Derek Riordan says Celtic stars have downed tools but Hibs are not playing well enough to nail second

Derek Riordan has written off Hibs’ hopes of finishing the season ahead of Celtic, despite his belief that there are players in the Glasgow squad who appear to have downed tools.

Derek Riordan in action for Hibs. Photo by Bill Murray/SNS Group

The former Hibs and Celtic striker was speaking on this week’s episode of The Edinburgh Football Show, where he declared himself pleased with the recent run of results, which see Jack Ross’ men travel to Dingwall this weekend looking for their fourth win on the bounce.

It is the kind of form that has allowed them to leapfrog Aberdeen into third place and establish a five point advantage over their Pittodrie rivals. It has also moved them within nine points of second-placed Celtic, albeit the Parkhead side have a game in hand.

“We are doing well,” said Riordan, in conversation with host David Tanner and fellow guest Colin Cameron. “We have taken third spot and put ourselves in a good position for the rest of the season.”

But, when asked by the former Hearts midfielder if the Leith side could dislodge the defending champions, Riordan was not convinced his Easter Road successors were capable of producing high enough standards consistently enough between now and the end of the season to deliver second.

“Nah, nah, I don't think we are playing well enough. I know we are getting the wins but…

“I know Celtic are going through a bad patch, I know that, and they have gave up tools or whatever but it's a funny season. No-one has ever experienced it like this, with no fans. Celtic players wouldn’t be getting away with this if there were crowds.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.