Hibs Observer season predictions: How will Hibs fare?

Everyone answered the same questions about the season as a whole, individual players, David Gray, and more... 

 Where will Hibs finish in the league, and why?

PM: Fourth, but it will be tight and go down to the wire. I know as bold calls go, this is well up there but that’s what these predictions are all about! I’ve probably seen enough early evidence to suggest that Hibs will be harder to beat, tighter at the back, and quicker in the build-up. 
David Gray’s knowledge of the club, and Scottish football, will serve him well and I think he could surprise a few people, although this prediction does hinge heavily on a couple of smart striker signings and Hibs avoiding a retread of last season where they repeatedly stepped on rakes for the first few weeks. 

LB: Fifth. This will be a transitional season, and one that will undoubtedly demand patience and holding of the collective nerve at various points, but I do believe Hibs have enough already to better last term. That’s not a terribly high bar, obviously, but the 2023/24 Premiership wasn’t of a great standard across the board, and I don’t think revolutionary improvements are required to finish a fair bit higher than eighth. Revolutionary improvements would be welcome for Hibs fans, of course, but that will take time. 

MF: I predict a fifth-place finish for Hibs this season. We were close to a top-six finish last season, and fell short mainly as a result of a defence that had an aversion to clean sheets. David Gray has brought in Warren O’Hora and Marvin Ekpiteta to shore up the defence, while the early signs are that Joe Bursik could be an upgrade on David Marshall. Gray’s side has scored plenty in the Premier Sports group stages and so will be looking to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish. The lack of signings in forward areas at the time of writing will prevent Hibs threatening the top four spots. 

CW: I’m going to temper expectations and say 5th this season rather than my usual blindly optimistic predictions. I think – and certainly hope – that we’ll enjoy a much-improved league campaign from last season, but as it stands I don’t think we have quite enough to secure a European spot. Although there’s still plenty of time left in the transfer window for Hibs to strengthen and hopefully prove me wrong!

CN: At the time of writing, I think we will finish 5th. Despite the Kelty result, performances have been positive across the Premier Sports Cup and friendlies and I think David Gray and the coaching staff have already made clear improvements with the team's shape, but also the individual performances of players like Josh Campbell and Rudi Molotnikov should give the fans some optimism! The early signings of Warren O’Hora, Marvin Ekpiteta, Joe Bursik and Jordan Smith have added necessary steel and depth to the backline. Of course, we are desperate for attacking reinforcements and I think that will determine where we finish in the league.

Who will be the top scorer for Hibs?

PM: One of the new strikers, of course! I actually think Dylan Vente could end up comfortably in double figures despite struggling to find the net after his hat-trick against Elgin City. 

LB: Martin Boyle. After a jaded campaign last season, the winger seems to have the bit between his teeth again, and the extra responsibility that David Gray has placed on him to set standards should see him get to another level. I’d like to say Vente, but he still has a way to go to prove he can be Hibs’ talisman.

MF: I think Josh Campbell is an early contender for top scorer this season. With Dylan Vente still struggling to consistently find a goal-scoring touch and Martin Boyle returning to the wings, Hibs will be reliant on Campbell’s knack for popping up with a goal or two.  

CW: An as-yet unsigned new attacker (Mykola Kukharevych, perhaps?) But if we’re going for players actually at the club, then I’d say Dylan Vente. He did tail off slightly after bagging a hat-trick in the first League Cup game against Elgin, but he was at least getting into good positions and I have faith that he will start taking his chances more regularly.

CN: A tough one... but I'm going to say Martin Boyle. 

Who will be the best player for Hibs? 

PM: I think Joe Bursik could turn out to be a really smart bit of business. He has shown up well in the pre-season friendlies and Premier Sports Cup group games, he looks comfortable with the ball at his feet, he commands his area and he seems to have already established a good understanding with his centre-backs. When you look at his pedigree, he probably should be playing at a higher level - serious injury suffered at Club Brugge hasn’t helped him, but his talent combined with a desire to get out and play regular football gives some indication of his character and I think he’ll be an important player for Hibs. 

LB: Warren O’Hora. The Irishman already looks like a very shrewd acquisition and paired with Marvin Ekpiteta, their complementary qualities could go a long way to ensuring a better season for Hibs all round. O’Hora himself, though, appears to have the makings of a very good Premiership player – calm, reads the game well, comfortable on the ball, and is an organiser at the back.

MF: Warren O’Hora has impressed the most in the early season games, and while the likes of Nathan Moriah-Welsh will no doubt make an impression, I think O’Hora will be the one to watch this season. 

