Captain Joe Newell said David Gray should be “extremely proud” of his Hibernian reign as he expressed his hope that the next Easter Road manager is able to maintain a similar sense of “consistency and stability”.
Former player Gray, 38, led Hibs to third and fifth place in his first two seasons in charge – the first time the Edinburgh club had enjoyed back-to-back top-five finishes for two decades.
But a slow start to the current William Hill Premiership campaign brought fan pressure on the 2016 Scottish Cup-winning goal hero and led to him being sacked on Wednesday, with John Potter placed in interim charge for Saturday’s visit of Aberdeen.
“It’s always horrendous when it happens, so it’s been a tough week for everyone,” said Newell, who joined Hibs in 2019, five years after Gray. “Every day at this football club I’ve been here, he’s been here, genuinely every day in the building.
“It’s never nice when anyone loses their job, but knowing someone for that amount of time, knowing how hard he worked, knowing what effort he put into each role he’s had at the club, his status at the club, all these things, it’s obviously tough on a human level.
“Football moves on quickly, but I think it’s important that everyone at the club remembers him for what he’s done, which I’m sure they will. He’s a living legend here, he’ll go down in history.
“I think in months and years of reflection, people will look at Dave’s tenure here and say it was a success.
Read more
-
Denis Law legacy project officially launches in Manchester United hero's home city
-
Ex-director predicts Morton will be homeless as he reveals missed £150k rescue offer
-
Neil McCann urges Kilmarnock to build on first victory of the season
“He’s stepped in from a player, he’s moved into a coach, he’s taken interim roles, and then his time in charge of the club was a massive success. The more time goes on, the more people will appreciate that.
“It’s obviously raw and it’s hard now, but I think from the place we were in to where we went under Dave was something he should be massively proud of.
“From where we were, if you would have said two years later this is what we’ve achieved, the days and nights we’ve had, not many people would have believed you. I think he’s been brilliant.”
Newell believes Hibs, who are in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final, remain well-placed to thrive under whoever replaces Gray.
“I’m not in charge of those decisions, obviously, but I think the main thing for me is, with where Dave has taken the club over the last couple of years, with the kind of consistency and stability, I would just like to see that continued,” said Newell.
“We’ve had some amazing memories over the last couple of years, some real good achievements, so you just want to carry that on now.
“There’s no crisis in terms of we’re still early in the season. There’s only been six league games so we’re in a position where we can turn it around quickly and still a very successful season can be had.”
