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Scotsman
12 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Hibs braced for hostile Belgrade 'Gravediggers' as David Gray explains Thibault Klidje situation
Place in Conference League playoff at stake Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rip away all the noise and nonsense, the sound and fury that make European competition so reliably fascinating for those with a dog in the fight, and there is still a game of football to be played. Hibs will need to remember that as they take to the field in front of 30,000 roaring Serbs at the Partizan Stadion on Thursday night. Against a team whose supporters revel in the nickname of 'The Gravediggers', David Gray's men must not allow themselves to be buried under the avalanche of animosity likely to come tumbling down from the stands here. They have to impose their own game upon a young Partizan side still developing as a European force. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At stake is a place in the UEFA Conference League play-offs where qualification for the league phase will be up for grabs. Something Hibs thought was already in their possession not so long ago, only for Aberdeen to rip that prize from their grasp courtesy of an odds-defying Scottish Cup win over Celtic. Hibs expect a hostile reception from Partizan Belgrade fans on Thursday night. (Photo by) | Getty Images Partizan, knocked out of the Europa League on penalties by Larnaca but handsome Conference League conquerors of Ukrainian wanders Oleksandriya last time out, represent a formidable enough challenge. But not the most fearsome opposition ever laid before a Scottish club at this stage of qualification. 'Firstly, you expect it to be quite a hostile environment, one that the players maybe haven't experienced before,' said Hibs manager Gray, whose team took Midtjylland deep into extra time at Easter Road before suffering their own Europa League exit last week, the former club captain adding: 'Some of them might have, but going over there, it's a different environment, it's a bit hostile and from what I've seen, a very intense, aggressive nature. 'So discipline is going to be a big thing as well from our players in making sure we do things properly. It's another brilliant test against a top side and we know we need to be at our very best. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's no different from the Midtjylland test, which was a difficult one, but we need to take confidence from that. I say to the players all the time, you need to believe you can go over there and get a result, and if they were doubting or weren't fully believing before the first leg over in Denmark, they certainly were when they came home, which shows the level of performance and the level of quality we've got as well.' Partizan are aware of the threat posed by Hibs striker Kieron Bowie, whose double secured a 2-0 win over Dundee on Sunday. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) | SNS Group Hibs certainly boast top-line quality in their starting XI, with Partizan boss Srdjan Blagojevic singling out stand-in skipper Martin Boyle as the one to watch. Although, among the Belgrade media corps attending the MD-1 event at the Partizan Stadion yesterday, the name of Kieron Bowie was also given a frequent airing; it's impossible to sneak that sort of bruising talent under the radar against even the most lax opposition. And Partizan are no slouches. As for the options available to Gray as the game goes on, well, there is some strength in depth. Even if it will take a while for latest signing Grant Hanley to get up to speed. Record signing situation explained On that subject, might Hibs finally get a proper look at record signing Thibault Klidje? Having cost the Easter Road club over £1 million, there's a natural clamour to see what the Togolese international striker has to offer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Gray is prone to caution on that subject, however, stressing: "Yeah, I understand that as soon as you see the price, people talk about getting him in the team. But the boys are obviously doing well, and I don't want to push him either. 'The expectation is one thing, but he needs to settle. He needs to get used to me and the way we're working and get used to the intensity, because it's a different way of playing. "I've noticed he's really settled around the group now, which is pleasing. Coming to a foreign country, the players have made him feel really welcome, which is great. He's getting used to my accent slightly, which is probably good for him as well, and he's got his own place now. "He's starting to settle a lot quicker, and I'm sure we'll see a lot of improvement from him pretty quickly. But I'm not putting too much pressure on him right now. We're just going to make sure that we keep progressing when we can.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hibs fans have seen little of record summer signing Thibault Klidje thus far. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) | SNS Group Hibs really rattled Midtjylland in the opening exchanges of their first leg at the tidy-but-tame MCH Arena, attacking with intent and taking an early lead through Jamie McGrath's cheeky free-kick. But, of course, that desire to really test opponents, not the worst tactic if Hibs are to put the Gravediggers in a sombre mood from the off, only works if you've got the defensive strength to avoid conceding a crazy number of chances at the other end. "Yeah, I think we've demonstrated that a few times now,' said Gray. 'The defensive organisation needs to be there. That's the most important side to it. 