Nick Montgomery addresses 'emotional' Hibs statement and why he is confident he can save his job

Five cup finals for Hibs manager starting at St Johnstone on Saturday

As club statements go, they don't come much more damning. "Simply unacceptable" was how Hibs described the failure to land a top six spot in a message to their supporters last week following the 1-1 draw at Motherwell that sealed their fate. "Results need to improve" was the clear mandate to manager Nick Montgomery. The need to "urgently address" on-pitch performances sparking a full-scale review of football operations from top to bottom.

It is the type of wording that normally accompanies a managerial sacking. Not so much a vote in confidence in Montgomery, as a stay of execution. Make no mistake, the Yorkshireman who flew into Easter Road from the other side of the world just seven months ago is already fighting to keep his job and get fans back onside. There is also the need to win over new minority shareholder Bill Foley and his Black Knights group, with the Bournemouth chairman set to have a major say in how the club moves forward following his £6m investment.

You have to imagine that if Hibs fail to finish top of the bottom six, a position they currently hold by two points over Motherwell, then Montgomery will be in serious trouble. A title winner with Central Coast Mariners in Australia – an achievement made all the more impressive by the club's comparatively limited resources – his appointment in September was widely welcomed among fans. He arrived with a reputation as a promising young manager. That still remains the case, but his record at Hibs does not make for good reading. The 42-year-old has only won 11 of his 34 matches in charge so far. Points will be important across the remaining five matches, performances equally so as fans and investors look for evidence that Montgomery is capable of taking the team in the right direction next season. There may not be any trophies at stake, but these are five cup finals for the former Sheffield United stalwart, starting against St Johnstone in Perth on Saturday.

Hibs manager Nick Montgomery at full-time after the 1-1 draw at Motherwell that consigned Hibs to a bottom six finish. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Montgomery faced the media for the first time on Friday since the board of directors issued their scathing assessment of the campaign to date. He is adamant he can ride through the current turbulence to win over his detractors and save his job.

“I fully believe in what I’m doing,” the Hibs boss said. “A lot of the fans and people at the club when I came in believed. Results sometimes bring doubt, and that’s normal. Internally and collectively I need to bring that belief back because there have been a lot of challenges this season, a lot of things going on, a lot of talk around investment and changes at the club, a lot of players contracted to the club that have not contributed anything this season to Hibs, and some who may never contribute.

“We have to do a lot of work in finding new homes for some of those players. Recruitment moving forward has to be about quality over quantity. We need to be sure we have a proper summer window where we bring in some quality players who can really impact the club moving forward.”

The backlash to Montgomery's failure to get Hibs into the top six despite taking over at a time when they were 10th in the league has been severe. Hibs fans have had enough of false dawns after the short-lived and ill-fated tenures of Shaun Maloney and Lee Johnson and patience has expired. The fact city rivals Hearts are heading for another third place finish and another crack at European group stage football only adds to the demands.

Hibs manager Nick Montgomery faces the media ahead of the trip to St Johnstone. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

“Look, it’s a big club with big expectations," Montgomery said. "I understood the pressure when I came here. I had played under pressure and you are under pressure as a manager. But I’ve never wavered in my belief over where I can take this team. The stats, the metrics, everything around the season, there are a lot of positives. Ultimately, people will always reflect on the negative – and that was us missing the top six.

“I understand the fans’ frustration. I love the fans here, love their passion. We all want to win every game, so we’re on the same page. I apologise to the fans and the players apologise for not making the top six, but we now have to move forward.”

Hibs face a St Johnstone side waging their own battle against relegation and, in ex-Hearts boss Craig Levein, a manager who would take great delight in getting one over his former derby rivals. Or should that be another one, having already inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Montgomery's side at Easter Road earlier this month, as well as a claiming a 1-0 home win in December. Saints lie precariously close to the relegation play-off spot, just one point above 11th-placed Ross County, putting their 15-year tenure in the Scottish top flight at risk so there will be no quarter given at McDiarmid Park.

Asked if the timing and the strongly-worded nature of the statement had cranked up the pressure on him going into the last five games of the season, Montgomery said: “Not really. You can look at a statement and read it in different ways.

“I think it was emotional from the club, everyone was disappointed, and they wanted to apologise to the fans because we, as a club, didn’t meet their expectation and get into the top six. But it’s easy for people to criticise when they don’t know exactly what is going on internally, don’t know the full picture. You have to accept that.

“But there are a lot of positives moving forward. It’s just about sticking with the belief and having the patience. I’ve got no doubt that I’m the man to lead this club forward. I’m really excited for the future, even while I’m hurting and disappointed now.”