The Hibs 'stigma' under-fire Monty wants to banish - if given a chance

Manager speaks out on ‘emotional’ board and pressure to win games

Monty believes he's still right man for job.

Nick Montgomery says he wants to banish the “Hibsed it” curse from Easter Road forever. And the under-fire manager, who went “all-in” by moving his entire family to Scotland when he replaced Lee Johnson last September, believes he deserves a proper summer transfer window to prove his value to the club.

Speaking at East Mains earlier today, Montgomery got his first chance to respond to last week’s statement by the Hibs board. Directors went public in the wake of the team failing to make the top six in the Scottish Premiership, openly calling the campaign “unacceptable”, revealing that there had been “detailed discussions” with the manager – and warning that “results need to improve.”

Monty, who argues that he’s 100 per cent the right man to guide Hibs through an exciting new era as part of billionaire Bournemouth owner Bill Foley’s sphere of influence, believes the first priority is to exorcise a “fear” that has infected players AND supporters since long before his arrival as gaffer. The straight-talking Yorkshireman declared: “There is a stigma around the club. The things that we spoke about, and I was told about before I came to the club.

“Everyone knows ‘Hibsed it’ and the sayings that go with it. That’s been around long before I came to the club. And it does take time to change.

“I think moving forward, I would definitely like to bring somebody into help with that. Because it’s a real mental thing, as well.

“But it’s the fans, as well, that fear of failure. I think it’s something that has been around the club and isn’t easy to change.

“I have to work really hard to get results that change fans from some of that doubt and fear to supporters who believe. I’m working hard to do that.”

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Asked about recruiting a mindset expert to help on the psychological side of the game, an obvious step at a team with a habit of throwing away winning positions by losing late goals, Montgomery revealed that he’d already called upon guest speakers this season – but said he would like to go further, explaining: “A lot of clubs have that member of staff. I’m not a psychologist, I’m an ex-player and coach who has had a lot of success and failure.

“To be able to have a good staff group where you can cater for all that stuff. I did bring in guest speakers throughout the season who were really powerful and did help. But, when you review everything, the staff, the players, and dig really deep, there are things I could have improved or had help with.

“When you’re in the thick of it and you’re still chasing targets, things go pretty quickly. You have to reflect. I’ve definitely made mistakes, like everybody.  You learn from them. And that makes you a better person.”

The board statement has been widely interpreted as a clear warning to the manager, giving him the final five games of this season to save his job. Starting tomorrow against St Johnstone in Perth.

Montgomery doesn’t see things in the same shades of black and white, saying: “That statement was released and there was a lot of emotion in that first week. As a manager you are always under pressure and I don’t see why I am any different than anyone else.

“Ultimately I’ve had a lot of support from the board throughout my time at the club and a lot of support and understanding in the situation I inherited also, and understanding about the squad - the fact we had a lot of contracted players that haven’t contributed to the team this season and may never contribute. Some may come back and contribute.

“There are a lot of factors that I can’t control but what I and the players could have controlled was winning the games where we were ahead and we didn’t concede late goals. I think there is also an element of fear from the players in the club that has maybe gone on for a couple of years and that is something we have to work really hard moving forward to make sure we can get ahead of that.

“For sure, I think any manager deserves time to put their own team together in terms of a transfer window. When I came to the club a lot of discussions were about taking over mid-season and this is where the club is at.

“Moving forward you know, as a manager, you have the opportunity to bring your own players in and build on the way you want to play. There has been a lot of noise throughout the season about the investment from the Black Knight group and those are things that are always going to be for the future, not an overnight thing. That is something that I think will be really positive moving forward from next season.”

Montgomery, who moved his family from Australia to East Lothian when he swapped A-League Champions Central Coast Mariners for Hibs, added: “When I came to this club, I’m a loyal guy - and I’m all in. I spent 15  years at one club, 12 years at another. I had a lot of success at both but I also had a lot of failure as a player and as a coach. You learn a lot from difficult times, but I know what success looks like.

“I committed; my family moved over with me. I’m from Leeds but have a proud Scottish heritage myself.

“The opportunity to come to Hibs was for the challenge; I left a team of champions in one country and came to a team that was bottom of the league so that is the challenge I took up. Did I think it was going to be easy? No. Did I think it was a real challenge? Yeah.

“I took on that challenge and tried to bring a new culture, a new way of playing. I understand everyone wants to see stuff right away but I also know it takes time to build a winning culture and build your own team.

“You also have difficult periods and it’s about resilient. You have to be resilient, stay focussed on the task in hand and stick to what you believe in. I’ll always do that - and I believe I’m the man to bring success back to Hibs.”