I don't know about you but when I go to Easter Road I like to arrive before two-thirty. The pre-match build up is, for me, part of the whole football experience. The walk down Easter Road, buying a programme, going along Bothwell Street (unless of course we are playing Rangers or Hearts then I feel it makes a wee bit more sense to walk down to Albion Road) and over the foot bridge. I would like to share a couple of observations I have regarding the Bothwell Street bridge and perhaps you may be able to answer the questions I have. Firstly, do you think the Leith police deliberately train their horses to dump all over the bridge minutes before it is packed with fans who cannot see where they are putting their feet, or is it just an unfortunate coincidence? Secondly, why does that little old lady with the tartan shopping-bag-on-wheels insist on walking over the bridge, in the wrong direction, at four forty-five on a match day Saturday. I am often tempted to stroll along and have a look to see if she still does it on Saturdays when there isn't a home match on, maybe one day.

I wonder what, for Hibs players, is the point of the pre-match warm up. When St Johnstone visited a couple of weeks ago their warm up was structured to encourage team spirit and passing skills. The players worked in a circle with two footballs, passing the balls around the circle and constantly changing direction. My impression of St Johnstone was that they were playing as a team half an hour before the game started. As it turned out Hibs were very fortunate to get an early goal and salvage a point from a game which we should, realistically, have won comfortably. Rangers too had a prepared warm up session with the players all working together, their sense of team spirit fairly shone through in the way they came back from 3-1 dowm to win 4-3. I still cannot believe that we could throw away such a chance to do a double on the Old Firm.

The Hibs warm up seems to consist mainly of Tony Rougier and Chic Charnley signing autographs and the rest of the players standing around chatting. Brian Welsh practices heading long balls back up the pitch, well that appears to be the intention, however, his accuracy is practicaly non-existant and the ball can go anywhere. Ollie the goalie works hard on crosses and shots and, fortunately, is not too put off by his team-mates wandering about aimlessly in front of him and taking wild swings at goal. Judging by Ollie's shocking performance against the Huns, especially his feeble attempt at stopping Negri's winning goal, he needs all the practice he can get.

When Andy Watson was at Easter Road I remember the players running back and forward across the pitch to loosen up and then breaking into groups to pass the ball round and work on ball control skills. It all appears to be a far cry from the casual hanging around and ego-massaging that goes on before kick-off time these days.

Leither column, Nov 97
H.I.