Hibs 2 - 3 St Johnstone: Easter Road side look to James McPake loan to solve defensive woes
Garry O'Connor found no way past the St Johnstone rearguard. Photo: Greg Macvean
HIBERNIAN were last night reported to be on the verge of finalising a loan deal for Coventry City defender James McPake, after another weekend of defensive woes dragged them back within a point of bottom spot in the SPL.
Coupled with Dunfermline’s surprise win at Kilmarnock, Hibs’ self-destructive 3-2 defeat at home to St Johnstone on Saturday, left them just a point ahead of their relegation rivals, and if the Fifers win at Motherwell tomorrow night, Pat Fenlon’s side will slip to 12th.
Fenlon saw enough of his side’s defensive frailties again to force him to act fast and he appeared last night to have secured 6ft 2in central defender McPake until the end of the season. McPake has been out of favour at Coventry, and the former Livingston player – who made more than 100 appearances for the Almondvale side – posted a pictured of the ‘Welcome to Scotland’ sign on his Twitter account as he headed north to secure his temporary move.
That Fenlon is looking to shore up his defence as soon as possible should come as no surprise to those who watch Hibs regularly. While a Scottish Cup win at Cowdenbeath and the seemingly significant SPL victory at East End Park had given the club something of a lift, neither game gave much indication that defensive errors were a thing of the past with soft goals conceded in both games.
A clinical side like St Johnstone were able to exploit such ongoing weaknesses on Saturday to leave Hibs goalkeeper Mark Brown as the latest in a long line of Easter Road players to proclaim that the players needed to roll their sleeves up for the battle ahead.
“It looks as if it will be [between] us and Dunfermline,” conceded Brown when the subject of relegation was brought up. “We have to get back in on Monday and work hard. This is the time as players we must take responsibility. The 11 selected next week must try and get the club out of the position it’s in.”
It is a sorry predicament for a club like Hibs to be in and the change in manager hasn’t solved the problems. In isolation, it was never likely to. This is a squad in desperate need of an overhaul. St Johnstone do not have Hibs’ financial resources, they don’t benefit from the lure of the central belt or the club’s training facilities, but they also don’t have the Leith club’s troubles. With astute acquisitions and good coaching, they have put together a balanced side full of vigour and verve, they have a solid unit and they battle for each other and themselves. They have also given themselves at shot a securing European adventures next season, while Hibs live in fear of First Division football.
“It’s maybe a freshness we need,” said Brown. “When you are losing games, confidence is affected. In the last couple of weeks there has been a better atmosphere in training because we have won. When you come in on a Monday after you’ve lost a game it’s doom and gloom. It’s not down to managers and coaches, but as players we have to ask are we doing enough? Probably in a lot of cases we probably aren’t.
“We’ll maybe sit down as a squad, once the window is shut and the squad is in place that will get us through to the end of the season, then we’ll have an honest and frank discussion because our livelihoods are at stake. This is too big a club to be in the First Division.”
On Saturday Hibs had energy, determination and creativity in the case of Leigh Griffiths but too many others were found wanting. Individual errors compounded the damage they managed to do as a collective and while they twice fought their way back into the game, they lacked the backbone and the ability to stay there, on both occasions handing St Johnstone easy opportunities to regain the lead within minutes.
The Perth side opened the scoring in the 29th minute when the afternoon’s star performer Lee Croft netted. On loan from Derby County, he was a source of torment for full-back Callum Booth, who has undoubted potential going forward but was exposed when it came to the defensive side of the game. Croft’s initial effort was blocked by Paul Hanlon but he buried the rebound.
Griffiths and Garry O’Connor did test the visiting rearguard but it took a soft penalty decision in the 69th minute to get Hibs level. Griffiths was the man nudged by Steven Anderson and having been awarded the spot kick he expertly converted it. There seemed to be a fleeting belief that Hibs could build on that but a minute later St Johnstone were back in front. A ball forward was not dealt with by David Stephens and Liam Craig buried it. Again Hibs got their way back into things, this time through Booth, who curled a lovely shot past Peter Enckelman. That was in the 83rd minute, but just four minutes later Hanlon was turned too easily and Fran Sandaza slotted past Brown.
For all St Johnstone are challenging for third on merit, Hibs have only themselves to blame. The time for talking has past, if they want to ease their woes, they need reinforcements quickly.
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Comments
There are 36 comments to this article
Page 1 of 3
Talking Sense
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 05:27 PM#22 First Green. i know you write intelligent posts, so I am happy to try to put you straight on the question of Thornhill and Scott and whether they would have been a success at any other Scottish Premier League club. Thornhill was a total waste of space. In the few games he had he was rarely in it and in some of them I reckon he touched the ball about 5 times. Scott is at best a journeyman lower league player and Hibs were sold a pup with out former assistant manager advising Calderwood he was worth having. I doubt if Ross County would have him back for free. Runs about the pitch and does very little. Calderwoods other signing were not much better mind you. Sodje's shooting frequently put the corner flags in danger. O'Hanlon is hopeless with cross balls and dead slow. Agogo is best that he went, went. We can let him off the hook with Sproule and O'Conner as I don't think he had a say in those.
