash point throughout the whole game.

The fans – A cracking turnout on a cracking sunny day. At least the tans got topped up.

Hecky – Haven’t heard or read his thoughts so I’ve no idea what he made of his team’s efforts.

[we are hibs]

Disagree on Hanlon. I thought he struggled today and didn't look at all fit. Needs to sharpen up or he will lose his place with Porteous back soon and McGregor on the bench. My main concern today was the fact we didn't look like we were treating it as a competitive game. Lack of urgency and sharpness was worrying. They need to buck up their ideas pronto.

[B.H.F.C]

One thing that jumps out is the ‘strolling’ comment. That’s exactly what too many of them were doing for much of the game. We should have been running all over them.

On the players, I share your concern about James. He was one of the strollers, very slow to do anything. He doesn’t have a left foot though, Whittaker would have been more comfortable on that side IMO. Disagree about Josh Campbell. He’s got a big opportunity given that we’ve not bothered to sign anyone to play in there. I don’t think he’s shown enough to suggest he’ll make the step up this season.

[Billy Whizz]

JB, just posted on match day thread, as I wasn’t sure you were doing this today
Agree Campbell MOTM, just turned 19 last month, work rate was fantastic, followed by Whittaker
I’m concerned that our back 4, don’t play enough football, long ball seems to be the norm
Midfield and up front is a concern with the similarities of players we have in this area. We started 433, but Doidge isn’t a lone striker, spends too much of his time out of the box

By the way, nice T shirt today, are you an old rocker😄

[Hi Heid Yin]

Thank you for your usual honest write-up. Jonnyboy.
I agree on your take of the game.
For me it was laboured and bitty.
Hecks has got his work cut out trying to find 11 players who will gel and have us hitting the ground running for the 1st game of our league campaign.

[Bob Box Fish]

Fair summary, the Scott Allan position never worked today, Mallan was well off the pace too.

I thought Campbell was pretty anonymous tbh.

[Greenwich_Hibby]

Dire. Recruitment looks poor, style of play hellish. Lot of work required.

[Jones28]

Good to have you back Johnny, like you I felt Josh did well and would be hard done by to be dropped - his lovely give-and-go with Hanlon in first half was great to see.

[Dalkeith Boy]

Thanks John.....a very honest report...now I’m concerned too....

[MartinfaePorty]

Pretty much agree, except for Horgan. He seemed to be the only one, particularly towards the end, that was trying to drive us further up the park and get balls into the box. Newell seemed scared of a challenge, but hope that's not indicative of how he plays all the time.

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[Carheenlea]

We looked better when we played with the ball on the ground, less so when the ball was put through the air. Some of the longer diagonals found the target, but too many were in the hopeful and style for the second ball bracket, which isn’t one of our strongest areas.

[Jonnyboy]

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JB, just posted on match day thread, as I wasn’t sure you were doing this today
Agree Campbell MOTM, just turned 19 last month, work rate was fantastic, followed by Whittaker
I’m concerned that our back 4, don’t play enough football, long ball seems to be the norm
Midfield and up front is a concern with the similarities of players we have in this area. We started 433, but Doidge isn’t a lone striker, spends too much of his time out of the box

By the way, nice T shirt today, are you an old rocker😄

I've been referred to as being off my rocker if that counts

[Lewiehas2]

Usually agree with most of your player analysis but thought Hanlon was a big problem for us today, uncharacteristically. Thought Whitty was superb, Horgan showed good appetite & urgency when he was fed the ball. No idea what we were trying to do with centre mid - both Allan & Mallan struggled. Thought Doidge looked good, just wished we utilised his aerial ability from crosses more rather than diagonals

[BILLYHIBS]

Jury very much still out

Lots of shouts behind me of “Wake up HIBS!”

Everything too slow and lethargic in build up lacking urgency and a cutting edge

If it continues like this could be a long hard season

I thought young Josh did his best and ran his heart out

Quality recruits needed in important positions

[wookie70]

Disagree about Hanlon as I thought his poor header led to their goal and he didn't look that sharp to me. Horgan was my MOTM and he really put a shift in and put some great balls into the box. Campbell did stick out but only due to him moving in a centre midfield of statues and a left winger who looked like he was a bit pee'd off his holiday was over. He never really did much on the ball and one shocking pass could have led to a second Stirling goal. It was a dismal performance and strolling would be a good description of most players.

