David Gray probably spent the best part of last week impressing upon his Hibernian players how important it was not to repeat the same mistakes of the previous week’s defeat to Celtic when they travelled to face the same opposition in Glasgow. Only to then watch them do precisely that.
Had the Hibs manager possessed any hair, he would surely have been tearing it out as he watched his men concede two soft goals early on again, before shooting themselves in the foot in spectacular fashion at the back just when it looked as though they may have clawed their way back into the game.
There is very little that Gray himself can do about the spate of individual errors that have dogged the early part of the season for the Easter Road side, but he might be encouraged to hear there is at least a recognition within his dressing room from the players that it is they who are currently letting the club down.
The one man who probably emerged from Sunday’s defeat with nothing to apologise for, goalscorer Mykola Kukharevych, nevertheless fronted up and held the squad’s collective hands up to the lapses in concentration that have been costing Hibs so dearly.
When asked if he felt for manager Gray as he is left to carry the can for another poor defeat, Kukharevych said: “Yeah, 100 per cent, it’s not the gaffer who is making these mistakes. We have to change it ourselves, stop making mistakes in the next games. I think we will take our lessons from this. And we will keep going.
“It’s disappointing when we were back in the game, to lose a goal. We’re losing poor goals, especially the third goal. Again.
“But we have to take our lessons from losing those goals. And not do the same thing again.
“Obviously it was always going to be hard, playing the best team in the league two games in a row. No-one would find it easy against Celtic.
“But we have to look at ourselves. Or focus has to be on improving as a team, becoming better and more effective, and start building something.”
The double-header of defeats to Celtic may have been expected, if still hard to take for Hibs supporters, but the losses have been made even harder to stomach coming as they did after the desperately disappointing 3-0 defeat at St Mirren that kicked off their league campaign.
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When you factor in the manner of the goals they are losing, there is some understandable concern among the Hibs fanbase at this early stage of the season, but Kukharevych is certain that Gray will get them on the right path given time.
“I think it’s not too big a worry at the moment,” he said.
“Because we’re still building our game. We’re still improving as a team, bringing in new players.
“Even me, I’ve only been here a couple of weeks. It will take time for us to get settled into the team and understand what is needed.
“Then we had a difficult start, especially running into Celtic. But now we have to start getting points. No doubt.
“I still believe there are better times ahead for Hibs. I just want to play, keep scoring goals, do everything I can to help this team – and have a good time here.”
Two victories from the two matches this side of the international break would certainly help to lift the mood around Easter Road, and even in these fledgling days of the campaign, it is hard to overstate just how vital those games against Dundee at home next week and then against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park might be.
Kukharevych sees no reason why his team can’t turn things around, and if they can cut out the silly errors at the back, he believes they have more than enough in the attacking part of their team to get the positive results they sorely need.
“The next two games are so important, one hundred percent,” he said.
“We know we need to get points on the board, we have to start getting points and improve our confidence – and give some good emotions to our fans, who deserve it.”
