Nick Montgomery exclusive: Hibs boss on identity and tactics

Asked to pinpoint the biggest learning point of his six months in Scotland, you can almost hear the wheels turning as he reflects on a journey ‘full of ups and downs’. Trekking halfway across the world, without his family, to a club that had burned through three managers in as many years, was both a considerable opportunity and a daunting challenge. Montgomery has, so far, overseen something of a revamp in playing style and personnel, promising beginnings followed by a prolonged dip, cup semi-final heartbreak and an injury list as long as his arm.

So, what is the lesson that sticks out most?

“Sticking to what I believe in when times get tough,” he answers. “Also, having a clear understanding of where I want to take the club, where I think the team can go, and not wavering from it.

“It would have been easier for me to completely change the way we were playing, but I’m not someone who changes my mind because things are not going well. When I believe in something – which I do – I know it can be successful.”

There have been moments where that resolve came under duress, and moments where it felt fully vindicated. Aided by a strong January transfer window, returning players and tactical adjustments, Hibs have seemingly emerged from a winter of discontent. No one, least of all Montgomery, is proclaiming this team as the finished article, but there are signs that a corner has been turned.

Earlier this week, the manager sat down with the Hibs Observer to discuss tactics, formations, and, above all, what he is striving to build at Easter Road.

What does he want Hibs to be?

Arriving in September last year, most prominent in Montgomery’s mind was evolving Hibs into a team that ‘wants to be on the ball’. From his opening fixture away at Kilmarnock, there was clear instruction to begin building from the goalkeeper, with centre-backs stationed either side of David Marshall, and full-backs staying wide. The two midfielders would drop, and the wingers tucked inside with the aim of creating triangles in wide areas to help move the team up the pitch. The front line had license to interchange, with emphasis on getting numbers into the box.

Montgomery says his immediate assessment was that the players in the squad were not suited to a more direct style, singling out Christian Doidge, who has now moved on, as the only suitable attacking option were he ever to go down that road. Before he’d even set foot inside HTC, there were late nights and long discussions with assistant Sérgio Raimundo, the pair poring over hours of footage to assess the task at hand. What did that research tell them?

“I saw a good group of professionals,” said Montgomery. “Players that had the ability to be a team that had the ball. Coming in, we wanted them to believe in changing the style of play. We wanted to be a team that builds from the back, and not a team that plays long.

“One, because we didn’t have forward players that were aerially gifted. Dylan Vente’s strength is not in the air, nor is Martin Boyle’s. Christian Doidge got injured near the start.

“We didn’t have the players for being a direct team, but we had the players to be a possession-based team, players who wanted to get on the ball. We did a lot of work on the team shape, and on the style of play.

“I think it was evident from the first game at Kilmarnock; we went 2-0 up and should have won the game. The boys really bought into it, which is the most important thing, and that develops over time.

“We lacked, even at the start, a lot of depth. There weren’t many options in attacking areas – Jair Tavares came into the team from not playing for 14 months.”

Perhaps the most important element in implementing these changes was buy-in from the squad. After all, everything else becomes a moot point if the players at your disposal are not convinced by the plan and instructions presented to them.

Montgomery was, therefore, aware that the transition would involve pushing players out of their comfort zones. Rocky Bushiri, for example, became a right-footed centre-back playing on the left side, with considerable responsibility in helping Hibs pass through the opposition press.

David Marshall, too, was asked to do more in possession, a not-insignificant challenge for a ‘keeper in the twilight years of his career. But Montgomery believes the 39-year-old’s willingness to learn and adapt served as an ‘infectious’ example that spread throughout his team-mates.

“We train the way we want to play and part of that is pushing players out of their comfort zones,” said the manager. “The old saying is, ‘Get comfortable with being uncomfortable’. You have to be constantly pushing players.

“A great example is Marsh, who’s just turned 39. He was totally open to the way we wanted to play, and he’s been absolutely outstanding.

“I don’t think there’s a better ‘keeper in the league with the ball at his feet, and that’s the way football has evolved. If you can have someone like David to buy into it straight away, it’s not only a sign of what an amazing guy he is, it’s infectious and gives belief to the midfielders, the full-backs, the centre-backs, to be a team that wants to have the ball and build.”

Transition inevitably brings teething problems, and a team’s belief in what they are doing can fluctuate over anything from weeks to mere minutes within matches. Mistakes breed doubt, and Montgomery believes it’s a testament to his players that they have continued to carry out his instructions. Hibs are behind only Celtic, Rangers and Hearts for successful passes this season, but there has been an increase in their effectiveness of late. Over the last 10 matches, they now rank third in the Premiership for 'deep completions' - passes made to within 20 yards of the opposition goal, suggesting that they are improving in building up to the final third.

“We’ve scored so many goals from building from the back,” he said. “There are always challenges, but we have players buying into it and who are brave enough to execute it. It doesn’t always go to plan.

“When you concede goals it can be easy to go away from it, but I’m really proud of how the boys have stuck to the way we play through good and bad. Ultimately, that’s our identity as a team, and now we have brought in quality players who are helping us improve more.”

