Crushing blow for the Hibees

The green and white side from Edinburgh got the same result as their Glaswegian counterparts the night before but if Celtic fail to overhaul their deficit, they will enter the Europa League qualifiers.

If Hibs are unable to pull off a miracle at Easter Road, they will be turfed out on their ear and European football in Edinburgh will be over before the first week in August. It is scant reward for finishing fourth in table and makes the celebrations on the last day of the season seem wasted.

Finishing as high in the league as possible is its own reward, both financially and on a footballing level. Hearts fans will no doubt be having a chuckle to themselves at the moment but lets not forget that they never had the opportunity to play in Europe this season. Hibs are still the top dogs in the capital.

One of the tweets we noticed after the game was someone throwing John Hughes words back in his own face. Hughes, in the build up to the tie, hinted that he felt his side’s style of play would be suited to European football.

The worrying thing is, we agreed with him.

The key to surviving and progressing in Europe is to be organised and to retain possession. Under Hughes last season, Hibs were quite tidy with a passing game and looked capable of holding onto the ball. We never saw the game against Maribor but trawling the Hibs message board suggests that Hibs struggled to string passes together.

Part of the reason for this may have been the change in tactics used by Yogi.

Colin Nish up front by himself in a 4-5-1 was not how Hibs rode high last season and this may have played a part in unsettling Hibs. Footballers can be creatures of comfort and no matter how many times Hughes went over the European tactics in training, taking it into the European arena has proved to be a step too far.

A lot depends on the luck of the draw in Europe and it is unfair to compare the Hibs score-line with that of Motherwell’s.

The Fir Park side can consider themselves extremely unlucky to not have won in Norway but a lot of this comes from the fact that Motherwell are extremely well organised and drilled in their jobs.

The Hibs faithful will still be hoping that an early goal at Easter Road next week can see a turnaround but should European football be considered the aim for SPL teams?

If fourth place never carried a Europa League qualifier spot, would fans feel any less about grabbing that spot?

Do you feel Europe can be a distraction when focus should be placed on getting a good start in the SPL?

Related posts:

1. Hibs go Dutch to make a mark on Europe Edwin de Graaf to bring experience to Yogi’s boys Hibs...
2. Hibs have to be fully prepared this time in Europe Planning work must start now for Hibees The dropping of...
3. Hibs face Videoton or Maribor in Europa League Sunshine on Leith in the qualifiers? Given that John Hughes...
4. Hibs on the march again at Pittodrie John Hughes has to be the Scottish manager of 2009...
5. Hibs make a stand for the fans…and against the SFA East Terrace says goodbye and Liam Miller will be there...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.