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Rough sports travel guide to Paris, France
SPORT
Legendary status
Hibs to celebrate ‘Sir’
David Gray’s career
when Man Utd legends
visit Easter Road
Coach under
pressure again
By JOHN HISLOPHIBS’ FANS WILL have the chance to celebrate
‘Sir’ David Gray’s magnificent career when a
Manchester United legends XI visit Easter
Road for his testimonial match on Sunday 15
October (2pm kick-off )
Gray (pictured right) earned legendary status
when he scored the winning goal in the 2016
Scottish Cup final against Rangers and ended a
114-year hoodoo.
And two of his teammates on that glorious
day, Darren McGregor and Anthony Stokes,
will also pull their boots on, as will fans’
favourites Scott Allan and Grant Holt.
Sir Alex Ferguson signed Gray as a 16-year-
old from Hearts for £50,000 and during his six
years at the club he made one first team
appearance in a League Cup tie against Crewe
Alexandra,
Gray’s former Manchester United teammates
Darren Fletcher, Wes Brown and Darron
Gibson, Luke Chadwick, Ravel Morrison, Chris
Eagles and English Premier League winner,
Danny Simpson have also agreed to take part.
In July 2014, Alan Stubbs made Gray his first
signing and he quickly won the respect of the
fans and his teammates with his combativestyle and commitment to the cause.
At the end of the season he took over the
captaincy following the departure of midfielder
Liam Craig.
Then after lifting the holy grail at the
national stadium he led the club to the
Championship title and scored in the 3-0
victory over Queen of the South that secured
promotion.
In total Gray played 177 times for Hibs,scoring 15-goals including three against
Rangers and three in European games against
Brondby, NSI Runavik and Asteras Tripolis.
After hanging up his boots in June 2021,
Gray was appointed first team coach at the
club, a position he has held under Jack Ross,
Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and now Nick
Montgomery.
Tickets for the game are priced at £10 for
supporters on the club’s website.By NIGEL DUNCANAMBITIOUS HEARTS parted company
with former manager Robbie Neilson
after three years in early April this year
following a 2-0 home defeat by St
Mirren, their fifth straight cinch
Premiership loss.
The 1-0 reverse at St Mirren in a what
pundits claimed was a "weak"
performance by Hearts at Paisley in late
September has once again ramped up
the pressure on head coach Steven
Naismith and his staff. There is no
doubt the jungle drums are beating.
The statistics show that the Jambos
have scored only four league goals in six
matches this term. They have lost three
of their last five league games, drawn
one and won only one, and they have
slipped to sixth in the 12-strong table,
one place below capital rivals Hibs.
Fans crave consistency. They want
their favourites to be competing at the
highest level and not sitting mid-table.
Some claim they see little evidence of
improvement since Naismith, Frankie
McAvoy and Gordon Forrest replaced
Neilson and his back-room squad.LEARN FROM MISTAKES
Naismith has gone public on his
frustration. After the St Mirren defeat he
demanded that lessons must be learned.
Hearts conceded a goal after seven
minutes, a poor defensive error, and
were unable to reply in the 83-plus
minutes which remained. They came
close, but not close enough.
The coach admitted: "I'm frustrated.
We had a lot of the ball and they were
trying to counter us. When we concede
the goal so early in the game it gives
them the onus to sit in their shape and
pick their moments to try and counter
us. In the first half we didn't deal with
that well enough. In the second half we
were better but the biggest frustration is
we gave up such a cheap goal."
Naismith also conceded that his men
created several good chances but failed
to convert. He said: "We have to take one
of them. If we take one then we can
potentially go on to win the game, but as
those chances go you become more
desperate, and it becomes harder."
It’s not just on the park that there is
hunger. The 18,000-plus fans who
regularly populate the stands at
Tynecastle share that hunger along with
the board. The board and fans want
European football back next season.
To do that the team must start winning
and climb up the table.By NIGEL DUNCANPARIS, LESS THAN one year
away from the Olympics and the
Paralympic Games, is currently
in-Seine-ly gripped by Rugby
World Cup fever, fired by France's
sensational opening night victory
over the mighty All Blacks.
Construction is going at pace
for Paris 2024, and the media are
being invited on tours including
the badminton and power lifting
arena - the only new building
being constructed inside the
city for the Games - and which
is around 5km from main
tourist attractions.
The impressive fans’ village for
the rugby in the Place de la
Concorde was packed with
thousands of beer-swilling fans
on opening night but, if you are
coming over to watch the games,
bring a big wallet.Small glasses of beer are 8.50
euros and, for those with more
discerning taste, a champagne
bottle is around 70 euros and
food is not cheap. Bread and
cheese or a meat platter is 17
euros, but if you head for The
Bullion stand, a gazpacho soup is
5 euros and well worth the
investment. Steak frites and
bearnaise sauce was good value
at 17 euros. The area is boisterousand noisy and if you want a quiet
meal then perhaps go elsewhere.
There are takeaway options in
the area which is dedicated to
rugby but also has an extensive
entertainment package. A
super-charged Maoris group
showcased their culture.
Popular music is also on the
menu but with temperatures
topping 35°C at 7pm, beer was
popular. Surprise, surprise.
Getting around is possible by
taxis but they get snarled up in
traffic jams. It's like dodgems and
heaven knows how drivers put up
with traffic light jumping usual at
major junctions.
Hire bikes if you are brave.
There are specific bike routes
away from the traffic. Segway
scooter tours and electric
scooters are also available,
but mind how you go. To escape
the traffic, head for the Seinewhich, we were told, will host
the opening ceremony for the
Olympics, an occasion normally
hosted in a stadium, a smart
move to engage with the
general public.
Restaurants and bars are
everywhere and service is usually
slick and food we tasted was
good. Le Jaja, tucked away
discretely in a small but busy side
street in the Saint-Gervais district,
was exceptional.
The supremo for major sports
events in Paris, former French
rugby star, Pierre Rabadan,
outlined why the city is hosting
the rugby and the Olympics.
Legacy is the key word, and so is
giving young people role models
as legends. He stressed the
importance of getting more
young people into sports - with a
young national population and a
pool of future talent to tap into.Hearts manager,
Steven Naismith