The Hibernian Thread

[Dons_1988]

15 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

I'm ok on the GN forum, but a total arsehole on this one .

Good response but I have to admit your posts have nudged me from being apathetic towards porteous to enjoying his failures much more. 

[Leith Green]

7 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

Good response but I have to admit your posts have nudged me from being apathetic towards porteous to enjoying his failures much more. 

I aim for for impact as well as insightful and thought provoking......................

[AndyM]

10 hours ago, AJF said:

The whole Porteous-Rangers pantomime will likely rumble on for as long as he plays in Scotland, similar to Brown. Sometimes he will be laughing at Rangers, sometimes Rangers will be laughing at him.

It's pretty much a case of don't dish it out if you can't take it back. There are valid reasons as to why opposition fans don't take to him. That doesn't mean when we poke fun at him when things go wrong that it's anything other than just that.

If I was his agent I'd be looking for him to get a move in the summer well away from Scottish football.  

[Bairnardo]

Ukrainian orphans arrive in Scotland after delay - BBC News

Possibly already discussed elsewhere but Hibs fans getting mention in the BBC article for helping get these  kids to Scotland.

Glorious from all involved, well done. 

[Kyle Reese]

3 hours ago, Leith Green said:

Porteous himself has said it was a definite pen, but that (whether he was getting it or not) the intention was to go for the ball as can be seen from the still pictures - eye on the ball etc.

The issue being appealed was obviously the red card not the penalty, which was a stick on.

As I said, you can see from the pictures that his eye was on the ball as he cleaned the dons player out. I am still a bit confused that the double jeapordy rule wasnt applied but Alan Muir is a terrible ref. 

That was clearly the basis of the appeal, and while the panel were maybe going to stick with the ref, to increase it to 4 matches tells you everything you need to about the people on the panel - they are driving Porteous out of this country.

Good to see the obsessed arsehole jambo haunting the Hibs thread again after his wee "break".

Multi club forum etc... free to post wherever etc... hypocrisy and snotters etc...

[HibsFan]

I think what we're seeing from the Aberdeen boys here is the logical conclusion of not ever having had a rival club in a derby to obsess over.

Edited March 24, 2022 by HibsFan

[VincentGuerin]

2 hours ago, AndyM said:

If I was his agent I'd be looking for him to get a move in the summer well away from Scottish football.  

From memory was there not interest from down south before? Rings a bell.

He's a weird one. There have been Hibs players in the past who were obviously good players and you could see they were going to move on and have good careers, so it's not just 'He plays for Hibs, he's shite'.

But I've seen a fair bit of the guy playing for Hibs and I just don't see it. A pretty good mid-table Scottish Premiership defender, but I don't see what about his game means he's set up to go and succeed at a higher level. Whenever I see him his positioning is poor and his reading of the game is slow, leading to these reckless tackles we see from him quite often. His use of the ball is nothing of note.

Like I said, fine for the level of Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen, and could go on and have a good career in Scotland. But I don't see much about him to suggest he's got a big future.  Maybe he has more to show with better coaching etc, but he's not close to the level of players Hibs have produced in the past.

[Leith Green]

1 minute ago, VincentGuerin said:

From memory was there not interest from down south before? Rings a bell.

He's a weird one. There have been Hibs players in the past who were obviously good players and you could see they were going to move on and have good careers, so it's not just 'He plays for Hibs, he's shite'.

But I've seen a fair bit of the guy playing for Hibs and I just don't see it. A pretty good mid-table Scottish Premiership defender, but I don't see what about his game means he's set up to go and succeed at a higher level. Whenever I see him his positioning is poor and his reading of the game is slow, leading to these reckless tackles we see from him quite often. His use of the ball is nothing of note.

Like I said, fine for the level of Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen, and could go on and have a good career in Scotland. But I don't see much about him to suggest he's got a big future.  Maybe he has more to show with better coaching etc, but he's not close to the level of players Hibs have produced in the past.

I cba trawling thru to find it, but I posted last week about his stats (tackles, passes, interceptions etc etc etc) which are obvs not compiled by Hibs fans !

His numbers are excellent - one of the top defenders in the division and No1 in many of the key areas.

One reason he needs to make last ditch tackles is his current team mates tbqhwy.

Perhaps you cant see it? But its not just green tinted specs.

[Leith Green]

Here you go - 

 

 

 

[VincentGuerin]

8 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

I cba trawling thru to find it, but I posted last week about his stats (tackles, passes, interceptions etc etc etc) which are obvs not compiled by Hibs fans !

His numbers are excellent - one of the top defenders in the division and No1 in many of the key areas.

One reason he needs to make last ditch tackles is his current team mates tbqhwy.

Perhaps you cant see it? But its not just green tinted specs.

He won't be aided by playing alongside relative shite, clearly. And I don't dispute that he's a good Premiership defender. I'd be surprised if he wasn't one of the better ones statistically.

