David Gray has sat in this position many times before, in many different scenarios. Previewing a big match, fronting up after a chastening defeat, or carrying out press conference duties in place of the recently-departed manager.
And now, in another new guise, as Hibernian's 38th permanent manager. Gone are the tracksuit trousers and drill top to be replaced by a smart half-zip, white shirt, grey trousers, and so-called 'pundit shoes'. This is Gray the head coach; calm and relaxed now, but ready for whatever the job throws at him.
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It came as little surprise when he was named as the preferred successor to Nick Montgomery at the start of June. Gray had delayed joining a family holiday to America such was his desire to prove, after four dress rehearsals, that this was his time - and he was still out there when his mobile rang some days later.
Gray, left, and sporting director Malky Mackay (Image: Mark Scates / SNS Group)
“I got a phone call when I was in Florida," Gray confirmed, speaking at the Hibernian Training Centre during his first press conference as head coach.
"My missus was a very happy, and unhappy, person for the last month. We had planned to take the kids because it was the last chance really to do the Magic Kingdom and all that stuff. My youngest is at the perfect age where she is princess and Barbie-daft.
"For the last two years we’d planned to go to Florida. My mum and dad were coming and so was my mother-in-law, because they’d retired this year. And... I ended up not going with them at the start. I stayed behind, for obvious reasons. I went two or three days late and was probably the most uninterested man the whole time I was there, because I was too busy thinking about other things - which my missus was not delighted about," he admitted with a grin.
Then came the call.
“I was six hours behind all the time. I was constantly looking at my phone, looking to see if it was going to ring. Then I was up for breakfast in the morning and the phone went. It was Ian [Gordon, director], Malky [Mackay, sporting director] and Ben [Kensell, chief executive] on one call. The signal wasn’t great. So when I got asked the question I maybe didn’t sound over-enthusiastic! But I was delighted. More importantly, everyone there with me at the time was delighted. I was nice and calm, but my wife and my mum were crying!"
Dad Peter had questioned his son's decision to hang up the boots and join the coaching staff under Jack Ross, but Gray was in no doubt he was making the right choice - even if he did feel able to keep playing, albeit possibly not at Hibs, or even in the Scottish Premiership.
"I think if the manager is asking you to be his first-team coach then it’s pretty clear I’m not going to play for him," Gray continued.
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“My dad was always asking if I’d made the right decision, saying, 'you want to play as long as you can'. But I firmly believe everything was geared up towards this moment. Everything I have been doing in the past three years has been about learning as much as I can. The people I have worked under, the qualities they’ve got, the way they saw the game... selfishly, it was fantastic to pick up all that knowledge and hopefully, I can put it all together to make a successful Hibs team."
Ross had barely been gone ten days when a besuited Gray led Hibs out at Hampden to take on Ange Postecoglou's Celtic in the League Cup final. The former defender had scored the winner in a group match against Forfar Athletic in the same competition just over a year earlier but now had a chance to emulate his former manager by upsetting the other Glasgow team following a 3-1 victory over Rangers in the semi-final.
David Gray leads out the Hibs team at Hampden ahead of the 2021 Premier Sports Cup final in his first spell as interim head coach (Image: SNS Group)
Paul Hanlon opened the scoring before Kyogo Furuhashi responded virtually immediately, with the forward adding a second to win the cup for Celtic despite Kevin Nisbet hitting the post late on. Despite Gray's inexperience, and Postecoglou's juggernaut of a team, Hibs ran their opponents close. While he'd never say it - and he'd always want Hibs to win no matter what - the result possibly suited Gray's personal ambitions.
“Now that I’m sitting in this position, I look back to the very first time I was asked to lead the team, which was the League Cup final. Had we won that game, and I was asked to take over then, would that have been the right thing to do? Absolutely not," he said.
"In every interim period, I did reasonably well because you’re dealing with adversity and picking players up - but also it’s never easy when you’re working closely with people who have lost their jobs, and you also feel partly responsible.
"Then, every time a manager was appointed, never at any point did I show an interest in the job or say I was ready for it. I was delighted to be doing what I was doing and privileged to be working for such a great club at such a good level.
“This time, there was a clearer shift towards the end of it, not in any way other than the fact the time for me is now to take this next step. If the club didn’t believe it was the right time for me I knew I was putting that on the line by applying for the job. But I was prepared to put my head on the line to back myself because I firmly believe I can do this."
When he was appointed head coach in September last year, Montgomery referenced the short shelf-life for Hibs managers but Gray, with Mackay as a sounding board above him, is braced for the challenge and willing to learn as he does everything in his power to restore pride to a club that hasn't had much to cheer about recently.
“ I’m not going into the job with the mindset of, ‘If I don’t win a few games I might get sacked’. Results and performances will dictate whether I’m doing a good enough job. The club is craving success. They are ready for it. Everything is in place. And having someone like Malky to lean on, with his time in the game and as a manager, will be a massive benefit," he explained.
"I’m desperate to learn. I don’t know everything; I’m willing to be mentored as well. With the structure in place, being the head coach is a chance to be successful and get the club back to where it needs to be."
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