Hibs vs Celtic title race conspiracy put in the bin and why 'lying down' claims fall into impossible category
Claims have been made that Hibs will roll out the red carpet for the Hoops on Sunday
Former Celtic man Charlie Mulgrew is certain there are sections of the Hibs support who don’t want to beat Celtic at Easter Road on Sunday - but he isn’t convinced it will ‘transfer’ onto the pitch.
The capital side are in a sticky situation in which a win against the Hoops would benefit their bitter rivals Hearts, who sit above them in the title race. The Jambos currently sit three points ahead of Celtic with a superior goal difference and four clear of Rangers, who they face on Monday evening. Hibs boss David Gray isn’t entertaining any notion that they’ll be lying down to scupper Hearts’ title hopes.
A Celtic win could also benefit Hibs in their European quest in another bizarre facet of Sunday’s fixture. If Celtic do the league and Scottish Cup double, an extra European spot will trickle down to fifth place, where the Hibees currently find themselves in the standings. On the other hand, a defeat would only see them trail further behind fourth place Motherwell with only four games to go and they’d also be looking over their shoulder at Falkirk below them.
Lying down isn’t in players’ DNA - Mulgrew
Speaking on Premier Sports, Mulgrew explained from his interactions with Hibs fans that they’d be quite happy to forfeit the game, however, he doesn’t think the players will see the match in the same light. He claimed: “It’s a huge game for Celtic, they need to get the job done. There's no doubt about it, there can't be any slip-ups. I was speaking to a few Hibs fans through the week, I don’t think they want to win the game. In fact, I know they don’t want to win the game.
“But it doesn't transfer out of the pitch because players don't think that way. They don't think that way because we grew up our whole career wanting to win, wanting to improve your career, wanting to play well. You never turn up at a game not wanting to play well. So to get out of that habit all of a sudden is impossible. You're playing for your contracts, you're playing for your career. And if anything, it’s a win-win situation because if they don't win, the fans are happy. And if they win, then they're doing their job.”
Hibs boss on ‘lying down’ claims
Speaking during the week, Gray promised Hibs fans he’ll be doing everything in his power to stop Celtic leaving Leith with three points and maintains they’ve still got plenty to play for themselves. He said: “It doesn't even enter your mind. I think as professionals, people who have been involved in the game, and you think about the group, their whole life's training and playing to become professional football players.
“You don't get to this level without having that right to want to win and need to win all the time, and I think that never leaves you. You see how competitive training is, every single day. There's motivations, everyone's got different motivations – and that was probably my job this week, speaking to the players about finding that motivation between now and the end of the season. The full focus is European football, so we need to win games to get to that point.”
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