Yellow Submarine

All together now ( to the tune of Yellow Submarine )

Rudi Skacel is a F**k'n goal machine, a F**k'n goal machine, a F**k'n goal machine.

For my money you can swap 'goal machine' for 'lunatic' and it works perfectly well.
Rudi is 100% certifiable lunatic, in the best possible way.
After scoring one and setting up the other three goals in the four - one demolition of sad sad Hibees you can understand Rudi's delight! At the end of the game he is going through his standard winning ritual of swanning around the pitch applauding the crowd etc. This time he takes his top off and starts waving it about above his head - Andy Webster comes over and must have said 'why don't you throw your top into the crowd Rudi, the fans will love it" Rudi promptly lobs his top into the Wheatfield stand. Not enough tho by the time Rudi has gotten round to the Gorgie stand he has decided to also take his shorts off and lob them into the stand too. Just as well he had some cycling shorts on underneath - like i say Rudi Skacel is a f**k'n lunatic.

What a display by Skacel, here is how it went.
For a number of reasons including,
The dismal display against Kilmarnock last week
Continuing injuries and suspensions, Jankauskas, Bednar, Pressley, Pospisil not fully fit
Never knowing which Hibs team will turn up
I spent the whole week thinking this was going to be a tough one, to the point where by Friday, my water had devined an impending defeat. I couldn't see where the goals would come from. Shows you how much i know!
The first 5 minutes were 200 miles an hour all in the direction of the Hibs goal, no real chances but corners won and all was looking good.
Then and very suddenly.
Hibs kicked in to gear and owned the next 15 minutes of the game, creating 3 good chances. Good chances yes but all were fairly easily dealt with by Craig Gordon, still i was believing my waters and preparing for the goal that seemed on it's way.
Then and very suddenly.
A break away down the left, Elliot collects and brings Fyassis into the game who plays a ball right down the channel for Skacel to chase down. Never thought he would make it but he strecthed right at the line and cut back for Hartley at the front post to dispatch for 1 - 0.
Against the run of play sure but Hearts never looked back and immediately went for the juggular. The next 25 minutes was a fine example of our now familiar tactic of completely overwhelming the opposition. There is not a team in Scotland who can live with Hearts when they hit this form.
A free kick 5 minutes later is swung over to the back post, Christophe Berra knocks down for Skacel to leather the ball down off the ground through a crowded box and over the keeper in the opposite corner of the net. Rudi SKacel is a ....................
Hibs are rocking and beginning to lose the plot by now. Scott Brown, had been tackled from the back very early in the game by Brellier who took the booking. Brown kept playing but it was clear he was injured. Both Stewart and Thomson were putting it about in frustration as much as anything else.
Hearts had Lee Johnson making his home debut, this is the guy we took from Yeovil, must say i worried for him. He looks about 5ft 0 and 7 stone - seemed a tidy wee player tho and looks like he might spark up a good midfield partnership with Hartley.
As half time is approaching Rudi takes hold of the ball and goes for the kill, Hibs defence chase him into the box, Rudi cuts inside and two defenders lunge in at the same time - penalty. Hartley slams into the top corner. 3 - 0 and Tynecastle is rocking and Hibs supporters are leaving.
I did not see the sending off incident, an elbow in Mikoliunas's face by Gary Smith, just seen the aftermath. looked like an off the ball incident. Hibs had lost the plot.
Lucky for Hibs, half time came soon after this.
I have seen a load of derby games now where Hearts were running away with things 2 or 3 up at half time but this is the first time i think i can remember when the punters were genuinely thinking about the possibility of turning in a 7-0. By 5 minutes into the second half i was too. Another rampaging Skacel run down the left and stinging cross to the front post for Elliot to ram home from close range 4 - 0.
Got to give Hibs some credit here, they stuck to it, never gave up kept playing away. They got their goal at a time when Hearts took their foot off the pedal for a few minutes. Wee fast Irish bloke Sproule had made a couple of runs down the wings and into the box when Hearts should have been snuffing him out. O'connor took the ball in midfield and managed to swan about just outside the box before slamming a shot low into the corner of the net. The remaining Hibs fans kind of managed a bit of a celebration, but they were on their way home anyway.
Hearts put together a pile more chances but the heat was out of their display, it can't be easy this overwhelm the oppossition tactic, must cost some amount of energy, so i guess you can forgive them for slowing down a bit. But at 4 - 0 if we had pushed that little bit more and got the 5th, the 7 - 0 was definitely on the cards. Still not to be and we don't care. After the 2 - 0 defeat down at Easter Road earlier in the season a said next time they came we would kick their skinny green arses and thats exactly what we did, bloody marvelous. Celtic dropped 2 points also letting a 3 - 1 at home turn in to a 3 - 3 against Dundee Utd. Not saying anything about that they are still 8 points ahead. Rangers have now taken over Hibs into 3rd place, without being very good at all they are at least a football team again, unlike the aberration they were at the start of the season. Don't think Hibs will see 3rd place again this year. So thats where we are, Celtic have us by 8 and we have Rangers by 7 and there is still a lot of football to be played.