[0762]

https://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/article/pr...celtic-h-1

This is gonna be a tough challenge for Hibs with Celtic rated as definite favourites to carry on with their winning sequence of matches. However, that has to end sometime v opponents who are in a decent "vein" of form. Here's hoping the guys can extend their encouraging form v Livingston to register some kinda positive result. C'mon Hibs!

GGTTH

[0762]

I couldn't attend this match due to illness, but I notice Hibs already getting thrashed 0-4 by the Hoops with over 10 mins remaining?????????? Johnson clearly didn't set up defensively in accepting we are not good enough to take on this free-flowing Celtic side that is starting to find form - another massive gaffe IMO!! Set up defensively solid and try to stifle their midfield, stay in a tight game as best we can while attempting to suppress McGregor's mid contributions with a man-marking strategy. Johnson didn't get anywhere near this "school of thought"!!!!! I commented after the last Celtic match/thrashing in Glasgow, I was very concerned re the damage to confidence and morale on the whole team!!! The damage turned out to be massive!! Has this Hibs manager not learned any lessons from that f###### abysmal match??????? The same concerns arise again and could've been avoided with a far more cautious, but defensively solid and physical approach!! I despair!!! I await Johnson's latest smiley, smiley post-match comments/drivel with utter contempt!! His results' record is worse than that of Shaun Maloney or Jack Ross!!

[hibeejim21]

Couldn't go along either as i have the mother of all colds and could barely keep my eyes on the SKY coverage.

Playing defensively and sitting in means you have to have some defenders that know wtf they are doing - and the back 4 tonight showed that ain't the case. We had a go and i thought we played ok 1st half, but if you don't take yer chances we know how it plays out.

We are in the middle of a bunch of tough fixtures for sure, but 8 losses from 10 ?? if we get done over by hertz then i reckon it might be time to pull the plug. Then it's back to square one.

What about the recruitment ? Too many of those players are either done or hopelessly out their depth.

[0762]

Yep! Recruitment is high up on the list of criticisms being uttered by many Hibs fans who were not fooled by the Livy result (v 10 men btw!!) at all!!! I believe we've only won two matches v teams with 11 players on the pitch!!! And Ron Gordon's ability to employ footie people who he can rely on to provide a high standard of expertise to Hibs footie ops? Also who is Hibs defensive coach?????? Their whole defensive synergy/nous is non-existent IMO. I'm fed up watching players who don't appear to be communicating with each other!! Having played lotsa footie matches in my time, I despair watching performances like this one where, on occasions, one defender moves in one direction, so expect somebody else to "grasp the nettle" and dictate to other players in situ where to go, who to mark, and cut down free space for the likes of Maeda to move in to. Some of the defending tonight was embarrassing, and yet fundamental to playing competently as a defender. The most galling part of tonight's episode was Johnson's latest "smiley, smiley, PM interview (the man doesn't have a care in the world FGS!!! Not serious!!) when he was "spouting off" re the transition of good young players coming through next year - WHAT ABOUT THE CURRENT HIBS 1st TEAM AND THE "HERE N NOW" YA IDIOT!!!!!!??

[HerefordBull]

The local pub had the game on last night so I was able to see where Hibs had gone since I stopped going along to ER.

The answer , to me, is nowhere!  When I saw the starting line up I couldn't believe that Hanlon and Stevenson were there. Don't get me wrong they have been great servants to the club but I was calling for them to be used in lesser roles pre covid.............great to have on the bench for cover if needed and doing their coaching badges to start that career if that is the direction they wish to go.

It says it all when they didn't look out of place in that side last night with Stevenson giving his usual 100% but at the end of the day Hibs should by now be at a much higher level that this.

As Jim and 0762 have stated most of this comes down to recruitment with many players drafted in who are not good enough. Are many of these players Lee Johnsons picks or are they Ian Gordons philosophy of getting young players in, bringing them on and then selling for a profit? By the way Ian, it's not working!

Are the Club short of defensive midfielders?  I see Porteous played in that role till Hanlon was subbed and then he dropped back to play centrehalf.  Whenever I have seen him he has never struck me as a midfielder so that seems a strange one from LJ. When Hanlon went he brought on Kenneh into his specialist defensive midfielder position........strange!

Pass marks for me went to Bushiri and Youhan .

I expect the fans are calling for the sacking of LJ but from what I saw the problems at the Club seem higher up with poor recruitment being at the core. It is no use just bringing in a new manager and then keeping the signing policy the same.......................it comes down to a lack of understanding of the Scottish game and the type of player needed.

It puts the problems that we have at Hereford at the moment into the shade. ( where the fans want Gowling out but the club cannot afford to do so) Anyway, good luck to all Hibees on here for 2023 and I hope somebody sorts your club out.

[hibeejim21]

LJs solution seems to be to play Porto in the holding role, but i don't think he's cut out for it. He can knock the odd decent pass around but he lost his man completely for the first goal and him and newell were non existent aside each other. He should be starting at CB.

The manager has that demeanour of someone that knows he's safe, maybe i'm wrong but thats the impression i get. So do we bring in some defensive reinforcements and keep faith with him ? Or rip it up and start again ??

[0762]

It's rumoured Porto is off to Italy for an undisclosed fee!! Maybe that explains his non-committal attitude last night eh!! He should never have been in that mid role v Celtic anyway - another gaffe/lack of good judgement by Johnson. Re Ron Gordon's role in all of this, the way he is choosing to run our footie club is paramount in compounding the probs we are observing. I honestly wish Hibs fans had greater ownership of the club up to the 50% holding of shares thereby having significant power to demand better than what we are getting. I hold 1000s of shares, but it is not enough!! I perceive Hibs fans still have the power to finally stop this - that's when the "shit finally hits the fan" and the protests begin!! Also IMO Leeann's previous structure and way of running the club was far superior to what we are witnessing at the moment. Night and day IMO!!