But with players like Thomson, O'Connor, Whittaker, etc you could see there was a level of quality that could take them to a higher level. I just don't think it's there with Porteous. For example, lots of CBs in Scotland play alongside shite, but very few lunge in recklessly as often as he does. There's an issue with reading what's happening.

I suppose in the current market there are always mid-ranking English Championship sides ready to throw a few quid at someone, and good luck to him if someone does.

Edited March 24, 2022 by VincentGuerin

[Dons_1988]

1 hour ago, HibsFan said:

I think what we're seeing from the Aberdeen boys here is the logical conclusion of not ever having had a rival club in a derby to obsess over.

Let’s hope we don’t go the same way as you lads when cove finally make the big time then. 

[Leith Green]

55 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

Let’s hope we don’t go the same way as you lads when cove finally make the big time then. 

If things carry on in the current trajectories, it's unlikely you will be in the same division anyway..........

[Dons_1988]

12 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

If things carry on in the current trajectories, it's unlikely you will be in the same division anyway..........

That would’ve worked better a week ago before hibs and Porto made the journey north again

[Les Cabbage]

2 hours ago, VincentGuerin said:

He won't be aided by playing alongside relative shite, clearly. And I don't dispute that he's a good Premiership defender. I'd be surprised if he wasn't one of the better ones statistically.

The stats are for the whole league.

[Leith Green]

44 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

That would’ve worked better a week ago before hibs and Porto made the journey north again

Aye, but thankfully you dont play Hibs at Pittodrie every week........................

[VincentGuerin]

6 minutes ago, Les Cabbage said:

The stats are for the whole league.

I'm confused. I said I expected him to be among the best statistically. What are you pointing out to me here?

[Aim Here]

3 hours ago, HibsFan said:

I think what we're seeing from the Aberdeen boys here is the logical conclusion of not ever having had a rival club in a derby to obsess over.

Maybe next year the Aberdeen boys can lose their Derby virginity to Cove Rangers in the Championship and their fans will settle down a bit.

[Les Cabbage]

2 minutes ago, VincentGuerin said:

I'm confused. I said I expected him to be among the best statistically. What are you pointing out to me here?

Misread your post, thought you meant his stats being good compared to the rest of the team he’s playing alongside, apologies.

[DukDukGoose]

Maloney article in the Athletic

Spoiler

 

Inside Maloney’s Hibernian: ‘I have to pretty much give this club my life – I don’t ever want to take more than I give’

Gregg Evans Mar 24, 2022

“Our focus area is the attacking third,” Shaun Maloney says as his forwards exchange passes and convert into an open net. “This is a drill we’re trying for the first time.”

It’s 11:30am on “matchday minus-four” at the Hibernian Training Centre and a dozen players are listening carefully to their manager’s message. Maloney wants slick, intricate movements followed by a finish. “We’ll make this pitch bigger as the week goes by,” he says, quickly flicking through his notes.

“Defensively we’ve been really good but we need to be more clinical. This drill will help.”

The idea is to work on transitions in a tight area — first one-vs-one and then two-vs-two. Maloney is three months into his first managerial job and he wants to transform Hibs into an exciting, attack-minded unit.

“Good, lads. I love it,” he shouts passionately as the build-up play from the back is crisp.  When the ball reaches the halfway point, the attackers can shoot and then the defending team must immediately restart. It’s a purposeful activity and the perfect way to start off a busy week.

The sun beating down on a training ground typically used to wind and rain acts as a reminder that the spring is near. It means the business end of the season is upon this Edinburgh giant and the chase for fourth place and Scottish Cup success is very much alive.

Maloney knows his philosophy will take time to implement but the improvement he has seen over the last month in training has left him itching for more. He’s addicted to the development process and as curious as ever to learn more. Sir Alex Ferguson has offered up some encouraging words about the team’s performance and also some advice. So has ex-England manager Roy Hodgson.

“The last four or five weeks have been good,” he says, after one defeat in six games in all competitions following Saturday’s 3-1 setback at Aberdeen.

“Now we’re working on the way we attack to the box.

“Some of it has been understanding the players’ attributes in certain positions. We’re getting players into better positions and we’re constantly trying to improve on the actions when we get there. We just need to start taking our chances to really make a difference.”

---

In training there’s a heavy focus on keeping possession. Hibs were beaten 2-0 at Celtic in January but still became the first Scottish team in six years to have more of the ball than the hosts at Celtic Park. Such statistics emphasise progress.

“One, two, three, four, five… and go again… get it right!” shouts assistant Gary Caldwell as six players stand on the edge of a hexagon-shaped pitch with four others in the middle.

A “goal” is awarded for eight consecutive passes and the plan is to protect the ball.

“Love it. I love it,” Maloney shouts when his troops find their rhythm. He’s an encouraging coach, and while he works both his players and staff extremely hard — and also loads them with plenty of information — he appears to have a softer, personal touch when required.

Among the players in the session is club captain Paul Hanlon (below).

 

“We’ve missed him,” Maloney says, reaching up to place a reassuring arm around his broad shoulders.