The Yak Farmer
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 12:59 PMHammy1874 - jog on . I know it was Blackley's Baby Crew that brought on your bedwetting.
Jake MacBagpipe
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 12:36 PMHammy @ 28..Tell you what...I stayed at Westerhailes in 1975-77 for the first 2 years of my SHND in Accountancy at Napier, and...wait for it...drove a Vauxhall!! Not a Cavalier, but a 1967 Victor "101 Super" station wagon which we brought with to the UK when we left Zambia in 1972................ I thought I'd mention this in an attempt to diffuse and divert a potentially explosive developing with you and Mr. Y. Farmer.............. Post Script: Moved to top flat 131 Easter Road (as many of my readers will no doubt be aware from previous posts dating back years..) for my re-sit year at Napier. I failed the course, in a display of how not to grasp even the fundamentals of a subject, that can only be described as, "spectacular"!....P.P.S....Last time I looked, 131 Easter had been boarded up..at least, part of it. Check it out next time you're down that way...
BASHABIGOT
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 12:19 PMhammy don't let them forget rudi's treatment !!
Hammy1874
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 11:25 AMYAK..... SCRAPING THE SECTARIAN BARREL.........
Hammy1874
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 11:24 AM"Anything to get a reaction"????? Certainly get one from you every time, loser.
First Green
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 11:24 AM#26 we`re certainly making more chances than before Fenlon arrived. Don`t think any of current problems are Fenlon`s fault (he`s inherited a terrible squad) and hope he gets time to build a strong team.#27 agree about potential support and importance especially as future of other Edinburgh team is unclear to say the least but don`t share your opinion of manager.
The Yak Farmer
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 11:22 AM28 - I think the treatment of Neil Lennon at Tynecastle in recent times, broadcast into living rooms the length and breadth of the UK, says more about you and your type than I ever could. You're just a sad wee man, posting obscene staccato tripe about people you'll never meet. Anything to get a reaction. Are you that lonley ? Be off with you. You're simply grist to my mill.
Hammy1874
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 11:16 AM23.... YAK.... I feel your pain!! Even by your appallingly low standards that post has to be up for an award as "biggest pile of doo doo ever posted". You must be getting pretty wound up down their in your southern bolthole. Why oh why oh why do you feel the need to start playing the bigot card?????? Where, in any posts on here are there any references to peoples nationality? What has Fenlon being Irish got to do with anything?? Its not an issue for me. The issue with Fenlon is that he appears a dud. Check the referneces from some of your less well educated fellow fans who refer to Hearts fans as Scumbos.... check your own posts where you refer to me as living in downtrodden Wester Hailes, or driving a beat up Vauxhall Cavalier. You really have let yourself down, big time. Even your rather pathetic moniker... "Yak farmer" suggests a derogatory terminology aimed at Hearts fans. Perhaps the repeated gubbings handed out by your local rivals have started to take thier toll? Is it racist to refer to Lithuanians in the terms you employ different from someone taking issue with Fenlons country of birth? You are a pathetic, sad little individual............................ enjoy the relegation dog fight................ shame you cant be bothered to actually attend the games to offer your support, eh?
the unbiased view
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 10:57 AM26 - sad to say I have to agree fully with your analysis however I also said as soon as they appointed Fenlon that this would prove to be a fatal error and unlike the last time when McLeish could not stop the drop I think the clubs will take many seasons to get back to the SPL I truly hope that I will be posting my apologies here in a few weeks time and that I have got it wrong for the City and the SPL desperately need clubs like Hibs to survive. At Dunfermline it was estimated that Hibs had an away following in excess of 4000 whilst St Johnstone had 168 fans at ER I rest my case !
hibs since 49
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 10:28 AMOnce again the defence seemed to let us down but they are under so much pressure from a midfield where Osborne & Sproule keep losing the ball and do nothing to get it back (although when Sproule tries, he gves away a foul- he really is passed his sell by date, if he ever had one). they also got no where near O'Connor so he looked bad too. Harte looked good because Francomb was covering for him, so that stopped him from coming forward. Felt really sorry for Stevenson, ran himself ragged without any real support. As said previously if you score 2 goals at home, you should be winnning. St Johnsone were no great shakes Harte, Osborne & Sproule made them look good. Personally didnt see a lot different from Calderwoods era
Weel Kent Jambo
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 10:27 AM#24 Most worrying statistic from your perspective is that Dunfermline have the 5th best away record in the SPL. If they were ever replicate that at home then you're in even deeper wotsit than you think. And their game in hand this week is Motherwell AWAY.
Baron von Hibee
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 10:14 AMWe score too many goals to be a relegated side. It's usually teams which cannot score go down. Once we tighten up the defence over the next seven days, we'll be OK. Though we lost (again), there were some green shoots of recovery on Saturday.
The Yak Farmer
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 10:03 AMComment removed by moderator
First Green
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 09:21 AMIan from Clerrie I think you`re right about possible new signings, they may well not be better than Scott or Thornhill (who would have been good in any SPL side if fit) but that`s the reality of winter window. Hopefully new players will strengthen midfield and defence and give confidence and competition to squad till summer when real teambuilding will start.
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