The Hibs manager had just taken three points, ensuring his side remain top of the table, despite admitting his players 'never got out of second gear'. As Aberdeen prepare for Dublin, these teams' respective last four months tell a story.

At Hampden after the Scottish Cup semi-final win that gifted Ebbe Skovdahl's dreadful team of last season their passport into the UEFA Cup, Mc Leish was absolutely distraught at his players' failure to make the breakthrough he so craved.

Within hours, he was vowing to rip up his team and start again - a process he wasted no time in completing over a summer which has left Skovdahl with no option but to send out basically his Under-21 team both in the league and in Europe.

McLeish wanted the Cup Final for the Hibs support, but he was also desperate to take a team of his own into continental competition - the arena where he made the name that allowed him to attract players such as Franck Sauzee to Leith.

Aberdeen are not bottom of the SPL, despite the continuing poverty of their play early-season, but as Hibs peer down the table this week with the Dons just trying to avoid humiliation, McLeish may ponder European qualification criteria.

Despite the dramatic improvement under Dick Advocaat at Rangers, Scotland still needs to see all its club representatives pulling their weight in Europe if the light at the end of the Eurotunnel is to prove more than just a pin-prick in size.

Looking at the two sides on Saturday, it was hard to resist the feeling that entry to Europe should be awarded on the basis of consistency in the league rather than arbitrary advancement - not even success - under knock-out conditions.

Saturday's Hibs side - which had a striker whose goals knocked Rangers and Liverpool out of Europe just a few years ago, David Zitelli, on the bench until injuries forced McLeish to change things - could easily have taken Aberdeen's place.

A refereeing decision here or there at Hampden and they would have, and while it would be a terrific result - pardon the hyperbole - if Aberdeen rescue their tie against Bohemian, perhaps they should never have been put in that position.

The SFA insist they are powerless to act, quoting UEFA's desire to 'protect the integrity of national cup competitions' - to the extent they will reward teams who finish last in their league and don't even win the Cup ahead of proven, better sides.

But even at Pittodrie, there are people who can also remember the days before Alex Ferguson put the club on the map who will tell you Skovdahl's foray into Europe this season was always going to be an unnecessary albatross around his neck.

McLeish elected not to comment on that proposition, other than to issue a wry 'nice try' on his way out of the media suite after goals from Russell Latapy and Mixu Paatelainen, his former Aberdeen team-mate, plundered the points for him.

But you can be 110 per cent certain, as much as he is, that his team would not be in the position Aberdeen are in - despite Skovdahl's long and proud experience in Europe beforehand - had it been Hibs who were celebrating at Hampden.

Saturday ' s match was predictable in the sense that kickoff was delayed to allow time for a hole in the roof of Ryan Esson's net to be fixed. Sauzee cleared off the line from Darren Mackie within two minutes, but two more and it was all over.

Sauzee's 60-yard pass for Didier Agathe to slip between Kevin McNaughton and Philip McGuire and cut the ball back for Paatelainen saw Dons defender Mark Perry handle the forward's shot as he fell just outside Esson's six-yard box.

Sent off harshly, going by any reasonable interpretation of the laws of the game, Latapy stroked away the penalty and, with the Dons down to ten men, transformed the nature of the game - with Hibs clearly content the job was done.

Aberdeen compensated well for their loss, working hard for each other even if Skovdahl admitted their youthful adrenaline could at times be their worst handicap, but another bolt from the blue 13 minutes from time killed them off.

McGuire deflected a cross from Scott Bannerman onto his crossbar, from where it bounced down to Paatelainen - the only Hibs attacker within ten yards of goal - who simply relished bundling the ball high into Esson's net for 2-0.

Aberdeen's captain for the day, Darren Young, said that all their hard work 'went down the pan' in that instant. They were unlucky on the day McLeish came calling, but the fact is they had been riding their luck all month anyway.

To rub it in, McLeish picked out Gary Smith - the defender he rescued from the Pittodrie garbage-can - as his top man and said that he was 'sending a message to the Aberdeen people' by listing Zitelli as a sub.

He suffered injuries to Ulrik Laursen - knee ligaments - and Mathias Jack, who has an ankle knock, and knows they will have to play far, far better to build on a stunning start which has seen them streak ten points clear of Hearts.

Latapy said that they did what they had to on the day to achieve their objective, and that he is not surprised by their results given his confidence in the quality of their players and technical staff. 'But it's very refreshing,' he added.

If Aberdeen are to succeed in refreshing Pittodrie by preventing the club's pride from evaporating any further in Dublin, Skovdahl will need to find a way to graft some composure onto his adrenaline-charged youths - all through the side.

Paul Bernard and Derek Whyte are the most obvious candidates, with another preparatory match available to them this evening, but as the manager stressed himself: it's not holding midfielders or defenders who are expected to provide the goals.

r.thomson@dailymail.co.uk