Not allwell as coach laments poor display
Hibs head coach Jack Ross admits his side were poor at both ends of the pitch after going down to a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Motherwell.
The Leith outfit wasted the chance to extend their four-point lead over Aberdeen in third place with a lacklustre display in the surprising loss.
Hibs had gone into the game brimming with confidence on the back of a fourgame winning run.
But they never looked like extending that sequence against a well- drilled Motherwell team.
Ross said: “It’s difficult to win consecutive games in this league and go on the kind of run we have been on recently.
‘Today is another example of how tough the opposition are.
“And if you dip below your levels, even slightly, it can cost you.
“We didn’t defend as well as we have done recently and we didn’t carry that cutting edge, and that puts you at risk of losing the game.
“And that’s what happened. The concession of the goals are very disappointing from our view in that they’re soft.
“Every manager will say they’re avoidable – but they are. And then we missed good opportunities at key times in the game.
“I don’t think Ofir Marciano had a save to make in the game. We were dominant in terms of territory.
“It was an afternoon where there wasn’t much in the game but the key moments went Motherwell’s way.”
St r i k e r Christian Doidge wa s particularly wasteful in the match as his goal drought was extended to 13 games.
Ross added: “It happens and he feels it because he’s a conscientious player and personality.
“His contribution since he got back in the team in terms of his all round play has been excellent, and his all round play was good today.
“But, harshly, strikers are always going to be judged on their goal return.
“He knows that, he’s not going to shy away from it, it’s our job to cajole and help our players through any challenging period and he’ll be fine.
“His all- round performance and contribution to the team is good.
“A lot of strikers are streaky in terms of the runs they are on, where they feel good in front of goal and other times where they have frustrating periods.”
Life has changed in so many ways for Livingston manager David Martindale.
One thing’s for sure, he won’t have a hangover tomorrow morning – regardless of the outcome of today’s Betfred League Cup final.
It was a different sort of certainty that dominated his earlier life playing for pub teams.
Sinking pints was the main way of warming down after a match.
The 46- year- old and his mates were normally celebrating lifting another piece of silverware.
The Livingston fans will hope it’s a habit that doesn’t end today.
He said: “This is a national cup final, but when I played in finals at a lower level I still felt the same.
“You still have the butterflies, you still look forward to it and you want to lift the trophy.
“I don’t really drink now, to be honest,
“But win, lose or draw, when I played for the Tower Bar amateur team, you were always back to the pub.
“Yo u were either rejoicing being the cup winner or drowning your sorrows for losing. Either way, you had a hangover the next day.
“I’ve always been quite lucky in cup finals, I’ve always done really well.
I can’t remember being on the losing end of many.
“That was probably because there were a lot of guys like myself playing at a lower level who had the ability but not the correct attitude or application.”
Martindale says revealing the details of his rehabilitation after serving a prison sentence has promoted a big response from those currently behind bars.
He said:“i’ve had a lot of mail from prisoners inside different jails in Scotland. I’ve answered every one.
“There was a young kid in Glenochil that was on remand before sentence, his struck a chord with me.
“He wrote: ‘ I was a really good footballer but I’ve wasted it all, I’ve got two kids outside and I’m waiting to be sentenced’.
“A letter like that really touches you, especially when it’s someone so young. Hopefully they have a chance to turn their life around.”
Martindale is hungry for success and likes to surround himself with men of a similar mind-set.
Livingston players – many recruited from far and wide – need to show how committed they are.
He said: “I don’t sign anyone blind. Any player from a foreign country that’s unwilling to come in for training and see the club, I wouldn’t sign them.
“I think there’s only one player we’ve signed that hadn’t been training with me, and that was Jon Guthrie.
“I think putting himself in a national cup final will hopefully give guys like Jon the platform to progress their careers.
“I honestly think could he go down and play in the English Championship all day long.”
Before that, there’s a trophy to be won.
Alan Mcinally hopes to hear Steve Clarke end speculation linking him with the Celtic vacancy as soon as possible.
The former Parkhead striker believes the link cannot be allowed to linger into the resumption of the international season.
Backed into favouritism with some bookmakers even before Neil Lennon’s departure, Clarke’s name still figures high in the “next Celtic manager” market.
John Kennedy, Eddie Howe, Frank Lampard and Martin
O’neill are also frontrunners according to the betting.
World Cup qualifying Group F kicks off with a Hampden tie against Austria on March 25 then an away game with old foes Israel before the Scots host Faroe Islands.
So Clarke will be back in the media spotlight in a matter of weeks to name his squad for that triple-header.
And Sky Sports pundit “Rambo”, (inset) who played for Scotland at the 1990 World Cup Finals, hopes the rumour is nipped in the bud well before the Euros countdown.
Mcinally said: “I don’t know how quickly Celtic want to fill the job but I can’t believe they would wait until after June. They’d need someone in prior to that. So that would have to be a decision for Steve to take.
“We just couldn’t have that hanging over everyone. If you’re a Scotland manager fielding questions about Celtic when preparing for a European Championship, your head would be fried.
“Even the thought of Steve taking it on? That’s all that he needs. He might be among the favourites.
“But I wouldn’t think so – unless he just bins the Scotland job and immerses himself in Celtic right away.
“Listen, I’m fed up raising my eyebrows about things that happen in football but that would be pretty left-field, for me.
“Clarkey has done a great job with Scotland qualifying, albeit it’s been a scary ride.
“I think there’s some good young players at Scotland just now. We don’t have someone putting the ball in the back of the net 15 times in 25 games.
“But I think middle of the park is quite strong for us and I’m looking forward to see how we get on against England, Czech Republic and Croatia.”