“Looking at him now, it’s a perfect fit” Neil Lennon praises David Gray ahead of Scottish Cup clash.
Hibs travel to Dunfermline tomorrow, where David Gray will face off against one of his former managers for the first time in his career. Gray was Lennon’s captain at Hibs from 2016-2019 where he lead the Edinburgh side to the Championship title and European football upon their return to the Premiership the following season. Neil Lennon currently finds himself at Championship side Dunfermline Athletic, who sit 5th in the table. After back-to-back postponements, Dunfermline haven’t played a competitive game since December 27th, where they beat local rivals Raith Rovers. Hibs come into the game on good form, boasting a five match unbeaten streak, which also includes a win against their local rivals Hearts on the 27th December. When asked for his perspective on his experiences with Gray, Lennon said: “He took on the responsibility of being captain very well. The players gravitated to him. He was a very good player. He scored some really important goals for me in Europe and domestic games as well. He was so committed. Loved to tackle. He was pretty consistent. “He was a really good captain for me. He was a really good buffer between me and the players. Whether I saw him being a head coach or not, you don’t think about those things at the time. Looking at him now, it’s a perfect fit. “Sometimes he was probably a bit more mature than myself.” Throughout his time at Hibs, David Gray has been managed by Alan Stubbs, Neil Lennon, Paul Heckingbottom and Jack Ross before hanging his boots up to join Jack Ross’ coaching staff, where he remained and worked under Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and Nick Montgomery. Upon the dismissal of each of these coaches, Gray would take charge on an interim basis before eventually landing the full time job last season. However, the start to Gray’s managerial career was extremely chaotic as Hibs only mustered one win from their opening fourteen, before producing a seventeen game unbeaten run, securing third place and European football. When asked for his thoughts on his ex-player’s resilience, Lennon said: “I thought he was brilliant last year because he had such a difficult start “He weathered all that pressure and scrutiny. He came out the other side of it to have a brilliant second half of the season. “At the start of the year, they were really good in Europe. Now they’ve hit a really good form again despite having a couple of players missing. “I’m delighted for him because I know what Hibs means to him. He’s a young coach. He’s had a real baptism of fire. He’s handled it brilliantly.” David Gray offered his own comments on Lennon’s time at Hibs, he said: “I’ve said a few times, he’s very much what the club needed at the time when they brought him in just after Alan Stubbs left and that was someone who’s got that winning mentality every single day in training, that’s what he wanted to see, he wanted his teams to be winning and driving that standard all the time. “It was exactly what we needed to get out of the Championship, we’d spent too long in the Championship as a football club “That attitude of making sure you’re going into every game with that winning mentality and it was definitely something he instilled in the team straight away and I fully expect that mindset to be going towards the Dunfermline players at the weekend, making sure they’re right up for it.” Ahead of this year’s Scottish Cup campaign, David Gray will be hoping to lead Hibs to the trophy 10 years after he scored the stoppage time winner as Hibs lifted the trophy for the first time in 114 years. Despite already having the chance to do so, a Scottish Cup win would also make David Gray the first person to win a trophy with Hibs as both a player and manager since Famous Five member and club legend Eddie Turnbull did so with his ‘Turnbull’s Tornadoes’ side in 1972. Gray lost the 2021 Premier Sports Cup final to Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic when in interim charge following the sacking of Jack Ross. Hibs travel to Dunfermline Athletic tomorrow for a 12:30 kick-off in the Scottish Cup fourth round, live on BBC Scotland in a match that is set to have a massive crowd inside East End Park as Hibs are expecting 5,000 of their own in the away end.
Who is Liam Rosenior?
