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Scotsman
7 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hibs boss David Gray on unsung coaching heroes and captain's role in comeback
'I never felt like I lost them,' says manager as he hails dressing room culture Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... Hibs boss David Gray believes crocked captain Joe Newell and the unsung heroes of his backroom staff all deserve credit for creating the strongest winning culture he's known in a decade of service with the Easter Road club. And the former skipper, who dragged Hibs from the foot of the Scottish Premiership to a third place finish in a season of extremes, insists he never felt like he'd 'lost' the dressing room as he endured a torrid start to his first taste of management. Gray, who returned to the familiar role of interim boss following Nick Montgomery's sacking late last season, was handed the reins on a more permanent footing in the summer. He ended the campaign with European football secured – and was shortlisted for both the PFA Scotland and Scottish Football Writers Manager or the Year awards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad All of those achievements seemed unlikely as Hibs won just one of their opening 14 league games. But a 17-game unbeaten run in Scotland's top flight, equalling a club record dating back to the Famous Five era, saw Gray's men mount a furious comeback that ended with them claiming the Best of the Rest honour behind the country's established big two. Midfielder Joe Newell 'held it all together' during crisis Explaining some of the factors that went into that turnaround, Gray singled out central midfielder Newell, who hasn't featured since late December because of two groin/hernia operations, the gaffer declaring: 'I've been here for 10 years, and the culture is as good as I've seen it, in terms of the togetherness in the group here. 'And that goes down to Joe Newell as club captain and what he does. He's not been someone that's performed on the pitch as much as he would like, but he's certainly held it all together off the pitch during the difficult times. And then players who have really had to step up this season, they've certainly done that during difficult times.' Manager can be 'crabbit' because assistants deal with players Explaining the importance of assistants Liam Craig and Eddie May, as well as goalkeeping coach Craig Samson, in coping with that brutal start to the campaign, Gray said: "They were very consistent. It's something that, knowing when I brought them to the football club, what they would be like. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Especially Sammy, the goalie coach. If he was quiet, then we know we've got a problem. 'He's the complete same every single day, win, lose or draw, which is really good. Sometimes he can be a bit frustrating! 'But it's really good because he's very consistent with that. He's very to the point. 'So the players, if they're feeling sorry for themselves, he'll put it on them straight away. Come on, what's wrong with you? It's only a game of football or it's only one result or whatever it might be. So he's very good from that point of view. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And it allows me probably to be a bit more crabbit knowing that they can get round about the players and make sure everyone's OK. Because a lot of the issues that maybe will happen in a dressing room, it's natural, it happens every single day. There's things that go on. 'Very rarely does it come to my door because my coaching staff will nip it in the bud, which is brilliant. So it is a real collective effort all the time and I'm very lucky to have staff that all pull in the same direction. Every single one of them has been a massive benefit to me this season.' Sitting in the auditorium used for analysis and planning sessions with players at the Hibernian Training Centre, Gray said there was no single incident that convinced him he was still on the right track even while results pushed his team into the relegation zone, explaining: "Maybe not directly that one moment. 'One thing that I think me and Liam were talking about a lot was ... he kept saying to me during the run, especially at the start when it was poor: 'We're not far away'. That's the words he kept saying to me all the time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I was like: 'That doesn't help!'. He just kept saying: 'We're not far away, honestly, we're not far away from being a good side.' Aye, I know, I know. 'But, genuinely, I think it's every day in training. When I was watching them in training and I was feeling like everything I'm asking them to do, the belief was there, they were doing it, they were all sticking by it. 'I'm coming in here and demonstrating, showing things on the screen, having meetings, post-match meetings. And, as I say, I never ever felt like I lost the buy-in. And that was something that was huge. 'And, again, that comes back to the characters that are in your group, who all want to be successful. And the environment that we've created here, the culture in the building.'
