This is how it feels (The Rangers 200920)

[Jonnyboy]

I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t looking forward to this game at all. My fears revolved mainly around the fact that we’d performed so poorly against Aberdeen last time out at Easter Road and having watched a few games involving the Rangers it was abundantly clear to me that they are ten times the team Aberdeen are. Yes we’d struck three goals against St. Mirren last week but this was a very different kettle of fish.

As it turned out the opening 45 minutes brought about three firsts – Drey Wright’s first goal for Hibs, the Rangers defence being breached for the first time in the league this season and lastly Hibs losing their first goal of the season to open play.

As to the game itself, the enforced absence of Jamie Murphy allowed Drey Wright to stake his claim as Hibs set up with a 3-5-2 but the first ten to fifteen minutes saw us more in 5-3-2 as the Rangers dominated possession. As I always say though, possession alone does not win games and although the visitors spurned a couple of half chances, Rocky never looked troubled in that opening spell.

Hibs were slowly gaining a foothold and a fine turn and shot from Nisbet looked destined for the far corner but McLaughlin made a good save to deny the Hibs man. A bizarre incident caught the cameraman out as Porteous and Morelos ‘clashed’ near the centre circle. Porteous was booked as Morelos rolled about on the ground holding his face but a view of the incident from a different camera angle proved to me at least that there was nothing in the coming together and Ryan was unlucky to see yellow for it. Morelos, I’m told is in the running for an Oscar.

In the 22nd minute Hibs took a shock lead. Paul Hanlon’s crossfield pass was well won in the air by Kevin Nisbet who flicked the ball on to Boyle. Martin’s first touch wasn’t great and Barisic should really have closed him down but the defender backed off slightly which gave Boyle time to find Drey Wright with a cutback and the midfielder steered a fine effort through the legs of the keeper to put Hibs in front. It was broadly similar to the Newall goal against St Mirren and another example of the damage Boyle can do when he lifts his head.

Essentially that opener was against the run of play and it wasn’t long before the Rangers took a grip on proceedings again but it has to be said they had the ball but used it poorly. A second yellow card for a Hibs man saw Hanlon booked for a challenge on Hagi. Television replays had me thanking the fact that we don’t have VAR in Scotland because it did look like an elbow made contact with Hagi.

The minutes seemed to be ticking by very slowly and I was hoping we’d reach the break 1-0 up but it was not to be. In time added on, a Kent cross to the far post eluded everyone but Morelos allowing the striker to take a touch before firing home. Had I been at the game I’d probably have thought Paul McGinn was caught out of position but numerous TV replays showed me that McGinn had rightly tucked in and that it was Boyler who lost Morelos. It would be harsh on Boyle to be overly critical of him and I wonder if he hesitated to challenge given the penalty conceded to Aberdeen.

No doubt plenty of advice was being issued by both manager’s in the half time break but the more interesting point to me was, what on earth was going on between the subs out on the park. I’m not sure as all I saw was David Gray seemingly acting as some kind of peacemaker.

As anticipated, Hibs were under the cosh from the start of the second half and twelve minutes in, Scott Arfield put them ahead. There will have been some finger pointing as regards which defender was at fault but there are times when you just have to put your hand up and acknowledge a well created and well taken goal.

For a time after that things were looking bleak as every clearance from the Hibs defence just seemed to come straight back at them. Chances were created by the visitors and a rocket shot from Kent saw Rocky push the effort away and clear of danger. Soon after, Rocky made a stunning double save to deny Arfield with the first save being brilliant and the second even better as Rocky quickly got to his feet to divert the ball behind for a corner.

Just past the hour mark, Jack Ross replaced Josh Doig with Lewis Stevenson and changed the formation to more of a 4-3-3. Immediately, Hibs looked to have a better balance as the introduction of Stevenson allowed Boyle to offer more in attack, knowing the McGinn was behind him. Hibs were having a good spell at this point and McLaughlin was lucky that a deflected effort from Porteous ended up just behind Nisbet who would surely have scored otherwise.

