With only five games of the season left to play, and with European football firmly within their grasp, all the aggro and acrimony which surrounded Hibernian earlier in the campaign now feels like a distant memory.
Back in late November, a 4-1 defeat away at Dundee left Hibs bottom of the table with just one win from their opening 13 matches.
It was dire straits. Not for the first time in recent years at Easter Road, it looked like the managerâs job was hanging by a thread.
Despite the fact he was a bona fide club legend as a player, time was running out for David Gray. At that point, there was no guarantee he would even make it to the turn of the year.
Since Neil Lennon left in 2019, Hibs had burned through a succession of managers. They had become a laughing stock in Scottish football.
Gray was the sixth permanent manager in that period, following Paul Heckingbottom, Jack Ross, Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and Nick Montgomery. They were a club who had been in a constant state of flux, lurching from one disastrous appointment to another.
Hibs have pulled off some brilliant results this season, including victory over Hearts in March
David Gray has pulled off an incredible turnaround despite having been on brink of the sack
Victory over Dundee before the split saw Hibs come circle after defeat at Dens Park last November plunged them to bottom of league
Despite carrying plenty of goodwill from supporters, results earlier in the season made it difficult to see any other outcome than Gray being next to face the axe.
Off the field, things werenât much better. In Ben Kensell, who eventually left in January after three years of failure, Hibs had a chief executive whom most fans wouldnât have trusted to do the weekly shopping. Some supporters were also unhappy that the club had chosen to appoint Malky Mackay as sporting director.
Most ominous of all, though, were the comments from Bill Foley â the Bournemouth owner whose Black Knight group possess a significant stake in the Easter Road outfit â saying that the Leith club âhavenât really been listening to our inputâ. After such a horrendous start to the season, the prospect of Gray holding onto his job seemed unthinkable.
Given the pressure that was mounting, it would have been easy for Mackay and the Hibs board to pull the trigger on the manager back in the autumn.
But they stuck with him â and to call it a remarkable act of escapology since then scarcely does it justice.
In their last match prior to the split, Hibs battered Dundee 4-0 at Easter Road to make it 17 top-flight games unbeaten and equal a club record which has stood for almost 80 years.
Grayâs side havenât lost at home since November. Over these past couple of months, they have beaten Celtic at Easter Road and also won 2-0 against Rangers at Ibrox.
They now sit in third place, holding a three-point lead over Aberdeen and Dundee United in the league table as the battle for Europe enters the home straight.
Defender Rocky Bushiri has also consistently defied those who wrote him off
The Cadden brothers Nicky and Chris have been a solid family unit for Gray’s Hibs side
With a trip to face Aberdeen at Pittodrie next on the agenda on Saturday, it could well be a match which rubber-stamps Hibsâ place in third â and has fans digging out the passports for next season.
Why? Because if Hibs do go on to secure third place, and Celtic beat Aberdeen in next monthâs Scottish Cup final, it would mean they are guaranteed European group-stage football next season.
They would have a crack at the Europa League play-off round, safe in the knowledge that they have a place in the Europa Conference League to fall back on.
Given the mess Hibs were in only a few months ago, to even be discussing the possibility of Hibs in Europe feels bonkers enough in itself.
In those dark days back in the autumn, most fans would have been contemplating trips to the likes of Airdrie and Ayr United next season. Certainly not adventures on the continent.
But Gray is well aware of the opportunity he and his players now have to complete what would be one of the most remarkable turnarounds Scottish football has seen in recent years.
Speaking earlier this week, the Hibs boss said: âWhen youâre trying to bring people to the football club, the lure and the opportunity to play in Europe is a genuine opportunity.
âItâs not something every player gets the opportunity to do. You could go down south and play and have a fantastic career at a really high level but never get the opportunity to play in Europe.
Gray was under severe pressure last November as his Hibs side looked to be going under
Bournemouth owner Bill Foley, who owns a considerable stake in Hibs, only added to the pressure when he said no-one at Easter Road was listening to him
âThere is a genuine opportunity to do that here and get into Europe. I think looking at the position weâve put ourselves in now, thatâs a genuine opportunity.
âThe lure of that when youâre trying to bring players in, thatâs an additional factor. Especially with the format as well, because you could get right into Europe and play all the way to Christmas.
âSo itâs definitely something different, itâs definitely where the club wants to be operating as often as it can, given all the rewards that come with it.â
The rewards for guaranteed group-stage football in the Conference League would be a minimum of ÂŁ2.5million, and thatâs before ticket sales and additional prize money for each result are factored in.
So whatâs changed? How have Hibs gone from the depths of despair only a few months ago to now be flying high as the third force in Scottish football?
Since Gray was handed the job on a full-time basis, the club have signed a total of 13 players â 12 back in the summer and another one in January.
But itâs been the improvement of certain players who were already in the building which has really underlined Grayâs capabilities as a bright young head coach.
Rocky Bushiri would be chief among them. Often derided and ridiculed over the past few years, the Congolese defender has been excellent for Hibs over recent weeks and months.
The Hibs supporters are now absolutely delighted with what they are seeing on the pitch
Experienced campaigners like Dwight Gayle have also helped the team hit a new level
Along the way there have been victories over Celtic and against Rangers at Ibrox, above
The Cadden brothers â Chris and Nicky, operating on either flank as wing-backs â have also excelled after Gray switched to a 3-5-2 system earlier in the season.
Kieron Bowie looks to be a player of significant potential up front, whilst Martin Boyle has rediscovered some of his best form and has fired 16 goals in all competitions this season.
Hitting a real purple patch recently, Boyle has notched four goals and one assist in his last five matches.
Junior Hoilett and Dwight Gayle â two veterans at 34 and 35 respectively â have also chipped in with nine goals between them.
Alongside Bushiri, Lewis Miller, who is an Australian international along with Boyle, has been a rock in defence.
Across the board, Gray is getting a tune from players who had previously been under-performing, which is invariably the sign of a good coach. His credentials as manager of the year are now impossible to ignore. He would be a worthy and deserving winner for engineering such a remarkable turnaround.
The job, of course, isnât yet finished. Hibs still have five games left to negotiate as they look to secure third place and European football.
But momentum is building. For their final two home matches, against Dundee United and Rangers, Hibs have cut the away allocation in anticipation of two bumper crowds at Easter Road.
Should Hibs avoid defeat against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday, it would set a new post-war club record of 18 league matches unbeaten.
For Gray to be knocking on the door of those kind of records speaks volumes about a manager who has clawed his way back from the brink â and revived a club where his name will forever be held in the highest esteem.
