CARDS ON THE TABLE
Mallan says ‘lively’ dressing-room chat has fired up Hibs again
STEVIE MALLAN believes clear-the-air talks led by skipper David Gray will get Hibs’ campaign back on track.
The Easter Road men have endured six matches without a win, slipping into the bottom six and failing to display the attacking flair that had become the trademark of Neil Lennon’s side.
Lennon’s righthand man Garry Parker revealed yesterday the coaching staff have sought to make training upbeat and enjoyable as they try to keep spirits high and foster confidence.
And in a bid to ensure a blip does not become a crisis, senior stars such as Gray, Paul Hanlon and Steven Whittaker also brought the players together for “lively” talks in the aftermath of Hibs’ dismal 3-0 defeat against Kilmarnock.
Mallan said: “It was a case of the more experienced boys having a BY GREIG THOMAS chat with the full squad. It’s rare to get everyone together to talk so it was a healthy chat to see what’s going on and how we can help the manager and his staff.
“We have a good nucleus. We have older guys like Davie, Paul, Lewis Stevenson and Stevie. You learn a lot from the experienced players and what they have to say to the group.
“They have been through different highs and lows in their careers, so it is good to get the knowledge. It also helps the younger ones be a bit more confident in the dressing room and get a chance to speak. “We’ll keep what was said in-house but it was a lively chat among the boys. We know what we want to do as a club and we have set our targets, particularly looking towards the end of December.
“Hopefully after this run of games we will know roughly where we’ll sit in the league and can set the next set of goals after that.”
Having emerged through the youth ranks with tonight’s visitors St Mirren, Mallan has a healthy sense of perspective.
While he is grateful for the platform he was given in Paisley and remains a favourite with Buddies fans, his debut campaign as a firstteam player ended in relegation.
Six games without a win is nothing compared to a survival scrap and Mallan said: “When I first broke in at St Mirren we were at the bottom.
“I was just a young boy and it wasn’t a nice place to be with relegation and people losing their jobs. I went through a lot there and it was a hard thing to take.
“I’ve taken a lot of experience from that. I think everyone in the squad knows this is a little blip just now. A few things haven’t gone our way and it’s cost us games or points.
“The goals haven’t changed here and we just need a few wins under our belt to move back up the league.”
December offers the perfect opportunity to do so. Games against St Mirren and Hamilton are followed by tantalising tussles against Celtic, Livingston, Hearts and Rangers twice in a packed festive schedule.
Mallan added: “We might be in the bottom half of the table now but wins against St Mirren and Hamilton take you right back up into the mix.
“That would give us real confidence going into the run with Celtic, Rangers, Hearts. You want to rack up the points and get a boost going into those games.
“They are massive fixtures. We want to be a force in this league and over the next few games we’ll show we can do that.”
Meanwhile, assistant Parker, addressing the Press in the place of Lennon, urged Hibs supporters to stick by them tonight.
He said: “There’s a lack of confidence, you can see it. It’s our job to get the players performing again. They’re a good bunch, they know they’re making mistakes. But they need to play with no fear, express themselves and entertain.
“The fans need to remain patient and stick with us because I know we’ll turn it around. Just back us.”
We want to be a force in this league and over the next few games we’ll show that STEVIE MALLAN