David Gray faces a significant challenge as manager of Hibernian, leading the team into the Scottish Cup fifth round against Ayr United. After a period of doubt surrounding his future following a tough loss to Dundee, Gray has guided Hibs to fifth in the Scottish Premiership, instilling a renewed sense of optimism. Reflecting on his past experiences, he draws on the influence of Sir Alex Ferguson during his formative years, emphasizing the meticulous attention to detail that marked Ferguson's coaching style and its impact on his own journey as a manager.
Facing former Hibs hero Scott Brown's high-flying side at Somerset Park will be a tricky task, but just making it to this stage in the season looked unlikely just a few weeks ago.
In those dark early days of his fledgling managerial career, the 36-year-old turned to memories of his playing days with arguably the greatest British manager of all time as his boss.
"Day one when I went down, as 16-year-old... yet Sir Alex knew everything about every single player," recalls Gray.
"The attention to detail... I was thinking 'how does he even know who I am?' It probably helped I was Scottish. He had a wee soft spot for me."
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