Could Hibernian be relegated?

It was no surprise, after Hearts upset Rangers at Tynecastle last week, to hear this question being asked loudly - "could Hearts challenge for the title?"

Having watched that game, I felt confident the answer was an emphatic No. Rangers had been utterly dominant, spurning a plethora of chances and running into an inspired goalkeeper in the shape of Marian Kello. Admittedly Hearts were hugely weakened by Kevin Kyle's absence, but they were so bereft of quality in the final third that Ryan Stevenson's late winner was in fact their first shot on target.

In short, it was not a statement of intent from Jim Jefferies side. And so it proved at Celtic Park in midweek, where they crashed 4-0. Sadly, this season's title race will be between the same two horses, one jockey in royal blue and the other in green and white hoops. Still, Hearts look an odds-on bet for third place.

But another burning question is being asked about Edinburgh football. This query is "Are Hibernian too good to be relegated?". The answer is far from certain. It was no secret that Hibs had stagnated under John Hughes; the second half of last season and the opening two months of this campaign were abysmal, and he had to go. And on the face of it, Colin Calderwood looked like a decent appointment - plenty of experience and some success with Northampton and Nottingham Forest.

Three months and fifteen games later, Hibernian are eleventh in the table, three points above bottom side Hamilton (who have two games in hand). In the league, they have won just twice in that period, although that included a fantastic 3-0 win at Ibrox. The nadir was a desperate, dismal humiliation at Somerset Park, going out of the cup in a replay to Ayr United. That was no smash-and-grab cup upset; Ayr were excellent value for their win and could have won the original tie at Easter Road.

Yet, on paper, the Hibs squad looks, well, so good. Guys like Ian Murray and Liam Miller, who, half a decade ago, were starters for Rangers and Celtic respectively. The talismanic Derek Riordan, former Aberdeen right back Michael Hart, ex-Killie striker Colin Nish, and Graeme Smith, who was excellent in goal for Motherwell a few years back.

But all these guys appear to be a few seasons past their best, and unable to roll back the years. Their talents have ebbed, but, as the story goes, their egos have not. There is no team spirit, no morale, no will-to-win. Attack-wise, Riordan still shows flashes of his immense ability, but these are completely overshadowed by the hunched shoulders, the sulks, the silly fouls. Calderwood has been unable to find a suitable number nine to partner him - Nish's confidence is shot by constant jeers from the fans, whilst loanee Darryl Duffy has failde to hit his stride after a broken foot. No-one has come close to replacing the goals of Anthony Stokes, sold to Celtic in August.

As for the defence...well, what defence? If Calderwood didn't have a hard enough task already, the loss of his two centre-backs earlier this month, Sol Bamba (sold to Leicester) and Jonathan Grounds (whose loan from Middlesbrough ended) left him even more trouble. He has three senior goalkeepers in Smith, Mark Brown and Graham Stack, all of whom appear dogged by the Hibernian Goalkeeping Curse which struck previous incumbents such as Ollie Gottskallsson, Simon Brown, Zibi Malkowski, Andy McNeil and Yves Ma-Kalambay. Hart at right-back has been a disaster, and Calderwood is left with Ghanaian Francis Dickoh - voted the worst player in Dutch football last season - at the heart of the defence. Bizarrely, Chris Hogg, previously a captain of the side, has been ostracized.

Calderwood has not so much dipped his toe into the transfer market as dived in head-first; three new players so far. But he has no new centre-back, and no new centre-forward. There's no "marquee signing" here to inspire the support. Maybe former Liverpool youngster Victor Palsson will turn out to be a gem. As it is, fifteen of his players are out of contract, and therefore need not fear first division football next year. Almost all of them are the senior ones.

So in conclusion, are Hibs too good to be relegated? As the weeks, and the defeats, mount up, the answer is, increasingly, "probably not". If Hamilton find a semblance of form, the Hibees could be bye-bye.

L.