Wouter Vrancken sat down with Hearts TV after being unveiled as the new head coach of Heart of Midlothian, the interview is available to watch in full on Hearts TV and YouTube but some of the headlines are available to read below.
How does it feel to be the new Head Coach of Heart of Midlothian?
“Amazing, I'm looking forward to getting next to the pitch there on the green grass. I had a nice time already with the guys in the training centre and getting to know everybody, so I'm happy to be here.”
What was it about Hearts that attracted you to the Club?
“What attracted me was a lot of things, for sure the people. I think you always have to find a good connection with the people who will be your boss and the people around you and the staff, because it will always be a mix.
“I think from people I bring and people I have to work with who are already here and did amazing things last season. It was a great season for Hearts also. They showed that they can compete with the Glasgow teams and I'm looking forward to doing this again.”
How did the conversations with Graeme Jones and Calum Paterson go and how did they pitch the club to you?
“They want to keep playing for the prizes above and competing with the Glasgow teams and showing that we don't need the money, but we can be better in other things. Let's hope that we can show it on the pitch also, that we are a good team. All that is for later on. I think I have to focus now on bringing my principles into the team as soon as possible, because it's a short preparation towards the first qualifying for the Champions League, so it will go fast.”
You’ve had a tour of Tynecastle and the training facilities at Oriam, what are your first impressions?
“Amazing. I think at Oriam, you have everything you need to have a high-performance culture, and it starts with a high-performance culture and the people who want to do it.
“Here at Tynecastle, it's an amazing stadium because when you're on the pitch, you're so close. Even when it's empty, you feel that closeness to the pitch.
“That's why you play football, you want to have this atmosphere. I'm looking forward to playing those games.”
Is it good to have such a busy start with pre-season already underway and a warm-weather training camp in Spain commencing on Monday?
“It goes fast, but it's good. We have to be clear, because I like clarity.
“I like that everything is clear off and, on the pitch, so that when players have questions, they can come to us. It's good that we’re all in Spain together as a group and can spend time together without the noise from outside. This is only good for that and tactical things also. As probably for the players, it will change a few things, a lot maybe, but it's good to be there.”
What would you like a Wouter Vrancken Hearts side to look like?
“What I like, I can say what I like. It went well in the other teams, so we're fully confident that we can push it in this team also. For sure, I saw a lot of Hearts games last year.
“I have a little bit of an impression of the players who are here already and the new players. I think we can play this style of play with dominance. I want the ball, but not to keep the possession, just to create something with a lot of position switches, a lot of runs, intensity, energy, all those things I like to see, and I want to see with a lot of aggressivity.
“It's like I always say, we are responsible for the spark, to bring it to the stadium, to the stands, to get the people behind us. We have to make sure that the spark is there from the first second.”
What’s your first message to the Hearts fans on the day you’ve been confirmed as our new head coach?
“The message, just like I said, when we show the spark, we have the responsibility to show it to the fans that we want to fight for the colour, for the logo.
“When they see this, just go behind the team and go full support. I think when you have a good team, it can be a great team when the full support is there with the whole stadium. Then it can be a synergy that's very nice. I'm going for this.”
You can watch Wouter’s first interview in full on YouTube and Hearts TV.
