Terry Butcher apologised to Hibs’ supporters after the 3-1 home defeat suffered at the hands of Dundee United and urged the team to bounce back against Motherwell at Easter Road next Saturday (8 March, kick off 3pm).
Butcher told Hibernian TV: “It was a difficult night for us; there’s no two ways about it. I apologise to the Hibs fans because it’s unacceptable and it was not nice to watch.
“There were two things that went right for us tonight and that was the two missed penalties; it could have been a lot worse. We were well beaten by a much better team.
“When Dundee United are in that mood and with the way that they play, which we allowed them to do, then they can carve you open and they did that on many occasions.
“We got a lifeline at half-time and we said let us go out and play in the second half, let’s get tighter to them and put them under more pressure.
“But their second goal was an absolute killer – we don’t normally concede from corners.
“So we went down 2-1 and then possibly our best midfield player, Tom Taiwo gets sent off and that makes it really impossible after that. Then we concede the third goal and it could have been more after that.
“It was not pleasant, not good and not acceptable, but we have to come back here in eight days’ time for another one. I don’t think it’s about playing at Easter Road.
“We were up against a good team tonight and that was always going to be a big challenge for us because Dundee United are a team, who are bang in form.
“So it was always going to be a big challenge for us but we didn’t rise to that challenge, nowhere near it.
“Too many players sat off and too many players were not comfortable on the ball. The difference between the two sides in their passing and movement was markedly different.
“I could argue or offer a line that Dundee United have played together for sometime and know each other very well and we don’t in terms of what we are trying to do. I wouldn’t offer that as a feeble effort of an excuse. I don’t want to offer any excuses tonight.
“We’ve got to be much better than that and we are much better than that. Defensively we have been far stronger in the past when we first came here.
“Now we seem weak and we’re allowing easy goals, which is heartbreaking for me and for the Hibs support. We will work hard at that.”
Photo by John Preece
http://www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
