When Ange Postecoglou guided Brisbane Roar to a second successive A-League title in 2012, Nick Montgomery was packing his bags and heading down under.
His 15 years at Sheffield United had ended and he joined the Central Coast Mariners, helping them to Grand Final glory in his first season as a player before repeating the feat as their manager in 2022-23.
Montgomery’s title success – with the youngest team and smallest budget in the competition – saw him headhunted by Hibernian last September after turning down offers elsewhere.
Although his Hibs tenure turned sour, Postecoglou appointed the 42-year-old Yorkshireman as an assistant coach at Tottenham Hotspur in June after Chris Davies left to take over at Birmingham City.
It rekindled a long-standing acquaintance as Montgomery tells i: “In my first year in Australia, I won the league with the Mariners as a player, but Ange’s Brisbane Roar had been champions in the previous two seasons.
“That was Ange’s first big job and I always enjoyed watching how his teams played and their attacking philosophy.
“He had a lot of success and from there he moved to Melbourne Victory before taking charge of Australia and then succeeding in Japan and at Celtic prior to joining Tottenham last season.
“After I retired and moved into coaching with the Mariners, Ange was one of the first people to congratulate me when we won the A-League Grand Final last year.
“He had kept an eye on the competition because he’s Australian and started out there, so I know how much he valued what I had achieved.
“Ange is a great guy, a big family man, and has an aura and discipline about him.
“He’s very clear how he wants to play and it’s down to us as coaches to plan and create training sessions which allow the team to develop how he wants to play in his attacking, possession-based style.
“Ange is a world-class manager, he gives confidence to his players and staff and has delivered success everywhere he’s been.
“You can see the culture he’s building here at Tottenham; there’s a real collective desire with all the players and staff pulling in the same direction which is so important.
“Ange is very big on that, he puts a lot of trust in his staff, and I’m learning every day.
“He doesn’t speak a lot but when he does, everyone listens. That’s a very powerful thing for a manager.”
Montgomery was on the books of his hometown club Leeds United before breaking through at Bramall Lane and helping Neil Warnock’s side to reach the Premier League in 2006.
“I always believed I could get there as a player and be on Match of the Day,” Montgomery adds.
“I remember watching it and thinking ‘that’s exactly what I’ve been working for’.
“I was never the most talented player, but with hard work, honesty and staying humble you can achieve anything in life.
“When we won the A-League with the Mariners in 2023, Neil Warnock rang to congratulate me.
“I learnt a lot from playing under him for many years at Sheffield United as well as many other managers I worked under.
“I loved my time playing and then managing in Australia. My wife and our three daughters had built a whole new life there.”
Montgomery’s work on the sun-kissed New South Wales coast certainly earned him plenty of admiring glances.
He rebuilt the Mariners’ academy, nurturing plenty of talents who were routinely sold to clubs throughout Europe and Asia and developed into internationals at youth and senior level.
After thriving in the top job, Montgomery, who won two Scotland Under-21 caps, was appointed by Hibernian last autumn on a three-year deal.
He took over at a time of crisis with the club winless and in the SPFL relegation zone having sacked Lee Johnson.
“When I accepted the Hibs job, Ange once again messaged me, saying ‘good luck’ because he had only recently left Celtic to take over at Tottenham,” Montgomery explains.
“He knew what a tough challenge it was and respected me for that because Hibs had endured a dreadful start to the season and been through several managers.
“Having rejected several offers from elsewhere, I was brave enough to take on the job knowing the issues that Hibs had.”
Montgomery was sacked in May after just eight months in charge, continuing a revolving door at which left Hibs searching for their sixth manager in four years.
“The project was supposed to be centred on rebuilding the following summer with a clear direction moving forward,” Montgomery says.
“I’d had the youngest team in the A-League with the Mariners but Hibs had the oldest squad in the SPFL.
“They promised they would allow me to rebuild the team in the summer and reduce the average age of the team.
“I gave 16-year-old Rory Whittaker his debut, took them to a League Cup semi-final, Scottish Cup quarter-final and just missed out on the top six.
“I lost players to the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asia Cup in January and, whereas the previous manager spent heavily, I only brought in a few loans but I signed Myziane Maolida and he scored 11 goals in 18 games.
“The club’s recruitment strategy didn’t align with mine and what we had spoken about when I accepted the job, so we parted ways.
“Nevertheless, we came very close to achieving all the targets despite facing so many challenges. I remain very proud of my time at Hibernian and wish the club well.”
Montgomery is loving life under Postecoglou after joining Spurs with Sergio Raimundo, his assistant at the Mariners and Hibs.
“I was getting offered other jobs when I left Hibs, but when Ange contacted me it was perfect timing,” Montgomery explains.
Postecoglou’s team toured South Korea and Japan in pre-season as they bid to improve on last term’s fifth-placed finish and win a first trophy since 2008.
Montgomery says: “It’s a strong squad and Son Heung-min, our captain, is one of the most humble and genuine guys you’ll ever meet.
“Around him are some really good characters and leaders, plus we’ve signed some fantastic young players and developing them is something I’ve always been passionate about.
“Ange has already blooded teenagers like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall into the first team, which shows how brave he is as a manager.”
Ambition pulses loudly at Spurs heading into the new season and Montgomery says: “The fanbase, the training ground and the stadium are unbelievable.
“Ange wants to win everything and that mentality is something I’m embracing.”
Does Montgomery harbour a desire to become a manager again?
“Right now, that’s not even on my mind as I’m loving being back in the Premier League and working under Ange in a good environment – I’ll embrace every moment,” he adds with a smile.