De Graaf unhappy with SPL debut but vows to prove worth in Rangers clash

The midfield star admitted much of the play at Fir Park had passed him by, but promised it won't take him long to get to grips with the Scottish game - starting with tomorrow's match against champions Rangers.

And the former NAC Breda skipper disclosed ex-Ibrox striker Michael Mols has already told him Walter Smith's side will be anticipating a tough match in Edinburgh, a game which will mark the opening of the new East Stand at Easter Road, lifting capacity at the Leith ground to more than 20,000.

Mols, a firm friend of De Graaf's after playing together in Holland, had already offered the 29-year-old advice on coming to Scotland when the chance of a move to Hibs first arose and now the pair have spoken ahead of tomorrow's lunchtime showdown.

De Graaf said: "Michael told me Hibs away was always a difficult match for every team, he remembers playing against the gaffer (John Hughes] and that it was tough because he was a hard defender. He also said I'll enjoy the game because Rangers want to play football while this is also Hibs' first home game of the season with, of course, the new stand.

"It was great to play in front of it against Maribor the other week although it was closed but the guys are telling me the atmosphere tomorrow is going to be unbelievable."

Although he believes he has fitted in well to the Easter Road dressing-room since his move across the North Sea, De Graaf admitted that, apart from the win at Motherwell, his first SPL match had been disappointing on a personal level.

He said: "I think dressing-rooms are the same everywhere in the world, the guys here have helped me a great deal. They've done a lot for me and on the pitch I try to help the young guys make progress in their careers and up to now everything is going okay.

"I've really enjoyed my time but last Sunday was a difficult game for me. I don't think I played as well as I can, every ball seemed to be behind me and sometimes I was thinking more as a Dutch player than the Scottish way.

"I have to learn from that and I hope it is going to be better every week. It wasn't a shock but it was different because I think differently. I was a bit disappointed in myself but I hope tomorrow I can do more for the team."

Having said that, De Graaf believes it won't take long for him to adapt with players like Derek Riordan, Liam Miller and Kevin McBride able to help him acclimatise to the Scottish game.

He said: "These guys look like Dutch players because they play the same way I do. I think we have a good team, a lot of talent and experience. When we find the right way as to how we want to play I think we are going to have a good season."

De Graaf's family will be watching on television in Holland while his brother and a couple of friends have travelled to Edinburgh to take in the match, one which the Dutch player believes is going to be tough with Rangers having strengthened their squad over the past week with the arrivals of striker James Beattie, on-loan Manchester City midfielder Vladimir Weiss and, finally, Croatian hitman Nikica Jelavic following his protracted departure from Rapid Vienna.

But, he argued, that was always going to be the case. He said: "We'll have to wait to see who starts but, even without them, Rangers are a good team, the Scottish champions.

"However, we have to look to our own team, to try to play the way we want to play."

If De Graaf believes the Hibs support are yet to see the best of him, Hughes is convinced of that fact, predicting his summer signing will make a huge impact at Easter Road.

The Easter Road manager said: "The reason we brought Edwin here is that he is a Pat McGinlay, someone who will ghost in and score goals as he showed with his two in the second game against Maribor.

"He has a terrific attitute and already you can see the younger players in the dressing-room listening to what he has to say. I love the way he goes about his business. He's going to be a big, big player for us in the two years he has signed for."

Meanwhile, McBride revealed he shares De Graaf's excitement at the prospect of playing at the new-look Easter Road. He said: "Running out onto the pitch and facing a full East Stand will be an absolutely fantastic sight - everyone is looking forward to it. It will be a special event in the club's history. It will be a very hard task for us to get a win but rest assured we will be doing everything we can to make that happen.

"Rangers have lost a few players in the summer but they are not champions for nothing."

McBride believes, though, he and his team-mates will have taken a huge lift from their second-half performance at Fir Park.

He said: "We were disappointed with how we performed in the first half but we were a totally different team after the interval. Anthony Stokes' goal was the last kick of the first half and it meant we had the upper hand. I think we really showed everybody the type of football we're capable of playing."

n HIBS have urged fans heading for the East Stand for the first time to turn up early for the 12.15pm kick-off to allow them to find their seats.