The 3-0 defeat to St Mirren at Easter Road has put more pressure on the manager.

Talk about the kiss of death. Last week, I posted on social media that Hibs had had a fantastic transfer window, with so much loan talent coming in.

By halftime on Saturday, my phone was covered in Hearts fans. Maybe I Jonah’ed my old club, but the first half against St Mirren was one of Hibs’ worst performances. It was absolutely horrible. St Mirren could have been five up by that point. Fortunately, no further damage occurred in the second half, but this served as a wake-up call for the new players and manager.
It just wasn’t good enough. I understand there are still a few boys out, and some of the newcomers will need to gel. However, you cannot excuse some of the defending out there. Calling it “schoolboy defending” would offend schoolchildren. It’s another week without a clean sheet. It’s pretty damning that only Livingston has conceded more goals than Hibs this season, and they’re bottom of the league and struggling.
They need to do better. There have been a slew of loan signings, which has served as a rude awakening to what is required in Scottish football. I understand that many teams rely heavily on the loan market, but you must exercise caution.
Loan players can have a significant impact, but having been on loan, there are some who understand that they are only there for game time and that their contracts are safe elsewhere. It can be fine when teams are flying and performing well, but it’s a different story when the chips are down.

And that’s why Hibs and the newcomers will need to get up to speed quickly. St Mirren are the perfect example of what they will be up against. They are strong; they win second balls, move the ball forward into dangerous areas, and fire balls into the box.

You can talk about quality all day, but you must earn the right to compete in this league. I’ve been saying it for a while, but Hibs can’t be this easy to play against. The need to find a nasty, sharp streak.

I understand why Nick Montgomery has signed so many loan players. It’s a temporary fix, and he’ll have to wait until the summer to see how much Bill Foley will invest and what kind of budget he’ll have.
That’s understandable, but he also needs to tune out this side this season. Or he won’t be available to spend the Foley money. It is that simple.

Hibs fans have been relatively patient with the manager, but I got the impression that some of the optimism surrounding him evaporated into the Leith air over the weekend.

It’s now six games without a win, and instead of competing with Hearts for third place, they’re fighting to beat Saints, Kilmarnock, and Dundee. You would expect Aberdeen to improve under Neil Warnock.

Montgomery may have plans for the summer, but he must finish among the top six this year or the campaign will fail.

A good Scottish Cup run is also important. This is a big week, with Celtic coming next. They are going through a difficult period, with their fans furious over a lack of signings and another loss at Pittodrie at the weekend.

Don’t forget that Brendan Rodgers has never won at Easter Road during his two spells in Scotland.

Those factors could be a good or a bad thing for Hibs. They’ll need to look back at Celtic’s last visit to Leith.

Hibs maintained a rare clean sheet on a day when they did have some structure and organisation.

There were concerns that if they used the standard 4-4-2 formation, they would struggle in midfield, but Montgomery kept the formation but used it more effectively.
They did sit deeper and were slightly more compact. They’ll know Celtic will dominate the ball, but they must maintain their shape and frustrate them, as other teams have done.

In other news Eliezer Mayenda joins Hibs on a last-minute loan deal from Sunderland.