Gayle 'thankful' to be involved in Hibs' success in final footballing act
Outgoing Hibernian striker Dwight Gayle has praised the job of manager David Gray this season.
Gray took over at Easter Road last summer but after a poor run of form towards the start of the campaign, Hibs found themselves at the bottom of the Premiership table.
But a change of formation in October changed the fortunes of the club and Gayle, who is hanging up his boots at the end of this season, insists the manager deserves huge praise for turning the season around.
"Honestly, the pressure that we were under as a team, but the way he was able to conduct himself every day was unbelievable," Gayle said.
"Everything else around him was sort of crumbling but he showed such courage. Every training session was precise and in the direction of the weekend.
"He was able to not even forget about it, but he was able to progress from each defeat and really crack on with the next game.
"It's a testament to himself and his coaching staff because they went on to do so well for us and we're so thankful for what they've been able to achieve. I'm very thankful to be involved in a part of that."
Gayle joined Hibernian last summer after a sterling career south of the border but how has he enjoyed his brief spell in Scottish Football?
"It exceeded my expectations, if I'm completely honest," he added.
"I have such fond memories of some of the games this season and obviously going on the run we have, we created history, so I feel like a lot of the boys in there are going to have such good memories that we look back on and I'm sure we'll meet up in the future."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
'It's letting fans down' - Well Society urge wider VAR debate
The use of video technology to aid match officials was brought into the Scottish Premiership in October 2022 [SNS] Motherwell's majority shareholder has called for a wider discussion on the use of VAR in Scottish football after none of their members backed the technology in its current form. During a Well Society consultation, a near unanimous 99.3% of respondents believe VAR either needs to be "scrapped altogether or fundamentally reformed". The other 0.7% were unsure. Advertisement A total of 63% of respondents said they did not support VAR in Scottish football, while 60% said the use of the video technology had made their experience as a supporter "significantly worse". A Well Society statement read: "Fans spoke about long delays, a lack of clear communication, inconsistent decisions, and a growing sense of disconnect between those in the stands and those officiating on the pitch. "Rather than building trust in decisions, many feel VAR has done the opposite, creating more distance between supporters and the game itself. "Some still see potential for technology to play a role in football, if used in the right way. But the overwhelming feeling from our fanbase is that VAR, as it stands in Scotland, is simply not working. Advertisement "A system designed to bring clarity has, for many, only added more confusion." Well Society director David Cullinan added: "As a fan-owned club, we have a duty to listen. This wasn't about grabbing attention. It was about listening to what our supporters really think. "And they've made it clear that VAR, as things stand, is letting them down. This is just the start of a wider discussion, and we're calling on clubs across Scotland to stand with their supporters and be part of it."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
No let-up for Leicester boss Cheika as Premiership final exit looms
Michael Cheika said only victory in next week's English Premiership final would do after his Leicester side booked their place in the Twickenham showpiece with a hard-fought 21-16 win at home to Sale on Saturday. The Tigers will face old foes Bath at the headquarters of English rugby on June 14 after two fine tries by wing Adam Radwan helped them edge past Sale to spark joyful scenes come the final whistle at Welford Road in what was the last Leicester home game for retiring stalwarts Ben Youngs and Dan Cole. Advertisement But for veteran Australian coach Cheika, who has overseen a revival in fallen English giants Leicester's fortunes since signing a one-year deal before the start of the season, there is still much to do ahead of what will be his last game in charge of the Tigers. "This is not an achievement for me –- winning it (the Premiership) is the achievement," said Cheika, previously in charge of both Australia and Argentina at Test level. The 58-year-old, who steered his native Australia to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham only for the Wallabies to go down 34-17 to New Zealand, added: "I don't want to be a sad sack, but I can't leave any room for complacency around how well we've done to make it (to the final). "I've been doing this for too long. You get to a World Cup final, you think about how good that is and then when you lose, it's the worst feeling you'll ever have. Advertisement 'I want to make sure that I leave no room in my own personal performance to allow anything to derail our preparation." Radwan's two tries were the standout moments from Saturday's semi-final, the 27-year-old England wing evading several Sale defenders for his first score before he crossed Sale's line again after athletically catching an overhit chip from Springbok star Handre Pollard. Cheika, reflecting on Radwan's second try, said: "Adam grew about a foot, I reckon. A foot and a half! He's not the tallest of fellas, Adam, but he got there." He added: "You've got to be brave to go and do that stuff and if you don't try it, you never know if it'll happen or not. I'm not going to rap him (Radwan) up too much, but it was a good try. "Pollard had the courage to make the kick and then Adam had the courage to do that extra little bit to go and get it." jdg/dmc
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Lam motivated to take Bristol on to a future title
Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam has insisted he has lost none of the motivation to try to take the Bears to a Premiership final next season, despite watching his side fall short in their semi-final at Bath. The Bears held a slender half-time lead over Bath but conceded four successive tries to fall out of contention as their West Country neighbours booked a place in the Twickenham final next week. Advertisement Lam, who joined Bristol in 2017 with the club then in the Championship, has taken the Bears to the play-offs three times but not yet to a final. "To get to the final was massive for us - we are disappointed but we gave it a really good go and we missed out to a quality team," Lam said. "If you look over the seven years at what we've done and what Bath have done, Bath will always get a lot of credit because they've won titles, Northampton won titles, Saracens have won titles. "I think for us to go to that next level and earn some of that respect we need to win a title, that's the next evolution of this team. Advertisement "I'm really excited by next year and what could happen." Bristol finished fourth in the table, securing their semi-final spot - and their first since 2021 when they topped the league - in the final round of the regular season with a win against Harlequins six days previously. They did so with the smallest squad in the Premiership and after missing key players such as fly-half AJ MacGinty and winger Gabriel Ibitoye for large chunks of the season. Against Bath they scored a breathtaking try which started metres from their own tryline through Kalaveti Ravouvou and was capped off by James Dun, and showcased plenty more of the quick, slick ball-handling skills that made them one of the top attacking outfits this season, and briefly stopped Bath in their tracks. Advertisement But across 80 minutes they could not match their opponents - particularly with the loss of scrum-half Harry Randall on 37 minutes to a shoulder injury and following two yellow cards. Lam, who is under contract until 2028, said they need to develop more of the strength in depth that Bath have to push on. He also pointed to the signings of versatile Scotland and Glasgow back Tom Jordan, winger Max Pepper and second row Pedro Rubiolo as additions that will bolster them in 2025-26. "We've just got to keep building that depth below so when we lose key guys they can fill that gap even better," he said. Advertisement "We've still got the smallest squad, we've got 31 players next year, 19 senior academy boys. "What we've shown is you don't have to spend to the cap - we've tidied up so much of the whole organisation, I believe we're sitting nicely now off the field and we'll build and when we do get some more funds we've got enough in our cap space to grow from there."
