John Collins was only marginally older than David Gray is now when he took the reins as Hibernian manager nearly 20 years ago, but having spent time as a manager in Scotland and Belgium as well as stints as Livingston's director of football and periods serving as assistant manager to Ricky Sbragia and Ronny Deila with Scotland Under-19s and Celtic respectively, he knows all about the pressure of bad runs, the magnitude of derby games, and the importance of time.
The former Hibs and Celtic midfielder recognises that there is greater pressure on Gray and his team after they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last weekend against Dundee United, but he is trying to see the positives from a run of just one win in eight Scottish Premiership matches.
"The reality is you have to park [the Dundee United result]. They were so close to a good away victory, yet he came away with nothing and now the pressure is on him and his team. It's fine lines looking for a positive for Hibs. In the last three games, 1-0 at Ibrox, he could have got a result; 2-1 defeat (to Motherwell), 3-2 defeat (to United), two red cards. They're not getting beaten 5-0, they're not getting beaten 4-0. These are games that they could have won," Collins said.
"I understand the concern because we're sitting at the bottom of the league. The reality is we've got a new goalkeeper, new centre-halves, new players and at this moment in time, they're not performing as well as we'd have hoped. You've got to hope that in time that will improve."
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Collins believes expectations on managers have changed and that while young managers need and want time and patience, they don't always get it - and Gray is no different.
‘That's a manager's job now, is to improve players, get working Monday to Friday on the training pitch. What every manager, most certainly a young manager, wants is time and patience. In modern football, it's not something that's always around. People want immediate action," he continued.
"The reality is he'll be under a lot of pressure. I don't like saying that. But we're all grown-ups and we know what happens when you're at the bottom of the league. If you don't get the right results, there's always going to be pressure and speculation. But it's early in the season and things can change with a victory on Sunday. All of a sudden, confidence comes and they can go on a run. It's a big game on Sunday for Hibs."
Having experienced the Edinburgh derby from a Hibs perspective as both a player and manager, Collins had some advice for Gray, pointing out that it's a very different beast nowadays.
"It's not like the old days of derbies. When I played, everybody talked about aggression, winning tackles. In modern-day football, you've got to be very careful with that kind of chat in the dressing room. It's got to be the opposite. You've got to keep the players cool, calm and collected," he stressed.
"You've got to use your brain. In football, defending now is about being compact in interceptions rather than flying into 50-50 tackles. A manager's message has got to be calmness in possession. Don't get caught up in the occasion. It's always a challenge for players in derby games. The fans love a tackle. They love aggression. But sometimes you cannot play the game like a supporter," he admitted.
"You've got to play the game like a composed athlete and player, thinking constantly and not losing focus and concentration. They need full concentration at the end of the matches too. Games are usually won and lost in the last 15 minutes. The game opens up, players get tired; players get tired, they lose concentration.
‘These are periods of the game where Hibs have got to get better - the last 15 minutes. As a coach and manager, you've got to emphasise that to your players. Modern-day coaches have got five subs to use as well. You've got fresh legs to come on. But you need to get that right as well. Sometimes you can bring too many players on at one time. It can disrupt the flow and communication."
Collins left Hibs under a cloud following a reported disagreement with the board of the budget for bringing in new signings. But he feels the constant churn of players at Easter Road hasn't helped matters in the last few years.
"If you keep changing managers and you keep changing players, you get no continuity, no settled unit. That's been an issue for a long time. Too many changes. It doesn't work. There's got to be continuity and a plan of action," he explained.
Collins admits he's surprised that both Edinburgh teams are propping up the top flight - but he feels that while Hearts can point to Europe as a disruptive influence, Hibs haven't had that problem, and should be doing better.
"I don't think anybody in Scotland would expect Hibs and Hearts with their budgets, the size of the clubs and stadiums and training complexes to be down the bottom of a 12-team SPL. The reality is they are. But how many games have we played? Eight. It's early in the season," he said.
"You've got to remember that Hearts have had Europe. That's affected their preparations for league games as well. Hibs haven't had that. They should have been doing better, I think. But again, they've got a lot of new faces in the building; a new young manager.
"In an ideal world, you're off to a good start, everything's bright and rosy, new players have settled in; there's no stress and no pressure. But it's the complete opposite. There's pressure, there's tension. Everybody's talking, the spotlight's on them. That's football. Smaller clubs don't quite have the same kind of media pressure that Hibs have. They're a big club. They should be up in the top half every season."
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