Top line summary

  • Preparedness key to avoiding cup upset
  • Sees pros and cons in not having VAR
  • Emiliano could make return
  • Hopes Levitt can take confidence from goal

Nick Montgomery spoke to the media ahead of Hibs' Scottish Cup trip to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Here's everything the manager had to say...

How is everyone after Wednesday night?

“Everyone is ok, obviously disappointed in the result. But in terms of the performance I am really proud of the boys. I felt it was a game we could have had three points from and probably deserved to. But we move on, that’s nothing we can control. Now we’re preparing for a tough game in Inverness this weekend."

How do you assess Saturday's Scottish Cup tie?

“It’s a difficult game, they’ll be the underdog. But they’re at home and we have to travel up there. It’s cup football, you have to compete and we’ll go there prepared for a tough game."

Did you cross paths with Duncan Ferguson during your playing career?

“No, I don’t think I crossed over with him. But I know of him and it will be nice to be in the opposite dugout to him. He’s obviously a big character and an Everton legend."

He wasn't one that many would have tipped as a manager back in the day...

“If you saw his time at Everton he was in and around the squad a lot. He took over as interim a couple of times and then went on his own pathway. He’s had a couple of jobs and I am sure he is enjoying himself at Inverness. It’s good to meet different managers. It takes a lot of different characters and he is definitely a character."

In your experience, what is the main factor when a cup shock happens?

“I think it’s always a case of turning up unprepared and maybe underestimating the opposition. That’s something you can never do, it’s 11 v 11, it’s something you have to prepare for. The moment you don’t prepare properly you open yourself up to getting a result you don’t want or expect. I had a lot of success in cup competitions and getting to semi-finals and Play-off finals and stuff. There were one or two when we got knocked out. And I think if you look at a lot of the clubs in England with massive squads there’s also a lot of rotation that goes on in those games. We don’t have the luxury of being able to rotate a lot of players, we didn’t have up until two days ago. We still have players to come back. But you have to take the game seriously, it’s a cup competition with a lot of history for the club, I’ll do everything I can to prepare the team and get us through to the next round."

You on Premier League teams using the FA Cup to rotate, but with what the Scottish Cup means to Hibs, safe to say you won't be doing that here?

“I wouldn't consider that here, but every club is different with their own objectives. When you have huge squads as they have in the Premier League, it is an opportunity for players to get games and you see sometimes it does not work out and big teams get knocked out. It’s an opportunity for players to play, but it’s not something I would consider here. Obviously, we’ve had a small squad, we have got players coming back and had a big game against Celtic, so it’s a case of seeing how the boys pull up from that game, then the long travel and making sure we have a team out there that is raring to go. And we have options off the pitch."

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“I don’t need reminding of the success because David Gray is my assistant! Everyone calls him Sir David Gray, but he’s a really humble guy and probably doesn’t like that tag of everyone calling him that. But you see photos around the training ground and in the gym with that moment when he scored the winning goal. You see the stories and the YouTube videos and it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. So it’s great history and every cup competition is a great opportunity. I got to the semi-final in the last one and I thought we were unlucky not to make the Final. Probably best not to talk about VAR again, but we know that is something that are proud for a manager and a team and something to get your teeth into. Major semi-finals and Finals are something you really want to do.”

Does 'Sir Nick Montgomery' sound good?

“(Laughs) Well, it would be nice! Nah, it’s something that David is really humble about, but we do have a laugh about it. I don’t think anyone can take that tag off him."

No VAR on Saturday?

“Sometimes you are glad when you have it and sometimes when you don’t. It’ll be different and what you can’t do is play for offsides that are tight and you maybe not get. The mentality has to be a little bit different because you are relying on sometimes a blatant decision. You have to finish the action off. When you know there is VAR, you have to finish the action off. But you know what you can’t do is anticipate anything and expect decisions to be overturned. Chopping and changing from VAR to not is definitely something you have to be cautious of.”

Do you change your approach at all without it?

“You do have to be aware. The ones where you know it’s maybe blatantly offside, you still have to finish the action. But it’s going to be a little bit different and it’s something to make the players aware of because week-to-week, you have VAR and it is something to be conscious of.”

Will it be good not to have to talk about it afterwards?

“Ask me afterwards! You definitely won’t see the screen there and the ref coming over to the side of the pitch. “I think everyone agrees that sometimes the stoppages do stop the flow of the game, so there won't be stoppages and you have to be switched on and ready at all times.”

Will we see the best of the new guys soon?

“I said a couple of a weeks. The reason these guys come in over January is because they’re not playing at their clubs. It’ll take a few weeks to get used to training, and to get match-fit. You can’t accelerate that overnight. I keep saying the same thing – change is good but it’s not easy at the start, it’s hard. I think, though, even in a week you’ve seen a big improvement. Myziane had an impact against Kilmarnock and he had chances to win the game on Wednesday. He’s a special talent, sometimes it takes a little bit to adapt to a new league and environment. He’s adapted really well, and quickly. Young Nathan, to play like he did as a 21-year-old kid against Celtic, that was the reason I identified him and brought him. He was outstanding.

Does Emiliano have a chance for Saturday?

“Yeah, he had a bit of a training session today. We’ll see how he pulls up tomorrow. The pitches were frozen on Thursday so it was hard for him to pull the boots on and get out. The foot has settled down a lot, he had a good chance of being involved on Saturday.”

How pleased were you for Dylan Levitt when he scored? He seems to have found it difficult lately...

“Yeah, Dylan is a really talented boy. He had a good run in the team. I know I keep repeating myself, but we went through a period in the last six weeks where were really limited on players. Players were really tired and played a lot of games – Jair is another one to mention, he went from not playing any games to starting every game. Dylan and Joe Newell were putting in a big shift in midfield. He’s been a bit tired. We have asked him to adapt his game and be more aggressive in midfield. On Wednesday, his effort was huge, and I was really pleased for him to get the goal. He’s probably lacked a little bit of confidence lately, but everyone knows his ability on the ball is very, very good. He’s adapting his game, and that takes time as well. It’s the demands that need to put be on you as a midfielder. His effort in the middle of the park with Joe and Nathan was massive. Technically, he scores goals like that every day in training, but sometimes it is a confidence thing so I’m really happy for him."

He's always a threat when he gets into those areas...

“His technique is top class. The way he strikes and passes the ball is of the highest level. It’s nice for him to get that opportunity last night, and that it fell to Dylan because you feel he’s going to hit the target. There’s maybe been a few this season where he hasn’t, but that can be a confidence thing again. Hopefully that sets him off now because he’s got the ability to do that."