Nick Montgomery, who recently signed a 3-year deal with the Easter Road side, acknowledges the impact of Ange Postecoglou’s success in Scotland as a catalyst for his own career move.

Montgomery, a former Scotland U-21 international, transitions to the Scottish league from Central Coast Mariners in the A-League, replacing Lee Johnson after his poor start to the season.

He commends Postecoglou’s move to Celtic as a game-changer, indicating that it has made it easier for coaches like him to venture into the Scottish league.

The Aussie manager’s journey to Celtic via Japan initially sparked scepticism, especially given the unconventional route he took to get the job and his initial lack of a UEFA Pro License. However, his accomplishments quickly silenced his doubters.

Montgomery draws attention to the differences between him and Postecoglou, particularly highlighting his own English roots, being from Leeds. Yet, the former Mariners’ coach is quick to point out how Postecoglou’s success at both Celtic and now Spurs has boosted the reputation of Australian football.

“Definitely [it has opened doors],” said Montgomery, quoted by The Herald. “The media around Ange and the negativity when he came over to Scotland, he quashed that pretty quickly. Ange is a good guy and I saw the work he did in the A-League in terms of the success he had there and in Japan.

“He is Australian but I’m from Leeds originally. I’m English and I have been in Australia so I saw how good it was for Australian football and he gets a lot of support over there. You see the support he is getting at Tottenham now is well desevered because he has done very well everywhere he’s been.

“He has had success everywhere he’s been and I have seen him closely. I have played against his teams when I first went out there but I have never coached against him because he had already moved over to Japan but I have followed him closely and been impressed with what he’s achieved and I’m sure he is going to be able to achieve more.”