The two briefly discuss why The Athletic are watching training and sitting in on team meetings. Hanlon feeds the information back to his team-mates and throughout the week it becomes clear that while they’re a group hungry for success, they’re also a polite and friendly bunch. Maloney wouldn’t have it any other way.

If, in his younger years, he hadn’t been so good at football, the manager would have become a sports writer. Hugh McIlvanney, the former Sunday Times reporter who was able to cultivate close relationships with great Scottish managers such as Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Jock Stein and Ferguson, was a hero to him. Maloney asks how other access-all-areas articles have worked in the past and is always keen to learn more, even when time is of the essence.

For a busy man, the way he finds time for so many people throughout the day is impressive.

Not only is he on the training pitch every day, he leads the majority of the session. When he left a safe job as an assistant to Roberto Martinez with the Belgium national team, he wanted to continue coaching as well as managing.

As he sits on a football to take a breather and observe, we joke about whether he’s trying to do too much and if he’s learned the art of delegating yet.

“I’m getting there,” he says, before adding: “I believe that I have to pretty much give this club my life because I don’t ever want to take more than I give.

“A big part of joining the club was down to the way they want to attack and play.

“It will take a bit of time to create the team that I want, but in terms of short-term objectives, we’re doing well but it’s definitely not the time to stand still.”

Christian Doidge, James Scott, Josh O’Connor, Rocky Bushiri and Ryan Porteous are among the players involved in the session.

The way they move the ball with pace and purpose makes you think back to the wonderful goal Hibs scored against Dundee United in December which involved all ten outfield players and included 24 passes.

Maloney believes moments like this are a mixture of good coaching and individual quality.

“We can be very structured up to a certain point but then it’s down to the player to show the talent,” he says. “I certainly don’t want them to be robots.”

That’s not to say the players aren’t fully prepared for what may come at them on a matchday. A drone flies over the all-weather pitch to record the training and Maloney will watch clips back with his analysts.

Every workout is logged and no stone is left unturned when there’s a full week to prepare.

Sessions are planned a day in advance and each coach involved knows the messages they need to deliver, the exact measurements of the areas they will be working in, the “principles” and “sub-principles” and the conditions that will be applied; in a five-vs-five game that wraps up the morning, the attacking team has a maximum of six seconds to score. The pressure is always on.

 

Inside the canteen there’s a buzz. The Cheltenham Festival has captured the imagination of the players. It’s midfielder Joe Newell’s birthday and he’s brought in the cakes. Training ground staff quickly tuck in but most of the players stick to “recovery” food.

Maloney knows nutrition is key but he’s not too strict with the rules. Tomato ketchup and light mayonnaise are available. The players are trusted not to over-indulge. They, too, know the make-up of a good meal and are reminded by the “performance plate” picture on the wall that hangs over the buffet and explains the percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats that are required on light and hard training days.

The lamb koftas are a big hit with the players but there’s fish, chicken, jacket potatoes and lots of fruit and vegetables available, too.

Across the room, Paul McGinn discovers that I’ve arrived from Birmingham where his brother, John, the Aston Villa midfielder, lives.

“Who’s better looking then?” he asks, laughing. Like John, he, too, is the life and soul of the place, and one of many players Hibs could do with having back as their threadbare squad battles on in search of fourth place.

Not much has been made of the rotten injury luck on the green side of the Scottish capital. A week ago, 11 first-team players were out. Striker Kevin Nisbet won’t be seen again this season as he’s ruptured an ACL. McGinn and Hanlon need time to recover, as do midfielders Jake Doyle-Hayes and Kyle Magennis. Harry Clarke, signed on loan from Arsenal in January, hasn’t played a minute and on top of that Hibs lost the best player in Scotland outside of Celtic and Rangers when Martin Boyle signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Faisaly for £3 million.

 

For Maloney, it’s disrupting. At times, the average age of his squad (available players) has been just 21 years old, but he’s focused on “finding solutions” rather than making excuses.

There’s a belief that with a strong end to the season, clever recruitment in the summer and a less crowded treatment room in 2022-23, Hibs can get motoring. The challenge then is to get closer to Rangers and Celtic and then try to outperform neighbours, Hearts, and Aberdeen, all five of whom have bigger budgets available to strengthen the playing squad.

 

Armed with a coffee and notepad, Maloney walks towards the Black Box Room where he clocks up in excess of 20 hours per week on video analysis.

Outside is a mission statement with a 10-point plan aimed at making every employee that little bit better around the building. In the middle are the words: “The club that dares to do things differently.”

Giving a young manager his first opportunity in the hotseat is a calculated gamble by those in charge. Maloney was on holiday with his wife and newborn son, Jude, when the call from CEO Ben Kensell came. He soon found himself discussing the role further with Kensell and owner Ron Gordon. Within a week he was the manager.

The desire to appoint a young and progressive coach was brave and now Maloney, with his elite mentality after working for more than three years with Belgium, the No 1 international team in the world, and a successful playing career at Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic and Hull City, wants to repay that faith.

