Aberdeen 0 - 2 Hibernian: Revitalised Hibs a credit to John Hughes as visit of champions looms large

Published on Sunday 20 December 2009 21:41

LET'S be frank here. Hibernian won't win the title, split the Old Firm or, in all likelihood, even avoid defeat when a resurgent Rangers visit Easter Road next Sunday. And the pity of simply fixating on far-fetched possibilities is that it grossly under-values the astonishing actualities of how John Hughes has progressed the club he took over only six months ago.

Amidst all the talk of Craig Levein as the anointed one for the Scotland manager's job, the form coach in the SPL does not reside at Tannadice but in Leith.

Following their – as playmaker Merouane Zemmama so accurately put it – "great result but not great performance" victory at Pittodrie on Saturday, Hibs have harvested 32 points from 16 games. At the corresponding juncture last season, they had a mere 20. Furthermore, only once in the past nine seasons have they had more points at this stage of the league campaign. That was in 2005-06, when they were two points better placed than they are now, in third place, and contributing to a season that did indeed end with a capital club ahead of one of the Glasgow sides. Unfortunately for Hibs, that club wasn't them.

It might be still early days, but what Hughes has achieved with Hibs didn't seem possible. His team are capable of hanging in, staying solid and picking sides off – as Anthony Stokes consummately did with his double at Aberdeen – despite the fact they essentially play four forwards and are positively indulgent with the selection of two luxury performers in Derek Riordan and Zemmama.

It is their stickability, achieved through Sol Bamba and Chris Hogg developing into a centre-back pairing Tony Mowbray would bite your hand off for, that has allowed them to put together an unbeaten run giving true context to Hughes' hauling up of a Hibs team that seemed so down under poor Mixu Paatelainen. Not since they were in the First Division in 1998-99 have Hibs bettered the 12-game loss-free league sequence they are on now. And then, they came a cropper after the figure flicked round to 13.

The feeling persists that they won't see 13 at the weekend against Walter Smith's men. For all Zemmama's understandable, unsurprising but unenlightening bigging-up of his team's prospects. "I think we will win this game," he said of next Sunday's must-win encounter, a fixture that gives the champions the opportunity to put eight points daylight between themselves and Hibs.

"We are looking as far as we can, and why not the title?" he said. "We need to be ambitious, and if we keep working hard and if all the players believe, I'm sure we can do something. The Old Firm haven't been giving greater performances this year."

This was said by the Moroccan in the Pittodrie press room only minutes after news had filtered through that Rangers have cuffed Motherwell 6-1. Yeah, the Old Firm really are as poor as they have been for years. Which is why, on current projections, within a month they will both probably be on points totals better than where they stood this time 12 months ago.

That fact simply serves to make Hughes's re-energising of Hibs all the more impressive. He has arrested a decline that seemed unarrestable with his signings and recasting of the Easter Road side. The day Zemmama debuted for the Leith team back in October 2006, under Mowbray, he played alongside Scott Brown, Steven Fletcher, Kevin Thomson, Steven Whittaker, David Murphy and Chris Killen. All were of a standard considered Old Firm level.

By the end of last season, Hibs didn't appear capable of producing or attracting performers of that ilk. Then Hughes' playing ethos and personal charisma, and the backing of his oft-criticised board, led to the captures of Stokes and Liam Miller, and all of a sudden Hibs again have players, perhaps up to five in their first team, who wouldn't look out of place with the Glasgow gorgers of championships.

It is why they are capable of going to places such as Pittodrie and winning. Zemmama's vision, Stokes' opportunism and a bit of a lucky deflection – Hughes confessed – proved the recipe for Hibs' opener at the end of a first half wherein Mark McGhee's team had made all the running.

Stokes then tapped in his ninth of the season after straying in to an offside position to make the points safe for the Leith men early in the second period. To that end, the back four and Yves Ma-Kalambay then did their bit to repel an increasingly exasperated Aberdeen team.

That frustration boiled over in the 77th minute when Lee Miller kicked out at Zemmama to earn his club's seventh red-card of the season. McGhee declared it "unprofessional and unnecessary" and keeper Jamie Langfield admitted Miller had later apologised to his team-mates for the act of petulance. Zemmama, in a quiet way it should be said, destroyed Miller for the aforementioned, erm, unprofessionalism.

"In the first half I megged him and that is why he got angry and kicked me," Zemmama said. "The guy kicked me when I didn't have the ball, and I told the referee (Dougie McDonald]. At the end of the game he kicked me again in front of the referee and was sent off, and the referee was right."

MAN OF THE MATCH

Yves Makalambay (Hibernian)

It takes all sorts to win a game and the Hibs goalkeeper played his part. He deserves recognition for that, particularly as his efforts are always highlighted when they prove responsible for his side not winning.