Hibs accounts 'don't pile extra pressure on to perform on the pitch'

Hibs head coach David Gray says that the club announcing a loss of more than £7 million does not put any extra pressure on him to get results at Easter Road - because the objectives of the Edinburgh outfit are to be challenging for cups and Europe regardless.

Hibs revealed in their latest accounts that they made a £7.1m loss for the last financial year, with the club still suffering from underachieving on pitch and a bloated wage bill.

While the Gordon family have promised to foot the bill for Hibs’ overspend, the latest figures are a cause for concern for the club’s fanbase - and it is expected Hibs will let a number of players leave in the summer when their contracts expire. High earners such as Martin Boyle and Rocky Bushiri are entering the final few months of their current deals.

Hibs head coach David Gray knows the baseline expectation is to finish in the top six of the Premiership. | SNS Group

Hibs currently sit fifth in the Premiership and are on an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions after a horrific start to the season that left Gray fighting for his job just months into his tenure. However, despite a grim set of accounts, Gray says the financial situation does not put him make him more aware of the need for success through prize money as the expectation at Easter Road is to be at the top of Scottish football.

Gray explained: “I think, as I've said many times, regardless of the number, profit, loss, whatever the number is that the club produces from a financial side and that number that goes out there, the objectives of this football club are always the same. So we always need to be finishing in that top six minimum with a chance of trying to finish in Europe.

“That's always been my objective at this football club as a player, with every manager I've worked with as a coach - and now that I'm the head coach, that's the message to the players. When you play for a club like this with the expectation, the demands, just everything that goes with it, that you need to be competing at the top end of this league and we know that.

“That doesn't change regardless of what numbers you produce from a financial point of view and I think that your rewards come from being more successful, of course.”

Gray once again praised the backing from the Gordons, who were one of the main drivers behind the rookie coach being given the chance to firstly lead Hibs this season and secondly remain in post when the team was struggling at the bottom of the league in November.

Hibs boss David Gray and his assistant Liam Craig prepare the team ahead of Sunday's league match at St Mirren. | SNS Group

“One thing I would say is the number we've put out there is one that the Gordon family have fully supported,” continued Gray. “And I think I can only talk about the support I've had.

“The finances on that side of the club is very much for the hierarchy. But when I think back to the support that's been shown to me, the very start of the season, the first window, the number of players we had under contract, but still had the ability to bring players in without letting players go. When you think back to the number of bodies we had, the support we had, which was great, to be able to do that.

“And then even in the January window, we weren't as active in terms of the numbers that came in, but it was purely based on if we felt something could be done to make the squad better, they were very supportive of that and they would have backed us on that, which is great. From my point of view, I've always felt that.”