Colin Calderwood seeks assistant as he targets harmony in dressing room

In succeeding John Hughes at the Leith club after penning a three-year deal on Monday, Stranraer-born Calderwood has taken on his first job in his homeland having spent his entire playing, coaching and management career in England.

The 45-year-old left his post as Newcastle United number two to become his own man again in the dugout after previously leading Nottingham Forest and Northampton to promotion triumphs.

By the 36-times capped former Scotland and Tottenham defender's own admission, he is walking into the unknown and insists he will take this into account when looking for a trusted lieutenant.

Calderwood, who will work closely with existing coaches Alistair Stevenson and Gareth Evans as he prepares to make his Hibs bow on Saturday at Aberdeen, said: "We have enough on our plate with our focus on Saturday's game but in my own mind I know people who would work very well here and work with me.

"My knowledge of Scottish football is limited so I have to take that into consideration a little bit. I have been in England through my career as a player, coach and manager and it's something completely fresh and that newness brings an excitement.

• Plaudits for Colin Calderwood from Newcastle

"I think I can gain enough knowledge with the people here at the moment. The job of assistant will be further down the line. I have to rely heavily on Alistair and Gareth this week in terms of getting to recognise the players quickly and they picked the team last week which was a successful one."

It's unlikely Calderwood, who was introduced to the players yesterday morning, will make wholesale changes to the side that beat Kilmarnock on Saturday - their first home win since March.

Although it will be principally through games and in training that he will make judgments on the current squad, his bid to create a harmonious dressing room will see him keep a close eye on players that are not in his thoughts.

He added: "Initially you get a snapshot and have an opinion quite quickly, that will happen in the first two or three days of training.

"Eventually the true tests are the games, that will be three four weeks from now.

"If you're not in the team for the opening few weeks, that's not you discounted.

"We are going to have to pick a team for Saturday and then the following Saturday but it will be their attitude to any reverse. If someone is left out, it's their attitude to that."Do they dig in, do they show good camaraderie with the rest of the team? Do they give themselves to the team rather than sulk and look after their own individual disappointment?"

Meanwhile David Pleat, who managed Calderwood at Tottenham in the mid-1990s, is confident his former charge will be a success at Easter Road. "Colin has been brought up playing attacking football so don't worry about that," said Pleat. "He's worked hard to establish himself and he knows about passing football. Colin will try and make Hibs attractive but he also knows that the importance of winning is paramount."