Heartache for Hibs but even victors face uncertainty

10:30PM BST 20 May 2012

At least the Proclaimers’ ballad ends with the sun shining on Leith. For the moment – and for the foreseeable future – the Easter Road faithful will huddle, traumatised, in the dark and long shadow cast by the team from the other side of Edinburgh.

Those refugees who fled quickest from the carnage unfolding before their eyes at Hampden Park in Saturday’s William Hill Scottish Cup final could actually have got back to their own homes from Glasgow while the Hearts celebrations were still resounding in the stadium 50 miles to the west, long after the trophy was presented to Marius Zaliukas.

No doubt the same shell-shocked Hibbies drew their blinds and padlocked their doors again on Sunday, to muffle the echoes of another raucous parade, as Hearts travelled from the City Chambers and along the Royal Mile en route to a rapturous finale at Tynecastle. Defeat in a derby is rarely palatable and a thrashing of the magnitude of Hearts’ 5-1 triumph is beyond bearing in any such municipal schism, but for it to occur in the final of a tournament that has itself been a reproach to Hibs for 110 years is the football equivalent of cruel and unusual punishment.

When John Cleese played the hapless headmaster, Brian Stimpson, in Michael Frayn’s comedy drama, Clockwise, he gave no hint of any allegiance to Hibernian but he spoke eloquently for every follower of the club when he uttered the priceless lines: “I can take the despair. It’s the hope I can’t stand.”

With the dreaded prospect of relegation banished, the release of a surge of positive energy would sweep the squad towards parity with a Hearts side that could approach the Cup final buttressed by the form of 10 consecutive derbies undefeated.

So went the theory, as expressed in these pages on the big day by the Hibs captain, James McPake, when he said: “There’s no way we’ll lie down - and there’s no way that the Hibs team of nine months ago will turn up on Saturday.”

But that is exactly what happened, with one or two honourable exceptions, the most notable being McPake - who scored Hibs’ goal and, with a full-length dive to clear below his own crossbar, prevented Hearts adding another to their tally.

His loan spell at Easter Road now over, McPake will return to Coventry and it is hard to believe that he is not profoundly relieved to be able to put this experience behind him. Tom Soares will go back to Stoke City and Matt Doherty and Leigh Griffiths to Wolves.

Others will undoubtedly depart this summer if anybody can be found to take them. Pa Kujabi has another year left on his contract, which is now a liability after his contribution at the weekend. At 5ft 8ins he is short for a full back and he has a weakness for gambler’s tackles, one of which earned him his first caution at Hampden.

Kujabi was utterly reckless in trying to yank the jersey from Suso Santana just after the break. Yes, the incident occurred outside the box and, no, it was not a penalty kick, as decreed by Craig Thomson, but the Gambian was asking for another yellow card and his forced departure ensured that Hibs were not even making up the numbers for the rest of the afternoon.

As for Isaiah Osbourne, he will run all day if asked. Unfortunately, like the dance addict deb, he cannot pass a ball. However, it is probably unfair to single out individuals for opprobrium after an overall performance which was so rank that Pat Fenlon’s reaction was to say: “I feel physically sick.

“There’s an acceptance and softness about the place that needs to change. There has to be a change in the way the club is and what type of player we recruit.”

All of the above may make sweet reading for Hearts fans but they, too, have cause to be anxious about what next season will bring. One certainty is that, on a declining budget, Hearts will be very lucky to find replacements of the calibre of the departing Ian Black and Rudi Skacel.

Black was the Hampden puppet master, although he was lucky to escape a caution - or worse - for a raised elbow that caught Griffiths in the face. Secure in the knowledge that Darren Barr was the insurance policy behind him, Black dictated the pace and direction of play.

Skacel, another favourite at Tynecastle, was allowed by Hibs to loiter to lethal effect in the gap in front of their back line and he was the principal benefactor of Black’s prompts, particularly for the first of his two goals.

Away from the pitch, Vladimir Romanov cut a trim figure in a maroon tartan kilt, but there are questions he must answer – and quickly. The most important is whether or not he wants to retain Paulo Sergio as manager but, if he does, Romanov also has to tell the Portuguese coach if Suso, Craig Beattie and Stephen Elliott can be offered new contracts.

“I’m not happy with this situation,” Sergio said on Sunday. “I’m happy with our supporters, with our players, with all we did together in this season in hard conditions but I think, in a moment like this, that things should be more clear.

“They are managing the club, they do what they want, what they think is normal to do. For me, we are losing too much time.”

Hearts’ victory put them into the Europa League play-off round but it is astonishing to realise that, like Ally McCoist at Rangers, Sergio has been unable to make any plans for the close season. In fact, it will take a feat of memory to recollect a Scottish Cup final which left both contenders in limbo.

That is the single factor that should prevent Hibs replacing Sunshine on Leith as their torch song. Otherwise, a slight paraphrase of Bonnie Tyler’s greatest hit would have encapsulated the situation perfectly.

Total eclipse by the Hearts.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk