Revealed: Where Hibs boss David Gray ranks UEFA Conference League tie with Legia in personal all-time list
Scottish Cup winner well placed to assess importance of tie
Hibs boss David Gray believes tomorrow night’s visit of Legia Warsaw represents the biggest game of his time at the Easter Road club. And he’s hoping to see his team play their part in Scottish success across the board as SPFL sides look to make an impact on Europe.
Legia represent the final stage between Hibs and a first taste of group/league phase football in European competition, with a place in the UEFA Conference League at stake. Having been dumped out of the Europa League, only to bounce back with a brilliant aggregate win over Partizan Belgrade in the Conference League last time out, Gray’s men are ready to embrace the challenge of facing opponents who reached the quarter-finals of this competition last season.
And, asked where this tie ranked in his own personal list of special moments at Hibs, the former Scottish Cup-winning skipper said: "I think it has to go right at the very top, or right up there. Just because, well, the stock answer for me is because it's the next game!
"We've got no distractions between the next two games against Legia Warsaw. The prize at the end of it is what people look at, but even just looking forward to tomorrow night in isolation, how can we go and approach the game?
Warsaw were knocked out of Europa League by Larnaca
“The players are feeling really good about themselves, they're playing at a really high level, we keep selling out the stadium, so everyone really believing in what we're doing and the feel-good factor around the football club. I never had the opportunity to do this as a player, to be in the last tie before European group stage football, and what that means for the club, for the fans, the players.”
Scottish Cup legend - European football a unique thrill
Given his own history of special moments with the club, most notably a certain header at Hampden in May of 2016, Hibs boss Gray – just into his second stint as a manager – is well placed to assess the importance of this tie. He admits that European football has always held a special allure.
"It certainly did for me,” he said, adding: “I really enjoyed the different atmospheres, in which you go into, different styles, different type of players.
“In Scotland, you play each other so many times within the year that everybody knows everyone. It's small and everybody knows what everybody is doing all the time.
"In Europe you play against different clubs that the players have never experienced before. And even I when I look back, there were players that went on to do other things that I didn't realise I played against. That happens all the time.
"It is brilliant for the players to experience that, and the different atmospheres. After Belgrade, the players spoke to me about whether I had played in an atmosphere like that, and the answer was no. I'm sure they loved it - how loud it was, how hostile it was, because that's the sort of nights they want to be involved in.
“The Villa Park opportunity the previous season, to go and do that, the players loved that one as well. These are all special nights, but they're even made more special, if you know you're going into the game fully believing you're good enough to go and compete, and to go and try and get into the next stage. That's what I need to make sure the message to the players is, that they are good enough to make sure we get to the next stage."
SPFL decision a boost for Scottish clubs - Hibs boss
Gray was consulted by Hibs before the club requested that this weekend’s trip to Falkirk was postponed, taking advantage of a new SPFL ruling aimed at helping Scottish Premiership clubs progress in European football. From his perspective, it’s a no-brainer.
He asked: “Why would you not give yourself the best possible chance? In between, you could pick up injuries, you could pick up, knocks, or anything can happen any time you go on the football pitch.
"When you're playing against opposition that are doing it, I don't see why you shouldn't take the opportunity, to try and do that as it's not as if it's every single week, it is just this one off fixture, because of what's at stake, for the football club, for the team, but also Scottish football.
"You want to see all the teams progressing as far as they can in Europe, and really promoting the Scottish game because it makes the product better. I think it's certainly, in a really good place at the minute.
“You’ve got Aberdeen going into Europe, wish them all the very best and hopefully they can get through their tie. Dundee United were very unfortunate to go out on penalties, but they gave an incredible account of themselves against a real top side over two legs.
"Rangers have got a tough tie ahead of them now because of the result of last night, but are more than capable of turning that around, we'll be right behind them hoping they do that. And there's Celtic and what they're doing again.
"So you want everyone to push it as far as they can, to really boost the product, and if cancelling one fixture gives you the best possible chance to do it, when other countries are doing it, I think it certainly makes sense. It's a real step forward, for Scottish football."
Offering up a brief assessment of Legia, who lost to Larnaca in the Europa League second qualifying round to fall into this tie, Gray said: “Yeah, listen, they're a top side. You don't get to this stage having played the games they've played without being that. They got to the quarter-finals in the competition last season. They lost out to Chelsea.
“Very aggressive, pressed really well. And it'll be a tough test for us. One thing we've demonstrated, though, is that if we play at the level we can, we're a really good side ourselves.”
Admitting he’d given himself some new problems after making half a dozen changes to the starting XI for Sunday’s comfortable Premier Sports Cup win way to Livingston, he added: “Team selection is getting harder and harder. I've just demonstrated that with making six changes at the weekend. We won, kept a clean sheet, players now look at me and say: 'I deserve to play again, because I've played really well given the opportunity'.
“The player that came out, did he deserve to come out? And everything that comes with that makes my job harder, but it's a good place to be. Then when you're talking about looking further ahead, I don't think anyone would appreciate the excuse of: 'I'll leave you out of this one, because I'll save you for the one after it'.
"With the magnitude of this game, everybody's desperate to play. Anyone carrying any sort of fatigue will say they're absolutely fine, they want to play because they all want to be part of what's hopefully a special occasion. So, it doesn't make my job any easier.
"I've tried the whole way through to always pick a team that I feel gives us the best chance to win the game. Tomorrow night is no different.
"I always say as well, the team that starts won't finish. All the subs need to be ready, they all need to contribute over the two legs because there's a lot of football. A lot of different things that can happen - we could lose a goal, we could go a couple of goals up, anything can happen."