Hibs fans given 'look at yourselves' blast for Celtic game as ex-Rangers man delivers 'really poor' verdict
Hibs supporters blasted after attendance drop vs Celtic.
Hibs supporters have been told to have “a look at themselves” after leaving Easter Road “half-empty” in their 2-1 defeat to Celtic on Sunday afternoon.
Celtic won a narrow game in the capital thanks to goals from Daizen Maeda and Kelechi Iheanacho in each half. Jamie McGrath became the fourth Hibs player in the last three games to be issued a red card for a wild challenge on Alistair Johnston.
The result saw Celtic go level on points with Hibs’ city rivals Hearts at the top of the league, but also delivered a hammer blow to Hibs’ chances of finishing in fourth spot. Now six points behind Motherwell with just three games to go, former Rangers striker Kris Boyd believes the home fans have no room to complain.
The Sky Sports pundit had previously claimed that a section of the Hibs support expressing a desire for Celtic to win the game in order to disrupt Hearts’ title challenge was “tin-pot”, and he blasted them once again by claiming they let their team down again by leaving swathes of empty seats at Easter Road. An official attendance of 18,113 was given for the game, while for the game earlier in the season between the two on November 30, the crowd was 18,419. The stadium’s capacity is 20,421 and there were notable gaps in the home end.
"It's another three points for Celtic,” said Boyd. “It's a difficult place to come to the majority of the time when the fans turn up. For Celtic, the most important thing is to get the three points, sit back, watch Hearts vs Rangers go tomorrow, and see what happens from there. This place was absolutely bouncing last week; it’s as if there isn’t even a game on today. It’s really, really poor. Hibs still have a chance of finishing fourth.
"Their fans have given up. It's true. You've still got an opportunity to get fourth in this league, and the stadium is half empty with Hibs fans. So when they're moaning about their players letting them down previously, if it comes even next season, where they feel the players have let them down today, or they've not represented the club, they've not represented the badge - well, have a look at yourselves today.”
Following the game, Hibs head coach Gray made no mention of the alleged lower attendance in Leith, and instead opted to focus his frustration on McGrath’s red card, as he admitted time running out on his side’s hopes of stealing a European spot.
“I don't think there's malice in it,” said Gray. “It's not intentional, the type of foul, but it's a definite dangerous tackle. A definite red card. And everything I spoke about all week, about giving yourself the best possible chance to win the game. To do that, you need to keep 11 players on the pitch.
“The games are running out. I'm not naive enough to think that that's alright, or that they're going to be okay. We're still very much aware of the challenge that faces us. We're now back in a situation where we're relying on Motherwell. For us to catch them, they need to drop points, and we'll probably need three wins.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.