Wouter Vrancken walked through a side door in the McLeod Suite in the 25-bed Hearts Hotel to meet the broadcast media. He slickly parried questions about his ambition, background, why he has plumped for a two-year contract and his remit from ambitious Hearts bosses.
He then had to do it all again in another room with the print media before striding down the Tynecastle tunnel into the current heatwave as sprinklers poured water on the pitch.
There he patiently coped with a battery of photographers, raising the club scarf, holding the new shirt on the touchline before being ushered into the dugout. It was an intense session and the Belgian-born coach dealt with the whole media deal with aplomb. He impressed.
The 47-year-old ticked boxes during the Q&A. Compete with the Old Firm, play entertaining football and get fans fully engaged and behind the new-look team.
He also talked about moulding players, quickly, into his “offensive” strategy, praising the 19,852-capacity stadium and also the city of Edinburgh, an important consideration as he is arriving with his family.
The new head coach calmly outlined his plans, speaking with real optimism. Basically, he wants the Jambos to have another season like the previous when they were pipped for the William Hill Premiership at the last gasp by defending champions, Celtic.
And he stressed that he wants his men to “overachieve” as they fight for what he called “the top spots”.
Undoubtedly, he was engaging and easy to listen to as he sat beside Graeme Jones, Hearts’ sporting director, and he underlined that he and his staff, as yet not confirmed, have to get the best out of the players available in the Tynecastle dressing-room.
Vrancken has a sound pedigree. He was Belgium’s Coach of the Year and led his home-town club to third place in the Belgian Pro League, their highest finish in 60 years, his first full season in the job.
However, he has not coached outside Belgium before but was a wanted man according to reports with other European teams interested.
Champions League football, he conceded, was a key element in his decision process, but experts and the analytics used to secure his services indicated that he can get clubs to “punch above their weight”.
That will suit supporters of the Men in Maroon. Hearts, aided by Tony Bloom’s investment, certainly did that last year, creating world-wide headlines.
Vrancken will get to know his men better next week when they jet to Spain for a training camp at a leisure complex near Alicante – one which they have used before – which Hearts contacts say has two football pitches, a golf course and full leisure outlets.
It will be an intense week as Vrancken assesses the squad which has seen a number of departures including Scotland striker, Lawrence Shankland, the club captain, midfielder Beni Baningime, and defenders Michael Steinwender and Frankie Kent.
Recent reports suggest that Portugal-born winger Claudio Braga, Scotland’s Player of the Year, who apparently has a £10m price tag, could be exiting and there is a doubt about combative midfielder, Cammy Devlin, who is currently in America with Australia in the World Cup. Reports suggest he has been in receipt of tempting offers elsewhere.
Adding to the mix is the long-term injury to central defender Craig Halkett and uncertainty over veteran goalkeeper, Craig Gordon.
However, the Gorgie side have recruited seven new players, only two of them Scottish, winger Calvin Miller from Falkirk and Josh McPake who proved influential in helping St Johnstone back to the top flight of Scottish football.
Derek McInnes’ guidance almost delivered Hearts into the promised land of title winners, and the bar has been raised among fans who have snapped up season tickets. They want another season to match last.
And, of course, there is the Champions League and the new boss does not have long before the opening fixture against Austrian side, Sturm Graz. It comes into focus on July 21 when the Jambos travel. The home leg in the UEFA Champions League, second qualifying round, is on July 28.
A trip to Aberdeen follows as the Scottish Premiership comes into play and that is on August 1 (17.30). Not much time and much to do for the newcomer who has a hard act to follow in McInnes, Scotland’s Manager of the Year last season.
MEDIA FOCUS: Wouter Vrancken walks down the tunnel at Tynecastle. Picture Nigel Duncan
SCRUTINY: Graeme Jones (left) and Vrancken at the press conference. Picture Nigel Duncan
TROOPING THE COLOURS: The new coach displays the club shirt to photographers. Picture Nigel Duncan
DUGOUT MAN: One wonders how many times he will revisit this seat during games next season. Picture Nigel Duncan
