'All coaches thrown in' - Valakari plays down Hibs link

Simo Valakari at Easter Road in March, 2025 [SNS] St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari batted away reports linking him with the vacant Hibernian job, saying: "Every time there is some vacancy somewhere, all the coaches will be thrown in." David Gray left Hibs on Thursday, becoming the Scottish Premiership's first managerial casualty of the season in the wake of a 1-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock that leaves them ninth in the table on six points after six games. Finn Valakari, who joined Saints in 2024 and oversaw promotion from the Championship earlier this year, is among the early names who have been mentioned as a potential candidate for the Easter Road job. Speaking before Saturday's league visit of Falkirk, Valakari said: "I have lived most of my football life in the UK and even when I have been outside the UK coaching, every time there is some vacancy somewhere, all the coaches will be thrown in, that is how you guys, you work it. "We have a game on Saturday, the full focus is for that." Asked if being linked with the Hibs job was testament to the good work he is continuing to do in Perth, Valakari said: "No, my players are doing the good job, my club is doing the good job and that is the only reason as a coach you will be linked. "It is credit to my club, credit to my players that maybe you get mentioned somewhere but, as I said, I lived all my life in football and I know how it works." Valakari believes the sacking of Gray simply serves to highlight the harsh nature of football management. "He is my colleague and of course I feel for my colleague," he added. "It tells you the ruthlessness of this business. "I know with the picture it has happened to me, it will happen to me in the future when you are in this business, unfortunately, so that is how it is but it is always a sad moment but that is football. "I can use the experience of us last season when we were in the Championship, we were leading from the first day until the last day and when we had a draw and we lost some matches I was the worst manager. There can be, 'we need to do some changes' - that is how football goes."