'I've turned Hibs around and resurrected careers' - Monty proud of progress at halfway point

Setting small goals: Manager sees promising signs.

Review of Year finds gaffer in confident mood

At the midpoint of a season that has involved travelling halfway round the world to experience a whole new ball game, Nick Montgomery is entitled to be in a reflective mood. At a time when it’s traditional to look back on the year just ended, the Hibs boss isn’t about to go against the zeitgeist.

And the former Central Coast Mariners manager, who arrived in Edinburgh armed with an A-League title and ambitions to make Hibs embrace the “big club mentality” needed to challenge for prizes in Scotland, is defiantly protective – proud, even – of his record since replacing Lee Johnson in September. Acknowledging that there is still plenty of work to be done, not least during the January transfer window, before he can be even remotely satisfied, Monty sees promising signs despite a couple of recent losses.

The Yorkshireman, opening up about the adjustments needed to thrive in the Scottish Premiership, said: “It is a journey that I came on and a challenge I took on. I came into a club that was second from bottom and lost three of the first four games.

“And since then, two weeks ago we were one point off third position - and two weeks later we’ve lost two games of football, one in the 94th minute, one to a below par performance against St Johnstone.

“But when I look at my time here, I feel there’s been a lot of progress. We have brought a new identity to the way we play, and I have resurrected players’ careers - like Jair Tavares, who was not even considered a first team player. I gave a debut to the youngest player in the club’s history in Rory Whittaker, and appearances to Josh Landers and Rudi Molotnikov.

“I think when I look at it, there has been progress here. There have been too many draws and games where we lost points from winning positions. I would like to be further up the table in terms of points - but we are on the right trajectory.

“Hopefully in this window we can bring some players in because we are light on bodies at the minute. I can’t control the boys who are injured or not available. I can only control the squad I’ve got. It has been ups and downs, but that is normal and part of the process. I will continue to keep working hard and try to improve the squad in January - and then try to finish the season strongly.”

Aware that it’s taken time for players to get up to speed with a game model built on patient possession and building from the goalkeeper, Montgomery said: “You have to adapt to everything, and it is a very physical league. But changing the identity of the way that we play, where we now build out from the back, is something the players have had to adapt to.

“A lot of the big teams do that and if we want to be a big team then we have to play like a big team - and you have to adapt. It is a physical league, and a lot of teams play five at the back, so we have come up against similar formations each week and we have to be better, we need to improve, and I think it is something that I’ve experienced, and I will learn from. But we will continue to do what we’re doing and continue to play the way we’re playing - and hopefully we can get more players in who can help us on the field.”

Montgomery expects Motherwell to bring a fierce challenge to Easter Road tomorrow, saying: “They have some good players, and they have a good way of playing. They have had a bit of a tough run but like every team this competition they are able to compete week in week out - and I don’t expect anything else than a difficult game on Tuesday.”