Hibernian

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Twelve games played, one victory, bottom of the Premiership table. No wonder the fans at Easter Road are questioning what is going on.

There was so much hope and expectation just a few months ago when David Gray was handed the job on a permanent basis.

A young manager who had done well in his numerous interim periods in charge, a club legend who will be forever remembered as the goalscoring captain who finally brought the Scottish Cup back to Easter Road after over a century of failures.

An experienced sporting director, Malky Mackay, who knew the Scottish game inside out, was brought in along with new shareholders, the Black Knight group, who have worldwide experience in football recruitment.

So why has it gone so wrong? I wish I knew the answer but as hard as Gray has tried he simply cannot get a tune out of this squad.

The players themselves have said they are to blame. Captain Joe Newell spoke to the media before the weekend defeat by St Mirren and told us Gray deserves so much more than they have been giving him.

Saturday's match was simply a repeat of what has been happening this season.

Hibs had 70% possession but St Mirren had 15 attempts on goal. That was three more than Hibs mustered in front of their own fans.

Gray has now received the dreaded vote of confidence from the board but they have also outlined improvements have to come quickly.

The club will have a major overhaul next summer when many of the biggest earners are out of contract and decisions will have to be made soon as to who they want to keep.

On current form there are not too many players the fans would be crying over should they move on.

The Christmas period of games is the busiest time in the calendar and with trips to Dundee, Celtic, Motherwell, Aberdeen and Tynecastle all to come before the end of 2024, the road ahead is looking increasingly bumpy for Hibs.

Hibernian are poised to recall Rory Whittaker from Spartans in January as they fear a lack of game time for the League 2 side is hampering the 17-year-old right-back's development. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Empoli midfielder Liam Henderson is hoping to remain in Italy beyond next summer, although no extension to his current contract has yet been dished out despite the former Hibs 28-year-old's 14 appearances for the Serie A side this season. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering your questions on Hibs.

Anon asked: Do we continue with David Gray and hope he turns the situation around or, as I suspect the board will do, throw him to the wolves? We can't afford to give this job to someone with no managerial experience. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but Neil Lennon is available.

Tom answered: Bottom of the league. Eight points after 12 games. It's disgraceful really. For a club as big and as terrific as Hibs, this is just unacceptable.

Compare what they were like under Lennon, when they were playing good football, scoring tremendous goals, giving the Old Firm a bloody nose from time to time. That was a different Hibs.

On the Lennon question, I don't know about that one, but the Lennon era can certainly be seen as the halcyon days compared to this rubbish.

Everybody's to blame at Hibs. The players, the manager, sporting director Malky Mackay, the board of directors, everyone. The recruitment has been terrible for a long number of years.

So it's not just on Gray, although he's carrying the can right now. It's on the decisions that have been made for years, decisions that were made in the summer. This team has cried out for competent, not really good, but just competent centre-halves for a long time.

Mackay has come in in the summer. He's in charge of recruitment among other things, so we're told. He is the guy bringing the players in. He signs Marvin Ekpiteta and Warren O'Hora, signs the goalkeeper Josef Bursik, and somehow makes them worse. They're just not good enough. Why have they been signed?

And then you could extend that around the team. They are in an awful, awful state, and Gray might pay for it with his job. Another one through the revolving Easter Road door.

And what might happen? Well, Mackay might come in as the manager. And we start again. You know, there's something really fundamentally wrong with that club. They are on a vicious cycle of making terrible decisions and until they start making good decisions, this is just going to repeat on a cycle, this Groundhog Day.

We asked for your views after Hibs publicly backed under-pressure head coach David Gray amid a poor start to the season.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Gordon: The worst state we've been in since the Gordon family took over, this was the final deplorable decision. To keep Gray on as manager when his periods of interim manager were, at best, average is completely beyond me. His team selections are poor, tactics even worse and all he seems to do is whistle from the dugout.

Kenneth: I don't understand the way Hibs are being run. Either the players are not good enough or it's the manager. We had a good manager in Jack Ross, constant top-six finish and two cup finals. We are going nowhere fast! My season ticket won't be getting renewed.

David: The board is backing the manager but without a strategic change, what's the point? The current squad talks a good game, but doesn't deliver. Players need to earn their place in the team, but poor performers keep appearing each week. Why? Where's the team cohesion? Where's the professionalism? Where's the drive to win?

John: Standing by the current manager is admirable but it will not accomplish anything as the team lack coordination, tactical awareness or motivation - that is the manager's responsibility. Change must happen or the Championship awaits.

