Hibs boss Nick Montgomery turns to psychology as he reveals methods that helped rejuvenate Jason Cummings

How an old team photograph helped deliver success at Central Coast Mariners

Nick Montgomery celebrates with Jason Cummings after guiding Central Coast Mariners to victory in the A-League Grand Final in June. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Hibs manager Nick Montgomery believes that with the Premiership as tight as it is, the difference between success and failure come the end of the season will be psychological as much as physical, technical or tactical.

League action resumes this weekend following the international fixtures, with Hibs away to Dundee, who sit two points and two places above them, with a game in hand.

Ahead of the break, the Easter Road side got back to winning ways following a period dominated by draws but having watched too many matches end in stalemate, the gaffer admitted that while there had been improvements since he took over from Lee Johnson in September, work on the mental side of things would not happen overnight.

But. working to pinpoint what methods work best for each of his players, he stressed he does see the merits in tackling psychological vulnerabilities.

“At this level, it’s about the small margins so you have to look at the things that will, over time, help improve a player’s mindset.”

A manager who squeezed everything out of his Central Coast Mariners, defying the odds to reap A-League success, he rehabilitated reputations of the likes of former Hibee Jason Cummings on the way, as he got each and every player to not only recognise their own worth but also the value of the players who shared the dressing room.

“You have to look at different ways of helping the team succeed. With someone like Jason, there was no doubting his ability but, for whatever reason, he had made some bad decisions in his life that affected him and people’s opinion of him. The reality, though, is that he’s a born winner. He’s a goalscorer and if you look throughout his career he has won stuff, but he knows he’s also not helped himself.

“That’s one thing with Jason, just letting him know he had to mature. I let him know that he had to think about stuff he does before he does it and the impact it can have on him. I am really proud of Jason. I brought him out to Australia, after Dundee paid him to leave, and 12 months later he was at a World Cup and then he helped win the A League by finishing top scorer.

“There are certain things that you can use motivational wise. Sports psychology where you set goals for the team.

“One example [at Central Coast Mariners] was a photograph of the team from 10 years previous, when the club last won the A-League championship. I was in that photo as a player and it was something we used to let the boys know ‘we can win this thing if you believe’.

“So, every time we won a game we added a couple more headshots of the current team onto the bodies of people in that photo so that by the end it was the same photo but with everybody’s head on it. I think Jason ended up getting a better body than he deserved. I think quite a few of them did!

“I know that kind of thing isn't going to work at every club but sometimes you have a feeling as a coach about how you can motivate and that worked for that group of players.”