Hibs situation and injury list at Celtic point to fraught final
II did feel so sorry for Ross as I think he’s got the talent to come back
T’S interesting that we’ve got our first final of the season tomorrow with Hibernian and Celtic having the opportunity to lift the first trophy of the season. I’ve never actually agreed with the final being played in December as it’s generally uncomfortable for both the players and the supporters to have such a crucial match in the middle of winter. I realise that the SPFL want the tournament completed because it has started so early in the season but I believe the final could either be played earlier or the tournament extended to give a final in March.
Anyway, we have it now and it’s certainly come at an awkward time for both clubs. Celtic could be considered in a stronger position as they are currently on a very fine run of results. However, they’ve got major problems relating to three of their top forwards with Jota, Kyogo Furuhashi and James Forrest having come off in recent matches with injuries. Celtic have won 14 of their last 16 matches but Jota and Kyogo, in particular, have been a major reason that Celtic have been comfortably winning games and are also playing with style.
Last Sunday’s game with Motherwell was a great example of how the duo are missed as Celtic, with their usual attacking flair, created numerous chances but failed to take them, leaving them vulnerable to being caught out. It must be a bit of a concern for Postecoglou and the word is that he might go with Kyogo for the final even although he’s not 100-per-cent fit.
Hibs are in a bit of turmoil because of the situation both on and off the pitch. The results had been poor of late with Jack Ross having lost seven of his final 10 games as manager but it still came as a shock that the club would consider sacking him prior to a cup final. It’s not really been
properly explained and obviously there’s been a number of different theories as to why owner Ron Gordon decided to dismiss Ross in advance of the final. I personally believe it was for two reasons. Firstly, players generally seem to react in a positive manner when they know they will be getting judged by a potential replacement. Gordon will hope that this will be the case tomorrow when full-scale motivation is certainly required. Secondly, if a change to the management is imminent, then the owner can’t afford to leave him in charge for a cup final as there’s two sides to the outcome. A win would mean that his job is secure, while defeat would invite critics to suggest he should have been moved on for Hibs to have competed in the final.
Regardless of the reason, I did feel so sorry for Ross as I think he’s got the talent to come back and show the Hibernian hierarchy that he was harshly judged. There was talk of Neil Lennon coming back to fill the role again but Shaun Maloney looks like he’ll be taking the reins and this will help stave off the debate on why Ross was removed from his job prior to a cup final.
Maloney has worked at a high level with his experience as assistant to Roberto Martinez with the Belgium national team but it’s no surprise that he’s not in charge of the Hibs team tomorrow as it wouldn’t be fair to have his managerial debut at a cup final, especially when his team are massive underdogs.
The underdog tag isn’t always a negative as this can often lead to players being more relaxed going into the game. The pressure is always with the Old Firm in a cup final and I’ve experienced it personally when playing in finals when the expectation is totally on you. Hibs have very skilful players and although the form hasn’t been good, they are capable of playing good attacking football. They have players such as Paul Hanlon, Ryan Porteous and Paul McGinn at the back, Joe Newell, Chris Cadden and Alex Gogic in midfield and Martin Boyle and Kevin Nisbet in attack. This demonstrates that they have the potential to turn their season around and I still wouldn’t rule them out of achieving a top-six spot in the league. Do I think they’ll win the League Cup tomorrow? No. Despite Celtic possibly being without their key goal-scoring talent, I still think that they are playing with great confidence and they will certainly create openings with the creativity they have in Tom Rogic, David Turnbull and Callum McGregor. It’s just a question of Celtic taking their chances on the day and I fully expect that they will.