Premiership rival boss notices one thing about Hearts as Hibs chiefs sent David Gray message

Hearts and Hibs return to action this weekend in search of some much-needed points to aid their disappointing starts to the Scottish Premierships season.

The Jambos remain rooted to the bottom of the table ahead of their clash with St Johnstone, while David Gray’s side are just a point ahead. Both sides from the capital have just one win on the board so far and are desperate to get more points in the bank before things start to look bleak in the bottom half of the table.

As Hearts and Hibs prepare to face St Johnstone and Dundee United respectively this weekend, we’ve taken a look at their latest headlines.

Valakari weighs in on Hearts clash

Hearts will be looking to throw everything at their clash in an attempt to claw their way up from the foot of the Premiership standings. The Saints are currently four points ahead, and the Jambos are only guaranteed movement up the table if they win and Hibs drop points.

Ahead of their clash at McDiarmid Park this afternoon, St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has weighed in on the task at hand and has stressed how Hearts’ position in the table will not impact how his side approach the match.

“I see it as a big opportunity for us. I see it as a beautiful game to play in front of our home fans in our home stadium,” Valakari said.

“We are playing against a very good footballing team. For whatever reason they are there [in the table], they have quality. We need to concentrate on our thing and be ready. As always, it is all about us. We look at this as an opportunity to play in front of our own fans, be positive, be brave and do all the little details as well as possible. Against a quality team, if you sleep for one moment, they will punish you.”

Hibs chiefs sent message regarding David Gray

A lot of talk has been surrounding Hibs’ current situation as they are also battling it out at the bottom of the table. Former Hibees star Tam McManus has urged the club to avoid parting ways with another head coach. Speaking on PLZ Soccer, the pundit has sent a message to the club’s board regarding what he thinks they need to do in order to ride this difficult storm.

“I think they will stick with the manager, they’ve moved through five managers in the last two years. You just can’t, it’s not sustainable for a club to do that, to keep sacking managers, paying them off and bringing new guys in. They’ve got to stick with David Gray. It’s painful at the minute to watch Hibs, I watched them the other night against Ross County, it was poor to watch but they just need to stick with the manager.

“This is a game they should be looking to win at home. I know from experience when Hibs are struggling, as a player, the fans are on your back straight away. So I think it’s important for Hibs to start the game well, get in front and try to go on and win the game. I think Hibs are capable of winning the game, and I think they will.”