TAM MCMANUS

Back to basics was for last season... now Gray has to throw off shackles and let his team attack

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DAVID GRAY used solidity as the platform to start his Hibs revival last season.

Now it's time for stage two - an all-out attack on their Premiership rivals.

I want to see some shackles ripped off and my old club to begin matches with all-guns blazing. Put simply, abandon some of the caution and become more daring.

I can imagine it’s hard to turn away from something which has been successful and Gray made a formula work to get the club moving again.

You have to be truthful and say the switch to 3-5-2 probably saved his job last season, so he is probably loathe to change.

The back three gave Hibs a real base, helped stiffen the team, dry up the flow of daft goals being lost and set the side up to go on that long fantastic unbeaten run.

So it’s natural to stick with a plan when things are going well. But I'm seeing a worrying trend emerge this season and in the last couple of matches watching Hibs.

The first thing is that teams have started to suss them out. Opposition are finding ways to stifle Hibs’ approach and then, at the same time, coming up with their own ways to exploit and hurt in terms of getting down the sides when Grays two wing-backs push forward.