With twenty minutes left, Hibs drew level. Newell intercepted a poor pass in midfield and released Boyle on the left side of the Rangers box. TV pictures later showed Boyle to be offside but the official missed that and when Boyle was given all the time in the world to transfer the ball to his right foot he delivered a far post cross which Doidge met with force to leave McLaughlin stranded.

In response to this, Steven Gerrard brought on strikers in the shape of Defoe and Itten but it was Hibs that came close again to scoring as Nisbet’s effort was blocked at the last moment. The clock was moving slowly again and in the time added on, Defoe had an effort ruled out for hand ball.

The final whistle brought a huge sigh of relief from me as there is no doubt the Rangers bossed the game but as they couldn’t make that count they lost two points in their fight for the top with Celtic, Hibs’ next opponents.

The players

Marciano – Rocky had zero chance with either goal but pulled of three top class saves to deny the visitors at crucial times in the game.

McGinn – As I said earlier, I initially thought he might be at fault for their first goal but that was not in fact the case. Over the 90 he was as steady as a rock and has become one of our most reliable players in the season so far.

Porteous – I still think, even having seen the ‘incident’ several times now, that Ryan was unlucky to get booked. The commentators had remarked on how much more mature he has become as a player and I’d echo that as he was solid throughout.

Hanlon – Paul had a fine game and in all honesty is lucky he was not sent off. Given that I believe he is not the type of player to deliberately elbow another I’m glad he saw out the ninety. Position wise he was fine, committed in the tackle and becoming part of a super partnership with Porteous.

Boyle – I’ve said this after games before I know, but I felt he wasn’t at his best and yet he provided an assist for both goals so what do I know? Martin worked his socks off with his defensive duties but I feel he was too slow to react at the Morelos equaliser.

Wright – For me, Drey drifted in and out of the game at times but fair play to him for opening the scoring with a precise strike. I’m sure there’s more to come from the lad.

Gogic – A colossus in the first half he seemed quieter for most of the second though he did finish strongly. He must be a nightmare to play against because he’s like an annoying fly that you just can’t swat because it is too persistent.

Newell – Joe had a good game today and was very mobile throughout in providing a lot of cover for the defence. A lot of his work is, to my mind, under appreciated because for my money he’s more than just a playmaker. Loads of important tackles today and for the first time I noticed just how good he is in the air.

Doig – This was a real test for Josh today and there were a few occasions that he struggled with Tavernier but over the piece he continues to be worthy of his growing reputation.

Doidge – For me, big Christian was a lot quieter today although he did put an amount of work in he was having little influence on the game. With twenty minutes left he stepped up to the plate when he charged on to the cross from Boyle and left both Helander and McLaughlin for dead.

Nisbet – I wonder sometimes if we are being slow to recognise just what a fine player this laddie is? This was a fantastic performance from Kevin, my man of the match, who never gave the Rangers defenders a minute of peace. Goldson will have trouble sleeping tonight in the tight confines of Kev’s back pocket.

Stevenson – I could almost hear the groans from some quarters when Lewis replaced Doig but it has to be said we looked far more secure with a back four and although that wasn’t just down to Lewis, he played a significant part.

Hallberg – Melker is fast becoming the nearly man. No doubt he shows up well in training but it seems to be the case that he nearly makes the starting eleven every week.

The referee - I thought Don Robertson did well enough – Kris Boyd disagreed in referring to him as having been too lenient. Other than the Hanlon card I felt Robertson pretty much got everything right.

Jack Ross – Listening to his post match interview and perhaps more importantly studying his demeanour it seemed to me as though he was chuffed to bits and very, very proud of his players.

[JohnM1875]

Great reporting and as always appreciated!

Have to disagree about the Hanlon incident though. Don't even think it's a booking. Hanlon's arm hits off the guys shoulder which deflects it into his face. Complete accident!

Agree about Nisbet though. What a player we have on our hands 😬

[SouthMoroccoStu]

Great report as always

Disagree on Hanlon and his “red card”, Bit harsh on Wright IMHO and too lenient on the ref but other than that you’re spot on

[Eyrie]

A first for me to disagree with part of your report, but I'm with the other replies about Hanlon.

He's stuck his arm out straight to block off Hagi and it's glanced off the shoulder and brushed the face, at which point Hagi does what footballers do and falls to the ground.

