“It’s a real, real dark time to be a Hibs supporter.”
That’s the view of former Easter Road striker Tam McManus and you wouldn’t get many disagreeing as his former side sit bottom of the Premiership after a late capitulation at Dundee United.
Manager David Gray is now feeling the heat in the same way that Paul Heckingbottom, Jack Ross, Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and Nick Montgomery did before him before all getting the sack.
Fans are rightly concerned with the side bottom of the league, heading into a derby against second-bottom Hearts, who got their new manager bounce with a 4-0 win over St Mirren at the weekend.
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McManus addresses who is to blame for Hibs struggles
Ross was sacked in November 2021 and that makes Gray Hibs‘ fifth permanent manager in three years. Clearly, a change would make it six.
But McManus says the manager can’t always be the problem, especially considering Heckingbottom has gone on to do well in England and Montgomery has a good job at Tottenham.
The ex-striker says the problems lie higher up and he reckons director Ian Gordon and chief executive Ben Kensell are rightly in the firing line of some supporters.
Speaking on the PLZ Soccer Football Show, he said: “It’s like Groundhog Day. I feel like I’ve been saying the same thing for two years since they sacked Jack Ross. Get a new manager, start poorly, the manager’s under pressure, get a new manager in…
“It’s a real, real dark time to be a Hibs supporter. There’s never been a bigger disconnect between the fans and the team, the club.
“If you just break it down all the managers can’t be bad managers. So you start to look ‘well, what’s the problem with Hibs?’ For me it’s the people running the club and they’ve got to take a long, hard look at themselves.
“A lot of supporters are pointing the finger at Ian Gordon and Ben Kensell and the board at Hibs. I think that’s rightly so because not all the managers are duds, some have gone down England and done well.”
Hibs players letting David Gray down
It is not just from above that Gray is being let down, reckons McManus.
Captain Joe Newell was sent off on 85 minutes on Saturday before those two stoppage time goals were conceded, and goalkeeper Josef Bursik was badly at fault. The week before, it was Nectar Triantis sent off for two yellows during defeat to Motherwell.
McManus added: “It’s just one thing after another. Joe Newell, experienced player, let the team and manager down. I’m a big supporter of Joe, I think he’s a very, very good player. But he’s let a lot of people down with that tackle. On a booking, experienced player. You can’t do that.
“The week before it was Triantis, you can cut him a bit more slack as he’s a younger player. But they’re killing the manager with individual errors. The goalkeeper – hopeless at the third goal, poor at the second.
“If they keep making individual errors they are going to get the manager the sack. David is under a lot of pressure with the supporters, a lot of people didn’t think he was qualified. A lot did want him because he’s a club legend but Frank Sauzee was a club legend and he was sacked after 13 games.”