Montgomery on Boyle, injuries, and Rangers viral video

Nick Montgomery has spoken to the media ahead of the penultimate pre-split clash with St Johnstone. Here is what the Hibs head coach had to say...

At this stage in the season do you focus on the positives of success or dangle the price of failure?

“It’s important to keep everything calm. There is pressure in football throughout the season but success can be measured and defined in many different ways.

“Everyone will see making the top six as a success and so will I as manager, given that I came in midway through the season into a situation where the team was needing a lift.

“Throughout the season there have been many positives - a lot of young academy players have made debuts; since January we’ve really improved the squad and brought in some quality players; we’ve had two good cup runs but we know that we have two games now and the only thing we can control is the game on Saturday, and then next week against Motherwell.

“We can’t control anything else and our full focus, as normal, has been on preparing for the St Johnstone game.”

Do you simplify it for the players, that all they have to do is win?

“Players go out every week wanting to win, and as a manager, you want to win every game too. The players aren’t stupid; they don’t need to be told.

“They know that this game is important and they know that the last seven games to get us into this situation where we can still make the top six have been important too. I don’t have to tell the players. We go into every game prepared and we give the opposition respect no matter who it is.

“We focus on what we can control, which is the performance and going into the game with the confidence and belief that we can win.”

How difficult is it to keep the players calm, particularly when relying on other results etc?

“It’s just the togetherness and the game plan. We know the crowd at Easter Road expect us to win games at home and the players are under no illusions.

“When you look around the squad we have players who have played in big games before and have an understanding of what’s at stake so it’s about staying calm and sticking to the game plan and putting in a performance that’s good enough to take three points, because it’s important that we get as many points as we can in the next two games.”

Is this as well as Hibs have played under you?

“I think so. Over the last six or seven games we’ve been up there with the form teams in the competition; I think the games we drew we should have won and we’ve had a couple of decisions go our way that meant we didn’t take maximum points.

“What we can’t do is change that or control it and it would have been nice to have had those points so that these final two pre-split games weren’t as important, but we can’t change what has happened.

“We just have to focus on getting maximum points on Saturday, first and foremost, without looking ahead any further.”

What have you made of the split?

“I suppose some people will think it’s great and others will find it a little bit strange.

“It is a strange situation if you can finish seventh with more points than teams above you but I didn’t design the league. There are a limited number of teams in the league so to get more games towards the end of the season that mean something, that’s what it’s been designed to do.

“We just have to try to do everything we can to get in the top six because they’re not going to change it if I ask them.”

You'll have been pleased to see Myziane pick up the Player of the Month award?

“He’s more than deserving of the award. He’s scored some big goals for us. When I brought him to the club, I was under no illusions about his talent. He needed a home and needed fans to like him.

READ MORE - Hibs forward Myziane Maolida named Premiership player of the month for March

“He had a difficult start when I threw him in against Rangers at home. But I think that was a real wake-up call for him, because we needed to get him match-fit. Within a couple of weeks, with his attitude and the way he trains, I knew he would be really important for us, and he's shown that.

“He’s also been fasting during Ramadan. That's a tough time for him, in terms of when he eats and when he drinks, but I think it’s been inspirational, the way he’s stuck to his faith. Not only has he done that, but he’s also come out as Player of the Month. He’s been a good signing for the club and for the league.

“He’s really enjoying his time in the Scottish Premiership, playing for Hibs, enjoying his relationship with the fans. And we’re happy to have him here."

How pleasing is it to have him and Élie Youan dovetailing so well?

“Obviously Elie and Myziane go back a long way, playing together in youth national teams for France. But Myziane gets on with everybody in the squad.

“The relationships have been building since we brought new players in during January. Those new players have to buy into the club and the culture.

“We’ve seen the value of relationships in the last six weeks or so. Results come from players getting on and working together."

Is Martin Boyle back in contention?

“Yes, and that’s what you want as a manager. You want to be making tough decisions. Martin has obviously been through a difficult period. I don’t think he came out of his bedroom for two weeks.

“But, yeah, he’s back to his lively self. He was very good at Ibrox when he came on, and he’s back in training. Lewis Miller will probably be back in training next week. Those are the headaches I’ve wanted all season.

"Josh Campbell is back in the fold now and could be available for the squad. We’ll see on Saturday morning. We've had Jacob MacIntyre and Rory Whittaker on the bench the last couple of weeks and it's never a case of throwing the young players on, but it's nice to have more decisions to make. We'll see how things go and I'll name the team on Saturday morning.

“It’s about getting the best players fit and available. It's definitely getting harder to pick the team. That’s what you want."

What was your reaction to Nectar's free-kick against Rangers...?

“Honestly, you have to laugh. We put that clip in the team video after the Rangers game. And I still think it’s impossible to do what he did! How he’s knocked two of his own players out, I don’t know. Thankfully nobody got hurt.

“But I think the funniest thing is that he still played the 70-metre diagonal ball on the half-volley while we had two players down! We had a real laugh about it. And I don’t think you’ll ever see that again in football.  It was bizarre!

“It’s good that it’s gone viral, for whatever reason. Any publicity is good publicity. Hibs have gone worldwide for that incident. We want Hibs to go worldwide because of our goals and success in the future. But there are probably people in the world who had never heard of Hibs, who are now following Hibs because of that moment.

“He does strike a ball well, to be fair. And we do say that, if it’s on quickly, play quickly. But you just have to make sure we don’t have our own players standing in front. That was amazing, really, when you think about it it.”