Every word from Lewis Stevenson's Hibs Q&A after Dundee draw

'Frustration' is the word the manager kept using after the game, is that how the players feel?

“Probably, aye. But, to be fair, I thought Dundee were really good. They had an attacking threat and players on the pitch that caused us problems.

“We had a lot of the ball, and a lot of it in their box, but we maybe didn’t create as many clear-cut chance as we have done recently. And, also, Marshy has pulled out two fantastic saves for us, so it could have been a lot worse.

“It’s been a good week, and we’ve kept another clean sheet. We’ve lost a lot of goals at the start of this season, now we’ve had three cleans sheets in the last four games. In that sense, it’s looking better.

You must take pride in that?

“You do, especially when you’ve kinda been getting battered. We do defend as a team, but we do take the brunt of it when we ship a lot of goals. There’s been a lot of individual mistakes and maybe people not performing.

“We take that on the chin. But, as I said, the clean sheets do help the team and give us a platform, because we have a lot of attacking players who are a threat.

Is it safe to say games won't be dull this season?

“The manager wants us to attack all the time. He wants us to win every game, and we put a lot of men forward. I’ve never had a 0-0 at Easter Road where the fans have stayed and clapped us off the pitch, so I think that shows they like what they see, an exciting brand of football.

“But Dundee came to play as well, and had a few chances. It was probably a good 0-0 to watch.

Things seems to have clicked quickly...

“There’s been tactical changes but it’s not just that, off the pitch there’s been a mentality and attitude shift that the manager has really pushed. I think that will stand us in good stead for times to come.

“He came and saw a few issues, which he has sorted early doors. We’ve all bought into it, and even for me at 35 it’s good to keep things fresh. I’ve really enjoyed it since he’s come in.

READ MORE: No distractions mean Hibs can focus on Dundee draw positives

“I don’t want to give too much away, some things we need to keep in-house! But he wants us to act like a big club, things that might not seem big.

“There were attitude and mentality shifts that did need change, and he spotted that early doors and put it right.

“It’s raising standards, if we want to be a big club we need to act like a big club. It’s little things that go a long way.

Is he all about the small margins?

“Totally. We had a motivational speaker come in during the week and give a really good speech. It was really interesting, he spoke for ages and it was enjoyable.

“Everyone bought into it and that’s the way we need to go – young and old, we need to have that growth mindset. I’m getting a bit deep here, but we’re trying to evolve all the time.

“Hopefully, the fans can see that on the pitch.

How does Nick Montgomery differ to other managers you've worked under?

“I’ve been surprised. It’s only been a short period of time but you can notice a difference in the team already.

“He wants us to be a big club and to win every single game. We’ve been playing the same formation but there’s little tactical changes we can make in-game, I’ve been really impressed by how switched on it’s been.

Big one next week…

“I’m sure that’ll take care of itself…

Belief must be high though?

“Yeah. Hearts won on Saturday as well, I’ve been involved in a lot of derbies and the formbook can go out the window. It’s about who performs on the day.

“If we can keep a solid base, we have enough attacking threat to go and change the game.

There's been lots of changes in personnel, will that mean lots of guys feeling they can stake a claim in training for a place next week?

“It’s a tight-knit squad and we have cover in all positions. I think we’re all pushing each other to get the best out of us. I’m sure the manager will pick the team he feels will go and win.

“It might be a first derby for a few players but it’s one we’re all looking forward to.”