'Road ahead looking increasingly bumpy' for Hibs

Twelve games played, one victory, bottom of the Premiership table. No wonder the fans at Easter Road are questioning what is going on.

There was so much hope and expectation just a few months ago when David Gray was handed the job on a permanent basis.

A young manager who had done well in his numerous interim periods in charge, a club legend who will be forever remembered as the goalscoring captain who finally brought the Scottish Cup back to Easter Road after over a century of failures.

An experienced sporting director, Malky Mackay, who knew the Scottish game inside out, was brought in along with new shareholders, the Black Knight group, who have worldwide experience in football recruitment.

So why has it gone so wrong? I wish I knew the answer but as hard as Gray has tried he simply cannot get a tune out of this squad.

The players themselves have said they are to blame. Captain Joe Newell spoke to the media before the weekend defeat by St Mirren and told us Gray deserves so much more than they have been giving him.

Saturday's match was simply a repeat of what has been happening this season.

Hibs had 70% possession but St Mirren had 15 attempts on goal. That was three more than Hibs mustered in front of their own fans.

Gray has now received the dreaded vote of confidence from the board but they have also outlined improvements have to come quickly.

The club will have a major overhaul next summer when many of the biggest earners are out of contract and decisions will have to be made soon as to who they want to keep.

On current form there are not too many players the fans would be crying over should they move on.

The Christmas period of games is the busiest time in the calendar and with trips to Dundee, Celtic, Motherwell, Aberdeen and Tynecastle all to come before the end of 2024, the road ahead is looking increasingly bumpy for Hibs.