Head analyst Stevie Gormal is waiting with his laptop in the Black Box Room. It’s dark — hence the name — but a light shines onto a big screen in front of us.

Today, the manager wants to review the last game, check out the forthcoming opponents and look closely at individual performances. The finer details shall not be revealed for obvious reasons.

Maloney is meticulous in his planning and, for over an hour, he dissects key moments from the Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Motherwell that has lifted the mood at the training ground.

A picture of the supporters celebrating in the away end at Fir Park has already been shared between the coaching team. It shows the wild scenes that followed the victory as green mist from a flare makes its way out of the stadium.

An Edinburgh derby with rivals Hearts awaits in the semi-final and the winners will play Rangers or Celtic at Hampden Park. The stakes couldn’t be higher and Maloney knows a victory will give this club the lift-off they’re looking for.

“I’d love to be able to get Hibs into Europe,” he says, pausing to tell Gormal which clips to save for later. “We haven’t got the biggest budget so we have to find our own way. That’s inspiring and exciting.

“When I saw all those fans at Motherwell, it was amazing and a genuine source of inspiration that, if we get this right, we can make a lot of people happy.”

Maloney’s mood quickly switches. Agitated at what he’s viewing, he stands up, scratches the back of his head and asks for another clip to be saved. He’s not happy with a passage of play. Defenders aren’t tight enough to their opponents and there’s a gap in a dangerous area that could be exposed.

As the footage continues, another similar scenario is revealed. “Save that please,” Maloney again asks. “We can’t be having that.”

These shortcomings will be presented to the team before training the next morning.

 

It’s eye-opening just how many hours of footage are trawled over in the pursuit of finding a weakness that could potentially swing a game.

Gormal worked at Celtic under Brendan Rodgers when Maloney was also doing his apprenticeship and his knowledge is impressive. Their connection is strong — it has to be when they work so closely together.

A loud knock at the door shifts attention.

Assistant Gary Caldwell peers in as the light quickly brightens up the room. “Fly on the Wings of Love” is playing in the gym nearby.

“Good timing,” Maloney says, as one of his young players also comes into view.

“You should have gambled here,” the manager says, pointing to a clip of an attacking phase on the screen.

“Where?” the player asks.

“Here…” Maloney continues.

“Oh, yes. That one…” he concedes, before Caldwell, who played in the same FA Cup-winning team at Wigan as Maloney, takes him away for further analysis.

In the first-team coaching office there is a huge whiteboard with the name of every player on it. It’s used to monitor development and communication between the coaches.

Caldwell shares a story about how his old boss Gordon Strachan would identify his weakness (pace) and then find ways to bring out his strengths (his ability to read the game, cover danger and distribute the ball effectively). The Hibs staff are trying a similar approach and are noticing steady improvements. Three players are name-checked as making significant progress in recent weeks, purely because they know what is required from them.

Maloney explains how, when he was a player, all he ever wanted was clarity from his manager.

“I hope I give that to my players.

“It’s one of the big challenges because every player is different. But I’m very open. If there’s ever any doubt, I hope they come to me.

“If they have clarity when they go out and play then they can show their talent and give me what I want from them and also improve as players.”

Later in the afternoon, as defensive actions are discussed, Caldwell returns into the Black Box Room. First-team coach Valerio Zuddas isn’t far behind.

“This guy is very passionate about the defensive line,” Caldwell says, locking eyes with Zuddas, and trying not to laugh. “He could explode at any minute!”

Maloney met Zuddas at the Cruyff Institute in Amsterdam when he was studying for a Master’s degree in coaching.

On the course, students ranged from Olympic swimmers to ballet dancers, so those with a football interest naturally stuck together.

Zuddas was studying Maurizio Sarri at Lazio, the Italian club where he also worked as a coach, and Maloney was keen to hear more.

“Our task on the first morning was to create a drawing of our journey,” Maloney says smiling.

“Valerio’s was so artistic and included five lines with different colours — some were straight, some were wavy — and he went into so much depth explaining it. I can’t draw. I think I did stick men, or something!

“I was really interested by Valerio and we struck up a good relationship. When I got the job here I called him straight up.”

Maloney also brought in former USA international Jon Busch as goalkeeping coach after connecting during his time at Chicago Fire in MLS.

Brian Doogan joined, too, as head of technical support. He has known Maloney for more than 20 years — longer than any of his other team members.

 

Staff who remained from the former regime included Hibs’ Scottish Cup-winning captain David Gray.

“I love the people I work with, I really do,” Maloney says. “The staff here that I inherited are really positive. The schedule can be tough, really tough, but they want us to do well.”

 

First into the meeting room on matchday minus-three is Gormal. Overnight he’s put together a digestible 10-minute package for the team to view.

A giant print of the Easter Road stadium covers one side of the wall. The players sit down and listen as Maloney starts presenting. He uses a laser pen to point to areas on the big screen.

“Defenders, look at this,” he says. “It’s excellent and don’t underestimate your job as we try to penetrate the opposition box.”

His words are direct but thoughtful; there’s a compliment in so much of what he says. For months Maloney has been loading his young group with information about specific movements and actions.

