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Hibs reaction: Misfiring cogs, David Gray tactics, struggling signing and Rangers selections posers Easter Road outfit head to Ibrox to face Rangers on Sunday God loves a trier, or so the saying goes. With the average football fan understood to be far more demanding than even the Almighty in full fire, brimstone and smite-the-sinners vengeance mode, however, few at Hibs will expect credit for effort. But does David Gray get points for showing his work, as he continues to tinker with a team yet to click into top gear? That depends on who you ask. And on how the next week or so pans out. At times sparking and crackling like a runaway panjandrum, occasionally whirring with a little more elegance and grace, the Hibs side being pulled together in the early days of season 2026-27 remains very much an unfinished project. One liable to change shape as the campaign barrels along. | | Hibs | Shkendija | | Shots | 17 | 6 | | On target | 5 | 2 | | Blocked | 2 | 1 | As supporters draw breath in the wake of Thursday night’s European dramatics at Easter Road, allowing themselves – and the team they support – the briefest of respite before rallying at Ibrox on Sunday, the disgruntled will remain far from convinced that a few tweaks will get this collection of parts running smoothly. Even the optimists might only be inclined to predict a mild upturn in fortunes, clinging to the fact of a home victory as evidence of … well, something, anyway. So, four competitive games into the footballing year, and with all sorts of reasons to make snap judgements being flung into the ether, what do we make the product so far? Are those green shoots we can see? And what else needs to change, if Hibs are to achieve genuine growth in Gray’s third season at the helm? The shape of things to come So the 4-2-3-1. What did you think? It’s not the answer to everyone’s prayers, although that probably has more to do with personnel than starting positions. There are about a dozen different ways to play the most popular formation in the modern era. For much of last night’s contest, the way Hibs deployed it left them looking strangely short of width; the introduction of Ante Suto for Martin Boyle, who had been given a more free role, made a clear difference. Gray, discussing the recent switch from a back three and whether he will stick with the new look, said simply: “I don't think you can be rigid in a shape in the way you're playing because you have to have a plan A and a plan B. And it's all well and good saying this is the way you're going to play, this is my philosophy … I don’t like that word anyway. “But this is my identity, if you want to call it that. Well, there's another manager and a squad of players having a game plan trying to do something against you as well. “So you need to make sure that you're adaptable. And within that we've been, even parts of last season and this season, flexible within in and out of possession. “Sometimes it looks like a four, sometimes it looks like a five. Just different ways in which we need to press. “We certainly went to the 4-2-3-1 today, even in possession to try and give us a little bit more control, certainly in the middle of the pitch. But also just to try and get some more attackers on the pitch in certain areas as well. “So I think it did work to a point. But I also know that it was more to do with personnel coming on and impacting the game, because I thought the subs did that.” Misfiring cogs in engine room Hibs may have had more control in the middle of the pitch, as Gray suggests. But neither Josh Mulligan nor Miguel Chaiwa played at anything like expected levels. Still lacking a natural No. 6 who will fill the gaps exploited by players like Shkenidja No. 10 Endri Krasniqi at times, Hibs aren’t entirely balanced in the centre of the park. And the standards set by Adam Mayor, who dropped back from his wide position at times as Hibs pressed the visitors in a 4-3-3, especially at goal kicks, were way below the bare minimum; he’s struggling to find his feet at Easter Road, to say the least. The good news, with one eye on Sunday’s clash with Rangers and the other drifting to how Hibs might cope in sweltering Skopje next Thursday night, is that Callum Wright looks capable of bringing a little more composure to the line-up. If fit, he has to start. Frustrations obvious over sluggish decision making Hibs are not, as things stand, a team who move the ball with rapidity and accuracy. That has to change. As audible as the irritation in the stands might have been on Thursday night, there were also clear signs of frustration on the pitch. If you were close enough to hear Felix Passlack, you possibly learned the German words for pass, quickly, space, now, immediately … and one or two others that shouldn’t be translated on a family forum. It was also noticeable that, amid the occasionally sloppy decision making, some players were showing reluctance to pass to certain team-mates in specific situations. And it was hard to blame them. Juggling resources for Rangers test Hibs want to remain on the Sunday-Thursday-Sunday carousel for as long as they can, obviously. Which means getting adept at managing the squad. After picking the same starting XI for three consecutive games, Gray knows he can’t keep flogging the same weary warriors, pointing out: “There will certainly be changes for the weekend - and that's the importance of the squad. But players need to be ready to take their opportunity. “Callum and Ante certainly did that. And everybody needs to be ready to go. There will be many changes in this early part of the season, because we want this run to continue for as long as we can.”