Nick Montgomery on his battle to win over Hibs fans as boss gets honest over top six failure

Underfire Hibs boss Nick Montgomery admits he has a lot of work to do to convince fans at Easter Road that he is still the right man for the job.

The Leith side suffered heartbreak on the final day of the regular season, when they conceded a last gasp equaliser against Motherwell that saw them drop out of the top six. It is the second time in the last three seasons that the Hibs have failed to secure a top half finish, with club officials branding the feet as "simply unacceptable."

Although large sections of the club's fanbase have now turned on him, Montgomery still has the belief that he can turn things around and remain in the dugout beyond the summer. Speaking to the media ahead of the clash with St Johnstone in Perth on Saturday, he said: “I fully believe in what I’m doing. 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 former Sheffield United manager says he understands the backlash having missed out on a top six spot. He added: “Look, it’s a big club with big expectations. I understood the pressure when I came here. I had played under