“Look, we’ve worked hard on this and you’ve taken it into the game, well done,” he continues.

One department of the team is asked, collectively, to pay closer attention to a specific demand. A handful of clips show where they are going wrong but are then followed up with an example of how to do it right.

“Please, please, please, if any of you don’t understand, just ask,” Maloney says before wrapping things up and heading out for the most intense training session of the week; a 90-minute workout again aimed at becoming better in attack.

Today, the size of the training area has increased and Maloney asks his players: “Can you do what we’ve asked under some real pressure?”

Blue skies have been replaced with a cold wind. There’s drizzle in the air but no room for hiding from the elements. A combative 10-vs-10 game will be the final test. Maloney, Caldwell and Gray go over and over the same instructions, drilling into players the exact requirements.

Do they have any freedom on a matchday?

“Freedom within the structure,” Maloney says.

“It’s how I see it. There are things that are very structured but I want to see their talent.

“They should hopefully know where their team-mates are. They should know it’s their team-mates’ jobs to get the ball into certain areas, but everything within that is to let the player show the talent.

“There’s a million ways to play this game and I want them to have a bit of freedom and enjoy it.”

One player who catches the eye is Elias Melkersen, the 19-year-old forward who scored both goals for Hibs in the win at Motherwell. He was Maloney’s first signing from FK Bodo/Glimt and has a terrific attitude. Not only does he stay behind for additional one-to-one practice with Caldwell, who tends to work closely with the strikers, he also helps staff collect balls and pack away equipment.

 

Kevin Dabrowski, the Polish goalkeeper who is the understudy to former Arsenal stopper Matt Macey, is one of the hardest and dedicated workers in the group. Last week he packed donation boxes in support of the war in Ukraine and sent them off to his homeland.

It’s 4pm and Hanlon shakes hands with Dabrowski next to the coffee machine in the canteen. “Are you still here, big man?” asks the skipper, who has just finished collecting the fines for misplaced cutlery and unattended training kit. It shouldn’t be a surprise any more, as staff explain how he’s always the last man standing.

The players here are so keen to learn and with that attitude Hibs are in a good position to kick on in the SPL if they can work on ways to start scoring a little more often.

There will be some down time for the players and additional rest during the international break.

Up until the middle of December, Maloney fully expected to be a part of the Belgium camp but the opportunity to manage Hibs was “too good to turn down”.

Working with superstars like Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard taught him a thing or two. So did watching some of the other players at domestic level.

“I loved going to Atalanta when Timothy Castagne was there,” he says. “(Gian Piero) Gasperini, wow, what a job. I loved the fact they could punch above their weight.

“I used to like watching Inter under (Antonio) Conte when Rom was playing… Stefano Pioli at Milan…the Italian link probably comes from childhood and watching Gazzetta on Channel 4.

“But there are so many. Tuchel, Klopp, Guardiola… I love what Graham Potter has done at Brighton, he’s tactically really smart… Arteta at Arsenal.

“I love watching football but I love competing more. I want more games!”

How he would fit even more into an already congested schedule isn’t worth thinking about. Clearly, he adores the all-consuming nature of his work but it is so time-consuming, especially with a young family.

“My wife and her family have been amazing with our one-year-old,” Maloney says.

“There are some very early starts and late finishes for me, but it’s all worth it for days like at Motherwell.

“I know it’s early, but to send a big amount of people like that away happy is a great feeling. And I genuinely love the job. I really do.”

 

 

[Leith Green]

4 minutes ago, Merkland Red said:

Maloney article in the Athletic

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Inside Maloney’s Hibernian: ‘I have to pretty much give this club my life – I don’t ever want to take more than I give’

Gregg Evans Mar 24, 2022

“Our focus area is the attacking third,” Shaun Maloney says as his forwards exchange passes and convert into an open net. “This is a drill we’re trying for the first time.”

It’s 11:30am on “matchday minus-four” at the Hibernian Training Centre and a dozen players are listening carefully to their manager’s message. Maloney wants slick, intricate movements followed by a finish. “We’ll make this pitch bigger as the week goes by,” he says, quickly flicking through his notes.

“Defensively we’ve been really good but we need to be more clinical. This drill will help.”

The idea is to work on transitions in a tight area — first one-vs-one and then two-vs-two. Maloney is three months into his first managerial job and he wants to transform Hibs into an exciting, attack-minded unit.

“Good, lads. I love it,” he shouts passionately as the build-up play from the back is crisp.  When the ball reaches the halfway point, the attackers can shoot and then the defending team must immediately restart. It’s a purposeful activity and the perfect way to start off a busy week.

The sun beating down on a training ground typically used to wind and rain acts as a reminder that the spring is near. It means the business end of the season is upon this Edinburgh giant and the chase for fourth place and Scottish Cup success is very much alive.

Maloney knows his philosophy will take time to implement but the improvement he has seen over the last month in training has left him itching for more. He’s addicted to the development process and as curious as ever to learn more. Sir Alex Ferguson has offered up some encouraging words about the team’s performance and also some advice. So has ex-England manager Roy Hodgson.

