Sacked Hibs boss in Spurs move as Ange lures Monty to Premier League

Happy days - Monty is diving into a Premier League gig. | SNS Group

Former Hibs boss Nick Montgomery has landed a dream move to the Premier League – after agreeing to team up with ex-Celtic gaffer Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham. And the straight-talking Yorkshireman, who will be joined at Spurs by long-time assistant Sergio Raimundo, aims to prove the value of a footballing philosophy discarded by the Hibs hierarchy after just eight frustrating months at Easter Road.

Postecoglou welcomed the pair on board his revamped coaching squad last night, saying: “Both Nick and Sergio have a wealth of coaching experience over a number of years. They have already demonstrated a strong desire to both develop young talent and implement a football style that I believe will further strengthen the environment we have established. I’m looking forward to working with them.”

Montgomery has been in regular contact with long-time mentor Postecoglou since taking the Hibs job last September, using the Aussie as a sounding board – and taking encouragement from the veteran gaffer’s advice to stick to his guns when it came to changing the playing style of a team stuck at the wrong end of the Scottish Premiership. Promised that he’d get time to implement the changes needed, including bringing down the average age of the squad and completely overhauling the tactics of predecessor Lee Johnson, Monty was left stunned when the Hibs board issued a damning statement – effectively giving him five games to save his job – after failing to secure a top-six spot in the final pre-split fixture.

He was then sacked with just two games of the season remaining. But friends of Monty say he remained convinced that, given time and proper support in the transfer market, he would have built a team capable of taking on – and outplaying – the Old Firm with an exciting brand of possession football.

Postecoglou has been looking for backroom reinforcements since assistant Chris Davies left to become Birmingham City manager earlier this month. Montgomery and Raimundo are expected to play key roles as the former Socceroos boss builds for his second season in the Premier League.

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The lure of working with Postecoglou and getting exposed to the intensity of the Premier League was a major lure for Montgomery, who has turned down managerial jobs in England, Australia and Asia in order to learn from one of the most fascinating figures in football. The former Central Coast Mariners boss, who won the A-League title with the smallest budget in the competition, is still keen to return to management in his own right – but feels this opportunity is too good to turn down.

Scottish Cup-winning captain David Gray, who had worked as part of Montgomery’s backroom staff, has since been appointed Hibs manager. He will work under new sporting director Malky Mackay, assisted by Eddie May, Liam Craig and goalie coach Craig Samson.