Tavares opens up on start to life at Hibs

After leaving his homeland for Hibs in the summer of 2022 and being handed the number 10 jersey, Jair would’ve expected the last 18 months to have been some of the best in the embryonic career.

However, that wasn’t the case. Just two league starts, and nine appearances in all competitions followed, in a year that saw him completely out of the First Team picture. That followed into the current 2023/24 campaign with the 22-year-old winger lining up for the Development Squad against the likes of Dunbar and being over-looked in regard to First Team involvement.

The appointment, though, of Nick Montgomery has given the talented forward a new lease of life.

“It was a hard time,” admitted Tavares as he opened up about his struggles over the last 18 months. “The toughest time I’ve had in my short career.”

“I was devastated mentally to be honest. At that time the hardest thing was to come here (to the Hibernian Training Centre) and smile. I was devastated mentally; I woke up every day knowing I wasn’t going to play at the weekend. I just had to try and smile.

“It’s difficult when you’re far from home. At the time I was thinking ‘I left my home, my parents, my friends, so why would I give up’. I kept doing what I was doing and working hard behind the scenes.

“When I have problems, I don‘t like to talk about them, I keep everything inside of me, but I kept talking to my dad; he’s the closest person to me in this football world. My friends sometimes come around and see me, which helped keep my mind strong.

“My teammates were always there for me too. They talked to me, the experienced guys were telling me not to give up, to keep smiling, and to keep training hard.”

“Keep training hard” was exactly what he continued doing, and that allowed him to take his chance following the appointment of Nick Montgomery as Head Coach.

“Since day one he made it clear that it was a fresh start for everyone. I saw that as an opportunity.

“Mentally I was down, but when he told us this, I thought ‘OK, this is a new opportunity, how am I going to react’. I had to keep working hard and training well. A couple of months ago, I was doing extras after training on my own. Sometimes Dave (Gray) or Macca (Jamie McAllister) helped me when he was here. I knew I wasn’t going to play but I had to do extras to keep up my shape.”

Alongside David Gray, Sergio Raimundo and Miguel Maranda also joined the Club to support Nick Montgomery – both of them born and raised in Jair’s homeland, Portugal.

“It’s very comfortable when you hear someone that can speak your language; it feels like home,” he smiled.

“Sergio and Miguel are two great guys. I know they’re there for me, not just because they’re my coaches, but because of our language and the country we are all from. They keep my mind straight.

“Sergio is always in the back of my head every time, every session, but he wants the best for me and for the team. We just have to keep working together.

“They’ve given me trust. Every player wants to feel like the Manager trusts him. I feel that the gaffer and the rest of the coaching staff are giving me trust.

“I just need to prove I’m able to do something to reward the trust they have in me.”

It’s not been the easiest of rides for Jair, and he reflected honestly about his time at the Club so far.

“If I watch back, I had difficult moments when I first came in because the football here is very different to Portugal; the tempo, the speed, everything. I knew I had to get sharper and faster everywhere, even mentally, because I felt like I wasn’t good enough.

“Now I’ve been playing I can feel that I’m getting sharper and faster, which is good. I feel that I’m still not in my best shape and that I can do better and play better.

“Now I’m playing I’m feeling very well. The new gaffer has been helping me so much. He told me ‘what’s in the past is in the past’, so now we move forward. I’m really enjoying my football now. It’s been a long time, but now I can play again, I’m really happy.

“I will keep working hard to reach my level because I know what I’m capable of. I need to keep going to push me forward.”

One special moment for Jair was earlier this season at Easter Road. After a swift breakaway Jair created space for himself and fired the ball into the top corner.

“It was wonderful,” he said with a beaming smile on his face. “I missed that feeling of scoring a goal.

“It made it even better scoring at Easter Road in front of the fans. I was amazed when I looked back and saw that all my teammates were buzzing for me. I have to thank the fans because they stuck with me; it’s so important for a player when you see the fans are there for you.”

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