As he leaves his mark on the team, Gray must make judgments.
It is obvious that the current leadership transition at East Mains is more akin to a revolution than an evolution. In addition, the recently appointed manager David Gray has been very open about what his top goals are for reviving the disastrous collapse from the previous season—which was unavoidably the result of constant turmoil.
Few at Hibernian Training Centre will contest Gray’s overriding desire to make the first team more difficult to beat as he gathers his backroom staff and creates pre-season preparations meant to overhaul an oversized squad of odds and ends. When was the last time you heard of a new leader announcing plans to relax defensive discipline demands and loosen sinews?
However, some aspects of Nick Montgomery’s grand scheme are definitely worth rescuing from the ruins. Whatever went wrong in his short time as manager, the blunt Yorkshireman who replaced Lee Johnson in September undoubtedly had a significant impact on the team’s style of play.
Due to the same limitations that will now irritate Gray as the rookie coach makes his first managerial moves, Monty was unable to complete his rebuild by adding the players he had previously designated as objectives during the summer transfer window. Whether he builds upon the foundations already in place or adds to them is up to his successor, who fortunately has a smaller team to work with but is still unlikely to assemble a potent starting lineup with the players already on his books. or smashes everything that was left behind when Montgomery went.
Given the budgetary constraints and the ongoing availability of players signed by his predecessors’ predecessors, what can Gray possibly hope to do in a brief off-season and with just one transfer? What action SHOULD he take next?
Continue constructing from behind.
Okay, that makes sense. You feel afraid because of it. has horrifying effects on blood pressure. However, it functions. Sincere.
While some fans threw themselves into a blind panic every time Hibs took a short goal kick or recycled possession through David Marshall last season, it is a truth universally acknowledged – at least within football – that Montgomery was onto something. And anyone questioning his wisdom was likely to be presented with a handful of receipts in support of the tactic.
Did you know that NO-ONE in the Scottish Premiership – not Celtic, Rangers or any other team with a reputation for playing good football – used the short build-up more frequently than Hibs last season? Brendan Rodgers’ swashbuckling champions didn’t even come close. Which is quite remarkable, when you consider that those figures include the first three games with Johnson at the helm.
