Derek McInnes names biggest thing that 'shocked' him about Hibs this season as unsung hero of turnaround named

Derek McInnes’ has shared his only surprise over Hibs this season as the club prepares for battle with Kilmarnock.

The Rugby Park boss has been left pleased for head coach David Gray after a turnaround in form that has catapulted them into the third place race. A loss to Celtic last weekend in the Scottish Cup is not expected to derail momentum with the taste of league defeat yet to be had in 2025.

McInnes knows the club had a tough start to the season but was confident they would turn it around in quick time. Patience provided by Hibs chiefs has also been credited as a contributing factor to success.

Shock factor

He said ahead of the game: "Looking at the squad Hibs put together, the biggest shock to me was they weren't getting results. It's good they managed to have that patience, because what you're seeing now is what you'd expect from a Hibs team. "The new shape suits them and it has really paid dividends.

“In terms of us preparing for this game, getting a wee bit longer to prepare for Hibs, it’s been a good break. There have been certain lads who could do with just getting their training minutes built up. I think every game is going to be important. I don’t think we can just focus and concentrate on home form but the home form in the main has been pretty good. We are playing a team in decent form. Even though they lost the cup tie they were still in the cup tie against Celtic. So I don’t think that will derail them. Hibs are pushing for third spot and we are pushing for our own cause.

One man who he believes has been key to the turnaround in fortunes is Liam Craig. Gray’s assistant coach was McInnes’ first signing at St Johnstone and the midfielder went on to make himself a legend in Perth after arriving from Falkirk at a fee of just £10,000. His reliability is credited as a big plus for Hibs to lean on.

Mr Reliable

McInnes said: "Liam was my first ever signing as a manager. He was a brilliant servant for me and St Johnstone. We took him from Falkirk. He wasn't playing regularly there, so we got him on loan initially and then managed to get him for ten grand at a tribunal. Geoff Brown joked we still paid too much for him! That was in jest.

"It was a great bargain. He was a goalscoring midfielder who would regularly get you eight or nine goals a season. He was so versatile, too. When we won the Championship he played left-back for us. It's hard to know if a player that young would go on to be a coach or a manager, but he was always so enthusiastic.

"When Callum Davidson got the job at St Johnstone he brought Liam onto his staff. And Liam has that relationship with David from before and it's important for David to have people around him he trusts and wants to work with. He's clearly having an impact at Hibs with the positive results they've been having."