Hanlon didn't swing his arm into Hagi, so it was accidental and arguably only a foul, although I can understand a yellow for it being reckless.

[kaimendhibs]

Defoe elbowed Martin Boyle in the face clear as day and Doidge got hauled down in the box, stonewall penalty.
Ref was honking

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[CMurdoch]

I watched it on Hibs TV and thought all Hanlon did was get himself between Hagi and the ball which is classic defending.
Sorry Kaimend, I thought Boyle jumped into Defoe and ended up with an elbow in the face as a result and thought Doidge's momentum took him over the Rangers player on the ground in the box.
So only Hanlon hard done by for me.
Will watch the Morelos/ Porteous incident back with interest later.

I thought every Hibs player did well today with the likes of Nisbet coming of age.
Stevenson is a better defender than Doig so was pleased to see him come on to steady the ship at a crucial time.

Not many teams will better that result against a good Rangers team.

[kaimendhibs]

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[CMurdoch]

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Watching that, your right. When I saw it in real time I thought Defoe had jumped from standing but that clip shows lateral movement from him combined with his elbow going up

[BILLYHIBS]

Brilliant Jonnyboy as always

I thought Freddo taking a touch gave Boyle a glimmer of hope but he was just too late in getting there - really needs to work on the defensive side of his game

Playing against Gogic must be like tackling an Octopus he is all arms and legs

[Hibernia&Alba]

A fine account as always.

[kaimendhibs]

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Watching that, your right. When I saw it in real time I thought Defoe had jumped from standing but that clip shows lateral movement from him combined with his elbow going up

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[007]

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Don't think it is a foul. It's a coming together whilst both are going for the ball, both are moving sideways towards each other. It's as much Boyle's face hitting Defoe's arm as it is the other way around. Defoe is focusing 100% on getting the ball but it would be interesting to see the 2 or 3 seconds before the clip to see if he looks at Boyle at all.

[wookie70]

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Great reporting and as always appreciated!

Have to disagree about the Hanlon incident though. Don't even think it's a booking. Hanlon's arm hits off the guys shoulder which deflects it into his face. Complete accident!

Agree about Nisbet though. What a player we have on our hands 😬

That is how I saw the Hanlon card too although I'd go further and day it wasn't even a foul. The ref was predictably one sided in The Rangers favour.

[Baldy Foghorn]

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That is how I saw the Hanlon card too although I'd go further and day it wasn't even a foul. The ref was predictably one sided in The Rangers favour.

I concur with this. No danger it was even a booking

[hibeejeebies]

Win, lose or draw, I always look forward to your level-headed and measured reports JB 👍🏽

I'm with ya all the way except for Paul Hanlon's innocuous collision. I'm also very much enjoying Drey Wright's work so far.

GGTTH

[Hibernia&Alba]

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A first for me to disagree with part of your report, but I'm with the other replies about Hanlon.

He's stuck his arm out straight to block off Hagi and it's glanced off the shoulder and brushed the face, at which point Hagi does what footballers do and falls to the ground.

Hanlon didn't swing his arm into Hagi, so it was accidental and arguably only a foul, although I can understand a yellow for it being reckless.

Yes, I would agree with that. A booking at a push, never a deliberate elbow worthy of a red. There wasn't intent there.

[CyberSauzee]

Great write up JB. Particularly liked your use of the definitive article before the opposing team's name.

[Bobby's Cinema]

Agree with all of that tbf - Nisbet was my MOTM also.

Interesting the comment on our first goal similar to St Mirren - watching Doidge's post match interview he did mention practising those crosses into the box in training so the work paying off

[Hibrandenburg]

Only got to see the last 15 minutes JB, so your summary is appreciated.

[jacomo]

Another fabulous match report JB. How you keep producing these to such a consistent and thorough standard is beyond me, but thank you and I look forward to reading them every time.

Two points: one, there is an errant apostrophe in paragraph 8. It is managers, not manager’s. This will no doubt annoy you as much as me, we now have software that is wrongly auto correcting to add erroneous apostrophes and it appears to be a war we are losing, but fight it we must.

