David Gray reveals his message to struggling Hibs stars

You come out of a mid-week jaunt up to Ross County, is everyone ready for the weekend? 

"Yeah, I think today the full focus has been about recovery. This will be the third game in a week, so it's about getting the players back, recovering as quick as you can, and then we've got an opportunity with a home game to look forward to on Sunday."

How do you look back on Wednesday night? I know you said at the time that you've got to take that point, but just speaking to Nicky Cadden earlier, I think the players certainly felt that they were the side on top...

"Yeah, I think on reflection again when you watch it back, especially the second half, it's the same as what I said after the game. Dominating the game, creating enough chances but lacking that little bit of quality in the final third, whether it be the decision or the execution at the very end. That was the bit that let us down from the game. Normally you would say on a Wednesday night, a 0-0 and a point away from home is a good result, but with the situation we find ourselves in at the moment, we know we need more than that."

That little bit touching on the lacking in quality in the final third, is that a microcosm of the season so far?

"Not really, I think we're getting to the final third and we are creating a lot of chances. I'd be much more concerned if we weren't doing that. We definitely need to be more clinical, something we've talked about, certainly something we're working hard at. The big thing for me is to keep the message to the players, we need to keep putting ourselves in these positions. We need to keep doing that, it might take 10 runs to get one opportunity, we might get a bit of luck or break of the ball, but that's how quickly it can change. We need to keep working at it, keep putting ourselves in the positions to miss and hopefully by working at it and continuing to do it, it will turn and I'm sure it will turn quickly."

How do you try and ensure that turn? I know that's probably the million dollar question, but what work are you trying to put into it just to get that confidence in the final third? 

"I think that's the key to any player, the more confident you are, the more likely you are to be successful. I think the one thing the message for myself and the staff is about confidence and about giving the players the belief and the freedom in the final third to go and express themselves and that hasn't changed. As I say, I think we're getting there to the point of creating the chances and that's just that final bit.

"The positives to take from it was going the other way, I know a lot has been said in recent weeks about us defensively. I know we finished 0-0 in the game, which is great, positive, clean sheet, but the tension now is all about us not scoring enough goals. We know we need to improve in both areas and we're going to continue to do that."

What do you think needs to happen? Do you just need that one win to get the ball rolling?

"We have an opportunity at the weekend at home against a side that we dropped points to a couple of weeks ago, so we know exactly what to expect. It's about us and how we can approach it, but I firmly believe in the group, like I've said many times now and if we play the way we can play to the best of our ability, we can go and get three points at the weekend and hopefully that can be the kick-start that we need. How fresh is that heart still from Pandey's a few weeks ago? One thing you need to do is you can't worry about things you can't affect that have happened in the past, it's about moving on from it, learning from it.

"The benefit of playing them recently is you understand personnel, the shape, things like that, but it's going to come down to us and what we do on the day. If we can do the things that we've worked on and do the things that I know the players can deliver, I'm pretty sure we will get three points. But it's going to take a big effort, they're a good side, they've already demonstrated that. It'll be a difficult day, but one that we're looking forward to."

There's been a lot of scrutiny on yourself and the team, wow are you dealing with that?

"You just need to keep going, keep working hard, keep sticking together as a group. As I've always said, keep putting belief into the players to trust the fact that they're good players. They wouldn't be at this club if they weren't good players. We need to keep giving them the confidence and belief to go and deliver that by sticking together every single day in training to hopefully make it click at the weekend."

Given what happened last time, the fans might feel nervous coming into this game. What would your message be to them?

"I don't know why they'd be feeling nervous, I think they'd be coming into the game with optimism, we need them to be right behind us exactly as they were in the last game. In the derby, the atmosphere was fantastic, they got right behind the side right from the start and I expect it to be the same. It's an opportunity for us at home to go and try and get three points and it's an opportunity for players that should be looking forward to."

How much could the moods around the club change if you get that next win? This is the first of a couple of home games...

"We've got a couple of home games to look forward to, my attention is fully focused on this weekend obviously, but sometimes that's what it takes, just one win, that's been the message, we've been saying that for a while now, so I'm not just repeating and deluding myself that there aren't areas in which we need to get better, but we have got an opportunity to change that and I do believe we are one victory away. The confidence and belief we can take from that one game and how quickly the narrative can change, we've just seen that at the weekend, the narrative about us being defensively not good enough, you get a clean sheet and the attention changes to the top end of the pitch, that's natural and until we're firing on all cylinders, which I know we will be, that's always going to be the challenge for the players and myself to try and get to."

It's been a frustrating period for you, how do you cope with that? 

