David Gray Refuses to Let Criticism Define Hibs' Cup Journey
David Gray is walking straight into the noise, not away from it.
Hibernian’s head coach knows exactly what is being said about him after a flat start to the season, but with a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final trip to Dingwall looming, he is refusing to let the criticism dictate his week.
Beat League 1 side Ross County on Saturday and Hibs are in the last four. Miss out, and the volume around Easter Road rises again.
Under pressure, but unflinching
Back-to-back Premiership defeats to Heart of Midlothian and St Johnstone have stung. So did the missed chance to reach the Conference League. For a manager in the early stretch of his third season in charge, the scrutiny is inevitable.
"That's the life of a football manager," Gray said. "You're judged on results and that doesn't change. If I'd won three or four games in a row, I'd still put pressure on myself to be better every day.
"If you think you've completed it and stand still, football has a way of changing very quickly, both in a positive way and a negative way."
He has lived the other side of this before. At the start of his managerial career, the Easter Road hierarchy stood by him when he won just one of his first 15 league matches. That patience bought him time then. He accepts this is different.
"Malky [Mackay, sporting director] was also just in the door in terms of the structure and the transitional period that the club was in at that time," Gray said.
"Would I have expected [criticism] to come on quicker now because we're a bit more settled and we've had time to do things? Naturally. I'm not averse to criticism, I'm not shying away from it.
"I'm certainly not put off by it in terms of feeling sorry for myself. If anything, it's the opposite."
Hampden at the top of the list
The stakes in Dingwall go beyond a place in the semi-finals. Hibs have not reached that stage of this competition since November 2023, when they lost to Aberdeen under Nick Montgomery, with Gray still part of the coaching staff rather than the man in charge.
That memory lingers. So does the target they set in the summer.
"When we spoke about challenges and objectives at the start of the season, getting to Hampden was right at the very top of the list," Gray said.
"If I allow the noise to affect what we're doing or distract me in any way then you just go under in that situation.
"I've been through adversity before and the focus is simply that we need to make sure we win.
"The form and everything else doesn't matter this weekend. It's about making sure everyone knows the job in hand, which is a real chance to get to Hampden."
For Gray, it is stripped back to basics: one game, one outcome that matters.
Facing a Ross County side that expects to win
On paper, Hibs are the Premiership club chasing a semi-final. On the pitch, they will face a Ross County side that has forgotten how to lose.
Relegated from the Championship, County have reset quickly. They sit unbeaten in League 1, and veteran striker Brian Graham has already hit nine goals this season, one of them in a home draw with Dundee during the Premier Sports Cup group stage.
"They've stayed full-time and kept their core together," Gray said of the Highland club. "It wouldn't surprise me if they found themselves back in the Premiership again with the infrastructure, players and management team they've got.
"They've started the season really well, they're used to winning games and they'll be playing with confidence. That adds to the challenge we've got."
A settled, confident lower-league side at home, a top-flight team under pressure travelling north for a cup tie. The margins tighten quickly in that scenario.
For Gray, it is not just about surviving the trip to Dingwall. It is about proving that, when the noise grows loudest, his Hibs team can still find the road to Hampden.
