Lobey_Dosser

I’m really disappointed for Lennon but since not getting a minute in the March double header while remaining a peripheral figure at Udinese, his exclusion isn’t a huge surprise. I haven’t seen any mention of a reserve list but he’s presumably on that. I personally think Welsh should be too if Hanley doesn’t recover from his injury. As for McGinn, he said before the Celtic game that his injury ended any slim chance he had.

Welsh. Merits a place at the World Cup imo. Mention for Gordon who has slotted in incredibly well in the last week and gave it his all despite knowing his future lies elsewhere.

Everything that can be said about the penalty decision has been said but in the cold light of day, it doesn’t impact on our pursuit for 4th. I’d rather focus on another outstanding performance and I’m just gutted that we haven’t signed off on one of the best ever seasons at Fir Park with at least a point - I actually thought we were going to nick all three. I’ve been one to slightly criticise our points tally against the top 6 but that’s possibly a little unfair. When you reflect on our 12 games against the top three, we’ve went toe to toe every time and just lacked that wee bit of luck, composure or quality to see us over the line. Onto Easter Road. It would be a travesty if we don’t finish 4th and get the opportunity to celebrate the achievement with such a memorable team while wishing a fond farewell to those that will inevitably progress to a higher level over the summer.

I thought Sparrow was excellent tonight. He showed great touch and close control time and time again.

I seen someone use the word ‘absorbing’ elsewhere and that perfectly describes last night for me. What a treat this season has been with the general quality and tempo of football, complemented by electric atmospheres. We may have been under par in possession last night and more broadly, getting a little unstuck with our no.9 options in the last two months, but we coped admirably well with a Hearts team that threw the kitchen sink at us. SoDs our motm by a distance and huge credit to Gordon for being so solid. It’s no coincidence though that we aren’t as effective on the ball with McGinn and Fadinger missing. One more memorable night at Fir Park required before we inevitably say farewell to key members of this very special group.

I don’t tend to login for home games so I don’t know the answer. However, could it be to mitigate Hearts fans getting home tickets? I suspect more than 4,500 will be planning to head through.

Longelo was one of very few to reach his levels today.

We’ve set such a high standard but today was disappointing, possibly the least enthralling game at Fir Park under Jens. Tiredness may be playing a part and the opposition are far better prepared now, but the absence of both Longelo and Said made us much easier to play against. Hopefully we can rediscover our zip in the final third or it is going to be an underwhelming end to the season. Our record against the top 6 so far is P13 W2 D7 L4 so there is plenty room for improvement.

That’s the game that immediately sprung to my mind, Kenny Wright with the 5th. 22 years ago, jeez…

Without getting too caught up in the detail of the guidelines, I do think recent decisions relating to ‘obvious’ goalscoring opportunities have been influenced by the VAR call to red card Trusty at Tynecastle and the fallout from the rejected appeal. The Falkirk one against Dundee Utd at the weekend was another example of trying to be consistent with the Trusty decision and appropriateness for VAR intervention.

Ever since the game was rescheduled, I wasn’t overly optimistic or excited about tonight. I think the signs have been there that given our schedule, we would rotate tonight and whilst not publicly admit it, prioritise the league. I’m so invested in our league form that I’m completely on board with that approach. Time will tell if’s the right call. Slight concern though is that relative to our very high standards we looked jaded against Aberdeen on Sunday and elements of our game were less polished than usual. Tonight’s performance is hard to gauge with the early and debatable red card so we may head to Paisley with a little apprehension. Just on tonight, credit to the players who gave it there all right to the very end. O’Donnell and McGinn were excellent once again.

Spoiled for choice once again but Fadinger is so good. Big boost to see Slattery back on form.

I love Maswanhise but now wouldn’t be the worst time for a bidding war, particularly with Celtic a little desperate. £3mil+ for a player that originally joined on trial would be some return.

I wonder if the home gate could touch 7k on Saturday. Aside from all the warranted euphoria around the performance against Celtic, it was so refreshing walking up to Fir Park and not feeling outnumbered by that lot.

Elijah Just for me due to the power of work he got through - if only he had a bit of conviction with his shooting. I do love Welsh and believe that he should be in the conversation for the World Cup.

That’s the poorest I’ve seen us on the ball this season and it’s no coincidence it occurred when Watt was missing. McGinn and Welsh probably our top two performers for the 2nd game in a row. After an off-performance against Hearts, I was expecting Slattery to bounce back tonight but it wasn’t to be. Hopefully he can provide goals and assists soon as it looks like our no.9 position is becoming an issue that won’t be resolved soon and poor Said looks incapable of finding any composure in the box.

I thought McGinn was the standout tonight.

Welsh for me, strolled it.

Priestman hasn’t really made much of an impression on me with his substitute appearance but he slotted in seamlessly last night. Very impressive. Elijah Just a joy to watch. Hibs didn’t know what to do with him.

JBA has impressed from day one but tonight was further evidence that we have someone special on our hands. Changing shape to combat Hibs threat whilst integrating 5 changes couldn’t have been envisaged by anyone. For the players, some of whom have barely featured, to then look so comfortable in their roles is testament to the work on the training pitch and the clear instruction provided by the manager. Three wins in one week is a lot to ask for and Hearts will be much stiffer opposition than the version of Hibs that turned up tonight. However, we should be confident of beating anyone with the quality and intelligence we have at our disposal.

Fair bit of chat about the need for recruitment. Two players that were brought in to be integral to JBAs style of play are Just and Said and are presumably amongst the highest earners. I like the pair of them but both went missing on the big stage yesterday.

An excellent turnout but it didn’t feel like it from where I was sitting. If I was ever in doubt, I’d now fully support moving these games to Easter Road or Tynecastle.

Very disappointing performance and result. It only takes our game to be a fraction off for us to look powderpuff in attack and disjointed at the back. A lot of the narrative in the build-up was that the big pitch would be to our advantage. If anything it was the opposite, we weren’t able to move at pace whilst St Mirren quickly got from A to B. The likes of Just and Said were swallowed up by St Mirren’s powerful defence and midfield. Koutroumbis was afforded acres of space, St Mirren banking on him doing little with it. We only started to carry a threat once both Welsh and Slattery were on the pitch, the latter the only one capable of spreading the ball with a bit of quality. This does call into the question the starting lineup, I initially assumed both weren’t 100% fit. Good luck to St Mirren in the final. Robinson knows how to get a tune out his team in a semi and I wouldn’t mind him going one step further. Time for us to lick our wounds and sharpen up at both ends of the pitch.

First half an absolute joy to watch. The 2nd half the worst I’ve seen from us in the league this season. It’s a growing concern that we repeatedly don’t capitalise whilst on top and struggle to cope when momentum goes against us. For all the praise we have received for our play, we have assembled the most technically gifted squad we’ve had in years. Yet I can’t tell whether we’re more likely to win the cup or get relegated this season. Maybe it’ll be both.

Really impressed with what I’ve seen from Welsh so far.