Hibs boss David Gray refuses to throw in towel and has say on defining moment
Head coach speaks on future after another defeat
David Gray stressed he is still “100 per cent determined” to lead Hibs out of the mire after a 4-1 defeat at Dundee left him clinging to his job.
The manager has only recently received the dubious boost of a vote of confidence from the Hibs board but he knows this heavy defeat at Dens Park in a game he had earlier described as a six-pointer means his future remains firmly in the balance.
What might help preserve his position is the fact Hibs have a game against Aberdeen on Tuesday at Easter Road. There is also the mitigating factor of an early red card for Jordan Obita to consider in this latest defeat for Gray's side.
The left-back was sent off for a high tackle after just 11 minutes, with Hibs already one up after an early goal from Nicky Cadden.
Dundee took full advantage and were 3-1 up by half time, with their third goal, from Seb Palmer-Houlden, coming after a dreadful mistake from goalkeeper Josef Burik. Substitute Curtis Main added Dundee’s fourth in time added on at the end of the second half.
Although many of Hibs’ near 1500 throng of travelling fans had already left, Gray stopped and applauded those who remained at the end before disappearing down the Dens Park tunnel. There didn't even seem to be much anger from fans, who seem to be accepting the inevitability of a relegation fight.
“I 100 per cent want to be here,” said Gray later. “That's a decision for the powers that be at the football club. Until someone tells me otherwise, I'll do everything I possibly can to turn this around.
“I know the players are still with me, one hundred per cent. I know they've still got that desire to try and turn this around. They're giving absolutely everything. They're hurting in there at the moment because of the effort they're putting in.
“But it's just too many individual errors and at key times it’s costing us,” he added. “So until anybody tells me otherwise, I'm going to do everything I can to turn this around. The reason I applauded the fans is because of the effort they’ve made. I understand the frustration from the supporters. I understand the frustration and the pain.
“The appreciation that they show towards the team during difficult periods. We had 1,500 of them or so, making the effort to come up here tonight, which is incredible when you consider the weather conditions in Edinburgh and around the country today.”
With regards to Obita’s red card, after a late lunge on Mo Sylla, he said he had “no complaints”. He added: “There was no malice in it, you see it regularly in football where someone takes a bad touch and then you lunge into a tackle. But you can’t do that. The red card was a big turning point in the game.”
Dundee manager Tony Dochery had great sympathy for Gray and his team. “Credit to Hibs for the way they started, the narrative coming out of their camp all week has been how much they’re playing for their manager,” he said. “I think you saw that, I don’t think we touched the ball before they scored. It was a hell of a start from them and a poor goal for us to concede.
“The red card obviously contributes but after that I’m really proud of the players because sometimes it’s difficult to play against ten men,” he added.
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