Hibs Show Fight After Gray Exit But Old Questions Remain

The week started with a jolt at Easter Road. Nick Montgomery’s replacement David Gray, popular in the stands and respected in the dressing room, was told after just six league games that he would not be the man to lead Hibernian forward. The decision cut through the squad. You could see the bruise in their first-half display.

Jon Potter, back in Leith for a second spell on the coaching staff, had spoken about lifting spirits, about leaning on the positives to drag the mood upwards. For 45 minutes, the message barely landed.

Aside from the lively Callum Wright, Hibs looked tight and anxious. Passes went astray. Possession was coughed up cheaply. Aberdeen, happy to sit and spring, feasted on the turnovers, driving into space on the counter and sensing vulnerability every time Hibs lost their shape.

Then the interval came – and with it, a different Hibernian.

They came out with edge. More direct. Sharper in the duels. There was a snarl to their pressing and a willingness to play forward earlier, and Aberdeen suddenly found themselves shoved back towards their own box. The equaliser, when it arrived, felt earned rather than fortunate, the product of sustained pressure and a change in attitude.

That second-half surge will buy the players some goodwill. It will not silence the doubts.

Over the international break, the same awkward questions will hang over the club. Why can this team rarely stitch together a full, coherent 90 minutes? Why do they drift through opening halves before waking up only when chasing the game? And, most damning of all, is there enough sheer quality in this squad for any manager to mould into a consistent side?

Those are the problems waiting on the desk of the next permanent boss, whoever the board decide that should be during this three-week pause in club action.

Aberdeen, meanwhile, arrive at the break with a clearer sense of direction.

Earlier in the campaign, as his team laboured in a 4-3-3, Stephen Robinson sparked debate by declaring that “shape is for pundits”. Results and performances told a different story. He has since gone back to what worked so well for him at St Mirren: three centre-backs, two strikers, and a platform built on structure and aggression.

The shift has been obvious. Aberdeen now look harder to play through, more coordinated in their press, and genuinely dangerous when they break, using the pace at the top end of the pitch to stretch teams.

Two names have underpinned that improvement. At the back, Mats Knoester has emerged as the standout defender at the club, reading danger early and bringing calm to the back line. Just ahead of him, Afeez Aremu has transformed the midfield, covering ground relentlessly, snapping into tackles, then keeping things simple with the ball to launch attacks.

That spine had Aberdeen in control when Kevin Nisbet struck again. His goal – a deft touch, a sharp turn, and a composed finish – showcased a striker in rhythm. It was his third consecutive game on the scoresheet, a run that underlines his importance but also highlights a nagging issue: who else will shoulder the scoring burden for Aberdeen over the season?

Robinson’s frustration will centre on how two points slipped away. A needless challenge from Jack Milne opened the door for Hibs and undid much of Aberdeen’s disciplined work. For a coach who has just tightened his team’s structure, that kind of lapse will sting.

Even so, context matters. Aberdeen’s start to the season was torrid. Now, with a system that suits his players and a core beginning to assert itself, Robinson can at least look at the table and see foundations rather than rubble.

Hibs, by contrast, head into the break with a stirring second half to cling to, but a bigger, more uncomfortable issue looming: when the new manager finally walks into Easter Road, what exactly will he be inheriting – a squad on the verge of clicking, or a team trapped in the same old cycle?