We’ll do our talking on the pitch, says Hanlon

THE question of Hibernian’s style and ability, as well as their reliance on a certain midfielder by the name of Scott Allan, will be answered in due course.

If not this afternoon, then surely in the weeks and months ahead. For now? Well, there’s nowhere like Scottish football for heated debates, inflated arguments and expressions of opinion designed purely to inflame.

New Rangers signing Martyn Waghorn knew exactly what he was doing when, based on his experience in a pre- season friendly for Wigan Athletic against Hibs, he branded the Easter Road team ‘basic’ and ‘nothing great’, adding that they seemed overly dependent on Allan.

Paul Hanlon (below), a strong contender for the title of Hibs player least likely to be riled by anyone or anything, found this so offensive that he snapped back: ‘He maybe wasn’t watching the first half of the game. We ran them a bit ragged.

‘But that is not something I worry about. It’s Hibs against Rangers, not Wigan.

‘It’s just talk. You have to go out on the pitch and play. That’s where you do your talking at the end of the day.

‘It’s not as if everyone reads the paper in the morning and even has a laugh about it.

‘It’s not really discussed. No one really bothers. We j ust concentrate on ourselves.’

Despite t he predictable pretence of being unruffled by one player’s comments, what Waghorn said has clearly added a bit of spice to today’s Petrofac Training Cup clash between the clubs in Edinburgh. As if any extra zing was needed.

The Ibrox side’s persistent and unsettling pursuit of Allan — watch this space — has been a factor, as is the assumption that these two teams are likely to be engaged in a season-long title battle.

Hanlon believes that, despite losing in the play-offs to Rangers last year, Hibs’ performances and results against their Championship rivals over the course of the season will have a lasting impact.

‘No one is going into the game fearing Rangers,’ he said.

‘It’s all about ourselves and concentrating on j ust t r yi ng to get through to the next round of this cup.

‘ We can handle the expectation. We showed that at times last season. It took a bit of getting used to, but we went into most games as favourites and put up a decent run of unbeaten games.

‘We need to do that again. It will be the same this year. We’re expected to be at the top of the league. We need to be able to deal with it.

‘ This game will be a good indication of where we are at. We have all worked really hard through the pre-season.

‘The original plan was to make it more of a pre- season game but, as soon as you draw Rangers, it’s a big game and a big one for the fans.

‘Rangers have made a few changes, as we expected with so many players leaving the club.

‘Our manager (Alan Stubbs) watched them the other night (against Burnley), so I’m sure we’ll get a video analysis session before the game.

‘I would say the tables have been turned a bit from last season, when we were still trying to gel at this stage.

‘We’re glad our business was done so early and we got our squad together. Hopefully, that will benefit us in the long term.

‘A year ago, it was tough. We came back for pre-season with not many players. There was no manager, nothing, so the change has been amazing.’

There is still room for some more change, depending on how far Allan wants to take his muchvaunted expression of interest in a move to Rangers — and how Hibs respond.

‘Everyone is kind of asking Scott what’s happening — but he’s not saying a lot,’ added Hanlon, who has so far resisted the urge to quiz any taxi drivers about his team- mate’s intentions.

‘Hibs are not selling him. That’s all I’ve heard so far. I hope it stays that way. As soon as he goes out on the pitch, he just wants the ball and wants to make things happen. That will never change. ‘ You saw l ast season how important Scott is. He’s a big part of our team. He makes a lot happen for us. I’m sure he can stay with us and he’ll only get better this season.

‘It’s a confidence boost for our fans to hear that Hibs are in a strong position to say: “No, Rangers are our rivals. We’re not selling to them.” ‘I am just hoping it will stay that way.’