There is something about Marink Reedijk that tells me Hibs have not just appointed a new manager. They have appointed a completely different personality. If what we are seeing from the Dutchman during Hibs' training camp in La Manga last week is anything to go by, the players are going to find out very quickly that their new boss wants the tempo turned up. Way up. Just ask Nicky Cadden, who is already a meme on social media after getting a firm hand off in training from the manager!
A journey through Ajax, Vitesse and Anderlecht
Reedijk is only 35, but when you look at the journey he has already been on, you begin to understand why Hibs have been attracted to him. This isn't a guy who has suddenly appeared from nowhere. He has worked in the academies at Ajax and West Bromwich Albion, experienced senior football with Roeselare and Vitesse, worked under coaches such as Thomas Letsch and Phillip Cocu and then took charge of Anderlecht's second team before getting his big opportunity at SK Beveren.
And what he did there is the reason his name has suddenly become so interesting to Hibs supporters. Last season, Beveren didn't lose a single league game. Not one. 32 matches, 28 wins, four draws and 88 points. They won the Belgian Challenger Pro League title and earned promotion, completing the first unbeaten season in Belgian professional football since 1934. That isn't something you can simply dismiss because it happened in Belgium's second tier. It's a fantastic season of a lifetime in any league. To go through an entire season without losing is incredible and Reedijk did it.
Intensity with a tactical purpose
What fascinates me most, though, is that the statistics only tell part of the story. Speak to people who know his methods and the word that keeps coming back is intensity. That is certainly the word Reedijk himself has been using since walking through the door at Easter Road. He has talked about wanting Hibs to be brave, intense and committed. He wants them to be dominant, proactive and aggressive. He wants players to leave everything on the pitch.
The punters at Easter Road are lapping it up. Of course, it has to be done on the pitch, but watching the early footage from La Manga, you could already get a flavour of the standards and tempo he wants to establish at Easter Road. This isn't intensity for intensity's sake. There is a tactical purpose behind it. At Beveren, his players were expected to react immediately when possession was lost, press at the right moments and move together as a team. Training was high-tempo and demanding because Reedijk believes the way you train eventually becomes the way you play.
That is a fascinating proposition for Hibs and the punters who have been craving this type of football and manager as we have spent months talking about performances lacking energy, urgency and attacking conviction. Now you have a manager arriving who appears to want almost the complete opposite. He wants his team on the front foot. He wants them taking the initiative. He wants them playing with courage. And he wants supporters to feel something when they watch his team. That last bit is important.
A young manager with a football philosophy
Reedijk has spoken about giving Hibs supporters a team they can identify with. He wants freedom for individuals within a clear team structure, rather than simply turning his players into robots. That tells me there is more to him than simply shouting: “press, press, press.” There is an actual football philosophy underneath it and, perhaps, the most intriguing part of the appointment is how young he is. At 35, Reedijk is not much older than some of the players he is now managing he has never had a professional playing career, either. Which means he has definitely had to work harder to get up the football coaching ladder. Instead, he has spent his football life studying the game, working with young players and learning from experienced coaches he even has a doctorate in sports coaching.
That doesn't guarantee success at Hibs. Nothing does. The Scottish Premiership is a different environment from the Belgian second tier and Reedijk is about to discover what it means to manage a club of Hibernian's size, expectation and history. The fans at Easter Road are definitely not renowned for their patience so a good start is needed.
But there is one thing I already like about the appointment. He knows exactly what he wants Hibs to become. Brave. Aggressive. Intense. Proactive. And, crucially, entertaining. Now comes the hard bit. Turning those words into performances. La Manga was the classroom. Dundee United will be the first examination. I have a feeling Reedijk is going to be a very interesting man to watch from the touchline because if the intensity he has already brought to training carries into competitive matches, Hibs supporters could be about to see a very different team. And, after everything that has happened over the last few months, maybe that is exactly what Easter Road needs.