'We'll always have players who can score goals. And defence is not always the back five or the back three. The defence starts right at the very front. 'I think we saw that against Dundee at the weekend. The front two, Martin Boyle and Kieron Bowie, really worked hard with Junior Hoilett in behind them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The effort that goes into that, the organisation behind the ball, it's something that we do work a lot on. It's a massive part of the game because tactically, the players are really switched on nowadays, at every level. "We need to be ready for that, even more so in Europe. It's a bit of an unknown because you don't watch these teams week in, week out. "But the hard work goes in from our point of view to make sure we educate the players to know exactly what the challenge is and then put a game plan in place that we feel gives us the best chance to win the game.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Hibs braced for hostile 'Gravediggers' as David Gray explains Thibault Klidje situation
Place in Conference League playoff at stake Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rip away all the noise and nonsense, the sound and fury that make European competition so reliably fascinating for those with a dog in the fight, and there is still a game of football to be played. Hibs will need to remember that as they take to the field in front of 30,000 roaring Serbs at the Partizan Stadion on Thursday night. Against a team whose supporters revel in the nickname of 'The Gravediggers', David Gray's men must not allow themselves to be buried under the avalanche of animosity likely to come tumbling down from the stands here. They have to impose their own game upon a young Partizan side still developing as a European force. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At stake is a place in the UEFA Conference League play-offs where qualification for the league phase will be up for grabs. Something Hibs thought was already in their possession not so long ago, only for Aberdeen to rip that prize from their grasp courtesy of an odds-defying Scottish Cup win over Celtic. Hibs expect a hostile reception from Partizan Belgrade fans on Thursday night. (Photo by) | Getty Images Partizan, knocked out of the Europa League on penalties by Larnaca but handsome Conference League conquerors of Ukrainian wanders Oleksandriya last time out, represent a formidable enough challenge. But not the most fearsome opposition ever laid before a Scottish club at this stage of qualification. 'Firstly, you expect it to be quite a hostile environment, one that the players maybe haven't experienced before,' said Hibs manager Gray, whose team took Midtjylland deep into extra time at Easter Road before suffering their own Europa League exit last week, the former club captain adding: 'Some of them might have, but going over there, it's a different environment, it's a bit hostile and from what I've seen, a very intense, aggressive nature. 'So discipline is going to be a big thing as well from our players in making sure we do things properly. It's another brilliant test against a top side and we know we need to be at our very best. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's no different from the Midtjylland test, which was a difficult one, but we need to take confidence from that. I say to the players all the time, you need to believe you can go over there and get a result, and if they were doubting or weren't fully believing before the first leg over in Denmark, they certainly were when they came home, which shows the level of performance and the level of quality we've got as well.' Partizan are aware of the threat posed by Hibs striker Kieron Bowie, whose double secured a 2-0 win over Dundee on Sunday. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) | SNS Group Hibs certainly boast top-line quality in their starting XI, with Partizan boss Srdjan Blagojevic singling out stand-in skipper Martin Boyle as the one to watch. Although, among the Belgrade media corps attending the MD-1 event at the Partizan Stadion yesterday, the name of Kieron Bowie was also given a frequent airing; it's impossible to sneak that sort of bruising talent under the radar against even the most lax opposition. And Partizan are no slouches. As for the options available to Gray as the game goes on, well, there is some strength in depth. Even if it will take a while for latest signing Grant Hanley to get up to speed. Record signing situation explained On that subject, might Hibs finally get a proper look at record signing Thibault Klidje? Having cost the Easter Road club over £1 million, there's a natural clamour to see what the Togolese international striker has to offer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Gray is prone to caution on that subject, however, stressing: "Yeah, I understand that as soon as you see the price, people talk about getting him in the team. But the boys are obviously doing well, and I don't want to push him either. 'The expectation is one thing, but he needs to settle. He needs to get used to me and the way we're working and get used to the intensity, because it's a different way of playing. "I've noticed he's really settled around the group now, which is pleasing. Coming to a foreign country, the players have made him feel really welcome, which is great. He's getting used to my accent slightly, which is probably good for him as well, and he's got his own place now. "He's starting to settle a lot quicker, and I'm sure we'll see a lot of improvement from him pretty quickly. But I'm not putting too much pressure on him right now. We're just going to make sure that we keep progressing when we can.