Hibs looking to dispel third place curse

A NEW season is about to get underway for Edinburgh’s Green and White, and I, like every other Hibs fan on the planet, wait with bated breath to see if the team can carry on the momentum from last season’s largely excellent campaign.

David Gray managed quite a feat last term by guiding the team to third place and European qualification, especially when one considers how abysmal the Hibees were for the first three months of last season.

There have been some departures from the playing squad, most notably big Myko and Dwight Gayle, along with big-money flop, Dylan Vente. Most departures, however, are welcome—after all, Hibs will hardly struggle without Jair Tavares, will they?

It’s unclear whether or not last season’s talisman, Nectar Triantis, will wear the green for the coming campaign—Hibs fans will just need to keep their fingers crossed for now.

Hibs have been quick to bring in better players than those that have departed, already having completed some transfer business that shows the club means business in its 150th anniversary year.

The departure of two mediocre goalkeepers left space for Hibs to bring in a new one. Enter, stage left, Raphael Sallinger, a 6 foot 5 inch tall Austrian goalie, who has already showed the Hibs faithful what he can do, with his brilliant penalty save in the recent friendly against Rot Weiss Essen.

Dundee’s highly rated Scotland under-21 utility man, Josh Mulligan, has also joined the Cabbage, where it’s hoped that the player will take his career to the next level.

By far the most exciting signing for Hibs thus far has been the capture of Ireland international, Jamie McGrath. The player’s proven energy and trickery, along with his experience, will be invaluable to Hibernian in the coming campaign.

The Hibees have also broken the bank to sign a new striker, in the form of Togo international, Theo Klidje, who has arrived from FC Luzern. More arrivals are expected.

Pre-season has been a mixed bag for Hibs fans. A 0-0 draw with German side, Duisburg, kicked things off. Next up, The Hibees hit three goals against the mighty Ajax over in Amsterdam. Okay, so, it wasn’t a full-strength Ajax side and the Cabbage lost the match 6-3, but Martin Boyle, Junior Hoilett and Kieron Bowie’s strikes against the Dutch side still brought a smile to the face of many a Hibs fan.

German minnows, Rot Weiss Essen, visited Edinburgh on July 9 for a friendly, to commemorate the anniversary of the two sides’ meeting in the inaugural European Cup back in 1955. The Germans brought more than 2000 fans over and the match itself was a great entertaining spectacle, The Hibees triumphed 3-2, thanks to goals by McGrath, Hoilett and Boyle (above).

A behind closed doors friendly against Bournemouth saw the Hibees lose 2-1—Bowie getting on the scoresheet—and then Bolton Wanderers came up the road to provide opposition for cup-winning Darren McGregor’s testimonial match. Daz is out injured and couldn’t play in the match, which the physically tough Lancashire side won 2-0.

Midtjylland of Denmark are the Hibees’ next opponents, on Thursday July 24 in Denmark in a Europa League qualifying tie, one which Hibs wouldn’t have to be playing in were it not for Aberdeen’s surprise capture of the Scottish Cup back in May. However, so goes the world. The Danish side are far from the crack outfit that they were a few years ago, but still pose a serious threat to Hibernian’s hopes of bringing league phase UEFA competition to Easter Road this term and Gray, and indeed Hibs fans, know that this tie won’t be easy—but it is winnable.

What would a successful season be for Hibs, given what happened last term? Usually the team that finishes third in Scotland falls away the following season, but whether that happens to Hibs or not this term depends solely on Gray and his players. If last season’s momentum can continue, then a run in the league phase of one of the UEFA tournaments, some decent cup runs and another top four finish would be a great achievement, as would continuing the good runs of form against Celtic, Rangers and Hearts. Time will tell, of course. Will the third place curse afflict Hibernian, or will Sir David Gray pull another rabbit out of the hat this season?