MIXU PAATELAINEN today defended his tactics in the wake of defeat at Ibrox, the Hibs boss facing accusations of being too negative in his approach against Rangers.
Although disappointed to see an unbeaten run of five matches brought to an end, Paatelainen insisted his strategy to soak up pressure and hit on the counter-attack had been spot-on, ruined only by a momentary lapse in concentration and a "fantastic"
overhead kick from Gers striker Kris Boyd.
Pointing out how Rangers themselves had used a similar ploy throughout last season's run to the UEFA Cup final, the Easter Road boss said: "We went to Celtic Park earlier in the season with a very positive attitude, looking to score goals and were beaten.
"We had Rangers at home and went for it full-hearted only to end up losing 3-0 – that's why I felt this was the right way of doing things this time.
"We tried to totally and utterly frustrate Rangers. You could hear the shouts and whistles as their fans started getting frustrated and you could see the way their players were reacting.
"When you go to places like Ibrox you know they will have a lot of the ball and if you leave players isolated one-on-one you are asking for trouble.
"We needed to defend as a team, to be solid, and I was happy with our defensive performance although I wasn't pleased with the way we lost the goal.
"We practised the way we were going to play in training, made sure everyone knew what they were dong and I was delighted with the players' attitude and application."
As Paatelainen pointed out, Hibs did have chances – as did Rangers – Colin Nish shooting wide at the end of the first half when the game was goalless, while both Steven Fletcher and Alan O'Brien had opportunities later in the match.
"If we'd kept a clean sheet or taken one or more of our chances it would have been hailed as a good result, instead people have looked at the outcome and haven't taken our performance into account," said Paatelainen.
"I watched Arsenal, at home yesterday, employing very similar tactics against Liverpool and Walter Smith, who knows his football and is thoroughly respected in the game, didn't criticise us. He said we were well organised and defended well."
Paatelainen made clear, however, that he wouldn't be adopting such tactics on a weekly basis. He said:
"I am pleased that my players can adapt to different tactics, formations and systems. We won't play like that every week but it is an option."
Meanwhile Paatelainen expects striker Derek Riordan, who missed the trip to Ibrox with a gashed ankle, to be fit for Saturday's visit by Kilmarnock.
The full article contains 467 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
