Lee Johnson swept into Edinburgh as the new manager of Hibs and warned former Hearts team mate Robbie Neilson - I’m coming for you.
The 40-year-old former Sunderland and Bristol City boss has agreed a four-year deal to succeed Shaun Maloney at Easter Road.
And he has his old club in his sights as he looks to “fast track success” and take the Hibees right back into the Euro mix after a disastrous season in Leith.
Neilson has led Hearts to a third place finish and tomorrow’s Scottish Cup Final against Rangers while Hibs fans have had to watch through their fingers as they slumped from third to eighth in the space of one season.
Johnson, who spent six months at Tynecastle as a player in 2006, will bring in trusted assistant and fellow ex-Jambo Jamie McAllister as his assistant.
And he said: “I’m really looking forward to going up against Robbie. I’ve not heard from him yet, I was going to send him a message saying ‘I’m coming for you Curly Top!’
“I know the rivalry and it was a massive pull for me. To be honest as a manager my derbies have been rubbish
“My best one was Oldham v Rochdale and I wanted something like Sunderland v Newcastle, I wanted Bristol City v Bristol Rovers.
“So I know I’m going to get a proper derby here. I thrive off that.
“I want to win, I want to compete and I want to deliver back to the fanbase and prove my worth.”
Johnson, who has also managed Barnsley and Oldham, was a Scottish League Cup winner with Kilmarnock in 2013.
He admitted he has “unfinished business” in Scotland with European football the first target after a miserable season which saw Jack Ross and Shaun Maloney sacked.
And he reckons the squad, with a summer refresh helped by his contacts south of the border, is good enough to challenge their fierce rivals next season.
He said: “Those signs are there, the squad hasn’t changed that much.
“We can add to that, we have got scope to add to that which is obviously important.
“I think I can bring top connections from down south and across the UK, so I would look forward to those, I wouldn’t say partnerships, that’s probably a bit heavy, but the personal relationships I have with key clubs down south and big clubs I think can add value.
“Success is to be competitive at the top echelons of the league on a regular basis.
“I totally agree that the European places are up for grabs and we want to look to fight in cup finals as well.
“I think there is a big opportunity for success. Of course, there are four, five, six clubs vying for the same accolade, but why not us, and why not us starting now?”
