Hibs boss Lee Johnson insists he’ll keep faith in his expansive game plan away from home despite trips to Ibrox and Tynecastle looming large.
The Hibees have slipped out of the top half after a run of six defeats in their last seven outings - four of which have come on the road. That included a 6-1 thrashing at Celtic Park in which Johnson set his side up to have a go only to see them picked off by the champions.
Johnson claimed after that bruising afternoon that players in Scotland were “brainwashed” into believing they can’t beat Celtic or Rangers. And with a trip to face Rangers in Govan up next in just 12 days’ time followed soon after by a New Year derby against Hearts in Gorgie the former Sunderland boss says the game plan won’t change dramatically - but the personnel might.
In total Hibs have lost six of their eight league games on the road including heavy reverses at Celtic Park and Pittodrie as well as damaging defeats to bottom two Dundee United and Kilmarnock. And Johnson said: “There’s certain games we’ve struggled in. At Celtic we got battered, against St Mirren we were really poor.
“Against Dundee United I thought we were good but I’m not kidding anyone when I say I’d rather play horrendously and nick a 1-0 win off someone’s backside. Against Livingston we were poor. At Aberdeen, we showed our fragility in the second half, but I honestly thought the first half was decent.
“Apart from that we have beaten St Johnstone and Ross County away from home. Do I want to shut up shop and nick one after 70 minutes?
"I genuinely believe that over a period of 100 games, if you play consistently then turn the dial a little bit depending on the circumstances - like the personnel you’ve got or form - then I don’t think anything should really change. It’s the same pitch, generally the same conditions, everything else is the psychological side of it - the travelling, the difficult environment, the fans, referees.
“It’s all those things. If you look at Covid when it was no fans and just pitches then results tended to be sometimes better. I thought Hibs were a good example of that; sometimes they were better without the two sets of supporters there.”
Johnson, meanwhile, hopes to promote some of the club’s successful U19 side into the top team in the second half of the season. Steve Kean’s development squad have blasted past Nantes and Molde to set up a UEFA Youth League blockbuster against Borussia Dortmund in February.
Four teenagers got a run out in last week’s friendly defeat to Middlesbrough - goalkeeper Murray Johnson, defender Kanayochukwu Megwa, midfielder Murray Aiken and wide man Oscar MacIntyre. And Johnson said: “It would be brilliant to integrate some of the club's youngsters over the course of the season.
“That's always the intention and obviously the outs naturally create a bit of a pathway for them. It's got to be the right timing. Sometimes it can be forced too early, and we wouldn't be speaking about this if we were on a decent run.
"They've got to be ready at the right time and feel confident and be coming into a side that's confident and can be successful and look after the things they don't have, which tends to be experience in those moments."
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