Stubbs Under Scrutiny After Rangers Loss?

Following Hibs disappointing 6-2 defeat to Rangers in the Petrofac Cup the main talking point amongst supporters was whether or not Scott Allan should have started the match. The supporters certainly thought he should have whilst Alan Stubbs thought otherwise.

Allan’s exclusion saw youngster Scott Martin make the step up from the development squad for his first competitive start but the youngster, alongside the equally ineffectual Sam Stanton failed to flourish as ‘Gers new boys Jason Holt and Andrew Halliday gradually stamped their authority on the game.

Initially the gamble which saw Stanton score with a fine strike seemed to pay off but in the second period both youngsters looked dispirited and heavy legged as the game went against them and were anonymous for long periods.

Had Allan started, probably at the expense of Martin it’s possible Hibs early onslaught could have produced a far fairer half time scoreline rather than one that saw Hibs behind.

The playmaker likes to come deep to receive the ball and it was an aspect of the Hibs side of last season which was severely lacking on an afternoon of disappointment.

Slack passing throughout was punished whilst what appeared to be a genuine lack of belief throughout the side was a worrying aspect once Hibs had fell a two goals behind after Rangers quick second and third either side of half time.

Was the lack of inspiration partly Stubbs’s fault by simply not naming his best team albeit in a competition neither side will be too concerned about come May when league titles are being discussed.

The Hibs squad was threadbare for the clash but Rangers successfully threw down the mantle by dismantling their closest challengers for the Championship whose apathetic second half display prompted disgust on message boards and social media alike.

Stubbs has had a fairly easy time from the Hibs support during his year in charge however further displays such as Saturday’s will see him questioned on whether his approach is correct or not.

The signing of three new players, of which none have featured throughout the pre season thus far, plus the permanent signings of Martin Boyle & Mark Oxley plus the contract extensions for David Gray, Liam Fontaine and Fraser Fyvie had Hibs fans confident going into this season and despite this being a relatively meaningless fixture in the grand scheme of things the good feeling surrounding the summer months has all but evaporated.

Fans can generally accept defeat to old adversaries provided the application and performance are of a reasonable standard but barring 30 minutes or so it was a rerun of a bad film Hibees have watched all too often in the recent past.

So Stubbs has to pick up the troops and galvanise morale and in doing so again raise the spirits of a support apparently impervious to the continual shortcomings of the playing squad.

Hibs face Montrose in a Scottish League Cup tie next Saturday and nothing short of a convincing victory will assure the fans that the Rangers defeat was a mere blip ahead of a successful season.