Full Hibs rebuild under Monty may have to wait - fan view

Let’s start with the positives. In the first half hour of Tuesday’s match, Hibs were terrific. It was perhaps the best half hour of football that I’ve seen from Hibs since the home tie against Luzern under Lee Johnson, and it’s no exaggeration to say that Hibs could (and probably should) have been out of sight by the time the clock ticked onto the thirty-minute mark.

Jair Tavares, in particular, was causing Motherwell all manner of problems down Hibs’ left-hand side. His link up play with Jordan Obita created chance after chance, but Hibs could not take advantage. Too often, the final ball failed to find a Hibs player in the box which was as much to do with a lack of numbers getting into good positions as it was the quality of the cross.

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The breakthrough did eventually come, and it was a fine goal from Elie Youan. The French forward slipped the ball to Rory Whittaker before collecting the return pass on the edge of Motherwell’s area and slaloming past two defenders before dispatching his shot past Liam Kelly in the Motherwell goal.

It felt at that point that if Hibs were to score next, then a real hammering could be on the cards. Instead, though, it was Motherwell who drew level. Whittaker was caught out on the right-hand side and that allowed Theo Bair to close in on goal before firing past David Marshall.

The goal should not have been the setback that it turned out to be. The other side of this Hibs team took over and we went from playing with verve and intent to being ponderous, deliberate and ineffective. Hibs saw a lot of the ball but looked nowhere near as dangerous against a Motherwell team who showed little interest in winning the game from that point.

Jair went from being Hibs most potent attacking player to almost a bystander as Motherwell stifled the threat on the left-hand side, while Hibs struggled to find a way through a stuffy Motherwell defence.

As so often happens with Hibs, Motherwell took advantage of one of their rare chances and took the lead. Joe Newell missed a challenge just inside Motherwell’s half, leaving Dylan Levitt to commit a tactical foul outside of Hibs’ box.

Levitt perhaps could have done more to show the Motherwell player away from the area or to win the ball cleanly. Whittaker was replaced by Lewis Stevenson after picking up a knock before the free kick could be taken, and the veteran full back had barely had a chance to get into position before Motherwell’s Bevis Mugabe headed Motherwell in front.

There was a strong sense of de ja vu for the Hibs support as we seem to concede goals like this far more than we should (at least that’s the perception) – Hanlon, who had an otherwise excellent match – could only find a Motherwell head with his clearance, and when the ball was knocked back towards goal it was Mugabe who got the critical touch.

By now, the discontent was evident in the stand as fans’ frustrations at the team’s performance grew. Nick Montgomery, with options severely limited on the bench, threw on Rudi Molotnikov, Josh Landers, and Harry McKirdy – making a surprise return to the first team squad following heart surgery in the summer – as Hibs chased the game.

Molotnikov provided the energy in the middle of the park that had been missing from Dylan Levitt, who he’d replaced. The youngster dribbled through the Motherwell defence only to see his shot blocked, before Lewis Stevenson struck the crossbar with a shot from outside the area. Despite this, it still felt as though the game was slipping away from Hibs.

Youan, however, had other ideas. Having been switched to right wing back as Montgomery shuffled the pack, Youan picked up the ball in injury time and his shot was deflected past Kelly to salvage a point for the home side.

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It would have been harsh on Hibs to have lost the game. Motherwell, if truth be told, offered very little in the game and it doesn’t reflect well on Hibs that we failed to win the match against such poor opposition and in a game that had started so brightly.

There is some mitigation, however. Montgomery was without Rocky Bushiri, Lewis Miller, and Martin Boyle to international duty, while Josh Campbell’s injury picked up in the derby ruled him out so it’s hard to be too critical of the result.

The match, however, did provide a snapshot of Montgomery’s tenure at the club so far. I have generally been impressed by Monty since he arrived. A natural leader, he has changed the mood around the club and the rumours of discontent that were coming out of Hibs towards the end of Lee Johnson’s time in charge have completely stopped.

He’s revived the career of Jair Tavares and has given Hibs an identity that many pundits had called Hibs out as lacking, but it has not been plain sailing for him. A 33% win rate after 18 games is not sustainable over a longer period if he’s to meet the club and the support’s ambitions, and (first half hour of Tuesday’s game excluded) chance creation has dried up at an alarming rate.

The January window provides Montgomery with an opportunity to reset; the team have jetted off for some warm weather training while Hibs look to ship out a few fringe players on loans to free up budget which will allow Montgomery to freshen up the squad with players who are, hopefully, more naturally able to play his system effectively.

With Bill Foley’s investment still some way off (if approved) I suspect Hibs will look to the loan market for temporary solutions to see us through to the end of the season before a more thorough rebuild can be undertaken in the summer.