Hearts 1 - 0 Hibernian

In the wake of the bluster, within hearing distance of the dull thuds of a derby and amid the hype of Hearts' turmoil and Hibernian's New Year sales, one fact remains politely silent. Edinburgh has two not very good teams. And if you don't believe me, ask the league table. After all, it never lies. Hibs, who have just shed David Murphy, lie eighth. Hearts, who have just empowered Stevie Frail with decision-making duties, have soared to 10th.

The collision at Tynecastle was settled by an Andrius Velicka header that Yves Ma-Kalambay, the Hibs goalkeeper, failed to hold. This prompted much nattering about Hibs goalkeeping hoodoos, but this was not much of a mistake on not much of an afternoon.

There was a queue later to tell the world of what needs to be done for better days to shine on the capital.

Frail and his goalkeeper, Steve Banks, wore the wide smiles of victory. Frail, properly, restricted his euphoria to the observation that "it was a wee step in the right direction".
advertisement

He could be pleased with a competent goalkeeper, an outstanding centre-half and leader in Christophe Berra, and an industrious midfield in which Ruben Palazuelos and Eggert Jonsson were highly prominent. If Frail can get some consistent craft from Andrew Driver and Deividas Cesnauskis, then Velicka and Christian Nade could score the goals that take the club back into contention for Europe.

The prospects for Berra, though, now seem beyond debate. Frail praised his captain unreservedly and Banks was adamant that the young centre-half could ultimately replace David Weir in the Scotland setup.

Berra is a proper, no-nonsense stopper but also has pace and a maturing ability to read a game. The Hibs attack was woefully impotent on Saturday, particularly in the first half, and this was the net result of incompetence in green shirts and competence in the maroon ones of Berra and Hristos Karipidis.

While the Hearts contingent were left to rue only an unjust booking for Velicka for diving in the box, there is much to be done at Easter Road. This was confirmed by the presence of Ian Murray and the words of Mixu Paatelainen. Murray, who persevered to be a decent performer for Hibs on Saturday, has just returned to the club and he was a candidate for the diplomatic corps in the aftermath of a dispiriting defeat.

This is a player, after all, who has played in the famous jersey with Derek Riordan, Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, Steven Whittaker and Garry O'Connor. Murray muttered the properly soothing words on Saturday night but he knows that this is a team that needs an injection of quality.

That task falls to Paatelainen. The Hibs manager has just more than a week to recruit reinforcements. "We need to strengthen the team," he said. "There are a few areas that just are not strong enough."

This, of course, is the direct product of recent departures. The financial reality is that Hibs have to sell. Rod Petrie, the Hibs chairman, may have to be persuaded that urgent renovation work is required. The side's slide down the league has been dramatic.

It is not hard to discover Paatelainen's priorities. The back four were defiant under pressure at Tynecastle. The midfield were busy, if ultimately ineffectual. Guillaume Beuzelin is an important player. He was sometimes under heavy fire in the frenetic no-man's land of Tynecastle on derby day but his movement and passing are central to Hibs' ambitions. Unfortunately, covetous eyes have already been cast in his direction. Tony Mowbray, his former manager who is now at West Bromwich Albion, is an undeniable admirer.

The glaring problem exists up front. Abdessalam Benjelloun, who missed Hibs' best chance when he failed to connect with a driven cross, was taken off at half-time after 45 minutes of ineffectiveness that bordered on apathy.

He was replaced by Steven Fletcher, a rising, authentic Scottish talent. However, Paatelainen's gameplan calls for a robust centre-forward who can hold the ball up so that an energetic midfield can support. Fletcher does not fit this mould and neither does Dean Shiels, an enterprising but lightweight attacker.

The Finn will, therefore, have to buy a striker, with Colin Nish of Kilmarnock, the favoured candidate of those paid to speculate.

The Hibs support can be consoled that they have a manager of passion and precision. Paatelainen, for all his courteous words, found this defeat painful. His protests over Robbie Neilson's retaliatory dunt on Murray were symptomatic of a pent-up frustration. The Hibs players will be in no doubt this week as to the Finn's views.

He has already added his own signature to the team. Ma-Kalambay only kicked from hand once as Hibs sought to build from the back. The set-pieces, delivered by John Rankin who made his debut from the substitute's bench, were a source of some danger.

Paatelainen now needs to find a mirror image of himself in his playing days. Frail needs to find a couple of consecutive victories to show that he is part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh readers will have to peruse the table from the bottom up.

Taken from the Herald