Hibs v Livi.

Festivities over with,back to buisness. Feel that County did us no favours the other day.Hibs will want to respond after that and we will have to be on our toes to deal with it.Would be great to keep a clean sheet and see if we can nick one at the other end.The players might think different but id take a point here and keep our momentum going for as long as we can.I dont envy them as it will be baltic out there, hopefully a positive result will keep the cold at bay for all of us.Cmon Livi,lets do this..

I've been desperate for this game ever since our heavy home defeat to them in our first home game, we really let ourselves down there and were all over the place in defence. Much of that was down to Holt's pissing about with the formation, and cramming CB's into the starting XI for the sake of it. We're far more balanced now, and back to pressing opposition players, which is exactly what County did to them, and they didn't like it. So i have no fears at all of them being up for this game, we should be too, and i'd take us against anyone when we're at our best pressing teams and working hard for one another.

DM has us organized well again too, so can't wait for this game, and getting some revenge, hopefully the officials don't have any bad decisions giving them a penalty, we're due one of those too after Allen's shameful dive in their 2-2 draw at Easter rd.

Mon the Lions, get in about this lot and close the gap on them, lets do this.

Like Troy I fear a possible wounded animal... while we were poor on the day against them at our place they impressed me & fully deserved their win. They are capable of giving anyone a game but in losing to County showed their vulnerability too. Nisbet is going through a bit of a drought, so hopefully that continues & hopefully our “breather” from not playing in midweek gives us the edge but we’ll need to be right up for it from the start & still giving our all at the end.

They've not been too hot the last wee while, drawing with Utd, narrow win over Alloa, and losing to County, that's back to back defeats for them too, we'll compound their misery and make it 3.

It always worries me when someone tells me our opponents have not been doing well for a while...
But then it always worries me when someone tells me our opponents have been on a hot streak...
No doubt it would worry me if someone told me our opponents usually draw their games...

Let’s face it, I’m a worrier

Ambrose in for Fitzwater, and Fitz not even in the squad, take it he's injured, he's been part of a really solid back 4 since Martindale took over, only conceding 2 goals in 6 games. Brown in for Serrano too, but Serrano's on the bench.
Robbo in for Jet, but Poplatnik isn't in the squad either, JET to come on and score a 90th min winner.

Worry, worry, worry....

Mullin & Guthrie have us 2-0 up in 16 mins - score line still Hibs 0 Livi 2 at HT

45 mins is too long left .... worry, worry, worry

Bertie Bassett wrote:Worry, worry, worry....

Don't worry about a thing..............

Strolling the game so far, should've been 3 up with Mullin being presented a great chance from the Hibs shite defence. We're so dominant here, Hibs look lethargic and showing little interest in pressing us.

See If the Jack Ross team talk motivates them any 2nd half, but the way we're playing i can't see it making much of a difference. 3rd goal will def kill it for us though.

Stop worrying Bertie.But i get your drift. Livi and 2 0.Surely not again.Wee Josh had a great chance to put this game to bed.Loving the Hibs commentary team.Pleasing.Big 45 ahead,Cmon the Lions.

Wee Robbo making it 3, absolutely brilliant.

Holt should've made it 4, and if Mullin had scored his chance first half when he got a free shot inside the box it would be 5-0 by now. Strolling this game.

JET on for the bantz now.

2021 is off to a great start for Livi, getting our 4th away win in a row too.

Toss up between Guthrie, Mullin & Robbo for MoTM for me.

Never in doubt!!!!

I love it when we beat them...

Have to admit, although i was confident we could beat them, our players surprised even me on how easy it was, cruised to a 3-0 win and 5-0 wouldn't have flattered us.

Telling you guys and gals, we can get 3rd or 4th here, the gap will be closing to touching distance soon.

Right lets all calm doon. Like most i didnt expect that.We are moving further from that 11th place which is so pleasing. More so was so encouraging to put our stamp on a game where id have been delighted to take a point from. This festive period has been so kind to us and deservedly so.These points are so invaluable to us at this time. Ive tried to keep myself in check.But these lads have something different in their minds than embroiled at the wrong end of the table.Tounge in cheek on other forums,but we are looking good. Safety has always been our goal,but my passport needs dusting.
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Honestly i'm absolutely buzzing to get onto our next game, and the one after......

This is a grueling fixture list coming up, the next 2 months will really test squad depth, and ours is equipped to deal with it better than a lot of other teams, including ones with budgets that dwarf ours. Midfield has always been strong at Livi, but this season we have so much diversity with playing positions, midfielders playing in defence, holding mids, CM, on the wing, or even up front, and the quality is still really high.

Defensively we looked weak earlier in the season, but now under DM it is a strong as ever over the last few seasons, and again well covered.

Even up front now we're looking good, with Robbo and Poplatnik, jury is still out on JET though, and i wouldn't mind seeing big Hammy coming back from his loan spell this month, we may well need an extra striker for a plan B.
Reading a few match threads where fans of other teams are saying their players looked tired, St Mirren, Hibs, Aberdeen, haven't read through others yet, which bodes well for us in a congested fixture list, because ours look full of running, where we're back to our best pressing teams and closing them down.
Confidence is soaring too, you can see the little flicks and back heelers coming off just now, and i still don't think we've peaked. There's a lot more to come from us this season, bring on the Celtic double header, then St Mirren at Hampden.

Yesterday was also achieved without my player of the season so far, Alan Forrest. He has been a great signing for us but was an unused sub against Killie & Hibs... Josh Mullin has proven to be another excellent signing & has come back & slotted in like he never left... he’s shown what he is capable of & yet when he played for County I did not fear what he would/could do, right now I think he is a player our opponents fear.

Yeah Mullin has been our signing of the season, his set piece deliveries have certainly given us a goal threat from them again, and he chips in with goals from open play too. Him and Robbo have formed a great partnership up front, breaking up the pitch on the counter attack.

Mullin's ball played over the top for Robbo to run onto and score against St Johnstone was almost identical to the one Robbo played for Mullin's goal against Hibs yesterday, the 2 of them must instinctively know they'll be making a run like that.

I still rate Forrest as the best signing but Mullin is currently closing the gap.

Yeah great having two goal scoring wingers.

Imo though Forrest's talent is cutting inside and scoring goals, absolutely nothing wrong with that, but i wish he could provide assists too, and take a decent corner.

Mullin brings so much more to the team, his assists, set pieces, and running through to score, the complete package from a winger. Our crosses from set pieces were rubbish this season, we just couldn't score from a set piece and any goal threat from them was gone, and that has been a big part of our game the last few seasons.

If i had to pick from both of them which one i'd rather keep, it would be Mullin, glad to have both of them in the team though.

Looking at the bbc stats, Forrest has scored 10 goals and no assists, from 24 games.

Mullin is on 5 goals and 4 assists, from 14 games.

Don't think that even includes all the corners we've scored goals from Mullin taking them either. He scored and assisted Robbo against Hibs there, it was his corner that Guthrie scored from too though, but it was after a scramble in the box so isn't counted as an assist, there are a few like that, but imo we wouldn't be getting those goals without Mullin taking our corners. He's prob had a hand in at least 5 corners and a few free kicks leading to goals, his deliveries are that good they cause havoc amongst opposition defenders from most of his set pieces.

Hadn’t realised Forrest had no assists, I was sure he had 2 or 3. He certainly created some chances for others - which is where the assist stat falls down, if the recipient of the pass providing the chance doesn’t take it it’s not the “assister’s” fault.

But agree with you that it’s great having them both.