[Bobby's Cinema]

Agree overall. Also thought Campbell was a stand-out.

Cant find positives otherwise, maybe the penalty scorers/ keeper will take some confidence?

Boot up the arse required for all, thought the management team also was far too slow to react to how it was going.

Really disjointed, we will get through this group but convincing performance needed next time out.

[Cod Boy]

Found it strange only one sub being used a few players looked leggy towards the end and needed freshend up. Also found it strange we couldn’t have the full compliment of substitutes.

[Bostonhibby]

Cheers JB, always look forward to reading your report. Just off the phone to a friend who was there yesterday, he summed it up by saying some of the players were either not match fit or for whatever reasons weren't 100% in it. Looked a bit leaderless. Don't know if that's fair or not.

Horgan was his MOTM, impressed by Campbell too.

Onwards and upwards.

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[B.H.F.C]

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Looked a bit leaderless.

That’s an interesting point and one I agree with. When we’ve been at our best over the last few years there has been some really strong characters in the team who would drag the others along.

That was lacking yesterday, big time. For all he was a brilliant player, McGinn was the best at doing that and we’ve never had any drive in midfield since he left. Gray is the other one but we can’t rely on him being there week in, week out.

[Hibernia&Alba]

Good write up Jonny. It was an horrendous performance, but we can't make a judgement upon the season ahead based upon that. Playing Stirling Albion in July isn't a game to get the adrenalin pumping, and we looked half asleep. Credit to Stirling too; they seized their chance to play an SPL side at home and gave their all.

[Hibernia&Alba]

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Cheers JB, always look forward to reading your report. Just off the phone to a friend who was there yesterday, he summed it up by saying some of the players were either not match fit or for whatever reasons weren't 100% in it. Looked a bit leaderless. Don't know if that's fair or not.

Horgan was his MOTM, impressed by Campbell too.

Onwards and upwards.

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Perhaps a bit of both, with complacency being a factor?

[The Captain....]

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I confess I had thought my first offering of the season would be full of glowing references to the play of this newly moulded Hibs side but sadly that could not be further from the truth. After the abject performance against a plucky Stirling Albion I was left feeling deflated, disillusioned and not a tad confused. This was a side that should have been capable of tucking a few past Albion but in truth they had to rely on the lottery of a penalty shootout to gain a ‘bonus’ point and there was little or no evidence of the much talked of high press, pace and athleticism.

Injuries and the mysterious absence of Flo Kamberi meant a starting place for Whitty at right back and a midfield four of Horgan, Mallan, Campbell and Newell. You might be asking why I’ve not included Scotty Allan but for reasons I cannot fathom he was deployed in some sort of no man’s land between the middle four and Doidge in the striking role. The effect of this was that Scotty was largely anonymous when his creativity was sorely missed in midfield. Stevie Mallan sat deep, far too deep in my view and with Horgan wide right and Newell wide left, only Josh Campbell filled the gap between Mallan and Allan/Doidge. To be fair to Josh I thought he put in a great shift with his non-stop running and his willingness to always be available for a pass.

Joining Whitty in defence were Hanlon who looked more assured today, Jackson who is a no nonsense centre back in the Daz mould and Tom James whom I’ve now seen a number of times and have yet to be impressed, given his seeming reluctance/inability to tackle an opponent. That may sound harsh but it’s an honest opinion and I hope the laddie flourishes with decent coaching.

As to the game itself I felt that Hibs huffed and puffed for almost the entire first half and judging by the mood of those fans around me, only a late penalty goal from Scotty Allan ensured there would be little or no booing. It wasn’t a great performance and although Albion rarely threatened us we, in turn, rarely threatened them.

I hoped for better in the second half but it was not forthcoming. Indeed the most notable event occurred around twenty minutes from the end when comical defending on the left side of our defence allowed Wilson to fire a rocket shot beyond Maxwell and into the roof of the net. For a few minutes, Hibs were rocked and Albion tried to apply pressure but the best chances came at the other end with the Albion goalie making a string of fine saves as the full time whistle approached.

Penalties it was then and everyone scored until Scotty Allan stepped forward as the third of our takers. Unlike his first half effort which he stroked home he did a little dance move in his run up and basically passed the ball back to the goalkeeper. It was a stinker to be sure. Further conversions meant Albion had a chance to win it with the last of the regulation five but Maxwell saved and we were into sudden death. Fraser Murray stepped forward and scored before Maxwell saved again, this time from Trusedale.

A frustrating, worrying and stuttering start to one of the two opportunities of silverware we have.

The players

Maxwell – No chance with the goal, two good penalty saves and pretty much untroubled otherwise.

Whitty – Not everyone’s favourite I know, but he was solid today

Adam – As I said earlier, he’s a no nonsense centre half. Offers a threat from attacking free kick’s and corners.

Paul – Looked more like himself today and pretty much strolled through the game. Mind you, there was far too much strolling throughout the team for my liking.

Tom – I’ve seen him a few times now and let’s just say I think there is cause for concern, although I hope he goes on to make me eat my words.

Daryl – The enigma that is Daryl Horgan was on full view today. One minute there’s a great wee run and clever dribble and the next he trips over the ball or pulls out of a fifty fifty challenge.

Stevie – Tried very hard from his deep position but the lack of movement ahead of him didn’t help.

Josh – Not guilty, in his case for lacking movement, as he never stopped. Can pick a pass, has a bit of pace and isn’t afraid to mix it. I was impressed enough to award him my man of the match.

Joe – I thought he drifted through the game and was rarely involved in anything constructive.

Scotty – Wasted in whatever role was set for him. He should be at the heart of our midfield, not isolated in some sort of number ten role.

Doidge – The big fella already splits opinion but I quite like the fact that he’s physical, can protect the ball well and can bring team mates into the game.

Fraser – Brought on to try and help the late push for a winner but struggled because other than Josh, nobody else seemed to want to join in.

Referee – Greg Aitken was given quite an easy ride as there wasn’t a single flash point throughout the whole game.

The fans – A cracking turnout on a cracking sunny day. At least the tans got topped up.

Hecky – Haven’t heard or read his thoughts so I’ve no idea what he made of his team’s efforts.

We are so pedestrian..was awful yesterday and it's nothing to do with rustiness.. it's a lack of quality imo.

New signings look very poor and not impressed in the least with our recruitment given the season ticket sales and extra income from McGinn sale etc.

Have a similar feeling to Calderwood time in charge.. mediocre..being kind..signings from down south.

Recruitment needs a rocket because we are miles off being a top 4 side as is.

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[greenlex]

Can’t argue with any of that other than the ref. I thought our penalty was harsh on the binos. If there isn’t a vast improvement before we go up to Elgin I’ll be concerned.
One up front against Stirling Albion baffles me.

[Crab apple]

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That’s an interesting point and one I agree with. When we’ve been at our best over the last few years there has been some really strong characters in the team who would drag the others along.

That was lacking yesterday, big time. For all he was a brilliant player, McGinn was the best at doing that and we’ve never had any drive in midfield since he left. Gray is the other one but we can’t rely on him being there week in, week out.

Agreed.

[Hermit Crab]

Thought Hanlon was poor yesterday, panicked quite a bit and put aimless hoofs up the park.

[GreenCastle]

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Perhaps a bit of both, with complacency being a factor?

Yup feel we were definitely lacking leadership.

Let’s just hope yesterday was a wake up call and won’t be repeated.

But I thought after the Arbroath game we wouldn’t see a similar a result so..

[CMurdoch]

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I confess I had thought my first offering of the season would be full of glowing references to the play of this newly moulded Hibs side but sadly that could not be further from the truth. After the abject performance against a plucky Stirling Albion I was left feeling deflated, disillusioned and not a tad confused. This was a side that should have been capable of tucking a few past Albion but in truth they had to rely on the lottery of a penalty shootout to gain a ‘bonus’ point and there was little or no evidence of the much talked of high press, pace and athleticism.

