Players must react better after falling behind, warns Fenlon
IF THERE is one consolation for Pat Fenlon as he goes about the thankless task of trying to revive Hibernian, it lies in the fact that the team’s deficiencies are blindingly obvious.
If the Easter Road manager was unable to put his finger on why his side were conceding so many goals and losing so many matches, he would be even more worried than he is. Instead, he knows precisely what is going wrong, and simply has to find a way of rectifying it.
Hibs were always going to find it tough against a Celtic side in imperious form, but after yesterday’s 5-0 defeat Fenlon rightly pointed out that they could have made matters a little more difficult for their opponents.
“I thought we started quite well,” the Easter Road manager said after a defeat that leaves his club equal on points with Dunfermline at the bottom of the SPL.
“They started sluggishly, but we gave away a silly goal from a set-piece and that changed the whole outcome of the game. They got a lift and it knocked the stuffing out of our lads a little, but you’ve got to react better than we did.
“We gave them a chance after half a minute, then in the second half we gave them a free-kick straight after we had the kick-off.”
Hibs’ next game is at Motherwell on Wednesday, the same night as Dunfermline meet Celtic. Fenlon argued his players could not simply put yesterday’s defeat out of their minds, but said he would tell them they had no time to indulge in self-pity. “I don’t think you can forget about it,” he said. “We will look at some of the stuff and see how we can improve.
“We have too much ahead to worry about what has gone on and we have to get the players up for a massive game on Wednesday. The players have to realise where we are and you just have to look at the table. What is at stake for everyone is too important to get down about it.
“We are going to a difficult ground and Motherwell are playing really well. I saw them beat Hearts at the weekend and they were excellent.We cannot mope around.”
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Comments
There are 34 comments to this article
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the unbiased view
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:13 AMwhat a sad place to watch football, Scotland has become officially the worst professional league in the world and all the posters on here have to say is pure comedy as they allow the bigger picture to go sailing past their little minds. rangers will be playing in the spl next year of that there is no doubt whilst either dunfermline or hibs will go down to a lower division and in the case of hibs we are talking about a club that has played its financial game by the book with a balance sheet placed in the top 10 in the entire uk in terms of football clubs. add to that a capital city that has won 8 championships in their combined historys yoy guys might begin to get my drift. scottish football - WHATS THE POINT !
Hammy1874
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 07:39 AMOn Friday Mr Chibs was predicting Hibs to take something out of the game. Comedy genius.
BASHABIGOT
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 02:03 PMpost 22
BASHABIGOT
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 01:46 PM22 duckyboy,truth hurt son ?? i can feel your pain from here. must congratulate you though post 2 was the first post i'v seen you post without you stalking-hounding tott WELL DONE.
ianfaeclerrie
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:59 PM#19 - Safe Harbor - what would you say this? "#3 Has always given the impression that he has never actually attended a Hibs match in his life " . I attend every game, home and away aside from midweek because I work in England. #6 - "Are you related to Stevenson?" "i dont know how you can take positives out of it." Yes - I am kin to Lewis - we are both Hibbies. Second question - that's easy, I was a coach for ten years and even if were 4 down, I would still be trying to get everything I could out of the game to benefit the players. That extra tackle on Brown by Stevenson, that extra header won by Hanlon and McPake, that closedown by O'Donovan - all in the final stages of the match. You have to do this as a coach or you may as well go home Everyone seems to be stating a finality as a result of this game. I saw loads of positives in the first half. I was at Darkheid when we drew 0-0 last year - I don't know what the Smeltic team was that day but that was probably Agogo's best game for us.
Hen Broon
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:55 PM#22 Donald...u have went from greetin like a wee lassie to abuse & fabrication. Further if you think GOC played well when he came on you are also clueless about football. Re PETRIE out etc....... Hibs on the field record under his tenure is dreadfull. At the moment hibs are sitting 6th (2 places behind Killie!) in the all time SPL league with Motherwell poised to overtake them (7 points behind).Further I can understand Hibs fans frustration as hibs completed 12 months with one SPL win. However they should not over react to a a vibrant Celtic running over the top of a team who have been thrown together as celtic are doing the same to everyone else. I think Hibs will be OK but points will be hard to come by as frankly there are no soft touches in the SPL other than the Pars.