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hibs fans have seen little of record summer signing Thibault Klidje thus far. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) | SNS Group Hibs really rattled Midtjylland in the opening exchanges of their first leg at the tidy-but-tame MCH Arena, attacking with intent and taking an early lead through Jamie McGrath's cheeky free-kick. But, of course, that desire to really test opponents, not the worst tactic if Hibs are to put the Gravediggers in a sombre mood from the off, only works if you've got the defensive strength to avoid conceding a crazy number of chances at the other end. "Yeah, I think we've demonstrated that a few times now,' said Gray. 'The defensive organisation needs to be there. That's the most important side to it. 'We'll always have players who can score goals. And defence is not always the back five or the back three. The defence starts right at the very front. 'I think we saw that against Dundee at the weekend. The front two, Martin Boyle and Kieron Bowie, really worked hard with Junior Hoilett in behind them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The effort that goes into that, the organisation behind the ball, it's something that we do work a lot on. It's a massive part of the game because tactically, the players are really switched on nowadays, at every level. "We need to be ready for that, even more so in Europe. It's a bit of an unknown because you don't watch these teams week in, week out. "But the hard work goes in from our point of view to make sure we educate the players to know exactly what the challenge is and then put a game plan in place that we feel gives us the best chance to win the game.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
David Gray reveals Hibs plan for record signing Thibault Klidje and replacing Lewis Miller
The new big money striker has only been seen fleetingly since his club record breaking move from Luzern David Gray has hinted Hibs ' record signing Thibault Klidje isn't ready to be unleashed on FK Partizan. The Togolese international has made two cameos off the bench against Midtjylland since his £1million-plus switch from Luzern. Fans are keen to see more of the 23-year-old, who was an unused sub in the Hibees winning start to the Premiership season against Dundee at the weekend. And while Gray understands the clamour to pitch in an expensive new recruit as quickly as possible, the Easter Road boss is playing the long game for Klidje and the team's own good. "Yeah, I understand that as soon as you see the price, people talk about getting him in the team,' he said. "But, the boys are obviously doing well and I don't want to push him either. The expectation is one thing but he needs to settle. "He needs to get used to me and the way we're working and get used to the intensity, because it's a different way of playing. "I've noticed he's really settled around the group now, which is pleasing. Coming to a foreign country, the players have made him feel really welcome, which is great. He's getting used to my accent slightly, which is probably good for him as well, and he's got his own place now. "He's starting to settle a lot quicker, and I'm sure we'll see a lot of improvement from him pretty quickly. But I'm not putting too much pressure on him right now. "We're just going to make sure that we keep progressing when we can.' As well as the pressure a big fee can bring, Gray is mindful of other challenges facing new arrivals from overseas. He added: "Definitely. Those are the variables. I've always been very complimentary of the players, first and foremost. Welcoming new players is something that I think they do really well. Players do settle pretty quickly here because it's a really good group to come into. "I speak a lot about the characters that are in there and the professionals who are in there every day, which is a real plus for us as staff when you're bringing players in. "When you bring players in, there are always risks involved. It's about mitigating that as much as you can, and then not putting too much pressure on the boy himself, because of the expectation that will rise as soon as you bring a player to the football club. "But also people want to see them. That's the thing. You get excited. Everybody wants to see them. But we've also got a lot of competition and strengths and depth in the two positions. "We're playing with two up top at the minute but the players in the building – Kieron Bowie, Martin Boyle, Elie Youan, Junior Hoilett, Josh Campbell, are all forward-thinking players. So it is good to have these options as well." The Aussie signed a three-year deal with Blackburn for an undisclosed fee this week, while Scotland international Grany Hanley arrived at Easter Road. "It's something we look at quite a lot. I call them dual-position players and I think when you look at the squad, we have a lot of players who can do that. We're playing at the minute with a sort of back three, back five. "Warren O'Hora has played in a back four but he can play right, and he can play left. Chris Cadden can play right-back and right-wing-back. So we have got dual-position players and I think that's important. Kanayo Megwa has a similar profile to Lewis Miller – not the same height, but a good athlete. He can play right of a back three, he can play right-back, right-wing-back. "He's just a young player, obviously, but he's doing well. You need players who can play more than one position, especially playing in Scotland.'
