Hibs review of 2020: The ingredients behind a year of improvement

Hibs manager Jack Ross (right) and his assistant John Potter have worked hard on the training ground to get the best out of their players. Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group

There have been one or two blips, but the most significant disappointment in the way Hibs have tackled the 2020/21 season is the fact that their fans have still not been allowed into stadia to witness it.

It is the cruelest of footballing fates for fans who continue to support their club in any way they can, to be stuck on the outside, looking in via club tv, as their team wins games. Listening to out-of-sync, piped-in crowd noise when they would rather be there generating the atmosphere themselves.

It is clear that while fans have struggled, some teams have adapted to the current reality better than others.

Hibs are one of those who have accepted the circumstances and decided not to let it impact detrimentally on their season. Quick out of the blocks, they were the ones who set the early pace, jostling for position with Rangers at the top of the table as Celtic and Aberdeen were forced to kick their heels due to Covid infringements.

Benefiting from the work done in lockdown by a manager and coaching staff who take satisfaction in unlocking potential in the players at their disposal, they may have missed out on the likes of Ross McCrorie to Aberdeen, but they kicked off the season with a central midfield pairing which addressed the imbalance of last season.

Midfield solidity

Alex Gogic may not be some Hibs fans’ cup of tea but, an unsung hero, he has helped solidify things and given the virtually-unrecognisable Joe Newell permission to advance.

The reinvented Englishman serves as the best illustration of the void between season 2019/20 and the current campaign. A year ago, there was little in his play to generate excitement, how things have changed. He is now one of the first names on the teamsheet and the maestro who has conducted the tempo and the flow of so many games this term.

That has been the theme of this season – improvement. Ofir Marciano has always been better than average, but he came out of the shutdown in sensational form. Add to that the work conducted at the training ground, drilling defenders already on the books, working on the weakness and fashioning a style of play and a blend of personnel that suited their strengths and made them one of the most miserly defences in the Premiership. It also prompted international call-ups.

That impenetrability wobbled slightly at the end of October/beginning of November but, like any other cracks that have appeared, they have been dealt with and that ability to bounce back from tough periods in games, from goals conceded, or points dropped, has been a signature part of the team’s success and it is why they are vying at the top of the table with rivals who boast bigger budgets.

A good mix

There were signings, Kevin Nisbet, Jamie Murphy and Gogic arguably the most effective, which at a time of tough financial choices, invited criticism, but despite those arrivals, there was also a cutting of costs and a willingness to streamline to help balance the books.

Opting to run with a leaner staff and squad, those who made the cut have, by and large, stepped up. There is a togetherness in the squad that doesn’t necessarily stem from that but has benefitted from it. Well, that and Nisbet’s industry and goal return.

And there is a mental fortitude that has been notable, too.

The cavalier, swashbuckling football Hibs fans tend to demand has been replaced by a style that can be entertaining one minute, more prosaic the next, which also sums up top scorer Nisbet. But, whether playing on the front foot, or counter-attacking, converting set piece deliveries, or battling for scraps in a never-say-die manner, the team has different ways and means with which to test opponents, importantly earning them points in fairly metronomic fashion, losing just three of their first 18 league games and just four in the first 25 matches in all competitions.

Rare blips

The second Premiership defeat to Aberdeen was one of the biggest blows, probably second only to the semi-final loss to derby foes Hearts as last season’s Scottish Cup reached it’s denouement.

It denied them a cup final appearance - for now, although the Betfred Cup could yet deliver that, and more - and prompted some soul searching as they then travelled to Pittodrie where they were out-played and out-classed.

But, that has been rare this term. Instead they were the first team to score against a defiant Rangers defence in a closely contested draw, while only a late, late goal robbed them of victory against Celtic.

Jack Ross was reportedly being linked with the Parkhead club when it appeared Neil Lennon’s days were numbered and the interest in the Easter Road boss was understandable given what he has done at Hibs this season.

There is a spirit and a stability at the club which he does not want to jeopardise in January by recruiting haphazardly, just to bolster numbers. He wants to bring one or two in but no more, because he knows that when he has his first choice XI, he can cause anyone in the league problems.

Instead of upsetting that equilibrium, he wants to tie up the quality he already has at his disposal - extending the existing deals of Marciano, Newell and club stalwart Lewis Stevenson before others can pick them up on pre-contract agreements - and continue to improve, individually and collectively. The key after that will be avoiding too many injuries and suspensions. But, after a bright start to the season, they have a strong foundation in place and a blueprint that will remind staff and players how best to build on them.

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