Joe Newell on why Hibs won't back down despite Celtic pain

A 4-1 defeat was the painful outcome to Nick Montgomery's side refusing to drive the team bus all the way onto the Celtic Park pitch on Wednesday night. It might be enough to convince some that pragmatism is the only solution against the reigning Premiership champions, especially given they've been stifled on occasion already this term, but Newell believes Hibs' long-term vision is better served by sticking to the more ambitious style of play implemented since their manager's arrival back in September.

Montgomery clearly holds a steadfast belief in his approach, his methods lifting Australian side Central Coast Mariners from A-League also-rans to unlikely champions last season, and is gradually transferring that faith onto players and fans. Newell accepts Hibs fell short on the night, seen off by goals from Matt O'Riley, Luis Palma, and a double from Hyeun-gyu Oh, but the midfielder is adamant that sticking to the manager's principles will produce better results over time.

"There are different ways to play football, obviously," said Newell. "Teams will go to Parkhead and sit behind the ball. Motherwell did that the other week and got a draw and fair play to them. But we are not going to do that.

"Since the gaffer has come in he has been very clear on how he wants us to play and we are all together as a club going forward. The fans are starting to come on board to it now. I think they are appreciating it.

READ MORE: Why Hibs can balance Celtic errors against long term identity pursuit

"There will be lessons from last night, but it is about staying with our philosophy and our beliefs. Hopefully further down the line we will go to Parkhead, play the same way and get results.

"The manager has only been here two or three months, not that long really. We haven’t had a pre-season with him, there has been a lot of games. It will take time, it will not happen overnight.

"But I think the change you have seen already has been quite drastic. I have felt it personally playing in it. Not many teams will go to Parkhead and try and play like we did. We obviously lost, but we won’t go away from what we are doing and the manager won’t want us to do that. It’s good.

"When it comes off, it is really good to watch. For me personally I prefer it to your old school lump it up the pitch style. It is a work in progress, but we will carry on and won’t change from it.”

Faith in the process remains strong, but Newell admits Hibs did themselves few favours, and gifted Celtic plenty. Oh's first was scrambled home from an early corner, while O'Riley was inexplicably allowed to drift into the box unmarked for the second. Lewis Stevenson may argue he was hard done by in conceding a penalty for making contact with Alistair Johnston, but there was no such leeway for Will Fish at the fourth as he was brushed aside by Oh with alarming ease. And while Newell insists Hibs were competitive in the game, he felt they did not do enough in either penalty area to deserve anything from it.

“I think we just gave ourselves a mountain to climb ,didn’t we?" said the 30-year-old. "When you go to Parkhead you have got to be tight and difficult to beat, first and foremost. We obviously gave them a head start early doors. That is the most frustrating thing. It was the same thing at the start of the second half.

“Every manager and every player will say that conceding from a set-piece is their biggest bugbear in football. You think you can be solid there whether you are zonal or man for man. We will look back on that and try and rectify it. When you go and play a team like Celtic they have got such good players and they can cut you open so easily. To concede a goal from a set piece feels a bit cheap really.

“I think we have to be better in both boxes. Football is won and lost in both boxes. You try to get control of the game in midfield. But we weren’t clinical enough in both boxes. In the first half we missed two one-on-ones. Not that they were great chances, but on another day they might go in. Listen, I wouldn’t say we deserved anything from the game, but I think we can definitely be better than we were in both boxes, definitely.”

Results elsewhere were favourable for Hibs, with both Hearts and St Mirren dropping points above them, and they will now seek to course correct against Livingston on Saturday.

“We are at a football club where every game is huge," said Newell. "We went to Parkhead fully expecting to be competitive, to try and win the game. We didn’t go there to roll over, and never would. Every fixture for us is huge if we want to be where we want to be at the end of the season. The games before Christmas and the Edinburgh derby after Christmas are real opportunities for us."