Exclusive: Hibs boss not surprised by 'cut-throat' sackings at Hearts and Saints

Gray (right) was impressed with Naismith’s success last season.. | SNS

Rookie Hibs boss David Gray insists seeing two of his peers sacked in less than a week hasn’t put him off management. And Gray, who expressed sympathy for Steven Naismith and Craig Levein, says he’s rarely shocked by even the most unexpected axing in the ‘cut-throat’ environment of football.

Hearts boss Naismith and St Johnstone gaffer Levein were binned just five days apart. Both clubs remain in the hunt for a new manager.

Gray, asked if seeing his Tynecastle counterpart and a former Scotland boss unceremoniously dumped had tempered his enthusiasm for coaching as a career, said: “No, no. It's what you sign up to at the start. You know that when you sign up to it. It's very much results driven.

“If you look at what Naisy’s done, especially last season, they had a fantastic season. And then, obviously, a run of poor results this season - and it's the way football's going at the moment. It’s the pressure of dealing with the job, unfortunately.

“I think it's never nice when anybody loses a job at all. I've been through it at this football club with managers moving on and being moved on - and it's a difficult period for the clubs and the people involved.

“I think everybody knows when you sign up to this job it is such a result driven industry and cut-throat at times. So it's never a surprise when anybody does lose a job at times, in certain situations. I wish them both all the very best - and I'm sure they'll still have futures in the game, wherever they decide to go next.”

Gray will tune into Malmo v Rangers tonight in the hope of gaining some last-minute insight into Philippe Clement’s team ahead of Sunday’s Ibrox showdown. But the former skipper admits he doesn’t expect to change much about his plans based on a Europa League game in Sweden.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to watch them,” he said, adding: “It gives us a little bit of insight again as to the team selection and what they do, but it has no real bearing on the game against us because it's a completely different challenge for them and a different opportunity for us.”