Formations – 442 vs 4231

Once a staple at all levels, the 442 has become unfashionable in the modern era, derided as a relic of football’s past and deemed inadequate against the modern trend of three-men midfields. In the early weeks of Montgomery’s tenure, Hibs looked rejuvenated by it, and its implementation came with a fluidity that suggested the manager could transfer the success he enjoyed using it at Central Coast Mariners to Hibs.

Montgomery set up his former team almost exclusively in a 442, and their ascent from A-League also-rans to unlikely success story culminated in a 6-1 dismantling of Melbourne City in the 2023 A-League Championship final. The feat was lauded as a triumph of smart recruitment and effective tactics that maximised the players at Montgomery’s disposal.

“It’s a system I like, and one I had a lot of success with – winning a championship with Australia’s lowest budget team,” he said. “But whether it’s 442, 424, 4231, it’s always an adaptation. People see the team sheet at the start, but a lot of the time it’s adaptable.

“We attacked with a front four and defended in a 442, which most teams do. It’s a formation that gives you the ability to hurt teams in wide areas, it gives you an extra attacker in the box – a false nine or a ten. With it, you try and get numbers in the box to score goals.”

There was, also, Montgomery suggested, an availability element influencing his thinking. Until the arrival of Emiliano Marcondes, Hibs did not have a natural number ten at their disposal. Adam Le Fondre was perhaps the closest profile, and he appeared to help bring the best out in Vente. But a knee injury suffered in October did not only deprive Montgomery of a player with the nous to fill that connecting role between midfield and attack, it had a detrimental knock-on effect. Vente was dropped into the supporting striker position, and Boyle shifted from the right flank to play as a central forward.

There were other tweaks, with Élie Youan and Josh Campbell both tried as supporting forwards to Boyle, with only moderate success at best. Campbell was then ruled out for 12 weeks after the December Edinburgh derby, and Hibs’ first fixture post-winter break featured 17-year-old Rudi Molotnikov playing off Doidge.

Montgomery’s January recruitment does lend weight to his assertion that he felt too short on options to overhaul his midfield, with Emiliano Marcondes, Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Luke Amos all drafted in.

“At the start, it was about personnel,” he insisted. “We didn’t have many midfielders. There’s Joe Newell, but there were periods when both Dylan Levitt and Jimmy Jeggo were out injured.

“A lot of the time we only had two midfielders available. We brought in Nathan, Luke, and Marcondes – who is more of a ten – so the personnel dictates the changes you can make.

“It’s funny when people say you should play with a back three when you only have two centre-backs or play with a midfield three when you’ve only got two sixes. I don’t think the club was prepared this season for the number of injuries and the amount of boys who went on international duty at a really important point. The recruitment was vital to getting us back into a position where we were competing.”

The January transfer window, specifically the recruitment of Marcondes, spelled end for the use of 442, and, in truth, it felt that opposition teams had worked out how to nullify it for quite some time already. According to StatsBomb, Hibs had dropped off dramatically in a number of key metrics, and a declining expected goals (xG) number suggested trouble was brewing even before they hit a run of nine Premiership matches without a win.

A midweek encounter against champions Celtic signalled a turning point. A stoppage-time penalty winner for the champions was a cruel, undeserved blow for Hibs, who were unrecognisable from just a few days prior. The switch to a midfield three that night (Newell, Moriah-Welsh, Levitt) introduced greater defensive solidity, and Celtic created very little from open play. Hibs, by contrast, fashioned the best chances and felt they should have taken maximum points. They’ve since taken eight points from the last 12 available, and with a greater clinical edge at Tynecastle it would likely have been more.

The graphic below shows how Hibs’ xG and xG conceded went in completely the wrong direction for that miserable spell, but you can now see how the trend is beginning to reverse for the better – Hibs are creating better quality chances and giving away fewer.

If there has been a decisive tactical switch, Montgomery seems reluctant to take much credit for it, instead insisting that the recent improvement is a matter of personnel, added quality, and the competition for places that brings. Marcondes and Myziane Maolida have raised the attacking level considerably, while also extracting more from those already in the building. Lewis Miller, Martin Boyle, and Rocky Bushiri - in particularly good form - returning from international duty also made a substantial difference.

“We’ve only adapted it a small bit now, and just for certain games,” said Montgomery. “It’s easier to adapt when you have the players. When you don’t, it becomes harder to change the system.

“Now we can use an extra midfielder, or play with a deeper-lying ten. That’s down to the transfer window and bringing players in, and that’s definitely been a positive

“We have the ability now to play people to their strengths. But the biggest thing is competition for places. If you’re not performing, you’ll know there is someone desperate to come in and take your position.

“Without that competition, it’s very hard to feel that you won’t play week in, week out. No team I’ve been at has been successful without competition for places. It helps the boys playing, and the boys not playing.

“It creates a good team culture, where everyone is supporting each other whether they’re starting or on the bench. That’s so important to being successful.”