Kris: I feel the club had to comment one way or another to avoid speculation over the international break. Appointing Gray was a mistake, the club needs a rebuild and an inexperienced manager was too big a gamble. I'm not sure what the answer is but on current form we will be relegated. The team shows no fight, how much of that is down management?

Dougie: Absolutely no point in sacking Gray. The best we can hope for is not to get relegated! Hibs has become the most un-investable club in the UK.

Matt: That usually means he's got three games left to sort this out, which is three games too many sadly. A great man who has been thrown under the bus by our board. If (when) he goes, the animosity from the fans towards the board will be as bad as we've ever seen.

Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

Hibs have come out and given David Gray a vote of confidence following an abject home defeat by St Mirren – a game that had all the hallmarks of a final nail in a struggling manager's coffin.

Hibs were such a shambles in the first half that Gray rolled the dice and looked to players that have, for much of the season, appeared to be on their way out. Rocky Bushiri, Harry McKirdy and Dylan Levitt featured along with Nicky Cadden, who is returning from injury.

It didn't look like a coherent plan, more a case of Gray's patience finally running out with the players who have constantly let him down this season.

In the week running up to the game, we heard from Martin Boyle and Joe Newell about how they had let the gaffer down. Rather than doing something about it, they let him down him again – though Newell and Boyle weren't alone in that regard.

This is a team in dire need of a lift from somewhere. Hibs' statement mentioned all departments being under pressure to deliver and working hard with Black Knight Football to do so.

They better do it fast otherwise this season is going to be catastrophic.

Matty Fairnie can be found at the Longbangers podcast, external

Bournemouth head of recruitment Garvan Stewart is expected to spearhead a rebuild of Hibernian's first team. (Mail), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Hibs fans, what do you make of the club's statement to say they are standing by head coach David Gray?

Have your say on the current state of affairs at Easter Road., external

Since David Gray was appointed as Hibs head coach on a permanent basis in the summer, three of his four wins and 14 of the 26 goals scored came during the Scottish League Cup group stages.

These statistics do not include Gray's spells as Hibernian caretaker manager.

What would you like to ask Tom English about Hibs?

Our chief sportswriter is in the hotseat ready to answer your questions and offer his insight and opinion on your club.

Answers will be provided on Tuesday’s episode of the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast and on this page later in the week.

Put your questions to Tom here., external

Nicky Cadden is bothered by the notion that he is not deeply affected by Hibernian's recent woes. (Record), external

Cadden says the Hibs players "care probably as much as everyone else". (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

Watch highlights of Hibernian's 2-1 defeat against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.

(Available to UK audiences only)

We asked for your views on Hibernian's 2-1 defeat against St Mirren.

There were a lot of responses, here's what some of you said:

Malcolm: We are a team lacking belief, confidence and now desire. This is a rookie manager having no romance with his fate in this league. Played 12, won once and rooted at the bottom. Even the best manager would struggle to get us out of this now!

Ross: Worst performance of the season by far. Having the creative force of Dylan Levitt and Nicky Cadden in the second half improved things. Not deserved but unlucky not to sneak a point. Hopefully David Gray now realises three defensive midfielders won't work. He needs time, not pressure to get us back on track.

Scott: That first half was the worst 45 minutes I have ever witnessed at Easter Road, an absolutely feeble attempt to win a game of football.

Allan: Worst performance of the season and by some margin. Too many players didn’t turn up on a day that Gray needed them. That said, still some strange decision making from Gray in terms of personnel. We’re too defensive and it’s costing us. Levitt is the only player who knows how to take a forward first touch, move the ball quickly and offensively.

Les: Worst display of the season, Malky Mackay and Gray have to go. Defence are clueless, midfield soft and forwards misfiring. It needs to change very quickly or we are going to be relegated. Not one player looked up for it in first half, Levitt made a difference but the rest were useless with even simple passes over hit or misplaced.

George: Very poor first half. Changes made at half time were positive and we played better in the second half. If Martin Boyle had put away the penalty, who knows? But, where do we go from here? Reset and go again next week? Keep the changes and see if they can perform? Good Luck David, you're going to need it.

Mark: What a mess. I feel sorry for Gray, but he should never have been given the job without proving himself at another club first. As for those in charge at the club - bad appointment after bad appointment, an awful signing policy, mass overspending, the list goes on. The next manager HAS to be a solid, proven type like McInnes, or we are going down.

Rob: Groundhog Day. How do you stop this rot? Back to basics, aggression, competitiveness and big hearts. None of that on show week in, week out. That is one of the things hurting us most as fans and particularly season ticket holders who shell out thousands each year to witness no fight or desire. Who has pride to play for the club? Owners need to go.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

David Gray "doesn't deserve this" pressure or performance Hibs inflicted yesterday, according to Nicky Cadden.

