Hibs have no time for regrets over David Gray departure: 'We could all cry together ... but it does no good.'
Few were closer to axed boss than Newell - but skipper knows show will go on as Aberdeen visit Easter Road
Regrets must pass quickly in football. And even the deepest of friendships are forced to endure the ever-changing realities of a game built on impermanent foundations.
Or, as Hibs captain Joe Newell rather succinctly puts it: “So, we could sit in here and have a montage for half an hour of the gaffer’s finest moments. We could all cry together.
“But that's going to do no good for anyone. We've got a game tomorrow.”
Captain and manager had tight bond
On so many levels, Newell is genuinely heartbroken to have lost manager David Gray from his daily life. Even if their semi-regular golf games became a genuine rarity when the former club captain became his gaffer, the current skipper will always count Gray as a valued friend and mentor.
But the beautiful game affords almost no room for reflection. With Aberdeen visiting Easter Road tomorrow, the pressure is quickly back on players to right some of the recent wrongs that led to Gray’s removal.
“It is hard because you haven't got a lot of time to get over it,” said Newell. “So, we were in yesterday. We just kind of had a bit of a low-key day. The boys who hadn't played much went out and trained.
“John Potter has obviously stepped in brilliantly. Again, it's tough for him coming in.
“He's only come in this summer. Three of his pals have lost their jobs.
“But he's been amazing with the group, kind of stripped it back a bit and just kind of focussing on that reaction for the weekend. Reinforcing everyone's individual roles, making sure you just bring your best version of yourself the weekend and maintain the levels that this club demands, essentially.”
Gray created a culture at East Mains
Newell, who described Gray as a “living legend” for the work he did in just over two years at the helm, believes that – despite their current position in the league and a historic run of home losses – Hibs are in a better shape because of the now ex-gaffer’s leadership, explaining: “The main thing for me that he brought to us as a manager, as a head coach, was in here, the training ground, the culture, the environment that he created. And not just him, Liam Craig, Craig Samson, they were brilliant with all the boys.
“I think that unity, that togetherness, you saw in that 17-game beaten run, for example, finishing that first season so strong. The consistency over the next year, Europe back-to-back, the highs that we had in that, the lows that we had and then bouncing back after the low.
“That all steams from the environment that we created here. That was a huge part of the success and that was down to those guys. So, yeah, they were brilliant.
“It is just sad, but that is football, it moves on. Been here before and will be here again probably. So, you've just got to kind of roll with the punches and wish them all the best and know that they'll go on and have great careers, definitely.”
Delving into the personal relationship he enjoyed with Gray, Newell said: “Yeah, good, good guy, good friend. Didn't play as much golf as we would have liked as soon as he became manager. He didn't have much time for that and neither did I, actually.
“I can't speak highly enough of him professionally, but then away from that, you know, a real good person who genuinely cares about his players. And I think you see that through players' performances for him over the spell.
“It's extremely tough, honestly. Every day at this football club I've been here, he's been here. Genuinely, every day in the building.
“Knowing someone for that amount of time, knowing how hard he works, knowing what effort he put into each role he's had at the club, his status at the club, all these things, it's obviously tough on a human level, definitely. But I think the main thing for me is, like I say, where Dave has took the club over the last couple of years, the kind of consistency and stability, I would just like to see that continued, obviously.
“Because we've had some amazing memories over the last couple of years and some real good achievements. So you just want to carry on that on now.”
The question over who Hibs go for next isn’t one Newell can answer, obviously. It’s even hard, as a player, to second guess what sort of profile the club might be drawing up as part of their recruitment process.
Questioned today on whether he thinks this is a job for a rookie – or even a relatively inexperienced – manager looking to make his name in football, the Englishman laughed as he said: “Who knows? I think at the end of the next manager's reign, we'll know if it's a success, if it's an older head or a rookie.
“All we can do as players is kind of buy into whoever's in charge, whether that's an 80-year-old who's been in the game 60 years or a 35-year-old who's starting out. Who knows? But yeah, as players and a team, all our job is to buy into it, give it as much effort as we can.
“There's no crisis in terms of stage of the season. We're still early on in the season. There's only been six league games, whatever. So we're in a position where we can turn it around quickly and still a very successful season can be had.”