Scotsman
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Why 'emotional' Hibs players were 'begging' Easter Road hierarchy to stand by gaffer
Premier League veteran backs Scotland hopeful Bowie Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... Veteran striker Dwight Gayle has revealed how Hibs players were virtually 'begging' the club not to sack David Gray before he'd even reached halfway in his first season as a manager. And the former Premier League star says new Scotland call-up Kieron Bowie has everything needed to become an elite centre forward. Gayle retired from playing after the final game of the season, the former Newcastle and Crystal Palace favourite bowing out with a feeling of satisfaction after helping Hibs finish third in the Scottish Premiership. That distinction looked anything but likely as Gray, appointed last summer after standing in as interim boss following the sacking of Nick Montgomery, came under intense pressure during the opening months of the season. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Famous Five record equalled as striker bagged Edinburgh derby winner With just one win in their opening 14 league games, Hibs scuffled along at the wrong end of the table – and were put back on the bottom as recently as early December. But the first-year head coach turned things around in spectacular fashion, his team putting together a 17-game unbeaten run in the league, equalling a club record from way back in 1948, when the Famous Five were building their reputations as all-time greats. Gray has repeatedly said that he never once felt he'd lost the support of his players, regardless of how bleak things became. And senior leadership figures at Easter Road have also testified that the visible and vocal support Gray received from the squad was a factor in deciding to stand by their former club captain. Gayle, a free agent signing who made the most of one final year as a frontline player, revealed just how desperately players wanted to keep Gray in situ, declaring: 'Yeah, definitely, the club is in good hands with the gaffer here. You can see the trust that the boys have in him, even from when things weren't going well. 'The boys were so emotional and almost begging the club not to part ways with him. Because the boys knew it was their fault - and it was only a matter of time before we were able to turn it around. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The coaches have obviously thanked us for what we've been able to achieve and helped towards it, but at the same time it ultimately comes from him. So I think going into next year, like I said before, he's got the core players that are going to be able to relay messages to all the new players. And I think he'll be able to start the season well - and hopefully have a good season again.' Ex-Crystal Palace man owes Hibs skipper Boyle an apology for POTY snub Gayle, whose six goals included a memorable Edinburgh derby winner at Tynecastle, is confident that Hibs will cope without his contribution up front next season. In aspiring Scotland No. 9 Bowie and established Socceroos star Martin Boyle, he sees firepower enough to make any defence uneasy. Speaking about Bowie, still just 22, Gayle said: 'He's got all the attributes that you'd want as a striker. He gives the team that pivotal point to look for. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Like I say, he's learning things and it's important that he starts to develop other parts of his game, maybe out of possession. But you can all see what he brings to the table when it gets to 60 minutes, and he comes on. It's like a breath of fresh air for him to come on for us and he's so powerful.' The 35-year-old, moving into player agency, has been blown away by the work of stand-in skipper Boyle over the course of the season, revealing: 'Yes, I almost felt a bit guilty. We obviously had the Players' Award the other week and I voted Nectar Triantis. 'I felt a bit guilty coming away from it because Boyle has given the team so much and he's been ever consistent with his goal-scoring - and he's such an outlet for us when we're counter-attacking. 'His pace has been unbelievable, and he's been so good finishing and he's been playing every single game. So I apologise, Martin, for not voting for you!'
Vogue
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
The Untold Story Behind the Final Jacques Azagury Dress Princess Diana Never Got to Wear
'We didn't really talk about it,' Azagury tells Vogue of why it was kept hidden. 'Even when I did talks or exhibitions, I never did show that dress.' Azagury does not refer to August 31, 1997 as the day Diana died—instead, he refers to it, poignantly, as 'when she left.' When asked if the Final Goodbye Dress was too painful to talk about for all of those years, he thinks for a moment before responding, 'I just found—I just feel it was very personal to me.' Now, though, he's ready to share. Azagury first met Princess Diana in 1987, when he was working on his second fashion collection. British Vogue editor Anna Harvey, who was a fashion mentor to Diana throughout her royal life, made the introduction. 'Of course I was dumbstruck,' he says, 'but within seconds, within seconds, she put me at ease.' A few weeks after their initial meeting, the palace called, saying that Diana would like to visit Azagury's atelier. She had noticed a dress from the collection that she ended up wearing—a black velvet creation with blue stars—which ultimately sold for $1.1 million, 11 times its estimated value, in 2023. 'So that was our very, very first meeting together,' Azagury says. 'And then, of course, we had a very good relationship right to literally two days before she left for Paris.' Azagury estimates that he made about 20 dresses for Diana during their 10 years working together, but the Famous Five were when he 'achieved the look that I wanted for her,' he says. He helped modernized her image with these five creations, starting with the Venice Dress in June 1995, a red silk georgette two-piece tunic worn to a fundraiser in the Italian city to raise money for London's Serpentine Gallery. Three months later, she wore the Bashir Dress, a long black silk georgette dress with a fishtail hem, in London that September; she would wear it again to the Cancer Research Ball in New York City the following December. The last summer of her life, she wore the ice blue Swan Lake Dress to a performance of the ballet of the same name at Royal Albert Hall on June 3, 1997, and that same month, she wore the Washington Dress, a red silk georgette column gown, to a Red Cross Ball gala dinner in Washington, D.C. on June 18.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
A new chapter for OMR couple
