THE cinch Premiership encounter between Hibernian and Aberdeen at Easter Road yesterday was billed beforehand as “El Sackico” - and so it proved.
Jim Goodwin, who was fortunate to survive the humiliating Scottish Cup fourth round defeat to Darvel in Ayrshire on Monday night, would have been well aware what was coming long before the final whistle as he watched the visitors get ripped apart by their hosts in the capital.
It took just 19 minutes for his departure to be confirmed by the Pittodrie club following their record 6-0 defeat in Leith.
A statement posted on their website read: “Following an unacceptable run of results since the World Cup break, the club confirms it has parted company with Jim Goodwin and first team assistant manager Lee Sharp with immediate effect.”
Aberdeen have won just one of the 10 games they have played since club football resumed in this country last month – but their mauling in Edinburgh was by far and away the worst reverse they have suffered.
A Josh Campbell hat-trick and Elie Youan, Kevin Nisbet and Will Fish goals made Goodwin’s exit an inevitability.
The travelling supporters unveiled a banner which read “Goodwin Out” before kick-off and when Youan headed in the third just before half-time they started chanting: “Goodwin! Goodwin! Get tae f***!” It did not take long for them to get their wish.
He did not carry out his post-match media duties. Instead, he walked across the pitch players were doing their warm down, stepped over an advertising hoarding and exited the stadium as his erstwhile chairman Dave Cormack spoke to waiting reporters.
The emphatic and impressive Hibs triumph was timely for his opposite number Lee Johnson; the Englishman’s neck was on the block as well in the wake of the 3-0 defeat which his team slumped to at the hands of their city rivals at home in the cup last weekend.
His side leapfrogged their opponents into fifth place in the Premiership table - and Johnson will now be hoping they can build on their assured performance and push for European qualification.
Here are five things we learned from events at Easter Road.
DIRE DONS DEFENCE
Whoever comes in to take over from Goodwin has a hell of a job on their hands.
Finishing in the top six looks beyond Aberdeen at the present moment in time - they have conceded no fewer than 23 goals in their last 10 outings.
They might have taken Rangers to extra-time in the Viaplay Cup semi-final at Hampden a fortnight ago. But that gutsy showing was very much a one-off. They were woeful at the back once again yesterday. The ease with which Hibs scored their goals was staggering.
Goodwin had been desperately trying to bolster his squad with another centre half during the January transfer window and it was easy to see why. But was playing Jonny Hayes at left back outside Liam Scales wise given the circumstances? Is Ross McCrorie really a right back too?
His replacement will have to make shoring up a porous rearguard his top priority if he is to avoid the fate of his predecessor. A complete rebuild might required on this evidence. He should start by putting round pegs in round holes.
OLD HEAD REQUIRED
Cormack and his fellow directors will meet today to discuss who should take over from Goodwin. There is no obvious replacement waiting in the wings.
Whoever they go for, they should make sure he has the experience which both Goodwin and Stephen Glass lacked. The demands and pressure on the Aberdeen manager are great. It is a job for someone who has operated at a high level in the past.
CAMPBELL HAT-TRICK
No Kevin Nisbet, no problem.
The Scotland striker did not train this week due to the interest that Millwall had expressed in securing his services. It looked though he was going to end up at the London club after a £2.35m bid was accepted.
Nisbet sprang a surprise on Friday when he declined to accept what would have been a lucrative move for him and returned to Hibs. He was named in the match day squad by Johnson yesterday afternoon. But he started on the bench.
Not having the player who had netted seven goals in seven appearances since returning from a long-term injury lay-off on the park did not prove a problem for his team mates. Campbell, who had claimed a brace in the 3-1 win over Aberdeen back in September, bagged his first career hat-trick.
Nisbet came on with 12 minutes remaining and got in on the act. He could still be sold before the window closes on Tuesday evening. But if he does finally leave Johnson will have no fears about his side posing a threat in the final third with Campbell at his disposal.
NEW HIBS DEFENSIVE DUO
The departure of Ryan Porteous for Watford for a six figure fee on Friday afternoon came as no surprise; Hibs announced at the start of the month that the Scotland internationalist was “likely” to leave.
But his exit came at the worst possible time for Johnson. It had earlier been confirmed that his fellow centre half Rocky Bushiri would be sidelined for at least three months as a result of the ankle injury he suffered last weekend.
Paul Hanlon and Will Fish stepped into their boots yesterday. Could they show that the defensive duo would not be missed? Nullifying the threat posed by Bojan Miovski was a stern challenge for the pair. The North Macedonian forward had been on target on 13 occasions in the 2022/23 campaign.
Miovski, though, received next to no service from those behind him. David Marshall did not have a single save of note to make during the course of the 90 minutes. Hanlon and Fish can take confidence from the clean sheet. That said, they will not have many easier days at the office.
HIBEES FOR EUROPE?
This emphatic win saw Hibs move above Aberdeen into fifth place in the Premiership.
They are just a point behind Livingston, who have two games in hand and host Hearts this afternoon, and their next objective will be catching and overtaking the West Lothian outfit.
Can they build on this display and result and enjoy a successful campaign? They will have achieve a level of consistency which has eluded them to date this term. But there was much for them to be encouraged by yesterday.
