'Not playing tennis': Hibs inquest goes on as reality of relegation battle bites hard

The Easter Road side slumped to 4-1 defeat by Dundee on Saturday to remain rooted to the foot of the Premiership table. After 13 matches, they are on eight points with just one league win all season, heaping even more pressure on under-fire head coach David Gray.

Hibs took the lead at Dens Park just two minutes in through Nicky Cadden but they shot themselves in the foot once more with an individual error when Jordan Obita was shown a straight red card on 12 minutes for a lunge on Mo Sylla. The hosts took full advantage, cruising to a comfortable victory.

Obita’s dismissal was the fourth red card for Hibs in seven matches and indiscipline is costing the team dear. They face Aberdeen at Easter Road on Tuesday, where a win would lift them above rivals Hearts and into 11th spot, and Newell knows how vital Hibs change the narrative quickly.

"My initial feeling is just gutted, angry, embarrassed,” said Newell. "It's just groundhog day, here we are again. It's not the first time it's happened this season and it's just so far away from where we should be. It's just unacceptable, indefensible, whatever word you want to use. I can't really come out here and say anything positive.

"That's been the story of the season. And that's me saying it, who's been there myself. Last time I was in this city I cost us, basically. So it's been the story of our season. There seems to be little individual mistakes from different people every week, and here we are again. But the way we conceded the three goals in the half an hour wasn't acceptable, whether you've got 10 men on the pitch, 11 men or 9 men. One's a set-piece, one's a mistake. It's just not good enough."

Asked what the players need to do, Newell continued: “You have to look at yourself. There's 11 players on the pitch, you're not playing tennis. There's 11 people out there, it's a team game. We're all in it together, so there's no one taking the blame, there's no one taking the praise when the good times come or anything.

"You're all in it together. But it's a team game, full of individuals. So everyone has to get up their professionalism and their mentality up there. When the chips are down, you just have to find something and dig deep. You have to when you play for a club of this size.

“I've been here a number of years now. I've had a few bad times, good times. You have to have that strength and you have to have that shoulders back mentality. It's not a time for waving your arms in the air. It's time to roll your sleeves up and think - come on, let's go, because you've got no other choice.

“You want to play for Hibs, you have to deal with the pressure and the weight that comes of it. So we've got two games coming up in six or seven days. It's still a massive opportunity to have a good week after, obviously, a shocking start today.”

Hibs were last relegated in the 2013/14 season campaign and will need to show a stark upturn in fortunes if they are to avoid a similar fate this season.

“We're a third of the way through the season now, 13 games played,” added Newell. "So, yeah, I'm not going to lie to you, we obviously are [in a relegation battle]. Things can change very quickly, is what I would say. If you win Tuesday night and win on Saturday, you don't know where that puts you in the league. And then you know what a little run can do for you in this league. We personally won't be looking at it like that, obviously, because there's still a long way to go. But you can't deny where we are in the league."