Hibs' Cup of woe adds to strife of Reilly

Goalscoring legend fears the worst as his team prepare for battle against the odds.
By Jim Black

Sunday February 3, 2008
The Observer

It seems perfectly reasonable to assume that there are no survivors from the 1902 Scottish Cup final. All that remains of Hibernian's single-goal victory over Celtic are a few grainy black-and-white photographs.

Memories of the last time Hibs won the Cup have been buried with the passing of time. But it is almost absurd to think that 106 years have passed since Scottish football's oldest relic was paraded down Leith Walk.

On no fewer than nine occasions since then, subsequent Hibs teams have tried and failed to emulate the successes of their forefathers, in 1887 and 1902 - most recently in 2001 when Celtic gained revenge for their much earlier loss, by dint of a 3-0 victory. Not even the great Hibs side of the late 1940s and early 50s - winners of three league titles in the space of five years - were capable of exorcising the demons that have stalked Easter Road for more than a century.

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So, what odds on Hibs taking a step closer to rectifying their dire record when they face Rangers in the capital today? William Hill's price of 9-2 may appear, at first glance, to offer value, given that Hibs already have a victory over Rangers in the SPL this season. But the odds of 8-15 being offered on an away win are a shade more tempting.

Lawrie Reilly, a member of the club's most successful side and the spearhead of the forward line branded 'The Famous Five', is not a betting man. But were Reilly to be tempted to place a wager on the outcome of today's fifth-round tie, he would invest in the opposition, albeit most reluctantly.

'Last-Minute Reilly,' so-called for his 90th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw with England at Wembley in 1953 - one of 38 appearances for his country - remains a staunch Hibee well into his seventies. But the legendary goalscorer has lost none of his mental faculties.

Reilly's passion for the club he served with such distinction also remains undiminished. But there is only so much even the most loyal of followers can take and for Reilly the breaking point came last month when he witnessed Hibs' 2-1 away defeat to St Mirren. Such was his disgust at a performance that lacked body and soul that he vowed not to make the effort of venturing outside the capital in future to watch his team - a decision, he insists, that was not taken on the spur of the moment.

'There was no effort whatsoever,' Reilly recalled. 'It was the worst performance I have seen from 11 guys wearing Hibs jerseys. It was just terrible to watch.' While Reilly, whose status as a Hibs legend is recognised by his role as a match-day host, finds lack of effort impossible to forgive, he is also enough of a realist to accept that Hibs are competing on an uneven playing field against the Old Firm.

'Quite frankly, it is impossible for Hibs to compete,' he said. 'These two teams are miles ahead of the rest financially, so I cannot see other than the Old Firm finishing first and second every year. I do not like it when I see all our best players going elsewhere, but what can you do about it? That did not happen in my time, but we live in a very different world where the strong get stronger and the weak become weaker.

'Hibs are limited as to what they can spend, although we do not seem to be spending at all; very little anyway. So things are not good at the moment and we can only hope that the new manager, Mixu Paatelainen, makes a difference. The least I expect is for the team to play with greater commitment than they displayed at Love Street.'

So, what of Hibs' prospects of halting Rangers' progress? 'Not good,' said Reilly. 'I think we have very little chance, to tell you the truth.'

Reilly's pessimism is shared by another of the club's staunchest fans, Rikki Raginia, a shareholder and former match-day programme editor who can offer no logical explanation for Hibs' dismal Cup record.

'Nobody knows why it should be that Hibs have been to nine finals since 1902 and never managed to win the Cup,' he said. 'In 1924, when we lost 2-0 to Airdrie, we had not conceded a single goal prior to the final, and in 1958 we were overwhelming favourites to beat Clyde but ended up being beaten, 1-0. More recently, in 1979, we took Rangers to three matches before losing, 3-2 after being denied a stonewall penalty in the final minute. But I do not subscribe to the theory that there is a jinx on Hibs.'

Rangers' manager Walter Smith, meanwhile, espoused the view that the Paatelainen factor may be significant, adding to the size of his team's task. 'This is as difficult a tie as we could have had,' he said. 'The fact they have a new manager adds another aspect and it will be interesting to see how Hibs play compared to when Tony Mowbray and John Collins were in charge.'

Taken from the Guardian/Observer