Injuries and the mysterious absence of Flo Kamberi meant a starting place for Whitty at right back and a midfield four of Horgan, Mallan, Campbell and Newell. You might be asking why I’ve not included Scotty Allan but for reasons I cannot fathom he was deployed in some sort of no man’s land between the middle four and Doidge in the striking role. The effect of this was that Scotty was largely anonymous when his creativity was sorely missed in midfield. Stevie Mallan sat deep, far too deep in my view and with Horgan wide right and Newell wide left, only Josh Campbell filled the gap between Mallan and Allan/Doidge. To be fair to Josh I thought he put in a great shift with his non-stop running and his willingness to always be available for a pass.

Joining Whitty in defence were Hanlon who looked more assured today, Jackson who is a no nonsense centre back in the Daz mould and Tom James whom I’ve now seen a number of times and have yet to be impressed, given his seeming reluctance/inability to tackle an opponent. That may sound harsh but it’s an honest opinion and I hope the laddie flourishes with decent coaching.

As to the game itself I felt that Hibs huffed and puffed for almost the entire first half and judging by the mood of those fans around me, only a late penalty goal from Scotty Allan ensured there would be little or no booing. It wasn’t a great performance and although Albion rarely threatened us we, in turn, rarely threatened them.

I hoped for better in the second half but it was not forthcoming. Indeed the most notable event occurred around twenty minutes from the end when comical defending on the left side of our defence allowed Wilson to fire a rocket shot beyond Maxwell and into the roof of the net. For a few minutes, Hibs were rocked and Albion tried to apply pressure but the best chances came at the other end with the Albion goalie making a string of fine saves as the full time whistle approached.

Penalties it was then and everyone scored until Scotty Allan stepped forward as the third of our takers. Unlike his first half effort which he stroked home he did a little dance move in his run up and basically passed the ball back to the goalkeeper. It was a stinker to be sure. Further conversions meant Albion had a chance to win it with the last of the regulation five but Maxwell saved and we were into sudden death. Fraser Murray stepped forward and scored before Maxwell saved again, this time from Trusedale.

A frustrating, worrying and stuttering start to one of the two opportunities of silverware we have.

The players

Maxwell – No chance with the goal, two good penalty saves and pretty much untroubled otherwise.

Whitty – Not everyone’s favourite I know, but he was solid today

Adam – As I said earlier, he’s a no nonsense centre half. Offers a threat from attacking free kick’s and corners.

Paul – Looked more like himself today and pretty much strolled through the game. Mind you, there was far too much strolling throughout the team for my liking.

Tom – I’ve seen him a few times now and let’s just say I think there is cause for concern, although I hope he goes on to make me eat my words.

Daryl – The enigma that is Daryl Horgan was on full view today. One minute there’s a great wee run and clever dribble and the next he trips over the ball or pulls out of a fifty fifty challenge.

Stevie – Tried very hard from his deep position but the lack of movement ahead of him didn’t help.

Josh – Not guilty, in his case for lacking movement, as he never stopped. Can pick a pass, has a bit of pace and isn’t afraid to mix it. I was impressed enough to award him my man of the match.

Joe – I thought he drifted through the game and was rarely involved in anything constructive.

Scotty – Wasted in whatever role was set for him. He should be at the heart of our midfield, not isolated in some sort of number ten role.

Doidge – The big fella already splits opinion but I quite like the fact that he’s physical, can protect the ball well and can bring team mates into the game.

Fraser – Brought on to try and help the late push for a winner but struggled because other than Josh, nobody else seemed to want to join in.

Referee – Greg Aitken was given quite an easy ride as there wasn’t a single flash point throughout the whole game.

The fans – A cracking turnout on a cracking sunny day. At least the tans got topped up.

Hecky – Haven’t heard or read his thoughts so I’ve no idea what he made of his team’s efforts.

Jonnyboy, I respect your opinion and for that reason what stands out is your real concerns about Tom James.
Joe Newell was always going to blow hot and cold but i had thought James would be a good signing.
What is it that gives you real cause for concern about James?

[Keith_M]

I got criticised for being overly negative about yesterday's match but it appears I wasn't the only one unimpressed.

[Jones28]

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Thought Hanlon was poor yesterday, panicked quite a bit and put aimless hoofs up the park.

In fairness to Hanlon, that seemed to be the tactics yesterday, hoof it to the lone striker. It’s not his usual game.

[MWHIBBIES]

Why would Allan be isoalted at 10? That is the heart of the team, that is his position. He was just rubbish as well.