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Review of season 1999 / 2000 |
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Summary
How would you sum up the year in one or two sentences.
On the positive side, I would say that Hibernian were good to watch this season because they generally played in an adventurous manner, there were lots of goals to see (usually at both ends), and we showed that in one-off games we could match the best.
On the negative side, what we lacked was any kind of consistency, we leaked too many goals, and we let the season die at Hampden Park on the 9th April.
Apart from the playing side, the club still appears to be moving forward with major announcements such as the rebuilding work and the planned football academy. I feel that there is still a healthy, positive attitude around the club and its supporters.
Statistics
Over a season, you can't really argue with what the stats tell you. We sat pretty resolutely in the 5th, 6th, 7th area all season and finished 6th so we can have no complaints - final table below.
Home |
Away |
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| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| Rangers | 36 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 44 | 14 | 70 | 90 |
| Celtic | 36 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 58 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 32 | 21 | 52 | 69 |
| Hearts | 36 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 25 | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 22 | 7 | 54 |
| Motherwell | 36 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 27 | 34 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 29 | -14 | 52 |
| St Johnstone | 36 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 16 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 26 | -8 | 42 |
| Hibernian | 36 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 30 | 27 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 34 | -12 | 41 |
| Dundee | 36 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 33 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 25 | 31 | -19 | 41 |
| Dundee Utd | 36 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 35 | -23 | 39 |
| Kilmarnock | 36 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 22 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 30 | -14 | 37 |
| Aberdeen | 36 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 16 | 46 | -39 | 33 |
Now split the results into Home and Away and one problem immediately stands out - we cannot pick up points away from home.
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A second problem appears if you look at goals. We score enough but we let in too many.
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A third problem emerges if you look at runs of form. The most league victories we managed in a row was two and in a league where it is very tight, it is so important that you pick up the points when the team is playing well. Dundee United's early season run sustained them for the rest of the season. Hearts and Motherwell both had major runs as well.
So the statistics back up the view that we are attractive to watch and can score goals but lack consistency, have defensive problems and don't travel well.
Personnel
The season saw major changes in the team selection. I wrote an article predicting the team for the first game as :
Gottskalksson, Renwick, Dennis, Jack, Lovering, Henry, Sauzee, Latapy, McGinlay, Crawford, Lehmann.
As it happened, McGinlay was injured and Lovell played. Now contrast this with the team that played at Hampden in the cup semi, which was our first choice for the most crucial game of the season:
Colgan, Collins, Hughes, McIntosh, Smith, Lovell, Sauzee, Latapy, McGinlay, Miller, Paatelainen.
Who managed to keep their place - only Sauzee, Latapy and McGinlay (who has now been freed). I think that shows how much work McLeish has put into team selection and how far we have moved on from the team that won promotion.
So who have been the stars and who have been the disappointments. Well, the stars are easy, it is still Sauzee and Latapy without a doubt. In addition to these two, in my opinion, the players who have performed above expectation are Colgan, Smith, Collins, Miller and Dempsie (before injury). Major disappointment, again in my opinion, was Lovering who looked a real talent - although raw, when we got him but now appears to be on the way out. Others who have ability but need to do more would be Brebner, Lehmann and Hartley.
I think we will see big changes in the squad over the summer with McLeish committed to replacing several players.
One other big plus this year was the tremendous form of the under-21 team and the continuing emergence of players ready for the first team squad.
Events
Key events that shaped the season for me :
8 August 1999
Kenny Miller bursts on to the scene with a sensational extra time winner at Dundee.
13 August 1999
Russell Latapy signs a new deal which extends his stay at Easter Road to summer 2001.
19 August 1999
Hibs sign Grant Brebner from Reading on a five year contract.
30 September 1999
Hibs chairman, Malcolm McPherson, confirms at the agm that the main stand will be replaced
at the end of the season.
13 December 1999
Russell Latapy is voted the Edinburgh Evening News Sports Personality of the Year for
1999.
19 December 1999
Heart of Midlothian 0 Hibernian 3. More than a great result - performance of the season as
well.
6 January 2000
Kenny Miller signs a new contract that will keep him at Easter Road until Summer 2004.
5 February 2000
Hibernian unveil the new club badge.
10 February 2000
Martin McIntosh finally signs for Hibs.
7 April 2000
Franck Sauzee commits to another year at Hibs before retirement.
9 April 2000
Hibernian lose the Scottish Cup semi-final 2-1 to Aberdeen.
27 April 2000
Hibernian unveil plans for a football academy and confirm that building of the new
West stand will start this summer.
10 May 2000
The under-21's great season finally hits the rocks as Hearts win the effective
league decider by 4-1.
And finally
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Thanks for the memories .... Football fans are generally optimists and will already be thinking of what might be next season. Worth taking a moment, however, to remember these two great servants to the club, who are now moving on. |
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