Hibernian are in a “very difficult” moment as they seek to restore pride after last week’s Europa Conference League play-off first leg mauling by Aston Villa.
The Easter Road club were trounced 5-0 in Edinburgh before defeat to Livingston at the weekend cost manager Lee Johnson his job.
David Gray takes temporary charge of Hibs after Johnson’s exit.
“It’s very tough for everyone involved,” said Gray.
“There is no time to be sorry for yourself. You can’t affect anything that’s happened previously. It’s all about trying to amend the things as quickly as possible.
“I don’t think it ever gets easier. It’s not a nice situation to be in.
“We have been well aware of the fact we are conceding too many goals as a squad and the work has been going on trying to put that right.”
The Hibernian board are hoping to draw up a short list of potential managers by the end of the week with a view to begin formal interviews at the start of next week.
- Villa closing in on loan deal for Barca’s Lenglet
- Lennon keen to talk about possible Hibs return
The current scenario facing Gray is one he’s experienced before, with the Scottish Cup-winning hero taking temporary charge of Hibs for the third time.
And despite a familiar feeling in a difficult moment, the former defender is encouraging his players to embrace the occasion, even if the chances of progression look to have been left in Edinburgh last week.
“Three people have lost a job. So first and foremost, it’s not nice,” said Gray.
“I know managers sign up for that responsibility, but it’s very much a collective at times as well.
“It has been a difficult time but there’s no excuses. It’s a fantastic opportunity to play against a great side in a fantastic stadium. So I don’t think any of the boys will be feeling tired or have any excuses.”
Unai Emery only named eight substitutes for Sunday’s Premier League win at Burnley, including two goalkeepers, and could make a series of changes for the return leg at Villa Park on Thursday.
“We have young players in the under-23s and we played with them in the pre-season and we can play with them,” said the manager.
Team news
Emi Buendia, Philippe Coutinho, Tim Iroegbunam, Alex Moreno, Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey are all out for Villa, Emi Martinez and Leander Dendoncker are injury doubts and Nicolo Zaniolo is ineligible.
Omari Kellyman, Travis Patterson, Tommi O’Reilly, Seb Revan and Kadan Young could feature for the hosts, while Jhon Duran featured from the bench at Easter Road.
Hibs will assess goalkeeper David Marshall after he took a knock in the weekend loss at home to Livingston.
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