“The last four or five weeks have been good,” he says, after one defeat in six games in all competitions following Saturday’s 3-1 setback at Aberdeen.

“Now we’re working on the way we attack to the box.

“Some of it has been understanding the players’ attributes in certain positions. We’re getting players into better positions and we’re constantly trying to improve on the actions when we get there. We just need to start taking our chances to really make a difference.”

---

In training there’s a heavy focus on keeping possession. Hibs were beaten 2-0 at Celtic in January but still became the first Scottish team in six years to have more of the ball than the hosts at Celtic Park. Such statistics emphasise progress.

“One, two, three, four, five… and go again… get it right!” shouts assistant Gary Caldwell as six players stand on the edge of a hexagon-shaped pitch with four others in the middle.

A “goal” is awarded for eight consecutive passes and the plan is to protect the ball.

“Love it. I love it,” Maloney shouts when his troops find their rhythm. He’s an encouraging coach, and while he works both his players and staff extremely hard — and also loads them with plenty of information — he appears to have a softer, personal touch when required.

Among the players in the session is club captain Paul Hanlon (below).

 

“We’ve missed him,” Maloney says, reaching up to place a reassuring arm around his broad shoulders.

The two briefly discuss why The Athletic are watching training and sitting in on team meetings. Hanlon feeds the information back to his team-mates and throughout the week it becomes clear that while they’re a group hungry for success, they’re also a polite and friendly bunch. Maloney wouldn’t have it any other way.

If, in his younger years, he hadn’t been so good at football, the manager would have become a sports writer. Hugh McIlvanney, the former Sunday Times reporter who was able to cultivate close relationships with great Scottish managers such as Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Jock Stein and Ferguson, was a hero to him. Maloney asks how other access-all-areas articles have worked in the past and is always keen to learn more, even when time is of the essence.

For a busy man, the way he finds time for so many people throughout the day is impressive.

Not only is he on the training pitch every day, he leads the majority of the session. When he left a safe job as an assistant to Roberto Martinez with the Belgium national team, he wanted to continue coaching as well as managing.

As he sits on a football to take a breather and observe, we joke about whether he’s trying to do too much and if he’s learned the art of delegating yet.

“I’m getting there,” he says, before adding: “I believe that I have to pretty much give this club my life because I don’t ever want to take more than I give.

“A big part of joining the club was down to the way they want to attack and play.

“It will take a bit of time to create the team that I want, but in terms of short-term objectives, we’re doing well but it’s definitely not the time to stand still.”

Christian Doidge, James Scott, Josh O’Connor, Rocky Bushiri and Ryan Porteous are among the players involved in the session.

The way they move the ball with pace and purpose makes you think back to the wonderful goal Hibs scored against Dundee United in December which involved all ten outfield players and included 24 passes.

Maloney believes moments like this are a mixture of good coaching and individual quality.

“We can be very structured up to a certain point but then it’s down to the player to show the talent,” he says. “I certainly don’t want them to be robots.”

That’s not to say the players aren’t fully prepared for what may come at them on a matchday. A drone flies over the all-weather pitch to record the training and Maloney will watch clips back with his analysts.

Every workout is logged and no stone is left unturned when there’s a full week to prepare.

Sessions are planned a day in advance and each coach involved knows the messages they need to deliver, the exact measurements of the areas they will be working in, the “principles” and “sub-principles” and the conditions that will be applied; in a five-vs-five game that wraps up the morning, the attacking team has a maximum of six seconds to score. The pressure is always on.

 

Inside the canteen there’s a buzz. The Cheltenham Festival has captured the imagination of the players. It’s midfielder Joe Newell’s birthday and he’s brought in the cakes. Training ground staff quickly tuck in but most of the players stick to “recovery” food.

Maloney knows nutrition is key but he’s not too strict with the rules. Tomato ketchup and light mayonnaise are available. The players are trusted not to over-indulge. They, too, know the make-up of a good meal and are reminded by the “performance plate” picture on the wall that hangs over the buffet and explains the percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats that are required on light and hard training days.

The lamb koftas are a big hit with the players but there’s fish, chicken, jacket potatoes and lots of fruit and vegetables available, too.

Across the room, Paul McGinn discovers that I’ve arrived from Birmingham where his brother, John, the Aston Villa midfielder, lives.

“Who’s better looking then?” he asks, laughing. Like John, he, too, is the life and soul of the place, and one of many players Hibs could do with having back as their threadbare squad battles on in search of fourth place.

Not much has been made of the rotten injury luck on the green side of the Scottish capital. A week ago, 11 first-team players were out. Striker Kevin Nisbet won’t be seen again this season as he’s ruptured an ACL. McGinn and Hanlon need time to recover, as do midfielders Jake Doyle-Hayes and Kyle Magennis. Harry Clarke, signed on loan from Arsenal in January, hasn’t played a minute and on top of that Hibs lost the best player in Scotland outside of Celtic and Rangers when Martin Boyle signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Faisaly for £3 million.