Hardie1874
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:47 AMAs a Hearts fan, (I know but don't start) I have to say that, ok I would love to say Hibs were shocking and that is a typical result for them but think every fan in the SPL has to realise that these thrashings by Celtic will eventually come round on every SPL team. They are a brilliant team with incredible depth. And that is hard for me to say as I despise them. Hibs, I think, just need to take that on the chin and move on because if you are going to assess your current squad, do not assess them on their performance against Celtic. I actually think that Fenlon's loan signings have made Hibs stronger. However, the worry now is that you go down. I don't think you will, but if Hibs do stay up, look how many players need brought in now that you have so many on loan. Looks like both Edinburgh teams will have very different teams next season. I hope beyond hope that Hibs can remain in the SPL, what would football be to the Edinburgh clubs without a derby. (Regardless of the result)
Baron von Hibee
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:46 AMCeltic are quite a class act in our league and we were well beaten. However we ARE making chances, so all is not lost and we will stay up. As for Stack? Dear oh dear! Some of the new lads heads went down, but I sense there are a couple of victories just over the horizon.
Cropley
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:31 AM#25 Petrie out? This topic rears it head every time we take a thrashing. I have posted before on this topic and here it is again. One man will decide if Petrie goes and thats Sir Tom Farmer. STF thinks Petrie is doing a fantastic job and said so at the AGM. You will have to raise your sights a little higher if you want change at ER. Taking into consideration what has happened at Ibrox and the possible financial problems that may have for the rest of the clubs in Scotland i dont see STF changing tack soon. Petrie works for Tom Farmer. Petrie is the wrong target.
ltfrank
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:15 AMJust read all the posts. Let's get real, Scottish Football is done! Hibs will go down and with Petries record in handling and finding managers, we won't come back up! This is serious guys. It's bad enough the drop in attendance, but the fact that nobody is screaming for Petries head after or during the game is also worrying. Let's not wait until we are actually bottom of the league before we protest. Okay, Celtic should beat us, but that was an easy easy game for them with 2 ex hibees strolling though the game. I watched on two seperate time a Hibs player under no pressure run the ball out of play - if it want so sad it would be funny - comedy football. It all went wrong the day that Petrie went over a managers head and engaged Hibs players behind the back of JC. What good manager would want to work under such a clown. We will keep going down and will probably be passed by Livingston on the way - Get Petrie out and now!
JaimeDLG
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:58 AMno complaints about the result as we were well beaten in a game that we were expected to lose anyway................. However the goals we lost were unfortunate and our usually reliable keeper was unfortunate to see one go through his legs and another bounce badly off the turf and one which was a pure fluke. ..........................In saying that I think he possibly could have saved the free kick and Hoopers goal which was well taken lfrom a Stokes pass went through about 6 pairs of Hibee legs. Normally there would have been touches on at least four of those goals but C`est la vie and it is not really an excuse for a bad day at the office..... It was a day when everthing went right for Celtic coupled with their adenaline flowing after the Rangers debacle.
ltfrank
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:56 AMJoke, joke, joke joke - the worst Hibs team I have EVER watched! Stevenson the only player that takes any credit and looked like he was proud to wear the jersey! As for the orange Lavety?? Celtic online was easy. I bet the Celtic training games are tougher. Hibs board have a lot to answer for and Petrie needs booted into touch - this Manager is not the answer either. Hibs being run on a shoe string and if we escape relegation, then I am a monkeys uncle - Scottish football is a joke! Celtic fans should not get carried away - the league they play in is now Mickey Mouse!
donald marr
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:47 AMPlank if knew anything about football you would have noticed that GOC played well when he came on.Stack was at fault for 3 of the goals. BIGOT you are the most nauseating poster on these threads by a mile. A sad guy
Cropley
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:37 AM#19 Stack should have done better no doubt. But take Celtics 4th. Why is Hooper standing unmarked to receive the ball. The second goal , Hooper again. Stokes and Hooper have 3 defenders between them but still Stokes finds him. Would not give the defence any credit either.
Cropley
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:30 AM#17 Pending moderation ? Potted version. We make the same basic errors week in week out. We get away with it against teams like Dunfemline were we could have lost more than 2. Teams like Celtic dont let you off the hook. Stevenson should have scored but as in the Scotland Brazil game in 82 that would only have upset them and we would be looking at a worse scoreline. Time to get the team organised and cut out the errors in time for the games that now, sadly, really matter. Over to you PF.
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