Hibs in 'ideal world' new gaffer timetable target admission as interim boss stresses need for 'right man'
John Potter provides update on manager search and injury news after Aberdeen draw
Interim Hibs boss John Potter believes the Easter Road hierarchy will be keen to appoint a new manager before the team fly out to La Manga for a warm-weather training camp on Saturday. But the veteran coach says the most important thing is that they appoint the right man to replace sacked boss David Gray.
Potter, speaking after today’s 1-1 home draw with Aberdeen, provided an update on plans for the three-week international break. Which may not include him.
“Yes, the players are off for quite a few days,” he said, adding: “Obviously, there are international ones away, so I just had a little chat with them all there. For myself, I'm sure I'll find out in the next couple of days what the club want to do going forward.
“We've put a plan in place for when we go away to La Manga next Saturday for a small training camp. That's helping organise, whoever's in charge.
Players ‘hurting’ after David Gray sacking
“If a new manager's in or a new head coach is in or a coaching team, they'll obviously take that, but there's plans in place for that if not. So, that's not really my decision, but we are organised if we need to be there.”
Asked if he believed the executive leadership at Hibs would want to have a new man in place for that La Manga camp, Potter said: “I'm sure ideally they would love to, but the most important thing is they get the right person for that job. For me, that's more important than anything else, but honestly, it's not my decision.
“I just think that getting the right person is the most important thing.”
Hibs fell behind to an early Kevin Nisbet goal before Martin Boyle’s penalty saw Hibs avoid the ignominy of suffering a club record seventh straight home defeat in the league. Potter, who lost Jamie McGrath to injury during the warm-up, said the nature of the second-half performance, especially, showed that the new manager – whoever that might be – will inherit a strong group.
Admitting that players had been “hurting” in the wake of Gray’s departure on Wednesday, just hours after a painful home loss to Kilmarnock, the stand-in boss said: “There's a good group of players that really, really work hard every day. They train well.
“They always give 100 per cent. There's absolutely no doubt. It doesn't always go our way and it's not the last little while, but that's those small percentages that can go either way in a game by a missed chance or a red card or whatever that needs to be.
“Those small things maybe didn't go our way. But that's not through a lack of effort and it never has been since I've been in here at the club anyway.
“In terms of that, the group of players, there is a little break. Hopefully, we can get some players back fit and available. As I said, there's a good group of players that are willing to work hard and try and win games.
“I think in terms of the game, we had some good moments. The second half was much better.
“I still think in the first half we got into good areas, but didn't maybe commit that extra body or a bit sloppy with the extra pass. But the second half was much better.
“The one thing I would say, I think if anyone was going to win it, I did think we were pushing for that. But Aberdeen are a massive threat going the other way on the break, so we had to keep numbers back just to make sure that they didn't hit us going the other way.
“So, yeah, probably a fair result, but maybe a little bit disappointed that we couldn't get the winner.”
Jamie McGrath injury setback
Explaining how he’d tried to help players through the disappointment of seeing Gray depart, Potter said: “Yeah, it's difficult when somebody like Dave leaves the club, he's been here 12 years. He was a brilliant manager.
“He was a friend to everybody, been here a long time, knew everybody. Everybody knew him really well, so it was difficult, especially Thursday.
“I said Friday, I just sat with the players and said, we have to get on with our job. There's a little break after that. We have to try and win a game of football.
“But you can still see it in some of them. Even today, before the game, we could see some of them are hurting a little bit, but it's football and it's important that we just try and move on.”
On the McGrath injury, the coach said: “He had an issue with his calf before the game, 10-15 minutes into the warm-up. I don't know. I've seen him down there quickly, but I'm sure he'll be getting scanned and stuff like that.
“Honestly, I couldn't tell you what it is or how bad it is. I just knew that he couldn't play today.”