Hibs fell to yet another defeat in the Scottish Premiership against St Mirren on Saturday, though Cadden thought he had nicked a point with a late double, though his second was ruled out after striking the arm of the offside Dwight Gayle.

"I'm not to sure [how to explain the performance] if I'm honest," he told BBC Scotland.

"It's simply not good enough. We find ourselves in a position and need to regroup and take it to the next game and hopefully we can change it.

"He doesn't deserve this. Since I came here to the club he has been really good with me. He is really good guy and a good person.

"I don't know and can't explain the form. He certainly doesn't deserve this or that performance.

"We just need to stick together and be together as a team and try to get out of this rut. Ultimately, we need to put in better performances as we know it's not good enough. We need to scrap for three points, fight for three points.

"It's hard to win a game of football so we need to try and change it show and this gaffer we want to play for his football club.”

Image source, SNS

• Hibernian have scored five goals via substitutes in the Premiership this season, only Aberdeen (six) have scored more.

• Hibernian attempted 502 passes in this game, their highest total in a single match in the Premiership this season.

• Hibernian have scored in their last six Premiership home games.

• St Mirren have conceded two penalties in the Premiership this season, only Kilmarnock (three) and Hearts (three) have conceded more.

Hibernian head coach David Gray tells BBC Scotland: "First half performance, totally unacceptable. I think I need to apologise to the fans for the first-half performance because of the situation we find ourselves in. The need for points and the need for wins… to offer that up is just not good enough.

"Listen you need to give credit to St Mirren as well. They started on the front foot. I thought we started really poorly."

On if he fears being sacked, given Hibs' track record for letting managers go…

“I don't think the word fear is right. I fully understand the question and I'm justified in being asked it because of the situation we find ourselves in, the position we are in the league for this football club to be where we are is not good enough, it's unacceptable.

“I've said that now for a number of weeks, I've been very positive about the improvements within it and there have been many excuses we could have used in recent weeks but today there's certainly no excuses from me in the first half performance.

We need to keep working harder, we need to stick together. And the message to the fans is an apology for the first-half performance, but I do believe we will turn this around. I think the second half was better, we finished the game better, but there's a lot of hard work still to be done, that's for sure."

On if he’s the man to turn it around for Hibs…

“I fully believe that, yes,” he adds.

Hibernian’s miserable run continues as St Mirren condemned them to their seventh consecutive Scottish Premiership match without a win to leave them bottom of the division.

Conor McMenamin scored a first-half double, with both strikes preceding a chorus of boos, with similar to follow at the interval and full-time as the discontent ramped up at Easter Road.

Let us know your views on the game., external

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

It’s difficult to see a route back into the good graces of the Hibs faithful for this group of players.

Hibs have failed to win any of their last 23 matches when conceding first in the Scottish Premiership, further evidence of the supposed soft underbelly of the side, something Gray has been quizzed on before.

On their day, the attacking options can be dynamic and effective but with Mykola Kuharevich absent today they suffered from a lack of a recognised number nine, with Youan unable to lead the line and often dropping too deep.

At the back, they often seemed ponderous and unalert on the ball with a misplaced Marvin Ekpiteta pass in the first half summing up their season — never mind their afternoon — as it trundled out of play despite the defender under no pressure.

Teams on poor runs often welcome international breaks as a chance to recharge and regroup, it's hard to see this side climbing out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves, though.

Image source, SNS

Hibernian: Bursik, C. Cadden, Ekpiteta, O'Hora, Obita, Kwon, Newell, Triantis, Boyle, Youan, Hoilett.

Substitutes: Smith, Miller, Levitt, Doyle-Hayes, Iredale, McKirdy, N. Cadden, Bushiri, Gayle.

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Bwomono, Tanser, Phililips, O'Hara, Kiltie, McMenamin, Olusanya.

Substitutes: Urminsky, Kenny, Penman, Smythm Adeniran, Scott, Mooney, Ayunga, Mandron.

Follow the action live.

Hibs striker Mykola Kuharevich is suspended while Lewis Miller is doubtful with an ankle injury but Dwight Gayle and Chris Cadden are set to return. Kieron Bowie (hamstring) is still absent.

St Mirren defender Charles Dunne has been ruled out for eight weeks with a hamstring tendon injury. A similar problem is keeping Alex Iacovitti on the sidelines.

Midfielder Caolan Boyd-Munce is a doubt, Jaden Brown is still unavailable and Kevin van Veen's loan was cancelled this week.