Lennon: I went for the easy option in Gorgie
HIBS manager Neil Lennon admits he learned lessons from Hearts’ demolition of Rangers after insisting he was unconcerned about criticism of Sunday’s turgid Edinburgh derby.
The Tynecastle stalemate has been widely panned this week, with both sides struggling to adapt to a dreadful pitch and the encounter turning into a war of attrition.
However, Lennon unashamedly acknowledges that he set up to combat Hearts and the conditions in Gorgie after watching the way his old foes Rangers succumb to a 4-1 defeat earlier this month.
He smiled: “Listen, I’m not here for the neutrals. I really don’t care what they thought of the game. My remit was to either get through or make sure we didn’t get beat – so the players handled the occasion very well.
“If teams try to play when the ball is bobbling and teams press you, it becomes very difficult on poor pitches. It’s that time of year when they are starting to dry out and it is getting a bit crumbly and flaky.
“I have seen it many times before so I looked at the pitch on Sunday and said, ‘I don’t think I have great ball-playing centre-halves today anyway, so we are going to be a little bit more direct and play in the final third and put them under pressure’.
“It might not have been a classic in people’s eyes, but I don’t care. I watched Rangers a few weeks earlier try to play a certain way and they got beaten 4-1. Rangers are a stronger club than us, and Hearts did a number on them.
“I certainly didn’t want that happening to me or my team, especially in my first derby.”
However, before attention turns back to Hibs’ attempt to retain the Scottish Cup, they travel to face Raith Rovers in league action tomorrow.
With Dundee United in Irn-Bru Cup action, they could open up a nine-point gap at the Championship summit.
But Lennon expects to face a reborn Raith following the appointment of former Easter Road manager John Hughes.
Lennon added: “I would imagine that John will give the players a lift. I think it is a good appointment. But our players will know that and our focus is to win the game and stretch the lead”