If I called the game off it’s like telling the rest of squad they are not good enough to beat Hearts
SAYS NEIL LENNON
HIBS manager Neil Lennon could be without 11 key players for the Edinburgh derby tonight – but has no regrets about not calling the clash off.
Lewis Stevenson, Ofir Marciano, Ross Laidlaw, Thomas Agyepong, Harry Marvais and Miquel Nelom are all crocked while Ryan Porteous and Marvin Bartley are major doubts.
As if that list wasn’t bad enough, Lennon is also minus Martin Boyle, Mark Milligan and Jamie Maclaren who have left to join up with Australia on Asian Cup duty.
The Easter Road gaffer could have requested a postponement due to the number of players called up for international duty.
But he never thought about taking that option because it would have sent out the wrong message to the rest of his squad.
Lennon said: “Injuries can happen at any point. It could have happened before we made the decision.
“I’m not going to dwell on the decision to call the game on or off. It could have gone either way and we wouldn’t have known when we were going to play it.
“If you call the game off and Australia proceed in the Asian Cup do you then call off the Motherwell game? When do you play the derby?
“I didn’t feel the need to call the game off. We had discussions about it and some people felt it would be a good idea and some didn’t.
“It is the time of year when people are coming from all over the world for the game. It is a marquee game in our season and we should play it.
“What message does it send to the rest of the squad if we call the game off because three players are missing?
“Sorry we can’t play without these three. We are not good enough to beat Hearts at home or beat whoever at home. That sends out the wrong message.
“Our next game just happens to be Hearts and we feel that we have players here who have played at a very high level and we beat Celtic without the three Aussies at home.
“Ideally we would like them here because they’re important players but the decision was taken out of our hands by the Australian FA, not us. “We just have to get on with it and play the game. That is why we are here and the players will get a well-earned rest once it is over.” Despite having to go into the clash with so many players missing, Lennon doesn’t fear Craig Levein’s side and trusts his squad to deliver. He said: “There are plenty of reasons to think we can perform against Hearts.
“The game could have been rearranged for January, February, March whenever and we could have a raft of injuries then as well.
“If we lose, we lose it. It won’t be because we didn’t call it off, it will be because Hearts played better or we didn’t play as well as we can. It is down to us now.
“Let’s just play the game. It is another game and it is a derby so there is a lot more spice to it.
“It is an important match for us psychologically to get into the top six as we have been hovering around for a while and not getting there.
“It would be nice to win and finish the month off in style. We have had a marathon month and this is just another league match. The final one before the break.”
Lennon was struck by a coin in the last derby at Tynecastle on a night of shame when Jambos goalie Zdenek Zlamal was also punched by a fan.
And Hibees midfielder Stevie Mallan admits his first taste of the capital clash was one of the most intense experiences of his entire career.
Mallan welcomes the banter between players and opposition fans but even he was shocked at the vitriol on display.
He said: “I was on the bench (when Lennon was hit with the coin). You’ve seen it growing up, daft stuff like that happening
but you do get taken aback. There’s the laughter side but it’s more serious when something like that happens and that’s when tensions start to flare.
“If you’re a player or a fan, you know how to take it. It should never spill over to those depths.
“That’s the bad side of it but 99 per cent of the time it is lighthearted and fans can take it, players can take it then you move on.
“I was shocked. That’s the side of the game you don’t want to see at any club. That derby was my first at Tynecastle and it was one of the most intense experiences of my career.
“I can take stuff. I can hear it without reacting and I can dish it back in the right way.
“The hostility is what makes derbies matches more intense and enjoyable. They are the games you want to be involved in as a player.”