Secondly, the Huns don’t look any better defensively than they did last season. We could have scored more and how they haven’t conceded before today is beyond me.

If they lose Morelos they lose a lot of goals. They’ve already lost top spot.

Good point but we could have got all three.

[erin go bragh]

No mention of Porteous’s Sauzee like back heel JB 😉😁

[CMurdoch]

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No mention of Porteous’s Sauzee like back heel JB 😉😁

No mention of the brilliant Porteous near post run and shot which brought out a goal scoring save.

[tamig]

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No mention of the brilliant Porteous near post run and shot which brought out a goal scoring save.

What’s a goal scoring save?

[JohnMcM]

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Another fabulous match report JB. How you keep producing these to such a consistent and thorough standard is beyond me, but thank you and I look forward to reading them every time.

Two points: one, there is an errant apostrophe in paragraph 8. It is managers, not manager’s. This will no doubt annoy you as much as me, we now have software that is wrongly auto correcting to add erroneous apostrophes and it appears to be a war we are losing, but fight it we must.

Secondly, the Huns don’t look any better defensively than they did last season. We could have scored more and how they haven’t conceded before today is beyond me.

If they lose Morelos they lose a lot of goals. They’ve already lost top spot.

Good point but we could have got all three.

That's a joke, right? Or am I a daft old codger?

[HFC 0-7]

I actually thought Morelos goal was caused by Porteous getting wrong side of his man and Mcginn had to leave Morelos who he was marking to try and put pressure on the header.

[Radium]

Enjoyed the summary but like many, Hanlon's was a deflection up off a shoulder, yellow fitted the incident. Jack Ross mentioned in one of his interviews that there were a number of marginal decisions. Just a surprise that Hibs players got yellows given Defoe's flying arm and the smack in the face Nisbet got as the ball came into Wright

[jacomo]

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That's a joke, right? Or am I a daft old codger?

How is it a joke? It’s very serious.

[hibeejeebies]

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No mention of Porteous’s Sauzee like back heel JB 😉😁

Or when McGinn sent Jermain Defoe to check out the new sound system in the East.

[allezsauzee]

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I concur with this. No danger it was even a booking

I didn't think it was even a foul by Hanlon, got his body in the way. A few years ago any unbiased media outlet would be bemoaning the scourge of play acting that was creeping into the game after seeing the embarrassing antics of Haji and Morelos but it now seems to be regarded as fair game to embellish any physical contact made and it goes without saying that the Scottish media will see any incident through the warped lense of Der Hun.

[Greenbeard]

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Another fabulous match report JB. How you keep producing these to such a consistent and thorough standard is beyond me, but thank you and I look forward to reading them every time.

Two points: one, there is an errant apostrophe in paragraph 8. It is managers, not manager’s. This will no doubt annoy you as much as me, we now have software that is wrongly auto correcting to add erroneous apostrophes and it appears to be a war we are losing, but fight it we must.

Secondly, the Huns don’t look any better defensively than they did last season. We could have scored more and how they haven’t conceded before today is beyond me.

If they lose Morelos they lose a lot of goals. They’ve already lost top spot.

Good point but we could have got all three.

Couldn't agree more. Constantly correcting auto-corrections on my phone. Who the f... gets paid to do that when they don't have a grasp of the most basic grammar? And why hasn't the software since been corrected when it is so blindingly obviously wrong? I am not one for correcting grammar all the time on here or other such informal places but bad apostrophe use is like litter; the more you throw them around wrongly the more their erroneous use becomes acceptable and folk give up trying to do the right thing.

Grammar rant over.........on the match front I am commenting only on Hibs TV highlights but it was McGinn who was marking MOrelos and drifted off him to leave him free. Boyle was slow to react to Plug's freedom but it wasn't his man. We were lucky x2 for the second goal. As well as Boyle being just offside when collecting, Doidgy has his hand on the Hun defender's shoulder as he meets the ball. It's irrelevant whether he actually got any leverage or not. VAR very probably would have ruled it a free kick against Doidge. Mind for our first goal, had Wright missed then it should have been a penalty anyway with Nisbet getting a perfect rugby hand-off in the puss.