Breaking down low blocks/opposition tactics

Hibs have become accustomed, especially at Easter Road, to facing opponents determined to sit deep and frustrate, while being set up to counter quickly. The use of 442 against such setups created a catch-22, with teams happy for the midfield two to sit in front of them in the knowledge that Montgomery’s side could struggle to connect middle to front. If either of those midfielders were to over-commit, however, then it would leave Hibs wide open to a counter-attack through the centre of the pitch, if and when the ball turned over.

For Montgomery, then, combating that was about patience, being courageous in the right moments, and not leaving yourself  open to being countered. Hibs have developed clear patterns in their build-up – wingers coming inside, quick switches out to full-backs – designed to move the ball in the final third. Once there, though, Montgomery explained he gives players creative license to find the right solutions.

“I want to be a team that’s brave,” he said. “I give the boys the ability to make the decisions in the right areas, you never want to stop the creative players creating opportunities.

“Most teams play with a back five in this league, home and away. They will look to catch you in a transition moment. In the SPFL, there are a lot more wide deliveries and goals conceded from there, an it’s a lot higher than around the world. That tells you the pattern of the league.

“It’s very physical, and teams will recruit for that style of football. But you have to set up to try to break them down. That comes in the way you play; quick transitions and quick combinations around the box.

“And, you always have to be aware of transition moments against you – direct balls in behind or balls from wide areas. Getting overloaded in the box is always a danger, and you have to compete physically if you want to avoid conceding goals. We’ve been caught out quite a few times this season against teams that play that style of football.”

Hibs’ possession style up against an opponent’s low block can provoke restlessness in the stands, and it’s an age-old phenomenon that Scottish crowds do not have a particularly high tolerance for the ball being passed backwards. Montgomery accepts that but maintains the priority is Hibs controlling the football - something he feels they would not be able to do playing a more direct style.

“Transitioning the team from direct into being a possession-based team doesn’t come without challenges,” he admitted. “Sometimes, that challenge can come from the crowd too. One way to prevent the opposition from scoring is by you having the ball. It’s about changing things a little bit culturally, compared to what the team has been.

“Sometimes fans want to see more direct football, but you’re not really controlling the game. That’s not to say that style doesn’t win you games of football, but when you are trying to change the identity of a club it’s so important to stick to what you believe in.

“You don’t go away from what you’re trying to do just because of a bad result or bad moment in the game. That’s really important. The boys have to be brave and continue to play.”

Not continuing to play, Montgomery accepts, was a factor in a frustrating tendency to throw away leads earlier in the campaign. He wants Hibs to be more ruthless, to pile the agony on opponents after the initial blows are struck and believes it’s a matter of mentality.

“One thing we did in a period where we were losing leads in games, we ended up conceding because we stopped playing, stopped having the ball, and that was down to trying to hold out for a win rather than killing a game off.

“I’d rather be a team that tries to kill games than sits on a lead,” he said. “That happened to us a few times, and we dropped points from winning positions. That’s a mentality thing you have to change with the players, but that doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time.

“We’ve developed more, the players who were here and the new boys. The new boys have come into the system, they don’t know what’s happened before and they’re not really bothered about it – they want to buy into everything we’re doing. They come in with a fresh mind, and maybe aren’t affected by any negativity that’s been there before.”

Long-term identity vs the demand for results

Any manager with a vision wrestles with the puzzle of nurturing long-term improvement against the unrelenting demand for results on a Saturday. Montgomery took the brunt of the flak when the latter nosedived, albeit he feels at least some of that criticism was ‘unwarranted’ with so many players unavailable. He has, though, learned that is the expectation he will face for as long as he is Hibs manager.

“I’ve learnt a lot about myself,” he said. “And the understanding of the situation that we were in. I could never understand that when we had so many players missing, the expectation was to still win every game. You have to accept that, but also be realistic. I don’t know any team in this league who can lose half their players and still expect to win every week. But it’s something I learnt from.”

Montgomery is confident, however, that with significant investment on the way, and the foundations laid to create a more unified environment – on the pitch and behind the scenes – that Hibs are moving in the right direction.

“Nothing’s an overnight success,” he said. “Coming in, it was about lifting the team and creating an environment at the training ground where there was a connection with the academy and the women’s team. I think there is a connection now.

“These are things people don’t see, but anyone who comes into the training ground – including the media or sponsors – comes in knowing it’s an open place and there’s a good feeling, a good atmosphere. That’s something I’ve worked really hard to implement.

READ MORE: Hibs, 442, and 4231: Changing shape, or changing personnel?

“It’s about long-term strategy of the club and the long-term ambition of the owners. The Bournemouth connection and the investment from Bill Foley was a welcome distraction for a while. Now it’s all been put to bed the club is in a great place.

“It will hopefully give us the ability to recruit better players moving forward to give ourselves the best chance to challenge everybody in the league. Did I think that was going to happen overnight? No. We’re talking next season by the time any of that investment goes into the training ground and stadium.

“It helps with the network of looking to bring players in who I feel can take Hibs where we want to take the club. Right now, we’ve given ourselves a good chance – we’re fighting for the top six and are still in the Scottish Cup. We’ve come through a tough period, and it was important to stick together.”