Source: FOOTYMAD
Desperately Seeking Points
The two bottom SPL sides meet today at Easter Road both determined to pick up three points The 'not under any pressure' manager of Hibs, Colin Calderwood has challenged his players to turn words into actions and get themselves off the bottom of the SPL. A win today will see them swap places with their opponents, Aberdeen, after a nightmare start to the league season which has seen them take just three points from their opening five games. The run of form has even spawned suggestions of a substantial protest at today's game regarding the manager's position and the leadership of chairman Rod Petrie. And while Calderwood has remained unwaveringly confident in his players over recent weeks, even he admits that it is about time the Hibees turned positivity into points.He said: "We speak enough about getting results - we've got to produce the actions. Our support will be loyal and that won't go away, but we need our actions on the pitch to be important. If we can make what we do, and not what we say, important and produce what I think the players are capable of and play with no fear then that is what will help us.''Hibs last game before the international break was a 2-0 defeat to city rivals Hearts and Calderwood does not think his squad will suffer from any kind of hangover following that result. Calderwood fully expects his side to learn from the defeat and bounce back against his old Scotland manager's side. He went on: "We would have welcomed a game last week, but it's given us time to digest the defeat. We've analysed, debriefed, and now we're ready for Aberdeen. We are a win away from leapfrogging Aberdeen and that's what we've got to do. When the league is this close you don't want to be the bottom team - but when the bottom team can move to mid-table with a win then it's not as dire as it may seem. One game won't change the season - it's about what we do between now and the next international break. We want to be successful in the next five matches, not just one, but this one match does give us a platform.''Aberdeen midfielder Isaac Osbourne has warned his brother Isaiah to expect a no-holds-barred performance from him as they prepare to go head to head. The siblings have come up against each other in the past but the clash at Easter Road sees them pitched against each other in the middle of the park for the first time as senior professionals. The Aberdeen man said: "I've played against him before but I've never actually played against him as a central midfielder in terms of a first-team game so it should be interesting. I'm going to get really stuck into it and I reckon he will be up for it as well so it should be a good game between him and I. When I played at right-back in competitive games against him, I wasn't really close to him. I'll probably say one or two cheeky comments if I get one over on him. It's going to be a first and it should be interesting.'' Isaac admits he was protective of Isaiah, who is two years younger, in the past but says there will be no place for family loyalty this time. He added: "Even though he was a big boy for his age, when playing against him when he was young, I was aware of that age gap. I would think, `He's my younger brother so I can't really fly in there'. I was a bit protective, even when I saw my own team-mates flying in against him. But he's a grown man now so I'll go in there 100%. If I get the chance to win the ball against him, I'm going to fly in and win the ball. That's just the way it is and I'm sure he will be the same against me.''Both teams have struggled in the early part of the season, with Aberdeen heading into the weekend action 11th in the SPL and just one point ahead of rock-bottom Hibs. Osbourne said: "The players really want to win this game because our start to the season hasn't been the best. We have had good performances so we will go to Hibs looking for the three points and hoping to build from there for the season."
