When Ange Postecoglou led Brisbane Roar to their second consecutive A-League title in 2012, Nick Montgomery packed his bags and headed Down Under.
His 15 years at Sheffield United came to an end and he joined the Central Coast Mariners, helping them to Grand Final victory in his first season as a player before repeating the feat as their manager in the 2022/23 season.
Montgomery’s title win – with the youngest team and smallest budget in the competition – led to him being poached by Hibernian last September after turning down other offers.
Although his tenure at Hibs was not without consequences, Postecoglou appointed the 42-year-old Yorkshireman as assistant manager at Tottenham Hotspur in June after Chris Davies left the club to take over at Birmingham City.
It rekindled a long-standing acquaintance, as Montgomery tells I: “In my first year in Australia as a player I won the league with the Mariners, but in the two seasons before that Ange’s Brisbane Roar had been champions.
“This was Ange’s first big job and I always enjoyed watching his teams’ playing style and attacking philosophy.
“He was very successful and from there he moved to Melbourne Victory before taking charge of the Australian national team. He then had success in Japan and at Celtic before moving to Tottenham last season.
“After I retired and joined the Mariners as coach, Ange was one of the first people to congratulate me when we won the A-League Grand Final last year.
“He had been keeping an eye on the competition because he’s Australian and started there, so I know how much he appreciated my achievements.
“Ange is a great guy, a great family man and exudes a certain aura and discipline.
“He has a very clear idea of how he wants to play and it is up to us as coaches to plan and design training sessions that enable the team to further develop his attacking, possession-oriented style of play.
“Ange is a world-class manager, he instills confidence in his players and staff and has ensured success wherever he has been.
“You can see the culture he is building here at Tottenham. There is a real collective desire with all the players and staff pulling in the same direction, which is so important.
“Ange attaches great importance to this, he has great trust in his employees and I learn something new every day.
“He doesn’t talk much, but when he does, everyone listens. That’s a very powerful trait for a manager.”
Montgomery was under contract with his hometown club Leeds United before making his breakthrough at Bramall Lane, helping Neil Warnock’s team to promotion to the Premier League in 2006.
“I always believed that I could make it as a player and be there Match of the day”, adds Montgomery.
“I remember seeing it and thinking, ‘This is exactly what I’ve been working towards.’
“I was never the most talented player, but with hard work, honesty and humility you can achieve anything in life.
“When we won the A-League with the Mariners in 2023, Neil Warnock called to congratulate me.
“I learned a lot playing for many years at Sheffield United under him and many other managers I worked under.
“I enjoyed my time as a player and later as a manager in Australia. My wife and our three daughters built a whole new life there.”
Montgomery’s work on the sun-drenched coast of New South Wales certainly earned him many admiring glances.
He rebuilt the Mariners’ academy and nurtured numerous talents who were regularly sold to clubs across Europe and Asia and developed into international players at youth and senior level.
After enjoying success in the top job, Montgomery, who played twice for the Scottish Under-21 team, was signed by Hibernian on a three-year deal last autumn.
He took over at a time of crisis, with the club winless following the sacking of Lee Johnson and in the SPFL relegation zone.
“When I took the job at Hibs, Ange wrote to me again and wished me ‘good luck’ because he had only recently left Celtic to take over at Tottenham,” explains Montgomery.
“He knew what a difficult challenge it was and respected me for it because Hibs had had a terrible start to the season and had gone through several managers.
“After turning down several offers from elsewhere, I was brave enough to take the job despite knowing Hibs’ problems.”
Montgomery was sacked in May after just eight months in charge, continuing a trend that sees Hibs looking for their sixth manager in four years.
“The project should focus on reconstruction the following summer and provide a clear direction for the future,” says Montgomery.
“I had the youngest team in the A-League with the Mariners, but Hibs had the oldest squad in the SPFL.
“They promised me that they would allow me to rebuild the team in the summer and lower the average age of the team.
“I gave 16-year-old Rory Whittaker his debut, took them to the semi-finals of the League Cup and the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, just missing out on the top six.
“I lost players to the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup of Nations in January and while the previous coach spent a lot of money, I only loaned some, but I signed Myziane Maolida and he scored 11 goals in 18 games.
“The club’s recruitment strategy didn’t match mine or what we had discussed when I took the job, so we parted ways.
“Despite many challenges, we were very close to achieving all our goals. I remain very proud of my time at Hibernian and wish the club all the best.”
Montgomery is enjoying life under Postecoglou after joining Spurs with Sergio Raimundo, his assistant at the Mariners and Hibs.
“After I left Hibs I was offered other jobs but when Ange contacted me the timing was perfect,” explains Montgomery.
Postecoglou’s team toured South Korea and Japan in pre-season with the aim of improving on last season’s fifth place and winning their first trophy since 2008.
Montgomery says: “It’s a strong team and Son Heung-min, our captain, is one of the most humble and sincere people you will ever meet.
“There are some really good characters and leaders around him. We have also brought in some fantastic young players and their development is something that has always been very important to me.
“Ange has already brought teenagers like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall into the first team, which shows how brave he is as a manager.”
Spurs are ambitious as the new season begins and Montgomery says: “The fan base, the training ground and the stadium are incredible.
“Ange wants to win everything and I adopt that mentality.”
Does Montgomery have a desire to become a manager again?
“I’m not thinking about it at the moment because I’m happy to be back in the Premier League and working under Ange in a good environment – I’m enjoying every moment,” he adds with a smile.
