HIBS star Ian Murray today admitted Mixu Paatelainen's players need to become more streetwise if they are to cut out the mistakes which are proving so costly to their SPL ambitions.
Easter Road boss Paatelainen branded the goals which sank Hibs against Inverness Caledonian Thistle as "absolute jokes", his words immediately endorsed by utility man Murray, who labelled defending in both instances as "shambolic".
But Murray also
insisted Caley's second goal, which all but put the match beyond the Edinburgh outfit, could have been avoided had someone been prepared to ensure the ball didn't arrive at the feet of scorer Ian Black.
Murray looked on in dismay as Thistle turned defence into attack, sweeping forward having cleared a Hibs corner, with Dougie Imrie and Don Cowie, scorer of the opening goal, allowed unimpeded runs before setting up Black's strike.
He said: "I'm not too sure what happened but we should have had plenty of cover at the back and that's probably where we lack a wee bit of experience in making sure we stop the game at all costs. It sounds cynical and it is, but someone has to be prepared to make the foul and take a card if need be. I've been lucky enough to work with some European managers and I was taught that from a young age.
"It used to be a favourite with Rainer Bonhof (former Scotland under-21 coach], he had no problems with you making a tactical foul. You take the card for the team and get on with it.
"Such a situation might look like nothing but it can transform into a goal as we saw on Saturday. It's something we have to learn from." Black's goal left Hibs with a mountain to climb but, even so, Murray didn't believe the game was beyond Paatelainen's players, a feeling which was strengthened when referee Chris Boyle awarded the home side a penalty with 21 minutes remaining after Richard Hastings shoved Colin Nish in the back.
However, to the horror of the vast majority of the Easter Road crowd, Derek Riordan saw his spot-kick saved by Caley goalkeeper Ryan Esson.
Murray said: "The game went perfectly for Caley. They sat in, defended well, frustrated us and our fans and then they got the opening goal through, to be honest, shambolic defending which is not acceptable, and then the second.
"One down at the interval wasn't great but you can get out of jail. Two down and you have a mountain to climb. The penalty was big, big turning point.
"You'd put your house on Derek scoring but the save killed us and gave them a bit of a buzz."
Rather than categorise the incident as a miss, Murray preferred to describe it as a great save from Esson who, he claimed, had managed to out-think the normally-reliable Riordan.
He said: "Derek likes to wait for the goalkeeper to dive and puts it the other way but Esson stood up longer than most others, to be fair. He then got a good hand to it and, although it was spinning back towards the line, he managed to grab it.
"With 20 minutes or so to go, who knows what might have happened. A 2-0 lead is one you can throw away and, if we'd scored then it would have given us a lift, caused them a few doubts and we might even have gone on to win.
"As it was, scoring at the end of the time added on was too late and meant nothing."
Murray insisted, however, that Hibs' cause hadn't been helped by two first-half injuries to goalkeeper Yves Ma-Kalambay and Scotland striker Steven Fletcher, both of whom failed to reappear after the interval.
And he revealed the unwitting part he had played in causing Ma-Kalambay a "dead leg". He said: "Yves was coming towards me while I was heading back towards him when I got a push in the back which put me into him.
"I think I caught him with my elbow. He wasn't feeling too great at half-time and the gaffer decided to play it safe and put Andy McNeil on in his place.
"Unfortunately, Andy's first job was to pick the ball out of the net. Thereafter I can't remember him having a save to make.
"But it summed up the way the day went for us. You don't want to be forced into making two substitutions – and one of them your goalkeeper – as that severely limited what we could do to retrieve the situation."
The defeat by Caley stretched Hibs' run without a win to four matches, Murray admitting one point from a trip to St Mirren and a home clash with Inverness was a miserable return from games which players and fans alike had held high hopes of taking the maximum return.
Now Murray and his team-mates face the most testing of examinations as they take on Dundee United at Tannadice tomorrow night, the Tayside club having put together a run of nine matches unbeaten, seven of which they have won.
Former Rangers and Norwich City star Murray said: "It's going to be a tough game, followed by another one with Aberdeen coming to Easter Road on Saturday.
"A draw at Love Street was a bit disappointing but not too disheartening. However, losing this one was pretty miserable.
"Now we have to go to Tannadice, get ourselves together and try to get a point at the very least. United will be looking at what's happened and be thinking that, if they can beat us, they'll cement third spot.
"On the other hand, though, it would be a great win for us and hopefully allow us to get things kick-started."
While admitting he was disappointed at the lack of chances Hibs created in the opening 45 minutes, Murray backed boss Paatelainen's desire to field a three-pronged attack in Fletcher, Nish and Riordan.
He said: "There may be certain games you wouldn't do so but when you are facing at home a team who were, at that time, second bottom of the league and with five successive defeats behind them, then it's definitely the right thing to do.
"If the players at the back cut out the mistakes and we show our offensive skills, then I think we have a pretty decent side."
Although Hibs have taken just two points from their last four matches, Paatelainen's side remain just four behind United in what has proved to be one of the tightest leagues in recent years.
Murray said: "Certain squads are bigger and better than others but I think the starting elevens of most teams aren't too different. A lot of teams will be looking at the league at the moment and thinking they can push on for Europe, but they'll also be looking over their shoulders.
"Many people may say the standard is not as good as it has been but, outwith the Old Firm, it is a really tight league, a great contest."
