Resurgent Hibees Host Inverness.
Capital punishment awaits Inverness this weekend should we not be at our best. A Hibs mini revival has seen them win three games on the trot to ease them further away from the relegation tussle, but still eight points adrift of Terry Butcher's depleted squad.
It would appear that Calderwood and Adams' influence is gradually taking effect and the Hibees are looking more assured than they were a couple of months ago, when they slumped perilously close to Hamilton, the saviour of all this season. Hibs had gone seven and a half games without scoring in January before finally opening their 2011 account in the second half against fellow strugglers St Mirren. This prompted a scoring surge, and Kilmarnock and St Mirren, again, were defeated.
Inverness stopped the rot last weekend with a hard fought win over St Johnstone and Butcher is looking for his players to kick on from that. Grant Munro has served his three match ban and will be back in contention and the injury list will hopefully start to ease off a little, although David Proctor looks likely to be unavailable for over a month after suffering another hamstring injury as he eased himself back into the squad. Ross Tokely's shin guards are also recovering and are expected to make the game after coming off second best in a crunching tackle from Murray Davidson last weekend.
Like St Johnstone last week, Hibernian are showing a bit of initiative and calling this fixture Green Day. Nothing to do with the Californian trio best known for American Idiot and Boulevard of Broken Dreams. This is about getting bums on seats, in a friendly manner, not the Gestapo like stewarding that is sweeping the country and ruining the fans day out. Good luck with the Green Day, it should ensure a bigger than normal crowd for this fixture.
How big will the crowd be? I can't say for sure. It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right, I hope you have the time of your life.
Alternative Maryhill has been studying this one a bit more in depth and here is what he has unearthed....................... Oh, by the way, if you are of a nervous disposition, exit the site now please..........................and don't speak like this at home children.
Maybe I’ve been exiled in Glasgow too long, but although a trip to either side of the old firm is meant to be the big day out for supporters of diddy just-here-to-make-up-the-numbers teams like ICT, I can’t help getting much more excited about away days against either of the Edinburgh teams. A lot of it has to do with setting: while the two Glasgow grounds erupt out of featureless wastelands, mad centres of pilgrimage for glory-hunters from across Scotland, both Edinburgh grounds seem to exist within real communities, tucked away among tenements and pub-lined streets, with families filtering out towards the grounds at five to three. Football as it is supposed to be.
Hearts and Hibs may have their own contrasting religious origins, but the clichés associated with the two these days, whether true or not, transcend the merely sectarian: Hearts are the grand, aspiring establishment club, Hibernian, the bohemian alternative; the club that made a convert of the bookish, indie-loving (former Celtic-supporting) Peter Pan of Scottish football, Pat Nevin. Famous supporters from the arts include the composers of the unofficial Scottish national anthem The Proclaimers; cavorting, jester-suit-wearing progressive rock superstar Fish; and most famous of all, author Irvine Welsh, creator of the bestselling ‘Famous Five’ series. An extract from one of those novels is included below. ****** It wis a sunny setirday n the Five wur huvin a picnic oan the slopes ay Calton Hill, owerlookin Easter Road, ken? Anne hud laid oot the tartan travellin rug n wis gettin the scran ootay the hamper; Dick n Julian wur lyin oot oan the grass huvin a smoke; George wis oaf in the bushes daein whitever George did in bushes; and naebdy hud seen Timmy fir donkeys. ‘Moan tae f___, Julian,’ moaned Dick, ‘gaun tae stoap hoggin that n pass it ower?’ ‘Hud oan!’ snapped Julian, takin a last draw before tossin the fat roll-up irritably towards Dick. Julian laid back oan the grass again, scowlin at the sky. ‘Whit sortay a f____n name’s Dick anyway?’ eh demanded. ‘S better than f____n Julian,’ Dick said. ‘Julian’s a f____n bufty’s name.’ Julian thoat about chibbin the cheeky c___ with the boatil ay pils eh wis jist finishin, but thoat better ay it. Instead, eh shouted ower tae Anne, whae wis layin oot thae wee pork pies oan the travelling rug. ‘Haw Anne! See us anither ay thae Holstens!’ ‘Ah cannae, Julian,’ said Anne. Yuv awriddy drunk aw ay thum. Wiv goat lashins ay gin n slims though.’ ‘F___ sakes’ muttered Julian. ‘Nivir trust a wummin. Ah telt ye tae bring mair beers!’ eh yelled at Anne. At that point, they wir interrupted by a throaty yell fae the direction ay the bushes. George wis staggerin towards thum, daein hersel up. ‘Some c___’s chorried Timmy!’ she yelled, gesturing doon the hill. Some wee radge in a stripey jumper wis rinnin doon towards Easter Road at pace, carryin a struggling mass ay fur. ‘Moan gang,’ said Julian, springin tae his feet. ‘Let’s get intae that c___.’ ****** Oh, hang on. It turns out I’ve got my wires crossed. Apparently Irvine Welsh is the author of Trainspotting. The Famous Five were, in fact, the greatest front line Hibs ever had: Johnstone, Ormond, Reilly, Smith and Turnbull. So who were Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy the dog, then?... Past fixtures If history is any sort of barometer, then ICT supporters should go into this game confident of a good result. In the five previous seasons the two clubs have spent together in the SPL, Hibs have finished in the top six each time, while Caley Thistle have always finished in the bottom half, yet the Inverness team probably have a better record against Hibernian than any other team they have faced in the SPL, apart from Gretna. Currently, out of seventeen league fixtures between the teams, Caley Thistle have won nine times to Hibs’ five, with three games having been drawn. Break these statistics down into home and away fixtures and they begin to look slightly less promising: Hibs have never beaten ICT at the Tulloch Caledonian stadium, their only away win having come at Pittodrie in season ‘04-’05, but at Easter Road, they have a slender advantage, having won four games to Inverness’s three. All the same, Caley Thistle have not lost at Easter Road since February 2008, and even in the relegation season managed to record two wins and a draw against the Edinburgh team, including a 2-1 win in the east end of Edinburgh. The omens from this season are also good: the two games between the clubs finished in a 1-1 draw and a 4-2 home victory for ICT. Yet there are reasons for caution. After a period where they seemed to be in freefall under new manager Colin Calderwood, Hibs have suddenly hit form and come into this game on a run of three straight victories. Also, while Hibs’ record against ICT is poor, the player who has had most impact in the fixture is not an Inverness player but a Hibernian one: the terror of Edinburgh’s night clubs, Derek Riordan. ‘Deeks’ may look like a bird whose feathers have never grown in, but he is undeniably a talented and dangerous footballer, and has scored six times against Caley Thistle already; impressive statistics, especially considering that he spent two years as a Celtic player over the period that the two clubs have been in direct competition. Team news In recent weeks, Caley Thistle’s squad has been reduced to the bare bones through injury and suspension, which made last week’s win against a St Johnstone team that had been on a good run all the more impressive. Players are now starting to return, and it will be interesting to see how Terry Butcher lines up the team. In defence, David Proctor is out after an injury sustained last week, and there is no news of left backs Graeme Shinnie or Kenny Gillet returning, but Grant Munro is back after suspension, which means that the Inverness manager will have to select four out of Munro, Ross Tokely, Chris Innes, Stuart Duff and Chris Hogg. Hogg has played well since joining the club and will probably be keen to impress against Hibs, and although he and Grant Munro have never played together, I would expect Munro to return, with Tokely at right back, Duff at left back and Chris Innes on the bench. In midfield, the likely availability of Nick Ross leaves Terry Butcher having to choose two of Ross, Russell Duncan and Lee Cox for the central midfield roles. The most intriguing news is the possible return of Jonny Hayes, after aggravating an injury against St Mirren. Will Terry Butcher opt to play with two natural wide men, Hayes and Aaron Doran on opposing wings, or will he leave Hayes on the bench to ease him in gently and opt for Shane Sutherland, Richie Foran or even Eric Odhiambo in one of the wide areas? Adam Rooney is certain to start, but it is hard to predict whether he will be partnered up front with Richie Foran, or played as a lone striker with one of Foran, Sutherland or Odhiambo in a more withdrawn role. We won’t know until three o’ clock tomorrow; but the thought remains that despite a long winless run over the winter months, this is one of the strongest squads ICT have ever had, with genuine options in the midfield and forward areas. Hibernian’s line up has had a settled look in recent matches, although after having been able to field the same team in wins against St Mirren and Kilmarnock, they had to make changes for the return fixture against St Mirren, with Liam Miller and ex-Ross County midfielder Martin Scott coming in for Ian Murray, presumably suspended, and Matt Thornhill. I will be honest: I haven’t had the time to check up on the state of Hibs’ injuries or suspensions, but the fact that they have been able to leave a player of Miller’s undoubted talent on the bench in recent weeks suggests that they too have some strength in depth, and supporters on various websites have praised the signings Colin Calderwood made in the January transfer window, including midfielder Thornhill, defender Richie Towell (on loan from Celtic) and particularly experienced ex-Charlton forward Akpo Sodje, who scored in his second game against Kilmarnock and has caused problems for opponents in all his games so far. Prediction As seems to be the case with every ICT fixture this season, this is a difficult result to predict. Hibs have looked solid at the back in recent games, have dangerous players up front and are on a good run, yet have not really dominated a game for some time; Caley Thistle won for the first time in eleven league fixtures last week, yet since the arrival of Aaron Doran and Chris Hogg and the return to goalscoring form of Adam Rooney and Richie Foran, there had been a discernible improvement in mood and confidence around the team even before that win, and the St Johnstone result can only have increased that. As I seem to do far too often, I am again sitting on the fence: Hibernian 1 – Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1
***Latest Team News***
Inverness welcome back Grant Munro after suspension. Definitely out are Proctor, Shinnie and Sanchez. Gillet has returned to training but is short of fitness, although he could make the bench. Jonny Hayes will be given maximum time to be ready for this one along with Nick Ross. Left back is a problem area, although Duff fitted in effortlessly against St Johnstone and may well find himself in the same position this week.
Hibs have Ian Murray suspended, the last of two missed games for him, but this is balanced out by Kevin McBride returning after his sin bin duty. Danny Galbraith is struggling to make the squad after an ankle knock. Steven Thicot and Michael Hart both sit this one out with injuries.
Cheers Maryhill. As Mr Welsh said to me the other day:- "Aye Maryhill, yir a complex f****r right enough"
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