Hibs appoint Nick Montgomery as new manager to replace Lee Johnson after successful Central Coast Mariners stint
HIBS have appointed Nick Montgomery as their new manager on a three-year contract.
The 41-year-old replaces Lee Johnson in the role, who was sacked after his side crashed out of Europe and lost their first three games of the new Premiership season.
Montgomery, 41, has been appointed alongside Portuguese coaches Sergio Raimundo and Miguel de Oliveira Miranda, who become assistant head coach and goalkeeping coach respectively.
Hibs legend and caretaker boss David Gray will stay on as first team coach following his latest interim stint in charge.
Johnson was dismissed with Hibs having been thrashed by Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League play-offs, an 8-0 aggregate defeat that came just a few weeks after the embarrassment in Andorra against Inter d'Escaldes which required a massive turnaround at home just to see them through.
The final straw for Johnson's reign was a 3-2 home defeat to Livingston on 27 August, a result that left his winless side rock bottom of the Premiership table.
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Hibs had also sounded out former boss Neil Lennon over the role.
Sheffield United legend Montgomery had been boss at Central Coast Mariners of Australia since 2021.
He was behind the move to bring former Hibs, Rangers and Dundee striker Jason Cummings to the A-League.
Cummings enjoyed a new lease of life Down Under and subsequently won himself a mega money transfer to India.
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Under Montgomery, Central Coast Mariners won the 2023 A-League Grand Final and reached the final of the Australia Cup in 2021.
The gig in Oz was Montgomery's first in management, and he took up the reins after he wound down his career in Australia with Mariners and Wollongong Wolves.
Montgomery is English by birth but qualified to play for Scotland due to his mother, and earned two caps for the Under-21s.
He was never selected for the senior side however, with the likes of Barry Ferguson, Darren Fletcher and Scott Brown all ahead of him in the national team pecking order at the time.
Montgomery was born in Leeds and spent time in the youth academies of both Leeds United and Sheffield United, before turning pro with the Blades.
He spent 12 years at Bramall Lane before a short loan stint at Millwall and then moved to Australia with Central Coast Mariners.
On the appointment of Montgomery, Hibernian FC’s Director of Football Brian McDermott commented: “We are delighted to welcome Nick to Hibernian FC and are really excited about bringing him to the Football Club.
“I’ve followed Nick’s career for a number of years. As a player he was a leader and he’s brought that quality into his managerial and coaching career. What he’s done as a coach is really impressive. He helped rebuild what is now a successful Academy and did a magnificent job of bringing through and developing young players. Alongside this, he has incredibly strong coaching credentials.
“Ian (Gordon) Ben (Kensell), the Board of Directors, and I believe that Nick is the right fit for this Football Club. He has a real strong, distinctive style of play, is a front-foot manager, and what he achieved at Central Coast Mariners last season was phenomenal.
“He created a strong relationship and camaraderie between the supporters, players and staff, and he’s an excellent man manager which has seen him get the best out of the players he’s worked with.
“Everyone has bought into him as a person and as a coach. We look forward to working with him and bringing successful times to this fantastic football club.”
Johnson, meanwhile, hasn't had to wait long to get back into football himself.
He was appointed the new Fleetwood Town boss yesterday just a fortnight after being dismissed at Easter Road.
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Johnson replaces another man with Hibs connections, the former Celtic and Hibees star Scott Brown.
Brown, 38, was sacked as Fleetwood head coach last week after a horror start to his second season in charge.
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