[Naked Chef]

Sums up my thoughts entirely. Despite public apologies etc etc I think things are far worse than we know.

We can only remain positive about next season.

WHEN the dust settles on this season, Hibernian will be able to look back fondly on it as the one which yielded their first trophy for 16 years. Right now, though, its end cannot come fast enough.

Since they lifted that trophy, the CIS Cup, Hibs have failed to win in nine attempts. The players' revolt against the methods and attitudes of John Collins ended in an apparently decisive victory for the manager, but the abject surrender of the rebels in that dispute has been followed by a series of capitulations on the field of play.

The air has not been cleared; there has been no fresh start. The grievances which many members of the first-team squad took to the Hibs chairman Rod Petrie may have been dismissed, but they have not disappeared.

Collins surely knew that his reassertion of his authority would leave several players festering with resentment. It should be said that some of the playing staff at Easter Road remained loyal to Collins when their team-mates were plotting rebellion: the centre-back Chris Hogg, for instance, was thankful to the manager for restoring him to the team, and appeared to have bought into his training methods. But, judging by their showing in Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Hearts, many of Hogg's colleagues are still at best unconvinced by Collins, and at worst unwilling to work for him.

There were honourable exceptions in the last Edinburgh derby of the season, coming into two categories. Some, such as Hogg and the hapless goalkeeper Andy McNeil, made mistakes or played poorly, yet at least stuck to their task. Others, notably Steven Whittaker, Lewis Stevenson and the half-time substitute Kevin McCann, actually managed to take the game to Hearts.
But you don't win games by having a few people playing well and a handful of others mucking in. You need everyone committed to the cause and playing confidently, and this Hibs side are a long way from having that at present.