Hibs boss on 'fairy tale' belief, VAR and taking refs out of equation

Nick Montgomery uses the term ‘fairy tale’ to describe the old adage about bad decisions evening themselves out over the course of a season. If there’s one thing likely to put the Hibs boss in a grim mood (sorry), it’s a discussion about referees, VAR and the many different ways of interpreting the beautiful game.

But Montgomery’s criticism of the existing system is constructive, rather than destructive. From floating the old idea about full-time referees to agreeing that former players could educate officials on the differences between a dangerous tackle and an honest attempt to win the ball, he isn’t short of suggestions on how to raise standards.

And he has a simple answer to the Hibs-specific issues affecting his team. Just be better. And take the odd unlucky intervention by officials completely out of the equation.

Appointed as successor to Lee Johnson back in September, Monty has regularly found himself at odds with officialdom as a result of big calls – or non-calls, in some cases – that have hampered his team’s ability to build momentum. More than once, he’s cited the idea that, eventually, a couple of major decisions might go FOR Hibs.

Asked about that yesterday, the former Central Coast Mariners boss laughed and said: "I think it's old wives' tales really! As a manager you tend to think: ‘Surely you'll get some decisions you go for you.’ I don't think it evens itself out.

“I think it's something that you want to believe, like a fairy tale, but it's definitely not a fairy tale. What you have to do is be better and to score more goals and not have to rely on decisions.

“We've created a lot of chances lately to make situations a little bit easier, so all we can concentrate on is us and playing better, putting more chances away. Then hopefully we don't have to rely on decisions going for us.”

Still adamant that referee Steven McLean should have reviewed his decision to show Natan Moriah-Welsh a straight red card for a challenge on John Lundstram during Sunday’s 2-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final loss to Rangers at Easter Road, Montgomery didn’t bite when asked if the art of tackling was being driven out of the game by modern interpretations on what is and isn’t allowed, saying only: “Look, I think when you’ve played the game, you understand whether it’s intent to hurt somebody or whether it’s trying to block a cross, block a ball down the line, for example. It’s hard to see that in the heat of the moment.

“But there are tools there now for you to go and have a look, double check things. In general, it’s a physical league. It’s a league where there are a lot of challenges. It’s not easy, the speed of the game now is really quick.

“So I definitely feel for referees at times. Because the game is so quick, there is so much intensity, it’s not an easy job.”

Invited to comment on the idea – floated in several quarters again lately – of roping in ex-pros to advise officials, Montgomery said: “Yeah, for sure. If you’ve played the game and you’ve been on the pitch, you have an understanding of the speed of the game and certain incidents.

“But it’s always going to be opinion based. People will have different opinions on stuff. It’s above my remit, what should be done.

“But you have a lot of commentators who are ex-players. They often have different opinions to what they see live. So it’s maybe something that can be looked at to help, moving forward.”

The Hibs boss does support the idea of full-time referees, arguing that the extra time they could spend reviewing and learning would be guaranteed to raise standards. He saw it at work in Australia, where half of the A-League officials went full-time.

“For the referees, that's only fair as well - it's a big job,” he said, adding: “You've got games midweek, weekends, it's a physical job as well, for the referees getting around the pitch, it's not easy. It's only my opinion - everyone has their opinions - but for me the referees deserve to be full-time and deserve a full-time salary.”

Dylan Vente rolled an ankle in training on Saturday, while Lewis Miller missed the Rangers game with a “tight muscle.” Vente is described as a doubt for Wednesday night’s Scottish Premiership game against Ross County in Dingwall, a fixture postponed from December 23, but Miller is expected to return in place of Chris Cadden, who made his first start since the end of last season in the loss to Rangers.

“I thought Chris Cadden was outstanding to come back after such a long lay-off and perform the way he did,” said Montgomery, “That’s not only testament to him, it’s also a testament to the medical staff and everybody given he was coming back from a serious injury and his first start is against Rangers in a quarter-final.

“I had full trust in him and knew he’d come in and perform and his performance was befitting of his attitude and the work he’s put in off the field, in the gym, and during his rehab. We don’t want to risk Chris, so we’ll see how he recovers and make that decision on Wednesday.”

Martin Boyle will definitely miss the next game with concussion, Montgomery saying: “The most important thing is that Martin is well and recovering at home. It’s a little bit of a worry when you see someone go down and the medical staff come on; anything with the head or the neck, it’s always a big worry.

“He’s had the scans so just needs to recover from a concussion. I know there’s a protocol to be followed so we’ll just have to respect that.

“The scans were just testing there was no injury on the neck. Most importantly, he’s healthy – and now we’re just hoping he recovers as quickly as possible.”