Hibs players have debt to pay David Gray - but time is running out

This week has emphasised how in with the bricks captain Joe Newell is at Hibs. The 31-year-old Englishman has been elected on to the community foundation board and recently made his 200th appearance for the club.

As a consequence, where the Easter Road club finds itself right now hurts Newell. Bottom of the Premiership, with just one win in 11 league games, Hibs are in trouble. There can be no getting away from it.

Relegation-threatened teams carry a certain trait. They don’t score enough and at the other end, they concede too many. Hibs’ woes at the back have been amplified further by the concession of late goals. Dundee, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Hearts and Dundee United twice have been the beneficiaries of the side’s fragility when the clock ticks towards 90 minutes.

The Hibs players were left dejected by another concession of a late goal last weekend against Dundee United. | SNS Group

Much has rightly been made of losing leads late on but there is another worrying stat ahead of Saturday’s match at home St Mirren. Along with Ross County, Hibs have scored the least number of goals in the top flight with ten. Conviction is lacking at both ends of the pitch.

It all means that Newell cannot focus on his own moments. “It's not really a time for me to think about my personal milestones and stuff at all,” he said ahead of the Buddies’ visit. “I'm not just saying that, I genuinely haven't thought about it once. I think I got given a shirt with 200 on the back and it's still in my locker in the changing room. I've not even taken it home yet. I've not had time to think about it or reflect on it yet. I probably will do, hopefully, in the near future, but for me at the minute it's all about the team and us getting out of the situation we're in.”

A point off 11th-placed Hearts, a victory against St Mirren would move Hibs above their capital rivals, who are at Ibrox to face Rangers on Sunday. A draw would mean four consecutive stalemates on the bounce. Not disastrous, but still in a holding pattern. A defeat would really crank up the pressure, not just on head coach David Gray and his players, but also a quivering board that is already disliked by a proportion of its fanbase.

Everyone concerned with Hibs wants the Gray era to succeed. He is a club legend after heading the winner in the Scottish Cup final against Rangers back in 2016. But losing to St Mirren would leave the 36-year-old in a perilous position ahead of an international break. While some of Hibs’ general play has been decent in matches this season, their form screams one word right now: demotion.

Tension is in the air in the latter stages of matches involving Hibs. “I think you'd be lying to say there wasn't, because you can feel it in the stadium and stuff,” admitted Newell. “I think that's just completely natural, the situation we're in. Everyone, fans, players, staff are all so desperate to get ourselves out of it. If it is 1-0 in the 85th minute, there's obviously going to be some anxiety around the place.

Newell speaks to the press ahead of Saturday's match against St Mirren. | SNS Group

“The last couple of games, I think we have dealt with it a lot better. But it's not just as simple as that. We need to be scoring more, we need to be more clinical going forward to ease that pressure. The hard work has been continuous. I've got so much faith in the group and the team. I firmly believe that we'll be sitting here in a couple of months' time looking back and just thinking that was a terrible start.” 

Newell is determined to change the narrative. Such is the boom-and-bust nature of football, three points would act as an immediate remedy to the malaise Hibs currently find themselves in. The captain is adamant that Gray is doing all he can, and that the players owe their head coach better performances. It was Newell who was sent off at Tannadice with five minutes to go, leaving his team a man short when leading 2-1. He joins a number of sinners this term.

"Definitely, yes,” was Newell’s quick response if he feels for Gray. “He's the manager. He knew exactly what he was getting into, I think, coming into management. It's not easy. It's his first job and he'll never sit in front of you guys and not take all the responsibility himself. He will always be honest and, in his mind, truthful and he'll never shy away from it. But as the captain and as a group of players, I think we have to do so much more for him.”

Asked to elaborate, Newell continued: “He deserves so much more than what he's getting at the minute in terms of results. The staff, the manager, have worked so hard since they've come in pre-season. I feel personally that we've got a group of players that should be a lot better than where we are and we're not doing enough for him at the minute. It's as simple as that.

“He sets us up right. I think the last game, for example, just because it's in the forefront of my mind, a really good performance, tactically really good. Probably just not clinical in the final third enough, but that should show that as a manager, he's setting his team up in the right way, he knows what he's doing. Bar a late call [from VAR], we should have had three points.

Hibs head coach David Gray. | SNS Group

“Other instances throughout the season, red cards ... he can't do anything about me lunging in with five minutes to go, 2-1 up. Nectar [Triantis’] red card, last-minute penalties. These are all things out of his control. So, of course, I feel for him and we all do. We're all desperate to turn it round for him.”

Newell’s words read like a charge sheet. There is guilt in his voice as he addresses the situation. He and his teammates have a debt to repay to Gray, but time is running out to do so.