There's been a lot of bleating and moaning coming out of Easter Road in the last week and Hibs fans don’t want to hear it. Not when their club is staggering into the start of the new season thanks to self-inflicted wounds.
Hibs have shot themselves in the foot so many times so far they’ve barely got any toes left. Losing to Falkirk was disappointing. Failing to beat Morton was shocking. Finding out they had fielded an ineligible player was embarrassing. Let’s be honest, putting it all together and crashing out of the Premier Sports Cup in the group stages like they did is a total riddy.
The comments from chairman Ron Gordon and manager Lee Johnson in the wake of it all have only made it worse. You’d think it wouldn’t have been possible as well. The chairman was speaking to fans on a podcast, and you have to commend him for interacting with the punters. Yet the timing was woeful. The day after going out of the cup, he’s moaning about playing Hearts in the first home game of the season.
Give us a break. It doesn’t matter if the derby is the first, second, seventh or whatever game of the season. It’s huge regardless. I remember facing Hearts at Tynecastle on the opening day of a campaign.
You get on with it. The chairman was whinging about full houses. Well, if there’s a winning team on the pitch Easter Road will be packed no matter what fixtures come their way.
It was a worry hearing the manager having a pop at the SFA, the SPFL and whoever else about the Premier Sports Cup format. Would he be doing that if Hibs had progressed? I doubt it. The moan just looked like sour grapes. Johnson was complaining it came too early, but come off it.
I like the format and I’d always prefer to be playing competitive games, but the boss is entitled to his view. But it’s the same for all the teams involved. Hibs were up against two part-time teams, one from League One and another from the Championship.
They are also trying to get players in and get them fit. It should be a breeze for the full-time sides. Hibs should be going in to the Premiership season with four wins out of four, confidence flying and the prospect of another cup run on the back burner.
You look at what Aberdeen have done. Jim Goodwin has also brought in a lot of new faces but they won all their games and scored a few goals. Job done.
Hibs are wobbling before a ball is kicked. The League Cup is up in smoke and they are right up against it when they got to St Johnstone for the big kick-off this weekend. It’s been a wild week that’s caused any optimism to vanish in to thin air.
The administrative cock-up over Rocky Bushiri’s appearance just put the tin lid on it. But I wouldn’t be making Bushiri a scapegoat. I know he’s an easy target but he’s been one of the better performers so far. He’s been more impressive than Ryan Porteous so far, so I wouldn’t hammer him.
Hibs managers can’t afford to get off to duff starts and Johnson is up against it already. He’s gambled on signing a lot of young players without any experience of playing in Scotland and right now it could go either way.
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