Alan Stubbs says Hibs 'need to give David Gray time to put his stamp on the job'

Alan Stubbs has backed David Gray to be a success at Hibs as he urges the club to “give him time” to put his own stamp on the team.

The Edinburgh side have yet to win a Premiership game this season, with two defeats and two draws from their opening four games, and were knocked out of the League Cup by Celtic last month.

But Stubbs insists it was always going to be a tough start for his former club after going through the upheaval of three managers in a calendar year.

The former Celtic and Everton defender was in charge at Easter Road when Gray captained them to a famous Scottish Cup win in 2016.

And he is confident that his former skipper is the man to turn it around.

He said: “It was always going to be a tough start in terms of the job in hand, but I just hope that the people in charge give him time.

“Because the job that’s there does need time and he needs to put his own stamp on it.

“They’ve gone through too many managers and David is getting the brunt of that, because he is being left with players from the previous managers and it’s not easy getting them moved on.

“So he needs time and I hope he gets it, because, knowing David, he will get it right.

“He is (a Hibs man) and it is (in his DNA) but unfortunately in order to make change, he has to win games of football as well.

“He will know that, he’s not soft, I spoke to him a few weeks ago after the Celtic game, I was up in Edinburgh and we had a chat and he is in a good place, he’s enjoying it, he needs to smile more, but he is learning on the job, which is the most important thing.”

Hibs return to Premiership action this weekend with a home game against St Johnstone on Saturday.

Stubbs was speaking at the Scottish Legends Golf Series at Loch Lomond.