Marink Reedijk has been appointed Hibernian manager, succeeding David Gray with a promise to make the Easter Road side more assertive, energetic and recognisable to supporters.
The 35-year-old arrives from Belgian club Beveren and will be joined by fellow Dutch coach Rogier Molhoek. His immediate task is to use the forthcoming overseas training camp to assess a squad that has begun the Scottish Premiership poorly and to prepare for an October trip to Dundee United, according to reports on Wednesday.
A defined style, rather than a reset
Reedijk's public message is notable less for a broad pledge to improve results than for the specificity of the football he wants Hibs to play. He has set out an intention for a side that presses, takes initiative and carries a creative edge, while also accepting that such a transformation cannot be completed in a few sessions.
That patience message matters. Hibs have changed manager after a short, difficult spell despite Gray having overseen third- and fifth-place finishes in the previous two league campaigns. The club are therefore trying to present this as an evolution of an existing model rather than an admission that its direction was wrong.
Sporting director Malky Mackay has made the same case, describing Reedijk as a fit for the club's established recruitment and development strategy. There is a practical logic to that stance: a new head coach can alter training, selection and match approach quickly, but a wholesale rebuild of a squad in season is neither immediate nor guaranteed.
The sharper question is whether Hibs have appointed Reedijk to revive their recent identity or to establish a more demanding version of it. Reports describe a team that has recently appeared cautious and short of attacking invention. His stated preference for proactive football addresses that criticism directly. It also raises the pressure on players to absorb more complex responsibilities without the protection of a long pre-season.
Beveren success offers promise, not a complete answer
Reedijk's strongest managerial credential is his work at Beveren. He led them to promotion from Belgium's second tier without losing a league match last season, after improving the side in his first full campaign. That achievement suggests he can develop a collective structure and sustain standards when expectations rise.
Yet the move to Edinburgh is a significant change of environment. His senior head-coach experience has been built in Belgium's second tier, following roles in development and academy football at clubs including Ajax, West Bromwich Albion, Vitesse and Anderlecht. He has also worked under Thomas Letsch and Phillip Cocu, and has academic qualifications in sports coaching.
Those experiences help explain why Hibs have emphasised player improvement and a coherent team environment. They do not, on their own, answer how Reedijk will react to the compressed scrutiny of a major Scottish club, where league position, derby results and European qualification are judged immediately.
There is also an unusual detail in his recent career: he left Beveren after promotion rather than taking the club into the Belgian top flight. Neither report fully explains the circumstances behind that decision. It should not automatically be read as a negative, but it leaves Hibs supporters without a direct indication of how his methods would have translated at a higher level in Belgium.
The calendar will test the appointment early
The scale of the short-term challenge is clear. BBC reporting places Hibs 10th after two wins from seven league matches and notes their Conference League play-off disappointment. Another report says Gray was dismissed after four defeats in his opening six Premiership games. Taken together, the accounts depict a side whose results have fallen below the standards established over the last two seasons.
Reedijk will not be judged solely on whether performances look more aggressive or adventurous. His football needs to produce points while he builds trust with players and supporters. A trip away from home for his first match offers little margin for a slow start.
A derby with Hearts is also on the near horizon, although the reports differ on the competition: one identifies it as a Scottish Cup semi-final, while another calls it a League Cup semi-final. The shared point is more important than the discrepancy. Reedijk is likely to face a high-stakes meeting with Hibs' city rivals within his first handful of matches.
That fixture could accelerate acceptance if the team reflects the bravery and intensity he has outlined. It could equally expose the difficulty of imposing a new playing style under immediate emotional pressure. Hibs have chosen a young coach with a clear framework and a recent promotion success; the next weeks will show how quickly that framework can become a functioning Easter Road team.