Chelsea have today announced the appointment of new manager Liam Rosenior. The 42-year-old arrives in West London on a five-and-a-half-year deal replacing the outgoing Enzo Maresca. This will be Rosenior’s first venture into Premier League management, arriving from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, who are under the same ownership group as Chelsea. The move has thereby been met with controversy from Strasbourg fans protesting their multi-club ownership structure. The French side currently sit 7th in Ligue 1 and topped the league phase of the UEFA Conference League. Rosenior also led Strasbourg to a 7th place finish last season. Prior to coaching in France, Rosenior was in charge of Hull City, where he was dismissed narrowly missing out on play-offs. Interestingly, Rosenior worked with current Chelsea forward Liam Delap during his time at Hull, whilst also coaching current Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos last season at Strasbourg. Much has been made on Chelsea’s transfer strategy in recent years, but it is becoming clear that Todd Boehly and the Chelsea higher-ups are in favour of younger coaches with Maresca also taking charge in his early 40s. According to Transfermarkt, Rosenior favours a 3-4-2-1 formation, a complete switch from the 4-2-3-1 the team will be used to. But Chelsea fans will hope that the club’s return to a back three will come with the successes brought by both Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel. As a player, Rosenior played as a right-back for clubs like Brighton and Hull City. He has also been on record earlier this season saying he is a fan of Manchester United when he shared his admiration for Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of Strasbourg’s clash with Aberdeen. It is yet to be confirmed whether Rosenior will be in the dugout for Wednesday’s trip to Craven Cottage or if he will first take charge during Chelsea’s Saturday night clash away to Charlton in the FA Cup. Either way, Rosenior will have big shoes to fill, being tasked to replace the man who led Chelsea to the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup titles.
Chelsea announce Liam Rosenior as new head coach
Chelsea have announced Liam Rosenior as Enzo Maresca’s replacement in the Stamford Bridge dugout. Rosenior arrives from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, who are under the same ownership group as the West London side. Rosenior departs France having guided his team to finish at top of the UEFA Conference League phase whilst also sitting 7th in France’s top flight. Prior to Strasbourg, the Englishman started his managerial career with Hull City, where he was sacked after narrowly missing out on the play-offs. Rosenior would then take over from outgoing Patrick Viera at Strasbourg. In his first interview with the club, Rosenior said: “I am extremely humbled and honoured to be appointed Head Coach of Chelsea Football Club. This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning trophies. ‘My job is to protect that identity and create a team that reflects these values in every game we play as we continue winning trophies. To be entrusted with this role means the world to me and I want to thank all involved for the opportunity and faith in undertaking this job. I will give everything to bring the success this club deserves. ‘I believe deeply in teamwork, unity, togetherness and working for one another, and those values will be at the heart of everything we do. They will be the foundation of our success. ‘I am excited to work with this extremely talented group of players and staff, to build strong connections on and off the pitch, and to create an environment where everyone feels united and driven by the same goal. ‘There is a real hunger to win, and I will give everything, every single day, to help this team compete and win at the very highest level to make everyone connected and proud to be a part of Chelsea Football Club. ‘I want our fans to be proud of who we are and what we represent in every single game that we play. They are the soul of this enormous, historic and huge football club. ‘I cannot wait to meet you all. I cannot wait to get started.” The 42-year-old coach has signed a contract until 2032. Chelsea make the short trip to Fulham tomorrow where it is unknown if Rosenior will take charge yet. If not, Chelsea have another short trip to Charlton on Saturday in the FA Cup, where it is likely the Englishman would be in the dugout.
Wilfried Nancy sacked by Celtic
Celtic have announced the dismissal of head coach Wilfried Nancy following 3-1 defeat to Rangers. The Frenchman endured six defeats in eight games, including a defeat in the Premier Sports Cup final to St. Mirren. He leaves the champions six points behind league leaders Hearts. Nancy has now overtaken John Barnes for the unwanted accolade of shortest reigning Celtic manager, with his tenure cut short at 33 days. Nancy took over from interim manager and Celtic legend, Martin O’Neill following Brendan Rodgers resignation. Celtic will now look for their fourth coach of the season in a bid to retain the Scottish Premiership title in what has been a season to forget for Celtic fans. The statement from the Celtic board reads “Celtic Football Club today announces that it has decided to terminate the contract of manager Wilfried Nancy, with immediate effect. The Club thanks Wilfried for his efforts and wishes him and his family well for the future. Wilfried’s assistants, Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen, and Maxime Chalier, will also be leaving the club and they take with them our good wishes. The Club can also confirm that Paul Tisdale has left his position as Head of Football Operations. We thank Paul for the contribution he has made in that role. A further update will be provided to supporters as soon as is practical.” Celtic’s next game comes against Dundee United on Saturday where there is currently no news on who will take charge.