 

For Maloney, it’s disrupting. At times, the average age of his squad (available players) has been just 21 years old, but he’s focused on “finding solutions” rather than making excuses.

There’s a belief that with a strong end to the season, clever recruitment in the summer and a less crowded treatment room in 2022-23, Hibs can get motoring. The challenge then is to get closer to Rangers and Celtic and then try to outperform neighbours, Hearts, and Aberdeen, all five of whom have bigger budgets available to strengthen the playing squad.

 

Armed with a coffee and notepad, Maloney walks towards the Black Box Room where he clocks up in excess of 20 hours per week on video analysis.

Outside is a mission statement with a 10-point plan aimed at making every employee that little bit better around the building. In the middle are the words: “The club that dares to do things differently.”

Giving a young manager his first opportunity in the hotseat is a calculated gamble by those in charge. Maloney was on holiday with his wife and newborn son, Jude, when the call from CEO Ben Kensell came. He soon found himself discussing the role further with Kensell and owner Ron Gordon. Within a week he was the manager.

The desire to appoint a young and progressive coach was brave and now Maloney, with his elite mentality after working for more than three years with Belgium, the No 1 international team in the world, and a successful playing career at Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic and Hull City, wants to repay that faith.

Head analyst Stevie Gormal is waiting with his laptop in the Black Box Room. It’s dark — hence the name — but a light shines onto a big screen in front of us.

Today, the manager wants to review the last game, check out the forthcoming opponents and look closely at individual performances. The finer details shall not be revealed for obvious reasons.

Maloney is meticulous in his planning and, for over an hour, he dissects key moments from the Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Motherwell that has lifted the mood at the training ground.

A picture of the supporters celebrating in the away end at Fir Park has already been shared between the coaching team. It shows the wild scenes that followed the victory as green mist from a flare makes its way out of the stadium.

An Edinburgh derby with rivals Hearts awaits in the semi-final and the winners will play Rangers or Celtic at Hampden Park. The stakes couldn’t be higher and Maloney knows a victory will give this club the lift-off they’re looking for.

“I’d love to be able to get Hibs into Europe,” he says, pausing to tell Gormal which clips to save for later. “We haven’t got the biggest budget so we have to find our own way. That’s inspiring and exciting.

“When I saw all those fans at Motherwell, it was amazing and a genuine source of inspiration that, if we get this right, we can make a lot of people happy.”

Maloney’s mood quickly switches. Agitated at what he’s viewing, he stands up, scratches the back of his head and asks for another clip to be saved. He’s not happy with a passage of play. Defenders aren’t tight enough to their opponents and there’s a gap in a dangerous area that could be exposed.

As the footage continues, another similar scenario is revealed. “Save that please,” Maloney again asks. “We can’t be having that.”

These shortcomings will be presented to the team before training the next morning.

 

It’s eye-opening just how many hours of footage are trawled over in the pursuit of finding a weakness that could potentially swing a game.

Gormal worked at Celtic under Brendan Rodgers when Maloney was also doing his apprenticeship and his knowledge is impressive. Their connection is strong — it has to be when they work so closely together.

A loud knock at the door shifts attention.

Assistant Gary Caldwell peers in as the light quickly brightens up the room. “Fly on the Wings of Love” is playing in the gym nearby.

“Good timing,” Maloney says, as one of his young players also comes into view.

“You should have gambled here,” the manager says, pointing to a clip of an attacking phase on the screen.

“Where?” the player asks.

“Here…” Maloney continues.

“Oh, yes. That one…” he concedes, before Caldwell, who played in the same FA Cup-winning team at Wigan as Maloney, takes him away for further analysis.

In the first-team coaching office there is a huge whiteboard with the name of every player on it. It’s used to monitor development and communication between the coaches.

Caldwell shares a story about how his old boss Gordon Strachan would identify his weakness (pace) and then find ways to bring out his strengths (his ability to read the game, cover danger and distribute the ball effectively). The Hibs staff are trying a similar approach and are noticing steady improvements. Three players are name-checked as making significant progress in recent weeks, purely because they know what is required from them.

Maloney explains how, when he was a player, all he ever wanted was clarity from his manager.

“I hope I give that to my players.

“It’s one of the big challenges because every player is different. But I’m very open. If there’s ever any doubt, I hope they come to me.

“If they have clarity when they go out and play then they can show their talent and give me what I want from them and also improve as players.”

Later in the afternoon, as defensive actions are discussed, Caldwell returns into the Black Box Room. First-team coach Valerio Zuddas isn’t far behind.

“This guy is very passionate about the defensive line,” Caldwell says, locking eyes with Zuddas, and trying not to laugh. “He could explode at any minute!”

Maloney met Zuddas at the Cruyff Institute in Amsterdam when he was studying for a Master’s degree in coaching.

On the course, students ranged from Olympic swimmers to ballet dancers, so those with a football interest naturally stuck together.

