Kevin Thomson writes off Hibs and United's chances of title tussle

Published on Monday 14 December 2009 22:02

WHEN Kevin Thomson was part of the Hibs side which finished third in the SPL five seasons ago, he regarded it as a major achievement regardless of the fact they were 32 points behind champions Rangers.

Since the inception of the SPL back in 1998, of course, being best of the rest behind the Old Firm has generally been the limit of anyone's ambitions. Only Hearts in 2005-06, when they finished runners-up to Celtic, have managed to break the traditional duopoly at the top of the table.

The other ten SPL campaigns have followed a familiar pattern, with the points differential between the champions and third place averaging just over 30.

So despite the early season form of both Hibs and Dundee United raising expectations that this may be a campaign when the Old Firm finally face a sustained challenge in the title race, which currently sees the four clubs separated by just six points, Thomson is convinced the established order of things will remain.

As he prepared for tonight's rescheduled fixture against Dundee United at Tannadice, where victory would see Rangers climb back to the top of the SPL, the midfielder reasoned that an ingrained mindset at clubs outwith the Old Firm precludes them from closing the gulf.

"It is a totally different mentality when you play for Rangers or Celtic," said Thomson. "Which is saying nothing against Hibs. But when I was a Hibs player, we went through spells where we lost two or three games in a row and no-one really raised any concerns.

"If we lose two or three games in a row at Rangers, it's a different story. It's painted as a crisis. It's about expectation levels. Here, we have to win every week. At Hibs, the expectation levels should be that you want to win every week, but the difference is whether they do or not, and whether people accept that it's not the end of the world if they don't.

"For me, Walter Smith summed it up to me the day I walked through the door at Rangers. Getting a draw away from home might he acceptable at Hibs where it can be seen as a good point. For Rangers, though, that is basically not good enough.

"That's why being a Rangers or Celtic player is about more than ability. Every player who comes here does so because they have been a success at whatever club they have been before. But when you come here, you also have to grasp the different mentality which is necessary.

"I've got a lot of admiration for the clubs who are doing well near the top this season. Obviously, I'm more interested in the Hibees where I think big Yogi (John Hughes] has done a fantastic job and they are unbeaten in 11 games.

"But I would be very surprised if any team splits the Old Firm this season. But it sells papers and gets people excited to talk about it happening.

"If teams want to talk about it, then that's an incentive for us. I'm not going to say that the Old Firm will finish 20 to 25 points clear of the rest, but I would be pretty surprised if that's not the case."

Thomson missed training yesterday because of the hamstring injury which saw him substituted after an hour of Rangers' 3-0 win over St Johnstone at Ibrox on Saturday. But he is confident he will be fit for what he considers a hugely significant assignment tonight.

"All of the games over the Christmas period are obviously big ones for us," he said. "The manager has told us he sees the next five or six as pivotal to any success that we hope to have this season.

"Every team wants to be at the top of the league at any time of the season. A lot of people say it's not the end of the world being two, three, even four or five points behind. But I would much rather be the team four or five points in front.

"We've been in the situation previously where we've fallen seven points behind but managed to recoup it. We saw the reverse of that when we went on our Uefa Cup run, we were ahead and Celtic won the title. But I would still much rather be the team at the top than the team chasing, so it's important that we go to Tannadice and get three points to get back to the top of the table where we feel as though we belong."

By his own admission, Thomson's form this season has provoked mixed reviews but he remains as self-assured as ever and confident he can meet the demands being made of him.

"Some people think I'm a good player, some don't," he said. "Whether people are bigging me up or criticising me, though, it doesn't bother me. I am being held to a high standard. The player I am, people expect top performances every week.

"I've had chats with the manager and he is at the stage now where seven out of 10 from me is unacceptable for him. He knows I can do better. Those are the demands I put on myself, to be the best."