Shaun Maloney reveals what he and the fans need to see from this Hibs team

The successor to Jack Ross was recruited in December after supporters had groan tired of perceived negative tactics under the previous incumbent and the new man immediately caught the attention of the Easter Road faithful with talk of attacking flair and expansive football.

Instantly the shift was noticeable with Maloney shaping the team into a wide 3-4-3 formation and putting further emphasis on defenders starting attacks from the back. This was deployed in his opening match, a 1-0 win over Aberdeen, before Hibs dominated Dundee United in a 3-1 triumph at Tannadice in their final match of 2021.

Since returning from the New Year, however, things haven’t gone according to plan. A limp 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park was followed by a startlingly poor performance in the 1-0 after-extra-time win over Cove Rangers in the Scottish Cup. They then followed this up with a goalless draw at Motherwell before a 3-2 home loss, despite leading twice, against Livingston last weekend.

It seemed like Hibs were, yet again, a bit of a soft touch. It’s a label that’s followed them around Scottish football for years. Attractive football was the aim, but ultimately did it come at the cost of winning consistently against sides they were supposed to be beating?

Though early games painted Maloney as someone perhaps a little dogmatic in his approach, with Hibs enjoying plenty of possession but sometimes struggling to test opposition goalkeepers, he insists he wants his side to be as gritty as they are exciting – at least until he’s had the chance to develop the first-team squad into a real attacking menace.

“I don't feel that stereotype but I understand the history and tradition,” he said of the ‘soft touch’ label prior to Saturday’s visit of St