Montgomery Q&A on Hibs internationals and Campbell injury

Did you have a conversation with Australia manager Graham Arnold about the situation with players going away?

“We did ask for all the selected players to be available for the Motherwell game and go the next day. But I understand if they let one or two then every club will want their players to do the same and it becomes an issue.  We officially asked and were told they need to be released on January 1. It’s frustrating for me but what we can’t do is dwell on it.  You have to move on and get on with it. 

Australia had been understanding before with Martin and his injury...

“They were understanding before and Martin has been involved in the national team for a while and missed out on the World Cup, which was hard for him. They have every right to call him up and we can’t block it. So we have to accept it and move on. 

You'll obviously want them to do well, but is it a case of wanting them to go all the way or have them back after the group stage?

“You don’t want your better players missing, especially when you’re in the situation we are in where we’re light on bodies. Everybody can see that.  But you also want them to do well so yeah, we’ll be watching their games. Potentially they could be missing for three to six games if I have done the maths correctly.  But we can’t control that. What we can do is try and get the boys back fit and training during the break, which is the challenge I have given the physios.  And we’re also looking at trying to bring in a few new faces within the means we have and that is not easy. 

Is the disappointment in losing Josh tempered by the fact it could have been much worse?

“For sure. Josh has been great for me, he’s been performing well and it is unfortunate.  He was performing well the other night and I think Dylan Levitt fell on him. I think the ref was in the way at the time as well.  So to be injured by one of your own players is disappointing, because he has become an integral part of the squad and the team in the last 5-6 weeks after a frustrating start for him. 

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"So fingers crossed it’s not as bad as we first thought and we’re hoping coming into this break we can get him back on the pitch towards the end of January with the rest of the boys we mentioned before. I think he still has to have a scan so we’re going off a quick x-ray after the game.  But the fact is he is going to be out for a period of time and that just adds to this list we have. 

Did you fear the worst when he went down, because he looked to be in a lot of distress?

"Yeah.  Josh is a tough lad, he never goes down unless it’s something serious and when you see the stretcher coming on you know it is potentially serious.  Fingers crossed it’s not as bad as first feared and I think a scan in the next couple of days when the swelling has gone down will give us a clearer indication of how long he’ll be out.

Will you look to bring any loan players back in January?

“Most of them are out on season-long loans so, even if you did want to bring them back and have a look, that’s not a possibility. But the reality is, unless they’re going to start in the first team and make an impact, there’s no point in recalling anybody back. It’s a situation we’ve been monitoring on a weekly basis.”