A small library near her house in Thrissur was Sudha Gopalakrishnan's steadfast companion during the years she was in school. Though the library offered limited books, it is here she got introduced to Enid Blyton's Famous Five. Since then books have also served her creative pursuits as a web designer to face the corporate world more confidently. In December 2019, in collaboration with her husband H. Venkataraman, they launched an online lending library, Bookshelf, converting a room in their house in Thoraipakkam to stock a humble collection of children's books. But things did not go as planned. Their entrepreneurial dreams received a big blow with COVID-19. 'In three months we had to take a pause as social distancing became the norm and some of our members feared placing a request for books,' recalls Sudha. With the pandemic showing no signs of letting up, Bookshelf went into a long hibernation, the couple had to be content just focussing on their respective corporate jobs. Later, in January 2025, they officially relaunched Bookshelf. In the model, one places an order and the books are delivered at their doorsteps. 'We were clear from the beginning that we will be hyperlocal but cover as many readers as we can. Currently, we cater to areas on OMR, starting from Perungudi to Kelambakkam,' says Sudha, a freelance web designer. The couple say their research showed that many libraries folded up due to infrastructure cost, so instead of investing in a physical space their flat in Bhaggyam Urbanville in Thoraipakkam doubles as library. Two-day OMR Storytelling Festival The Bookshelf, an online library for children, is organising 'OMR Storytelling Festival 2025' on May 17 and 18 at Kriyates, Thoraipakkam from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. On May 18, storytellers Pretigaya Haran, and Alvin and Kishore will engage participants with their themes 'Around the World in 60 minutes, A Playful World of Kid Powered Theatre' and 'Musical Storytelling, Where Words Meet Music' respectively. Registration is a must. Residents of OMR can avail special free passes. For details, visit Or call 8056073602 It currently stocks more than 2,000 books for children up to the age of 12 years. 'We have books by Indian authors and publishers, multi-language books and those apt for children,' says Sudha that their teenage daughter feeds them with inputs. Venkat, who is a finance consultant, contributes his mite by helping with marketing and promotions. Bookshelf has not come up with any rigid rules on returning books as their primary objective is to get children to pick them up first. They will soon be trying out a new concept: a mini-library heading to an apartment or gated community. 'This will be like a travelling library, where we bring books, storytellers and do activities for two to three hours. Depending on the interest from the community, the frequency of the visits will be increased,' says Sudha. Bookshelf currently has 60 members and is counting. 'It is a slow journey and we are not looking at it as a profitable business, just the satisfaction of seeing families take to reading. Sustaining initiatives such as this will keep us motivated and energised,' says Sudha, grateful to the encouragement they have been getting from the Federation of OMR Residents Associations (FOMRRA). Their request to gated communities is to not be indifferent to ventures that are trying to keep the reading habit alive in this digital age. Bookshelf is organising its first event 'OMR Storytelling Festival' where the sessions feature elements of music, crafts-making, dance and drama. For details, visit
Winnipeg Free Press
17-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Homesteader woman faces series of struggles
If you're looking for something Canadian to read that's easy-going, uplifting and informative, Finding Flora might be just the book for you. Elinor Florence now hails from Invermere, B.C.; she grew up on a Saskatchewan farm, worked for newspapers across the West and for Reader's Digest Canada for eight years. She has written two previous novels, the bestselling Bird's Eye View and the award-winning Wildwood. Finding Flora is a fine work of historical fiction set in Alberta in the early 1900s. At that time the government was attempting to attract new settlers to farm the bare, wide open prairies. Finding Flora On the run from an abusive husband, Flora jumps from a train. Although she is as poor as a church mouse, Flora manages to purchase a scrip coupon from a kind lady entitling her to 320 acres of unfarmed land. Some of the men look on with disapproval as she chooses land east of Lacombe, Alta. — a far cry from her poor Scottish birthplace, the home she was destined for. Flora loves the Alberta prairie and is thrilled by the prospect of farming the land and having a home of her own. In order to keep the land, the homesteaders must farm it and adhere to strict instructions or face expropriation. Her closest neighbour is a tiny young widow with three children. Flora is soon surprised to find she has three other neighbours — two older American women who are living in a beautiful house, and an aloof Métis woman who trains wild horses. Slowly the women become friends — and it's a good thing. There are so many hurdles Flora must face as she attempts to do what seems impossible. First and foremost, she is a woman in a time and place that is not kind to females, especially independent ones. Secondly, she lives in constant fear that her abusive husband is hot on her trail. Flora doesn't know how to farm, and some of the men in the area are more than happy to see her fail. A few, amazingly, are eager to help. The harsh climate, meanwhile, throws another wrench into the works. Thankfully the women help when they can, and a fiercely, cantankerous giant of a man has a change of heart. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Florence interestingly manages to incorporate the struggles women went through at that time, when they did not have the vote and were not expected to be landowners. Some real-life historical figures are woven into the story, including Irene Parlby of the 'Famous Five' group of prominent Canadian suffragettes and Frank Oliver, a Canadian federal politician. Florence uses uncomplicated language, making the novel a quick read. There's some description of the landscape, but for those who aren't overly fond of that, not so much that it becomes boring. Finding Flora is reminiscent of Genevieve Graham's historical novels that focus strongly on Canadian history. And there are enough obstacles and events to keep the reader hooked in this ultimately uplifting story of courage, strength and friendship. Cheryl Girard is a prairie writer.
