HIBS HAVE A SECOND WIND
STEVE COWAN says Hibs will never have a better chance to chalk up a secondplaced finish that would make Neil Lennon a contender for Manager of the Year.
The former Hibees and Aberdeen striker reckons the Easter Road boss will be rubbing his hands after watching their rivals falling apart in the fallout from the stormy Scottish Cup semi-final weekend.
First it was Aberdeen gaffer Derek McInnes owning up to recruiting players who are not good enough in the wake of their 3-0 capitulation to Motherwell.
Then 24 hours later the Rangers squad was imploding as players fought among themselves and launched verbal volleys at beleaguered boss Graeme Murty as they slumped to a 4-0 thrashing by Celtic.
With Hibs looming over their shoulders, just three points adrift of the pair in second place, Cowan believes all the momentum is with Lennon’s side
“What must concern the Dons fans most is how they folded in the semi-final. Then you wonder how the players will react when the manager basically says they’re not good enough.
“When I was at Aberdeen Alex Ferguson always defended his players publicly.
“While at Rangers all the fight champions in waiting would heap even more pressure on Aberdeen and Rangers. The Hoops of course need just one more win to clinch their seventh consecutive title but Cowan is tipping Hibs to put the champagne on ice. Cowan, who works as a match summariser for Radio Forth, said: “Hibs will fancy their chances against Celtic. They have what it takes to finish second. What an achievement it would be for a team coming out of the Championship. That would have to make Neil a serious contender for Manager of the Year. “If Brendan Rodgers wins another treble it goes to him but Lennon won’t be far behind when he’s brought in the players to push the team forward.”