While Celtic gave way at the top of the SPL table to Rangers at the weekend, the other green team slipped up too. Hibs are now out of the top six, and manager Mixu Paatelainen's position is now looking extremely shaky.
It doesn't matter that Hibs always do badly in Inverness (in fact, they have never won there in the SPL). It doesn't matter that Hibs have not finished strongly in the league for a few seasons, and so are hardly miles away from their usual finish of 6th. Nor that the Hibs board have a history of showing loyalty to their managers, and will be very reluctant to sack him.
What does matter is that the majority of fans have now lost faith in the manager. The Hibs board can no longer be accused of parsimony, and have backed big Mixu in the transfer market (all things are relative, but the Hibs boss has one of the bigger budgets in Scottish football to play with, though obviously not on the scale of the Old Firm). The team has been playing poorly pretty much all season, and has now stopped winning even the occasional game.
Without a doubt, Hibs are under-performing. Mixu desperately needs a result against Falkirk next weekend, another struggling team. He may not get that chance, however.
Showing posts with label Mixu Paatelainen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mixu Paatelainen. Show all posts
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Hearts deflect the flak by smashing Hibs
They say the sign of a good manager is pulling results out of the bag when it really matters, and Hearts boss Csaba Laszlo certainly pulled one out of the bag on Sunday by beating Hibs 2-0 in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup.
His team hadn't scored a goal since sometime last year, rumours are growing about imminent sales of players, and they performed miserably against Motherwell on Wednesday. Yet Hibs proved the perfect hosts, giving their opponents a much-needed victory.
The match turned just after the half hour mark, when Steven Fletcher got sent off for a dangerous foul, Hibs lost the plot, and Christian Nade scored. After that, there was only going to be one winner of this tie.
Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen felt the sending off was wrong (he had a point) and that it changed the game. He was right here, too, because nothing he did after this moment had any impact. Down to 10 men, Hibs could not find a way back into the game. Derek Riordan - the player whose return from Celtic last August was described as a "statement of intent" by the club - was utterly anonymous right up until his substitution on the 65th minute, when he made an abusive guesture towards the Hearts fans and got booked for his trouble.
Forced to throw caution to the wind, defender Rob Jones went up front, leaving Hibs open to the counter attack which was smartly finished by Gary Glen.
Hearts have now won a 5th round tie at home to Falkirk, which is at least another matchday to bring in some cash.
As for Hibs, it's hard to see where they can go from here. They really need to finish 3rd if this season is not to be seen as a failure. That looks like a very slim hope.
More 4th round results here.
His team hadn't scored a goal since sometime last year, rumours are growing about imminent sales of players, and they performed miserably against Motherwell on Wednesday. Yet Hibs proved the perfect hosts, giving their opponents a much-needed victory.
The match turned just after the half hour mark, when Steven Fletcher got sent off for a dangerous foul, Hibs lost the plot, and Christian Nade scored. After that, there was only going to be one winner of this tie.
Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen felt the sending off was wrong (he had a point) and that it changed the game. He was right here, too, because nothing he did after this moment had any impact. Down to 10 men, Hibs could not find a way back into the game. Derek Riordan - the player whose return from Celtic last August was described as a "statement of intent" by the club - was utterly anonymous right up until his substitution on the 65th minute, when he made an abusive guesture towards the Hearts fans and got booked for his trouble.
Forced to throw caution to the wind, defender Rob Jones went up front, leaving Hibs open to the counter attack which was smartly finished by Gary Glen.
Hearts have now won a 5th round tie at home to Falkirk, which is at least another matchday to bring in some cash.
As for Hibs, it's hard to see where they can go from here. They really need to finish 3rd if this season is not to be seen as a failure. That looks like a very slim hope.
More 4th round results here.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Hibs look to the future as Mixu Paatelainen signs on for the 3rd time
Hibernian filled their managerial vacancy today after 3 long weeks, with Mixu Paatelainen the chosen man. After two spells as a player, and interviewed for the post last year before losing out to John Collins, Paatelainen now has the chance to succeed in the job he has openly coveted for some time.
He is an enormously popular figure at Easter Road, and just the appointment to lift the despondency of the past 2 months, following Hibs' horrendous slump in form and Collins' resignation.
Mixu Paatelainen played at a number of clubs during a long career, including Aberdeen and St Johnstone, but he really made a lasting impression at two. He is still a cult hero at Bolton, and secured a place in the affections of Hibs fans when he scored a hat trick in their rampaging win an Edinburgh derby in 2000. He was never the most technically able striker, but he played with his heart on his sleeve, and his trademark cartwheel celebration was quite something from such a chunky, well-built man.
He then left for Strasbourg, but returned to Edinburgh after just a season. Famously, he then resigned for Hibs after bumping into then manager Bobby Williamson during a training run around Arthur's Seat.
He has now served a manager's apprentice at Cowdenbeath and TPS Turku, which is more experience than Tony Mowbray and John Collins had.
It's now time to see if that experience can be put to good use.
He is an enormously popular figure at Easter Road, and just the appointment to lift the despondency of the past 2 months, following Hibs' horrendous slump in form and Collins' resignation.
Mixu Paatelainen played at a number of clubs during a long career, including Aberdeen and St Johnstone, but he really made a lasting impression at two. He is still a cult hero at Bolton, and secured a place in the affections of Hibs fans when he scored a hat trick in their rampaging win an Edinburgh derby in 2000. He was never the most technically able striker, but he played with his heart on his sleeve, and his trademark cartwheel celebration was quite something from such a chunky, well-built man.
He then left for Strasbourg, but returned to Edinburgh after just a season. Famously, he then resigned for Hibs after bumping into then manager Bobby Williamson during a training run around Arthur's Seat.
He has now served a manager's apprentice at Cowdenbeath and TPS Turku, which is more experience than Tony Mowbray and John Collins had.
It's now time to see if that experience can be put to good use.
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