JUST as crowds in ancient Rome gave faltering gladiators the thumbs down, so the home support in Leith voiced their concerns about another drab display from Hibernian by greeting the final whistle with angry howls of dismay. The unmistakable verdict from the 10,000 or so who filled the stands at Easter Road was that this performance fell a long way short of the standard expected from Hibs.
Although they worked hard enough and were clearly willing to roll up their sleeves, too many of the Hibs players looked unsure about what they were trying to achieve. Some resembled square pegs in round holes.
It was almost impossible to identify
a meaningful pattern of play, particularly in midfield where a hodge-podge of converted forwards and defenders struggled to match a more coherent effort from Falkirk, which could easily have won the game for the visitors.
On paper, Hibs fielded enough forwards who carry a goal threat to win a hatful of matches. But with their most prized striker, Steven Fletcher, deployed in central midfield, Jonatan Johansson and Derek Riordan operating on the flanks and only Colin Nish spearheading the attack, there was a lack of focus about Hibs' work going forward which meant they rarely looked like scoring.
It wasn't so much a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, more that not enough of Hibs' master chefs cooked their best recipes. While Mixu Paatelainen, the Hibs manager, defended the use of Fletcher in midfield on the grounds the young Scot is a gifted footballer with excellent passing skills, the truth was the international made little impact on the game. A £4 million rated striker made the contribution of a £50,000 midfielder.
Johansson has yet to produce his best since joining Hibs last month and again was out of sorts on the right flank. Riordan, who made an eager early break down the left and delivered a cross for Nish which the big forward headed wide, might have influenced the outcome more if he hadn't become so isolated.
Hibs were so disjointed that Dani Mallo could almost have taken the afternoon off. The Falkirk goalkeeper didn't have a save to make of any note until he tipped over an effort from substitute Denes Rosa in the 80th minute. Without a win in their past ten games, perhaps it shouldn't have been surprising Hibs created so few scoring opportunities. The root of the problem lies in midfield where Paatelainen lacks a playmaker. For all the signings made by the manager, the engine room of the side remains a work in progress. Players in that area are tentative and don't pass the ball with any conviction.
"As I have been all season," noted Paatelainen, "I was disappointed with the quality of our passing. We huffed and puffed in the second half."
While it's true standards have slipped across the board in the SPL this season, the reason many of the Hibs supporters expressed concerns about this latest performance was because of a lack of evidence their team are moving in the right direction.
"It wasn't the best of games to watch," acknowledged Nish. "But at the moment we're not that bothered how it looks, we're just trying to collect three points. We need a wee break and that will change things. The supporters are entitled to their opinion and we've got to be strong enough to take it. This is when you earn your wages, the time when things are not going so well."
But for the woodwork, which denied Michael Higdon, and a miscue from Lee Bullen at the back post, who scorned the best chance of the game, Falkirk would surely have collected all three points and added to the pressure being heaped on Paatelainen.
"I'm just so disappointed for the boys, the amount of effort they put into the game," admitted Bullen. "We played football at the right times and showed the way we can play. The only thing which was missing was the finish – and what a gilt-edged chance I had. When the ball fell to me I was already reading the headlines and seeing the pictures in the papers…
"It was so frustrating for us because of all the work we'd put in. We knew how Hibs would be feeling because we're in a similar predicament at home. You do start to hear the crowd. I don't think you'd feel I was lying if I told you we came to frustrate Hibs and turn the crowd against them. The longer the game went on, the more you could hear them. So we tried to use that."
What football that was played in the game came from Falkirk who had the more influential midfield players in Burton O'Brien and Scott Arfield. Both men were comfortable on the ball and looked positive going forward, a combination Hibs sorely lacked until the introduction of Rosa.
"We passed it well and produced a spirited performance," observed John Hughes, the Falkirk manager. "The man of the match was O'Brien, who has been really good for us over the last month. We merited a win, but that point might be the one which keeps us in the SPL."
