Marink Reedijk has taken the time to learn all he could about each individual player at Hibs ‘very intense’ training camp in La Manga.
Reedijk also got to work on the pitch, with a series of rigorous double sessions to lay the groundwork for the proactive and aggressive system he will seek to instil in the group.
Reedijk, speaking to club media at the end of the camp, sought to push the first-team squad ‘to the edge’ during the timely trip and now has one eye on Hibs William Hill Premiership clash with Dundee United next weekend.
When asked to reflect on the camp he said: “It was very intense, very demanding, you can also hear it in my voice I think. It has been long days, long hours for players, for us as staff.
“We wanted to get to know the players as soon as we could, so we spoke individually with each individual here on camp, we used the time properly, and also got to know each other as a staff, to get the ideas across.
“At the training sessions, I saw progression every day. You already see glimpses and a good base on which we can build in the next coming weeks.”
On the double sessions he added: “Yes, I call it a pre-season on steroids.
“We have only one week and it’s important that you use the time here efficiently, and that demands double sessions without losing sight of doing the right things.
“It was a real puzzle (to figure out how) to do this in the right way. I had good discussions with the staff about how we do this.
“I think if I see the performances in training, if I see the workload, if I hear the players – how they are, it was on the edge but not over the edge.
“It’s a privilege to be on the grass every day, it’s a privilege to work with this staff, these players and for this Club.
“I think everybody should realise that every day and enjoy that every day.
“It’s not a given for everyone that you are able to be here in a camp for six days in the sun, on green grass and be able to play some football.
“That’s important and if you are showing energy as a coach I believe that affects also the group.
“I want to build in the squad as well is that if you have this belief, this intensity, this willingness to give your utmost best, we can do also some beautiful things and get the fans on board as well.”
When asked about how the players responded he said: “Very well. It is, of course, always a challenge for them because it’s a different way of playing, it’s a different coach, it’s a different voice, it’s different faces in front of the group, different training sessions.
“But they were very receptive, very open, they gave their opinion when we asked them to.
“They got on with it and that’s really important to see because we saw a lot of fun on the pitch and that fun is the start of it all. “
On discussing a couple of bounce games he added: “I’m never satisfied as a coach, that is something I have to admit.
“But putting it in context, we are here for three days, we had a lot of sessions, it was a tough week with not a lot of time, it was a lot of information for the players to take on board.
“If I look at the match, and the intentions and the execution in some moments we had, then I cannot only be satisfied but I can be happy in the way we are going at the moment.
On his partnership with Rogier Molhoek he said: “”It was amazing, I think we are very complementary to each other.
“He is a very nice person, we have a good relationship together, and he knows exactly how I want to play, he knows exactly the moment he needs to quiet me down so to say, and he reads me perfectly so that was really nice.
“But also with (all the staff), it is really good to see that we have everybody on board going in the same direction and the energy not only comes from me, but also from the other staff and that is brilliant because at the end of the day that makes things stick.
“A relationship is more than just three days but yes for the three days I think so.
“Like I said, we sat down with every individual, we had the chance to get to know the guys personally but also on a professional level – where you are now in your career, how can we help you, where do you want to go to eventually and where do you think we as a team have to go to.
“In this kind of conversation we are very honest, very open and then you get to know each other quite well in the first instances.
“Although you have a short period of time, (these conversations) are very fruitful in order to get a real relationship.”
“We are going to play another match in order to see even more. One match is not enough to see, two matches are also not enough, but this is the time we have, so we need to get the best out of that.
“Then we will prepare towards the match in a normal way, where we focus on our things, where we need to grow and what is really important in our way of playing, so we repeat the things we have done here and deepen this.
“At the same time, we will have an eye on the opponent, where they can be a threat for us but where is also an opportunity for us to hurt them, and find the right mixture in order to get the three points back home.”