Zuddas was studying Maurizio Sarri at Lazio, the Italian club where he also worked as a coach, and Maloney was keen to hear more.

“Our task on the first morning was to create a drawing of our journey,” Maloney says smiling.

“Valerio’s was so artistic and included five lines with different colours — some were straight, some were wavy — and he went into so much depth explaining it. I can’t draw. I think I did stick men, or something!

“I was really interested by Valerio and we struck up a good relationship. When I got the job here I called him straight up.”

Maloney also brought in former USA international Jon Busch as goalkeeping coach after connecting during his time at Chicago Fire in MLS.

Brian Doogan joined, too, as head of technical support. He has known Maloney for more than 20 years — longer than any of his other team members.

 

Staff who remained from the former regime included Hibs’ Scottish Cup-winning captain David Gray.

“I love the people I work with, I really do,” Maloney says. “The staff here that I inherited are really positive. The schedule can be tough, really tough, but they want us to do well.”

 

First into the meeting room on matchday minus-three is Gormal. Overnight he’s put together a digestible 10-minute package for the team to view.

A giant print of the Easter Road stadium covers one side of the wall. The players sit down and listen as Maloney starts presenting. He uses a laser pen to point to areas on the big screen.

“Defenders, look at this,” he says. “It’s excellent and don’t underestimate your job as we try to penetrate the opposition box.”

His words are direct but thoughtful; there’s a compliment in so much of what he says. For months Maloney has been loading his young group with information about specific movements and actions.

“Look, we’ve worked hard on this and you’ve taken it into the game, well done,” he continues.

One department of the team is asked, collectively, to pay closer attention to a specific demand. A handful of clips show where they are going wrong but are then followed up with an example of how to do it right.

“Please, please, please, if any of you don’t understand, just ask,” Maloney says before wrapping things up and heading out for the most intense training session of the week; a 90-minute workout again aimed at becoming better in attack.

Today, the size of the training area has increased and Maloney asks his players: “Can you do what we’ve asked under some real pressure?”

Blue skies have been replaced with a cold wind. There’s drizzle in the air but no room for hiding from the elements. A combative 10-vs-10 game will be the final test. Maloney, Caldwell and Gray go over and over the same instructions, drilling into players the exact requirements.

Do they have any freedom on a matchday?

“Freedom within the structure,” Maloney says.

“It’s how I see it. There are things that are very structured but I want to see their talent.

“They should hopefully know where their team-mates are. They should know it’s their team-mates’ jobs to get the ball into certain areas, but everything within that is to let the player show the talent.

“There’s a million ways to play this game and I want them to have a bit of freedom and enjoy it.”

One player who catches the eye is Elias Melkersen, the 19-year-old forward who scored both goals for Hibs in the win at Motherwell. He was Maloney’s first signing from FK Bodo/Glimt and has a terrific attitude. Not only does he stay behind for additional one-to-one practice with Caldwell, who tends to work closely with the strikers, he also helps staff collect balls and pack away equipment.

 

Kevin Dabrowski, the Polish goalkeeper who is the understudy to former Arsenal stopper Matt Macey, is one of the hardest and dedicated workers in the group. Last week he packed donation boxes in support of the war in Ukraine and sent them off to his homeland.

It’s 4pm and Hanlon shakes hands with Dabrowski next to the coffee machine in the canteen. “Are you still here, big man?” asks the skipper, who has just finished collecting the fines for misplaced cutlery and unattended training kit. It shouldn’t be a surprise any more, as staff explain how he’s always the last man standing.

The players here are so keen to learn and with that attitude Hibs are in a good position to kick on in the SPL if they can work on ways to start scoring a little more often.

There will be some down time for the players and additional rest during the international break.

Up until the middle of December, Maloney fully expected to be a part of the Belgium camp but the opportunity to manage Hibs was “too good to turn down”.

Working with superstars like Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard taught him a thing or two. So did watching some of the other players at domestic level.

“I loved going to Atalanta when Timothy Castagne was there,” he says. “(Gian Piero) Gasperini, wow, what a job. I loved the fact they could punch above their weight.

“I used to like watching Inter under (Antonio) Conte when Rom was playing… Stefano Pioli at Milan…the Italian link probably comes from childhood and watching Gazzetta on Channel 4.

“But there are so many. Tuchel, Klopp, Guardiola… I love what Graham Potter has done at Brighton, he’s tactically really smart… Arteta at Arsenal.

“I love watching football but I love competing more. I want more games!”

How he would fit even more into an already congested schedule isn’t worth thinking about. Clearly, he adores the all-consuming nature of his work but it is so time-consuming, especially with a young family.

“My wife and her family have been amazing with our one-year-old,” Maloney says.

“There are some very early starts and late finishes for me, but it’s all worth it for days like at Motherwell.

“I know it’s early, but to send a big amount of people like that away happy is a great feeling. And I genuinely love the job. I really do.”

 

 

Already read it, not a bad article tbf..........but if we end up bottom 6 and out the cup to hearts, nice words will mean jack shit.