Hearts will love it.. but Black will look back and cringe

From ROBERT MARTIN at Easter Road

THEY are images that no Hibs fan wants to see.

Dancing Hearts players celebrating with their fans in the away end.

First-team coach Gary Locke — yet to taste defeat in these games either as a player or coach — leading the cheers.

And Ian Black, the Jambo Hibs fans love to hate, wearing a t-shirt with the words: "I'll paint this place maroon!'.

A joke reference to his side job as their wages woe rumbles on.

Now Ian Murray has urged everyone connected with the Tynecastle club to enjoy those images while they can.

Because he has no doubt the tide will turn and that Hibs WILL be top dogs in Edinburgh again soon.

It's now NINE games since the men in green and white have tasted a win in a capital clash.

And the truth is they were second best here for much of the 90 minutes.

Hearts scored three, missed a penalty, hit the post and had another effort cleared off the line.

Hibs even had to rely on Tynecastle defender Marius Zaliukas to score their goal for them.

But Murray, who still takes derby day defeat as hard at 31 as he did at 21, has warned the Jambos they WON'T dominate forever.

He said: "Hearts won fair and square and their fans will enjoy the day. I don't want to take anything away from them.

"It's probably because I am a bit older now but I think Black will look back at that in a few years and think it was a bit cringeworthy.

"But that is what the fans like to see at times.

"But these things go in cycles and the tide will turn again — that's a 100 per cent certainly.

"It is the way it has always been and the way it always will be in the future.

"It's the same with Rangers and Celtic. Both teams have their moments and it's the same in Edinburgh.

"We're just going through a little moment where the chips are down.

"But there's no question this club will come through this, the players will come through this and the manager will come through this.

"And we'll probably be stronger for it, to be honest." Strong isn't a word you'd use to describe this Hibs team right now.

They're second bottom of the SPL having picked up just 15 points from their first 20 games.

Only Dunfermline, who they face in a fortnight, are keeping them off the bottom of the table.

And Second Division leaders Cowdenbeath lie in wait next weekend as Hibs get their attempt to win their first Scottish Cup since 1902 under way.

Here they buckled under the slightest pressure, as they have done so many times this season.

And the vastly experienced Murray admits that new boss Pat Fenlon has a job on his hands to make sure they remain in the top flight.

He said: "We are past the halfway point of the season now and we are sitting second bottom so the second half of the season is going to be difficult now. Our ambitions at the start of the season certainly aren't going to be our ambitions now.

"Teams are starting to get away from us now, the teams sitting sixth to eighth.

"We know we need to get away from the bottom and to isolate Dunfermline — but they will be thinking exactly the same.

"The game at Dunfermline in two weeks' time has turned into a very important game now.

"It won't be like a cup final but there will be a big Hibs support going through for it.

"We need them to come out there, and at Cowdenbeath, to get us on a run.

"So far the new manager has made a good impact. He has got into us and told us he wants us to work really hard and set us up with a game plan.

"Behind the scenes we are working hard but we are not picking up as many points as we would like, although we look a lot brighter and sharper. But here set-plays let us down and at the third goal we were chasing the game and we were picked off. These things happen.

"There is no doubt there are changes coming because every manager wants to make changes.

"So when guys come in it will be up to the boys who are here just now to show that they are worth keeping."

Murray admitted that Hibs' cause was not helped when Ryan McGowan's opener was given despite the defender looking suspiciously offside.

The Aussie was then lucky to escape a red card after he leaned into Ivan Sproule with his head following a late challenge by the Irishman.

But Murray also conceded that on another day Graham Stack would have been sent off for conceding the penalty he went on to save.

He said: "My initial thought was that McGowan was offside — he HAD to be offside because he was standing on the goaline. If he is offside, we don't want to be too critical, but the officials have got to see it.

"That kind of thing costs people points, jobs and games.

"You just have to see it, it is as simple as that.

"Certainly with the head butt, chest or whatever it is then the letter of the law says it is a sending off.

"He has not hurt Ivan but the letter of the law says intention to hurt and he has to go. It is as simple as that and it was in full view of everybody.

"Graham Stack was fortunate as well. Some referees might have thought he was the last man but I was getting back and so the yellow card was fair.

"But we couldn't have had too many complaints if he had been shown a red.

"It is hard because the ref had a lot to deal with.

"There were a lot of tackles early doors and he stamped his authority on things.

"But Stack could have been sent off and so could McGowan."