In-demand manager waves away EFL Championship interest to focus on ‘hardest thing in the world’ – beating Celtic

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Celtic know what is expected of them this weekend when they face Hibs in the Scottish Cup.

Brendan Rodgers’ side welcome the Easter Road outfit to Celtic Park in the competition on Sunday with the 2-1 Hibs defeat in Leith still ringing in their ears from a few short weeks ago.

It was a result that frustrated fans especially with VAR ruling out a legitimate Celtic goal which would eventually receive the backing from the KMI panel, too.

Celtic have won twice since that day in the capital and in style by scoring five goals against both Aberdeen and St Mirren respectively. But they know David Gray’s side are difficult to beat and are on a tremendous 15-game unbeaten run.

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David Gray has ignored Swansea manager links to focus on Celtic

That run has prompted Swansea City to take a look at the Hibs head coach which could potentially unsettle him ahead of the trip to Glasgow this weekend.

But he has vowed to focus only on the Hoops in an attempt to shoot them down for the second time in a row and really set the cat among the pigeons in the Scottish Cup.

“I am ambitious, but it’s just a funny game, isn’t it?” Gray said. “You think back to this season on the whole and where we’ve been and the line of work we’re in. Speculation, people speculating about am I going to stay in a job at the start of the season. How quickly things change when you put a good run together and then there’s other people talking about your job in another way, in a positive way.

“So, listen, nothing changes from my point of view. I’m 100 per cent focused on what I’m doing because I’ve got the hardest thing in the world to try and do at the weekend, which is to try and get a game plan to go to Celtic Park and win. That is all that’s on my mind at the minute.

“I’m fully committed to what I’m doing here and I’m 100 per cent behind what we’re trying to do here moving forward. We just need to keep winning games of football. That’s all I’m interested in at the minute and then if something then comes, whenever that does come, if it does come, if it doesn’t come, I’ve already demonstrated already this season how quickly it can turn the other way.

“So I think it is about all moving forward and keep improving because as I’ve said for a number of weeks now. Yes, we’ve improved, we’re on a brilliant run, changing history in a real positive way. But we need to guard against that complacency because this league is tough, and it can change very quickly.”

What Gray says Hibs’ win over Celtic last time out proves

Gray has his head screwed on right, it has to be said, as playing Celtic at Parkhead is no easy task.

It is actually the most difficult one in the country as the former Hibs captain alluded to. But having beaten the Scottish Premiership leaders in the league, it might be easier for the 36-year-old to assume a result is more likely. That is not his mindset, though.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	29	24	3	2	87	17	70	75
2	RangersRangers	29	18	5	6	59	26	33	59
3	HibernianHibernian	29	11	10	8	44	40	4	43
4	AberdeenAberdeen	29	12	6	11	38	46	-8	42
5	Dundee UtdDundee Utd	29	11	8	10	36	36	0	41
6	MotherwellMotherwell	29	11	4	14	34	48	-14	37

Hibs will take up to 7000 fans to Glasgow and Gray hopes the “magic of the cup” can help them progress.

But Celtic are rampant right now and have the bit between their teeth.

“One thing we’re not going to do there is think this is going to be any easier because we beat them in the last game,” Gray added.

“What it does do is it shows that we’re capable of beating Celtic. But looking at when we’ve played against them previously and the standard that they set every single week it’s a real difficult game.

“And then there’s the magic of the cup and everything that comes with that. You need to go along there and believe you can get a result it is a one-off game where the rewards is the winners get to the next round of the cup and a trip to Hampden and that has to be the focus of the players.”