Saturday's defeat by St Johnstone was symptomatic of a lack of squad depth and a nagging feeling that, while Nick Montgomery has eradicated a lot of what was bad about the Hibs side, some bad bits remain. The burning, but probably unanswerable, question has to be, 'how can Hibs grind out a gritty 1-0 win away to Livingston and then put in such a turgid performance seven days later with virtually the same starting line-up?'

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The absence of Joe Newell played a part. So did Dylan Levitt's error from a goal kick that presented Graham Carey with the chance to score the winner. The front four having a collective off-day didn't help matters, and neither did a paucity of alternatives. It speaks volumes that Hibs finished the match with an attacking midfielder at right-back, a winger in central midfield, and David Marshall to thank for not losing by a greater scoreline.

Montgomery deserves praise for achieving what he has done so far with this squad of players; none signed on his watch and with four long-term absentees, three of whom are yet to kick a ball under him. Long before the former Central Coast Mariners boss had his feet under the desk at East Mains, Hibs fans had affixed their team with the unwanted yet largely accurate label of 'the most consistently inconsistent team in Scotland'. Montgomery has coaxed good performances out of this team, even if they are yet to put together a complete display over a 90 minutes, but they still have a tendency to follow up victories with meek performances that often result in defeat, or draws from winning positions. 

Three league defeats in 14, two at the hands of Celtic and Rangers, isn't a bad return when you consider the disastrous start to the league season. Hibs are two points off third as things stand and had two or three games gone differently under Montgomery, could be just seven points off Rangers in second. 

 

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It felt significant that his post-match remarks on Saturday focused on the disappointment of the overall performance, the failure to capitalise on St Johnstone's errors, and a lack of attacking threat in the final third when other managers might have attacked the surface, blamed the weather conditions, or focused on a half-hearted penalty appeal at the death. It suggests he knows what went wrong and how to fix it ahead of the trip to Ross County.

We know that in Dingwall he will line his side up in a 442 shape, they will play out from the back, and he might make two or three personnel changes. He also has to reinvigorate his front line. If neither Martin Boyle nor Élie Youan are on it, which they weren't at McDiarmid, then Hibs tend to struggle. But with Adam Le Fondre out injured, and a lack of options on the wings, Montgomery has limited scope for change. Could we see the return of Josh Campbell in that hybrid playmaker/supporting striker role? Could Youan be shifted centrally, and Boyle returned to the wings? Does Christian Doidge get a start? Is there an argument for starting Rudi Molotnikov and having an experienced player as an option off the bench? These are questions only the coaching staff can answer.

One thing Montgomery has been good at since his arrival is avoiding consecutive league defeats. The 4-0 loss to Rangers at Ibrox was followed by a battling performance and goalless draw against Celtic at Easter Road, while the 4-1 defeat by Celtic last midweek preceded that gritty success against Livingston. The manager will have Newell available which will help his midfield options, and he will hope the presence of the midfielder can help spark a reaction from his team as well. 

There's no doubt that a busy festive schedule hasn't been made any easier by having a threadbare squad and managing players through knocks and niggles, and four consecutive away games. Hibs haven't lost at home under Montgomery, with 12 of the 21 points accrued since his arrival coming at Easter Road, but they also have a chance to make it 12 points on the road with victory against Ross County which would undoubtedly be a confidence-booster going into the Edinburgh derby. That meeting with Hearts will be another test for Montgomery and his players but three points and the city bragging rights wouldn't be a bad way to round off 2023 and would give the side something to build on against Motherwell on January 2.

It feels a little like Hibs are hirpling to the halfway point in the season and the winter break, which may be invaluable in terms of getting players back from injury, and allowing those who have probably played more minutes than planned to have a rest, as well as potentially bringing in additions to the squad. In the meantime though, there are three big games to play, and Montgomery's task is managing to elicit performances similar to those at the start of his regime. 

It is possible to be broadly optimistic about the way things are going, while also deriding a meek performance against a team that, if Hibs have serious designs on finishing third, should really be tasting defeat every time they face the Easter Road side. Last weekend's victory over Livingston was exactly the type of game Hibs have struggled with for some time; eking out wins without a good performance. This weekend's defeat, however, was a reminder that for all the positives under Montgomery, Hibs are still very much a work in progress.