Nick Montgomery and his Hibs players ran the gauntlet of 2300 p***ed off Hibs fans at full-time on Saturday’s draw at Motherwell.
Hearing the Well fans chanting ‘Hibs are falling apart again’ didn’t exactly help the mood and Montgomery’s men were getting it from all angles. The seethe was entirely understandable after another late collapse that cost them a top six spot and was simply the latest boot in the chuckies for those punters. But I’ll tell you what, chief executive Ben Kensell and the board are lucky that they didn’t have to go and face those travelling Hibees.
Because right now I see more and more fingers being pointed in the direction of the boardroom after another season that’s fallen way short of expectations. You look at the two and a bit years since they sacked Jack Ross and it’s been miserable. Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and now Nick Montgomery haven’t been able to get a decent tune out the team. That’s two out of the three seasons that they’ve finished in the bottom six.
It’s totally unacceptable for a club the size of Hibs and the money being put in. So questions then fall on the people that are hiring them. It can’t all be down to the managers. To be fair, everything off the pitch is good. The hospitality suites, the stadium, the training ground are superb.
But that matters not a jot if you finish in the bottom six and don’t get to cup finals. The biggest mistake was sacking Ross after he just got them into a cup final. They’ve then had a succession of managers and constant turnaround and it’s got Hibs nowhere.
I said last week they need to stick with Montgomery to bring a bit of stability. He deserves a second transfer window to have a proper crack at turning things round. But he certainly needs to get off to a good start next season or he will be in real bother.
If it doesn’t work out and Montgomery falls on his sword then there will be serious questions asked about the decision making of those at the top of the club. There were tried and tested managers available at various points during those sackings - Derek McInnes, Neil Lennon and Stephen Robinson to name three.
Guys that know the league and how to win games, finish in the Euro spots, and how to see out games. All the things Hibs haven’t been able to do this season. The last gasp collapse against Motherwell that cost them a top six spot on Saturday put the nail in a really horrible season and the fans are scunnered with it.
To make matters worse the punters have had to watch Hearts stroll to third spot and get themselves into a Scottish Cup semi final against Rangers this weekend. Hearts have had a great season and that sticks in the throat of all Hibees. Their reaction to their own players at Fir Park said it all. The failure to get the win required for top six also made a mockery of Hibs’ complaints about sporting integrity last week after the Dundee-Rangers game was put back until after the original split date.
Just concentrate on doing your own job - go and beat Motherwell. They couldn’t do that and the complaints have blown up in their face. Montgomery has had 29 league games to get Hibs in the top six and battling for Europe but only won eight of those games.
You just knew that equaliser was coming on Saturday as well. When the fourth official put the board up for four minutes added on there was a feeling that Hibs were going to blow it. It’s happened all season. Late goals has been a common theme. They’ve not been able to put teams away or keep a clean sheet to see a game out.
It comes down to game management and mentality. Hibs had plenty of chances to stretch their lead but wasted them and when Motherwell threw all caution to the wind they couldn’t handle the pressure. It reminds me of the 2002-03 campaign when funnily enough Dundee pipped us to sixth spot after we threw away a 2-0 lead in the final three minutes of the final pre-split game against Livingston.
In the New Year derby we’d been 4-2 up in injury time against Hearts and drew 4-4. It happened throughout that season too and it just seeps into the whole team, the whole club. It’s a fear that creeps in when you’re a goal ahead in the closing stages and you start dropping deeper and deeper and that’s all down to mentality.
We went on to win four of the five games after the split and ended up seven points better off than Dundee a place above us. But nobody cares about that. Nobody cares if you finish top of the split.
Hibs now have five meaningless games and nobody will be looking forward to them. They need to get their act together from the top of the club to the bottom to make sure they are nowhere near this situation again in 12 months’ time.
