BRIAN Kerr has conceded Hibernian let their fans down with their early exit from the Intertoto Cup this month but believes they can begin to repay them by matching up to the superstars of Barcelona at Murrayfield tonight.
The midfielder is relishing the prospect of sharing a pitch with some of the world's most illustrious footballing names and is hopeful the glamour friendly will prove a more valuable part of Hibs' pre-season preparations than their ill-fated and shor
t-lived European adventure.
In hindsight, Kerr feels the 4-0 aggregate defeat to Swedish side Elfsborg in the Intertoto Cup did little for either the morale of the Hibs players or the mood of their supporters.
"It's been a weird pre-season for us," said the Scottish international. "We were thrown in at the deep end with the Intertoto games and, looking back at them now, we probably sold our own fans short a wee bit there.
"You could understand the fans being as disappointed as they were, because it was a chance to get into the Uefa Cup after missing out on it through our league position at the end of last season. But as our manager said before we played Elfsborg, we were never going to be ready for those games and from that point of view, you have to ask if it was worth it.
"But from a fitness point of view, it should have helped and in the time we have spent since losing to Elfsborg, I think we have all felt much fitter and better in terms of confidence. We are all really looking forward to playing Barcelona and we have to go out and give a good account of ourselves for the supporters."
While Barcelona's presence in Scotland has become less of a novelty over the past year, Kerr believes Hibs fans should still grab the opportunity to see players such as Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry in the flesh. "They don't come any better than those guys," he said.
"It hadn't been looking too good in terms of ticket sales, although it seems to have picked up a bit over the past few days. I just hope there is a decent crowd inside Murrayfield because you don't want to play in a poor atmosphere.
"It is a game which deserves a big crowd. I don't think you could ever get sick of watching guys like Henry and Messi and any chance you get to see them, you should take it if you can.
"From the players' point of view, if we perform well, then it could do wonders for our confidence for the new season. If we can do things well against some of the best players in the world, then we will go into the SPL knowing we should be able to do well against so-called lesser players."
Manager Mixu Paatelainen, meanwhile, has hinted Hibs are ready to strengthen their team with new signings.
Paatelainen claimed there have been developments in his player search, and an announcement might be made before tonight's Murrayfield clash.
The Finn has only added full-back David van Zanten this summer, although former Chelsea midfielder Joe Keenan and ex-Gretna forward Fabian Yantorno have been training with the club.
Paatelainen said: "There have been developments and hopefully soon we can make some announcements."
The full article contains 566 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
