IN the past, Hibs have had some cracking days out at Ibrox – yes, there have been a few howlers as well – but the good times always remain very special. Indeed, Hibs were the last SPL team to head to Govan and come away with all three points but to come away with anything on Saturday, a top performance was required.
Sadly, we didn't perform enough in a match totally dominated by Rangers. No, we weren't battered à la Hamilton, but I think that was more down to Rangers inefficiency when it mattered. Within the first 30 minutes, Rangers had enjoyed something like s
ix corners, which perhaps highlights just how one-sided this was.
Chances for Hibs were few and far between and Messrs Ma-Kalambay, Jones and Hogg had a bit of a torrid time. Someone else under pressure was Alan O'Brien, who was perhaps the man looked upon to try and create something on the rare occasion Hibs had a chance to get the ball in the middle of the park and head for Allan McGregor's goal. Big Colin Nish gave us one glimmer of hope towards half-time but, lacking in confidence, punted it from miles away and the Rangers keeper watched it roll past.
Whenever you go to Ibrox, you know you're never exactly going to get a walk in the park, but you have to believe you can get something and at the weekend, I did. The fact that Rangers couldn't punish Hibs more, despite being in control of the match, always gave me hope that we would get something out of this one, but it didn't materialise.
Hibs held out for about 65 minutes until Boyd's wonder goal. At that point, I thought it might have been floodgates but they didn't quite open as I feared. Hibs kept pushing and created more chances in the final third of the game than they had at any earlier point in the match.
I read in the Evening News on Friday that Derek Riordan and Colin Nish were struggling to make the trip to Ibrox, yet despite having an abscess on his face the size of a tennis ball which no doubt made him very attractive, Nish managed the starting line up but didn't last the full 90 minutes and was replaced by Steve Pinau. I've liked what I've seen of this guy but, due to our current dearth of strikers, it hasn't been very much. It would have been a classic moment for him to come on and make an impact on the game and although he did have a great chance, it wasn't to be.
So the plaudits have to once again be directed to our defence. Again Rob Jones was immense and they did well against a Rangers side who were not exactly on the back foot. Hibs have only lost the one goal in the last three games which is not a bad record, especially when you think how things have been in the past.
Some Hibs fans will no doubt be mumping and moaning about this, that and whoever, but I think being realistic, going to Ibrox and putting on a pretty solid defensive display and only losing the one goal is not exactly crisis material. If anything, it highlights that Hibs might well be, slowly coming together as a unit. All we need to do now is work out how to punish teams by scoring.
So, as the year end approaches, what sort of shape are Hibs in? I have to say, I don't think they're looking too bad. Mixu has ridden the early-season storm and unrest and has them ticking along nicely. No, we're not always entirely convincing, but results are not too bad and getting beaten 1-0 at Ibrox is no disgrace. Yes, it could have been better, but Saturday was still no disgrace.
A lot of work has been done at the back and we are seeing the results of this now in recent matches. So, I think Mixu's next challenge is to get the best out of just one or two of the other players he has at his disposal. I've already dedicated space on this page to my thoughts on Derek Riordan but to have an on-form O'Brien, Fabian Yantorno and even Nish would give Hibs a really decent team.
Next up, we entertain Kilmarnock at Easter Road on Saturday. Let's hope we all have a fantastic Christmas followed by a very merry three home points.
Hibbie Christmas everyone!