"I think I've coped with it in terms of just sticking to what I believe in and working harder in all the areas in which we can do that and sticking together as a group on the training pitch, reflecting on the games, going over it individually and collectively and just taking every opportunity, whatever it is, to try and make the players better. That's our job at the end of the day, to try and make every player better, and as the team gets better then that's the ultimate aim. All of that is great, but we're always judged purely on results and we know that. In the situation we find ourselves in at the moment, I've done a lot of talking about us improving at times, but we know we need to get points on the board and that is the be all and end all. That's the full focus this weekend."

How's Dwight Gayle's hamstring injury?

"The game came too soon for him on Wednesday night, we're just assessing that one as it goes, he was on the grass again this morning and we'll see him recover from that."

Full training today or just on his own? 

"No, he was still doing rehab work just to see where he's at, we've still got time on our hands, we don't want to throw him right back in and we'll just see him monitoring that one every day to be honest."

How much can you take from the fact that if you were to analyse that United game last time, if you stopped at 90 minutes you'd be going 'we actually did a lot of really good things in there?' 

"Yeah, I think that's been a similar theme for quite a while, when you look at the context of some of the games and situations we've found ourselves in within games at times, obviously the red card at the time doesn't help, it then shifts momentum against us at that stage in the game, but we obviously know we needed to see the game a bit better. One thing I have already said, we can't worry about things we can't affect, or what's happened previously. It's about learning from it, and trying to rectify these mistakes and issues we've had, which then if you look at the Ross County game, defensively I thought we were excellent. We take a lot of confidence from that and we need to start the game on the front foot and really express ourselves in the game at the weekend against Dundee United."

Do you show the guys clips of that United game last time too? Because you did have a lot of joy in the game...

"Yeah, I think you have to always show the positives and the negatives from every game. It's about reflecting, and I say it all the time, it's about staying measured within it. It's very hard, especially straight after the game when the emotion is so high, but we are doing a lot right in games at the moment, for a long period of games as well.

"We've talked a lot about individual errors or concentration or whatever it might be, especially towards the end of games in situations where we've been in control, but that goes both ways. If we take our chances at the other end, there's less scrutiny that comes on you as a defensive unit towards the end of the game. We know that, but we also know and believe how quickly it can change, so we need to full focus on that this weekend and as I've already said, opportunity, home game against Dundee United, an opportunity for us to try and change it."

Is it important to make sure the players don't lose sight of those good things that you're talking about? It must be difficult when you kept getting those late setbacks.

"100%. You need to know when you're doing well, the situations, how you got to that point, for example, and take the confidence from it to make sure the players keep putting themselves in that position. I think that's something I just mentioned a minute ago, which is sometimes you might have to make 10, 15 runs into the box and not get the ball for that one time for it to fall to you, so I don't want the players to stop doing it.

"I don't want the players to play within themselves. There's a freedom to go and play, especially in the final third, and to play with that belief that you're going to go and affect the game, especially what we've got in the dressing room and what we've got available to us. We need to be maximising that and as I've already said, we've got a chance at home here where we can hopefully start the game on the front foot and really put a statement down this weekend."

Was the second-half on Wednesday more like what you want to see from this team? It was defensively solid, and more aggressive and on the front foot, just without the final touch...

"I think the first half I was slightly frustrated at halftime because of how I thought we were a little bit passive in the first half, not as aggressive and free-flowing as we were. As you look at the second half, we're a lot higher, as defensive unit putting a lot more pressure on the ball and really pinned Ross County in, and we've got to the final third on numerous occasions, probably as many as we have all season. It is just that final bit which is what we showed the players again this morning, areas in which we could improve on it, the decision-making or the execution at the end. But as I've already said, we are doing a lot right at the moment and it's just putting it all together and as I've already said, I believe we will do that."

 It was clear listening on Wednesday, there was a lot of urgency for Joe Newell to get further forward in the game. Is that something you're trying to get into his game a little bit?

"I think it's just the role in which you find yourself in the game. I think we were in the stage of the game where we needed, especially in the first half, a lot more attacking intent and to be a lot more aggressive in our starting positions. The higher Joe is, the higher the back four is and everybody moves up the pitch. You're able to affect the ball much higher up, put them under more pressure, which we've done in the second half, there's a big difference in the first half to the second half.

"And Joe was playing a lot higher, I think you've seen that, he drove the game on in the second half. He picked up a lot more second balls, was more on the front foot and that's what any midfielder, regardless of whether it's Joe or anyone playing in there, is what you want to do. You want to dominate the middle of the pitch and try and get up on second balls as much as you can and sustain attacks. As I say, in the second half, there was a lot to like about it. The way we played up until the final third, it was just that last wee bit."

Any other injuries going into the weekend?

"No, all good. Well, nobody's complaining yet, anyway!"