CW: Josh Campbell seems to have a new lease of life now he’s fully back from injury and working under David Gray, with three goals and four assists across pre-season and the League Cup group stage. I’m looking forward to seeing what more he can produce from the middle of the park as the season progresses.

CN: Warren O'Hora. As I said, steel in the backline and - hopefully - the ball-playing centre-half we've been after for a while. 

Who will be the surprise package in the team? 

PM: This might seem like a strange shout given he already has two goals, but Rudi Molotnikov. Some of his under-18 team-mates will be looked at for loan deals or development football but I can see him featuring heavily this season. He is clearly trusted by David Gray, versatile in being able to play any of those attacking midfield roles, and he’s got an eye for goal as well. Gray clearly isn’t scared to start the Scotland youth internationalist and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him adding a few more goals and assists if he’s given regular first-team outings, which I think he will. I also reckon we could see Kanayo Megwa really blossom this season. Not entirely sure in what position, but I think it will happen.

LB: The most obvious shout, as things stand, would be Rudi Molotnikov, but I’ll go for Dylan Levitt. A little unfairly derided at times for me, and I think he’s perhaps been a victim of the extensive highlights reel accrued across that season at Dundee United. Expectations around his contribution were very high for a player who ended up flitting in and out of the side, playing mostly as a deep-lying midfielder when he did appear. But there is a very talented footballer there and I suspect he might surprise those – and there were a few – who wrote him off last season.

MF: Luke Amos hasn’t really done anything to nail down a starting position yet, and there’s no doubt that the Hibs fans are yet to see the best of him. He’s a young player whose career stalled due to injury, if he can stay fit then I think he’ll have a big impact at Easter Road and surprise a few people in the process. 

CW: He’ll probably be slightly less of a surprise after a stellar League Cup group stage but Rudi Molotnikov will continue to prove he is worth his place in the first team. After looking fairly anonymous against Forfar in January and not playing many games on loan at Stirling Albion, it’s been great to see how much he’s developed already – even when playing on the left, a position he’s not had much experience in.

CN: This might seem an odd call but Josh Campbell. I think he will end up being a key player for us this season. He's already got a fair few goals and assists in the games played so far and I can see that continuing. 

What’s one thing you’d like to see happen? 

PM: A truly outrageous goal being scored from an unlikely source. A 35-yard daisy-cutter from Warren O'Hora, or a scorpion kick from Joe Newell, that sort of thing. 

LB: I’d like Hibs to be fun to watch again. Last year, so many games were a slog, not only to sit through, but to try to extract positives from afterwards. If the football is fun and people are enjoying watching it, results shouldn’t be too far away.

MF: I’ll go for a boring answer and repeat what I said on Longbangers – I just want us to have a ‘normal’ season. Let’s not have the, 'Hibs are falling apart again' chants at Easter Road, or any more public boardroom spats or cup shocks. Can we just get through the season without the attention-seeking shenanigans that have hit the club in recent years, please? 

CW: A winning trip to Hampden would be nice (but I’d really like to see at least two in the same competition…)

CN: I'd like to see Dylan Vente get into double figures for the season. 

What’s one thing you really don’t want to see happen? 

PM: Poor VAR calls, or referees ignoring the correct VAR calls. But also, a season without a derby victory.

LB: The Easter Road seagulls staging a hostile takeover of the stadium.

MF: The season to pass by without a statement victory in the derbies or against either of the Glasgow sides.  

CW: I don’t quite fancy going another season without a win in the Edinburgh Derby.

CN: Another change in manager! 

Choose three outrageous predictions…

PM: Jamie McMurdo will make his first-team debut before the season is out; Rudi Molotnikov will make 30-plus appearances, and someone - Josh Campbell? - will get an unexpected international call-up. 

LB: David Gray will churn out a result against either Celtic or Rangers; Hibs will get a cup day out at Hampden, and Josh Campbell will rack up the most overall goal contributions.

MF: David Gray will see out the whole season as Hibs manager; Josh Campbell will be touted for a big-money move to Serie A in the January window, and Rudi Molotnikov will score the winner in an Edinburgh derby. It will be the fifth Hibs goal of the afternoon. 

CW: Martin Boyle will shake off his class clown tag and develop into a senior model professional at the club; we will finally win at Celtic Park for the first time since 2010, and one day I will be served an Easter Road steak pie that isn’t burnt to a crisp and welded to its metal tin. 

CN: Rudi Molotnikov will win Young Player of the Year; Hibs will be unbeaten against Hearts across the season, and I will be able to queue for a pie and Bovril at half-time in the East Stand and be back in my seat for the second half kicking off.