Rookie Hibs boss faces five key challenges from day one of new era

David Gray has signed a three-year deal to be Hibernian manager (Pic Ross Parker/SNS Group)

There is no single secret to success in football management. Just a lot of clues, signposts, hints and whispers – some genuine, many false – in need of interpretation.

As David Gray welcomes his squad to East Mains for the first time since his appointment as manager, then, he’ll place some importance on reading the room. A fan of short, sharp and to-the-point team meetings, he’ll address the group just to set the tone for the campaign ahead. All while gauging performance, mood and body language, on top of the array of sports science data produced on testing day, in a bid to get a handle on his first managerial gig.

He'll also be aware, of course, that players will be watching him with a similar degree of close attention. As familiar as they all may be with a coach who was a key figure in Nick Montgomery’s backroom staff, a bona fide Hibs legend who served four separate stints as interim manager, the senior guys will be looking for signs of things to come.

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And so, on day one of the new regime, what are the elements Gray MUST get right? Let’s took a look at the five foundation stones he’ll need to put in place, if he’s to break the cycle of Hibs hiring and firing managers at such a damaging rate.

Recruitment

It all starts with getting the right bodies in the door. And the profile of the players brought in under Gray will tell us plenty about his ambitions and intentions.

The club’s record on talent identification and acquisition has, by any criteria, been something of a mess in recent years. Almost as if there are too many different voices pitching in with ideas based on competing – contradictory, even – philosophies. Until and unless that changes, no manager will succeed.

Gray will need to be absolutely certain in what he wants and needs. Then it will be up to new sporting director Malky Mackay, presumably, to follow through on those wishes.

Anyone who watched Hibs last season could identify the priorities. A goalkeeper, two central defenders at least, a striker and possibly another winger or two, depending on what happens with Elie Youan and Martin Boyle. But the type of player Gray recruits – old, young, a ball-playing centre-half or a non-nonsense stopper – will reveal exactly what Hibs should expect under the new gaffer’s leadership. Which brings us to …

Style

For all the talk about playing “the Hibs way” and performing with a certain swagger, the single most important thing for Gray is to implement a philosophy that the players not only enjoy – but that they believe in. A team uncertain if they’re doing the right thing, the smart thing, will always look for ways to bail out when the pressure is on.

Now, any coach will tell you that they know exactly what players want from training. Some possession boxes, a game – small-sided or conditioned, as long as there’s competition – and up the road in time for a late lunch.

If they feel that the work being done is also going to make a win bonus more likely, well, everyone’s happy. Only after those boxes have been ticked will there be room to worry about entertainment.

As ever, there’s a balance to be struck. Play brutal football but get results? That’s grand. Weave wonderful patterns while falling short of expectations? Next! Get both wrong and you’re in serious, serious trouble.

Faith in youngsters

Promoting academy kids is often used as a way of deflecting criticism. Sure, we’re losing games, but look at the number of youngsters we’ve brought into the first team.

At a club like Hibs, however, there has to be a link between the youth teams and the senior side. They cannot hope to thrive without developing the next generation of players. Gray needs to have one eye on the longer term. Easier said than done, when the games come thick and fast.

Montgomery was specifically charged with reducing the average age of the first team squad. Something he’d begun to do. Between recruitment and promotion from within, is that likely to continue?

Results

Obvious, right? But when do you start judging Gray and his players? Well, they play their first pre-season friendly against Edinburgh City at Meadowbank on Saturday week. Seems as good a time as any to begin making bold predictions based on minimal evidence …

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The truth is that Hibs will be under some degree of pressure from their very first Premier Sports Cup group game, away to Elgin City on July 13. Gray cannot afford any slip-ups in a group that will also take Hibs across the Forth to play Kelty Hearts, as well as hosting Queen’s Park and Peterhead.

Connection with fans

The new gaffer obviously has a head start on this, simply because he’s ‘Sir’ David Gray. Short of serenading the supporters with an emotional rendition of Sunshine on Leith ahead of every home game, he couldn’t do much more to enhance his Hibs credentials.

But keeping hold of the core support’s attention and affection is a subtle art that goes beyond results. There’s a tone to be set. Having laid out his footballing manifesto when publicly pitching for the job, it’s going to be interesting to hear more about Gray’s intentions and ambitions. And then, hopefully, see them backed up by action.