Hibs instant analysis: Car crash display turns Easter Road toxic

Nick Montgomery's side were abysmal, shipping three goals to Alex Gogic, Greg Kiltie, and Mikael Mandron in a torrid opening 45 minutes. Hibs failed to even register as much as a single shot in the first-half, and they were easily kept at bay by Saints in the second. Hibs have now won just one of their last seven Premiership outings, a run stretching back to December 9.

Montgomery handed a debut to deadline day signing Nectar Triantis, but the on-loan Sunderland centre-back had a day to forget, conceding a penalty for handball. The manager made three changes at the break, hooking Elie Youan, Jair Tavares, and Dylan Levitt - he might just have hooked the entire XI if he could have.

Patrick McPartlin and Liam Bryce were in Leith to provide the instant analysis.

Horror afternoon 

There may not even be such a thing as a post-transfer window bounce, but any optimism which sprung from Hibs' busy end to the window was swept away with a truly car crash display. Simply put, it's difficult to find a single redeemable about this Hibs performance. Montgomery's side failed to do the basics in just about every aspect - struggling to make simple passes or even, at times, being able to control the ball - and it ended in sheer humiliation. Once again, simple crosses into the box were able to cause absolute havoc in the Hibs backline, and St Mirren had a field day with it. As bad as it was, it could have been even worse if the visitors had converted the string of other chances they created. Hibs being unable to muster even a single shot in the opening period sits among the headline stats, and it tells a sorry story of the afternoon. The obvious question then, is why? It's quite staggering that a team with so many attacking players on the pitch looked so blunt and devoid of ideas. There are new faces in the mix who, yes, will take some time to gel with each other, but this went beyond a simple lack of familiarity, and will take some fixing.

Liam Bryce

First-half calamities

Even the most optimistic of Hibs fans would be hard pushed to find a positive from an opening half in which the hosts were, to a man, appalling. All the old favourites were there: lackadaisical defending of set-pieces, crosses not dealt with, and Élie Youan infuriating the fans with a performance that could genuinely see him dropped for the midweek visit of Celtic in a few days’ time. The nadir of his performance was his decision not to bother making an attempt to keep in a pass that had gone slightly behind him, and those in the East Stand weren’t shy in telling him exactly what they thought.

It was a calamitous first half from Hibs’ point of view. Nick Montgomery made three changes at the break but he could have used all five subs and it still wouldn’t have been enough.

Youan was one of the three who didn’t re-emerge, along with Dylan Levitt - booked for a daft challenge early in the half - and Jair, who had been far from the worst performer on the pitch in the first 45.

Dylan Vente, Eliezer Mayenda, and Nathan Moriah-Welsh came on for the second period, the latter two making their debuts, and at the very least Hibs weren’t as abysmal as they had been, but the bar wasn’t particularly high.

One shot on goal told its own story - a tame, hooked effort from Mayenda that didn’t trouble Zach Hemming.

The hope now has to be that the new signings, once they are all match-fit and ready to start games, can make an impact.

Patrick McPartlin

Moriah-Welsh shows glimpses

The signing of Nathan Moriah-Welsh looked, on paper, like the missing piece of the jigsaw in midfield - a player who could cover every blade of grass, help Hibs keep the upper hand in the centre of the park, and most importantly, be an upgrade on the existing options.

He was an unused substitute for last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Kilmarnock and was again named among the subs, but made his entrance at the break as Montgomery sought to turn things around.

It was a tall order but Moriah-Welsh at least displayed some of the qualities Hibs have been missing in the engine room. His range of passing and accuracy was good, he snapped at heels, and he added an urgency that had been missing.

It would be no surprise to see him start against Celtic in midweek. It would also be no surprise to see Eliezer Mayenda bumped up to the starting XI. The on-loan Sunderland forward came agonisingly close to a consolation goal at the end, his angled shot drifting just wide of the far post, but he offered far more than Youan managed in the first half.

Patrick McPartlin

Pivotal period now awaits

In further bad news, things won't get any simpler from Hibs from here. Celtic come to Easter Road on Wednesday, following by a Scottish Cup trip to Inverness Caledonian Thistle that now looks decidedly hazardous. After that, it's off to Aberdeen, so it's abundantly clear that if Hibs are going to emerge from this slump then it will have to come in the face of some very tough fixtures. Having been firmly backed in January, the pressure is now on Montgomery to get more out of this group. He had been hamstrung by injuries and a lack of options pre-New Year, but as the atmosphere turned toxic on Saturday afternoon it seems patience in the stands is starting to wear thin. Easter Road is not an easy place to play your football, but that is simply something players who are going to succeed here must be able to deal with. The turnaround from this nightmare of a day needs to be swift and decisive, but the upcoming fixture lists suggests it could be anything but.

Liam Bryce