Parting company with a manager has become fairly common for Hibs in recent years. This time, however, they cannot turn to Gray as his replacement.
After Jack Ross, Shaun Maloney and Lee Johnson left, Gray was appointed interim boss on each occasion. He stepped in once more following Nick Montgomery’s departure, but this spell developed into a two-year tenure.
The Scottish Cup final hero brought stability to a club in turmoil, guiding Hibs to successive top-five finishes and European qualification in back-to-back seasons.
Results were not the main concern. The bigger problem was the manner in which they were achieved, particularly the team’s increasingly uninspiring style of football.
That uncertainty makes the next managerial decision especially difficult. What level of success are Hibs aiming for?
Motherwell have handled similar changes with apparent ease. They first appointed Jens Berthel Askou before replacing him, following a successful season, with Alfred Johansson in an almost seamless transition.
Askou’s team edged Hibs out of fourth place on the final day, but many supporters in green and white were more focused on events at Celtic Park, where Hearts’ title challenge ended at the last hurdle. In Leith, the mood was a mixture of delight and enormous relief.
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