It’s a case of ‘as you were’ for Hibs

HIBERNIAN'S season thus far has already been of a very ‘Hibs’ nature—inconsistent.

A year ago the Hibees sat third in the SPFL Premiership table, had just been eliminated from Europe after a brave, but ultimately fruitless, run of fixtures and were also out of the League Cup.

At time of writing this piece, David Gray’s men currently sit eighth in the league table and have just recently come to the end of another decent yet ultimately fruitless European quest. The Cabbage, though, are still in the League Cup, Gray having led his own Hibs side to Hampden for the first time, where they will face city neighbours Hearts.

Hearts have won all of the pitifully few Hampden Edinburgh Derbies, although all of those Hearts wins there came in the Scottish Cup, so, Hibbies will hope for better luck against the Jambos at the National Stadium in the League Cup, in a tie to be played on or near Halloween.

In reaching Hampden with a Hibs team of his own, Gray proves himself to be a proper Hibernian manager. His teams finish in the top six and can beat Hearts, Rangers and Celtic sometimes and they also qualify for Europe. This easily makes Gray the best Hibernian head-coach since Neil Lennon. None of the post-Lennon useless managers could do that.

Gray, of course, has managed Hibs at Hampden before once, as caretaker boss in the 2021 League Cup Final loss to Celtic, after bungling CEO Ben Kensell inexplicably removed Jack Ross as boss on the eve of a Hampden showdown. That puzzling decision probably deprived the Gordon regime at Easter Road its first ever trophy, so Gray will be keen to continue writing his own story as Hibs boss, by lifting the trophy this year.

Were he to do so he’d be the first Hibs figure since the great Eddie Turnbull to win silverware for the Green Jerseys as both a player and a manager.

The European qualifiers for the Hibees ran to a familiar course, as two hitherto unheard of Balkan sides were dispatched somewhat easily, only for Gray’s men to fall-foul of Belgian cracks, Gent, in the play-off, drawing 0-0 in Belgium with Owen Elding missing a penalty, then losing 3-2 at Easter Road in a cruel fashion, via an injury-time Miguel Chaiwa own-goal.

Hibs’ owners sold the club’s best defender, Warren O’Hora, to Leicester and let Josh Campbell go out on loan to St Johnstone in the days before the season’s first Edinburgh Derby, at Easter Road in early September. These decisions were, in part, to blame for Hearts’ fairly easy 3-1 win in the match, though the Cabbage did have to play a third of that game with ten-men, as Jack Iredale saw red. Adam Mayor scored the best Edinburgh Derby goal since the 2014 Ozturk rocket, but it was mere consolation to the men in green.

After Hearts’ traumatic humiliation last May—when they made their trademark pig’s ear of a title-decider—the Jambos needed the more attainable comfort blanket of a win at Easter Road to begin what will be a long healing process for the broken Gorgie side and its demoralised fans. Hearts wanted it more and won as a result, in Hibs’ worst derby performance since the dark days of Lee Johnson.

Back in August, Gray became the first Hibs boss since Lennon to win on back-to-back visits to Ibrox, as a late, late show from the Hibees and goals from Campbell and Callum Wright earned Hibernian a fine win.

All of that asides, it’s been a typically inconsistent start to the campaign from Edinburgh’s green and white, narrow defeats to St Johnstone and Motherwell plus a 2-1 win away to Dundee in the league, while Hibs’s journey to Hampden was secured by cup wins over Partick Thistle at Easter Road and a 3-0 drubbing of Ross County up in Dingwall, Thibault Klidjé (above), Mayor and Ante Šuto getting the goals against The Staggies.

What does all of this tell us about Hibs’ trajectory this season? Very little, as it goes, other than the fact that the Hibernian rollercoaster is once again well and truly underway. Don’t forget your seat-belt—and possibly your sick-bags.