Over the past fortnight, Scotland fans were given their first glimpse of Sebastien Pocognoli and the style of football he will try to implement as the country’s new head coach. A sobering 2-1 defeat to Slovenia on Tuesday night took the shine off the international break and brought a swift end to the honeymoon period for Pocognoli.Granted, four games is a fairly limited sample size, but the jury remains out on whether or not the 39-year-old Belgian will prove to be a success in the fullness of time.For those among the Tartan Army who watch their club football at Easter Road, the process of adjusting to a relatively unheralded young head coach now applies on both fronts.As was the case with Pocognoli and Scotland, Dutchman Marink Reedijk arrives at Hibs as a totally unknown quantity after being appointed as the successor to David Gray.The parallels between Pocognoli and Reedijk are clear. They both came from left-field, they arrived untested in a foreign land and, at 34, Reedijk is actually quite a few years younger than the Scotland boss.This is a huge step into the unknown for Hibs. What we can say with some degree of certainty is that life is unlikely to be dull under the new man.During his time coaching Beveren in Belgium’s second tier last season, Reedijk’s side were renowned for playing high-tempo attacking football as they finished the season unbeaten en route to winning the title.He also sounds like he could be quite a colourful character, as evidenced by his summary of a warm-weather training camp in La Manga during the international break.Speaking earlier this week, Reedijk said: ‘It was very intense, very demanding. 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. Marink Reedijk is poised for his first game in charge of Hibernian’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.’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.’After a pre-season on steroids as Reedijk sought to drill his players in his new methods, now comes the part where Hibs actually have to start flexing their muscles on the pitch again.The season has been on the slide since a victory over Rangers at Ibrox in August was then followed by a near-miss against Genk in their efforts to qualify for the UEFA Conference League.When Gray was sacked on the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Kilmarnock, it marked a sixth successive home loss for Hibs, a sequence not witnessed since 1920.They currently sit tenth in the table, with only two wins from their opening seven matches, and just a point clear of relegation trouble.Indeed, Hibs could be plunged further into the mire on Saturday afternoon if they were to lose against Dundee United at Tannadice, with United sitting a point above them in ninth.It is a tough start for Reedijk and Hibs’ early-season struggles doesn’t really leave him with much margin for error as he tries to turn things around.We all know the old cliché about how any managerial appointment carries an element of risk. But there are some situations when it carries extra weight.Certainly, with the threat of a possible relegation fight on their hands, the appointment of a 34-year-old whose only previous experience came in the Belgian second tier is quite the gamble. Reedijk keeps an eye on the Hibs players at training ahead of their match at TannadiceReedijk’s record at Beveren is clearly what sold him to executive chairman Ian Gordon and sporting director Malky Mackay.Last season his side went through the league campaign unbeaten – 28 wins, four draws, zero defeats – finishing 21 points clear and securing promotion with the first perfect professional league campaign in Belgium since 1934.They scored freely, played with intensity and energy, and won a lot of admirers far beyond the borders of Belgium.Prior to his stint with Beveren, he had taken charge of Anderlecht’s reserve side, RSCA Futures, and had served time in the academies at Ajax and West Brom.Reedijk is young and well-educated, holding a PhD in sports coaching. He speaks well and ticks a lot of the boxes from what a club would look for in a modern, progressive coach.But the unique demands of Scottish football are very different to those of a classroom or the Belgian second tier.Plainly, he needs to hit the ground running. With Hibs languishing near the bottom of the table, this is a season which could very easily spiral out of control.Reedijk has had the international break and a week in La Manga to begin the process of change.Double sessions, individual conversations with every player, the adaptation to his preferred 4-2-3-1 shape rather than the 3-5-2 that eventually felt stale under Gray. Reedijk has signed former Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo The first tangible statement of intent arrived this week with the signing of Rabbi Matondo.The former Rangers and Schalke winger, a free agent after a short spell in Norway with Brann, is understood to have impressed thus far.Matondo notched two goals and two assists in bounce games to earn a deal until the end of the season, with an option for another year.He brings raw pace, directness and the kind of wide threat Hibs have lacked. He also brings a record of injuries and inconsistency.At 26, Matondo is still young enough to improve. But the lingering impression from his time at Rangers was of a player who never delivered anywhere near enough.Much like the appointment of Reedijk, Matondo will either prove to be an inspired move or a risky gamble that doesn’t pay off.For Gordon and Mackay, the two main powerbrokers at Hibs, they will clearly hope that the former applies in both cases.What unfolds at Tannadice on Saturday afternoon will offer the first proper glimpse of what this particular gamble looks like in terms of the product on the pitch.Ultimately, Reedijk arrives with a record in Belgium that caught the eye but a set of problems that demand immediate solutions.When a club like Hibs are floundering near the bottom of the table, the temptation is to feel that the only way is up.But the truth is that nobody knows how this is going to pan out.Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport