David Gray Focuses on Hibs' Cup Challenge Against Ross County
David Gray is not wasting energy on the noise.
The Hibernian head coach knows exactly where he stands as his side head to Dingwall on Saturday, one game away from the first semi-final of his reign and a badly needed change in narrative.
Beat League 1 side Ross County in the Premier Sports Cup, and Hibs are at Hampden. Lose, and the scrutiny that has grown after a stuttering start to the season will only intensify.
Under pressure, but unmoved
Back-to-back Premiership defeats to Heart of Midlothian and St Johnstone, coupled with a squandered chance to reach the Conference League, have left Gray firmly under the microscope early in what is his third season in charge.
He does not pretend otherwise.
"That's the life of a football manager," he 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."
This is not the first time Gray has had to ride out a storm. Hibs backed him at the start of his managerial career when he won only one of his first 15 league matches. He is quick to point out, though, that the landscape has shifted.
"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," he said. That was a club in flux, a project just taking shape.
Now? The foundations are firmer. Expectations are higher. So is the volume.
"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
For all the talk of systems, structures and scrutiny, Saturday is simple: win and Hibs are back in a semi-final for the first time since November 2023, when they lost to Aberdeen in the same competition. Gray was part of Nick Montgomery’s backroom staff that day. This time, the responsibility is his.
"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," he said.
The stakes are clear. So is his approach.
"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."
Facing a club that expects to climb again
On paper, Hibs face a club from two tiers below. On grass, they meet a Ross County side that has forgotten how to lose.
Relegated from the Championship, County have responded by staying full-time, keeping their core together and setting the pace in League 1. They are unbeaten, and veteran striker Brian Graham has already hit nine goals this season, one of them in a home draw with Dundee in the Premier Sports Cup group stage.
Gray is under no illusions.
"They've stayed full-time and kept their core together," he said of the Highland side. "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."
Hibs travel north knowing the equation is brutally straightforward: ignore the noise, handle the pressure, and turn a fragile start into a platform. Or watch a season’s first major target disappear on a long journey home from Dingwall.
