Gray grateful for clarity as he takes Hibs reins for final
INTERIM Hibernian head coach David Gray insists there are now no distractions for the players after he was told he would be in charge for Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic.
Gray – a club legend virtue of scoring the 2016 Scottish Cup final winning goal against Rangers – has overseen the last two games since Jack Ross’s sacking.
Former Celtic and Scotland forward Shaun Maloney is expected to be confirmed as the Leith outfit’s new head coach in the coming days but Gray insists clarity over the dugout line-up for Hampden will help put the players’ minds at rest.
He said: “I spoke to (chief executive) Ben Kensell on Wednesday morning.
“It was positive from the result against Dundee on Tuesday, which was great and he informed me that me and Eddie May would be taking the team for the cup final, whilst they conclude the process to find a new manager.
“It’s great, the most important thing is that it’s great for the players because then they have clarity, they understand exactly what is happening, there are no distractions.
“There are no ifs, buts, maybes – full focus changes to Celtic at the weekend.
“Everyone understands the situation, the earlier you can find out exactly what’s happening the clearer the picture becomes for players so that’s the important thing.”
When reminded of emotional cup connection he has to the fans given his contribution in 2016, Gray replied: “Again, from a fans point of view you’ll always get that, which is great. It’s better than fans booing you I suppose.
“It’s great to have that side
to it but it’s not about myself or Eddie or any personal gain.
“It’s not a great situation for us as staff to be in because people have lost their job and that’s not a nice situation.
“Our job is to get the players ready to win the cup final, which has been our attention as of this morning, now we know that’s happening.”
Gray has experienced the highs and lows of cup finals at Hibs. Two months before the 2016 success they lost out to Ross County in the League Cup final, while the now retired defender was an unused substitute in May’s Scottish Cup showpiece set-back to St Johnstone.
He added: “I know how good it can be and I also know how much it can hurt if you don’t get the right result.
“They’re so important and the majority of the players have been involved in cup finals as well so they know how that feels.
“The most important thing is they’re excited about it and not worrying about it.
“There are only two teams left in the cup so why can’t it be us? We’ve shown this season that we’re more than a match for anybody and can beat anyone on our day.
“That’s the message going into the game – and the confidence will be high, especially after the Dundee result.”
On the prospect of Belgium coach Maloney being handed the reins, Gray added: “I don’t know where we are at in terms of who the next manager is going to be.
“All I know in terms of Shaun is that he has been working at a very high level and under a fantastic manager (Roberto Martinez) at Belgium. He was a fantastic player and knows the Scottish game very well.
“But my opinion on that doesn’t matter, it is about what the club wants to do and we will be in a position to react once we know what is happening.”