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Hibs skipper Paul Hanlon has confessed there were some frank exchanges between the Easter Road stars during and after the 3-1 defeat by Celtic in midweek – with Hanlon admitting he’d have been more concerned if the result had simply been accepted without a word.
Jack Ross’ side slipped to another defeat as their early season form comes undone and the performance against Celtic on Wednesday had the Hibs players challenging each other to do better.
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Hanlon now wants his Hibs teammates to put things right this weekend when they travel to Dingwall to face Ross County on the back of the Staggies thumping 5-0 win over Dundee.
“After the game and at half-time we were all questioning each other,” Hanlon said
“And I would be worried if we weren’t.
“There were a lot of heated players who are determined to put things right. After the game there was that kind of belief that if we perform like we mostly did in that second half then the results will change.
“And it is up to us players to put that right. We are under a bit of pressure just now and it is up to us to do that.
“Obviously, it was a really disappointing first half and we didn’t get to grips with the game at all. We conceded poor goals and they made it really, really difficult for us. In the second half we improved quite a bit and restored some pride but, all in all, it was a disappointing night.
“I think we had to show that fighting spirit and show we weren’t going to cave in, crumble and let it get any worse.
“And it is now up to us as players to get out there on Saturday and put everything right.”
After such a strong start to the campaign, Hibs have now lost their last four games – losing to Rangers, Dundee United, Aberdeen and Celtic – and Hanlon believes the Cabbage are playing a big part in their own downfall.
Despite Celtic’s win appearing comfortable on paper, the Hibs skipper thinks his side’s failings were as responsible for the result as any of Celtic’s attacking play, adding: “We are not performing well enough at the minute, for the fans, the club, the manager. It is on us as players to go out and put on a performance.
“We are conceding soft goals and not putting performances together at the minute – and we are being punished.
“When you play a team like Celtic, if you perform like that then you are going to get punished. And that’s what happened to us.
We aren’t playing well and we are getting beat and it is up to us to put that right. It is the first time we have sampled Celtic’s play. It’s free-flowing, attacking football, just what we expected to see.
“But we also expected to defend a lot better and be better at handling what they were throwing at us.
“They have probably come away thinking that they played well – but we know that we contributed a lot to their goals in that first half.”
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