Hibs weren't exactly going great guns when they were due to play us last time, but it's fair to say they have gone downhill somewhat since then. Their 3-0 hammering of Rangers at Ibrox is looking more and more like a fluke, just like our similar romp against Celtic last season. With poor form since then, they now find themselves in the middle of a relegation dogfight rather than pushing for a place in the top six and are one of just two teams below us in the league.
There are still a number of people, including myself, who just can't see Hibs going down. If they continue doing this badly, Colin Calderwood will be sacked and they'll find a better manager. And if they improve, they won't have a problem. However, as Newcastle proved a couple of years ago, no club is too big to go down. Hibs must improve quickly and will see this game as the perfect chance to do that.
For us, this is must win stuff. If we want to get an away win, there would be no better time than tomorrow. A win at Easter Road is always a great result, regardless of how they're doing, and it would come with the added bonus of being a major blow to one of our relegation rivals. If this was just before the split and the two sides were in a similar situation, we'd be looking at it as a must win game, so why not now? We simply have to take three points, or at the very least get a draw.
However, it's likely we will once again be set up in a bid to get a draw. That was the case in the last two games and there's no reason to suspect things will be anything different tomorrow. That means a back four made up entirely of centre halfs, Jure Travner in a midfield that also contains Steven Thomson, Patrick Cregg and Jim Goodwin, and Paul McGowan trying to support Michael Higdon. There is absolutely no creativity in the side so if Hibs score they are likely to win.
It doesn't need to play this week. We could add some creativity by starting Aaron Mooy and give the attack some movement by putting in Paul McQuade or Craig Dargo, but it almost certainly won't happen. These are changes that should have happened some time ago and the fact they haven't happened already means they are unlikely to happen no. We'll pack the midfield, try to score on the break or from a set piece and hop for a draw. Once again we have to do without Gareth Wardlaw, Garry Brady, Nick Hegarty and David Barron.
I'm at a loss as to why Hibs are in the situation they are in. John Hughes wasn't doing that bad a job before he was mutually consented earlier in the season and Colin Calderwood seemed like a reasonably sensible choice. He's not exactly who I'd have gone for but he did get Nottingham Forest promoted (although that was only after blowing the play-offs the previous season) and had gained some experience as an assistant manager at Newcastle. He'd also developed some contacts down south. However, he's had an incredibly tough time and the pressure has been mounting on him in recent weeks. He needs to turn things around quickly, especially after the recent Scottish Cup defeat to Ayr.
Not helping things is the fact Hibs have been even worse at scoring goals recently than us. They have yet to score in 2011, so tomorrow night seems the ideal time for them to break their duck! What makes things even more baffling is the fact they have Derek Riordan, who is capable of scoring goals even when he isn't playing well. However, his form has dipped recently - not helped by the fact he's struggling with injury. Hibs need him to get back to scoring form - and quickly. In a bid to solve the lack of goals, Calderwood has brought in Akpo Sodje from Charlton and also has loan striker Daryl Duffy fit again.
While Danny Lennon has been pretty idle in the transfer window, you certainly can't say the same for Calderwood. As well as bringing in Sodje, he has also signed Matt Thornhill from old club Nottingham Forest, Martin Scott from Ross County, Richard Towell on loan from Celtic as well, former Liverpool youngster Victor Palsson and keeper Jakub Davis. To make room for them he has sold or ditched Sol Bamba (who was always a bit of a bombscare), Chris Hogg, Merouane Zemmama, Edwin de Graaf and Jonathan Grounds.
That has left the defence looking a bit light, but Hibs do still have some good players there like Ian Murray and Paul Hanlon. I'm a bit surprised at them signing a keeper as Mark Brown has always seemed to me like a solid shot stopper, but it must be a position Calderwood wasn't particularly happy about. And despite the copious amounts of midfielders coming in he already had plenty of talent there, like Danny Galbraith and Ian Murray.
This is game we could desperately do to win against a side who aren't doing well and haven't scored in over a month. No doubt we'll do our usual and helpfully provide them with some goals and all three points.
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