WATCH: New Hearts boss Ian Cathro insists he's ready to take over from Robbie Neilson
At 30, he's the youngest Scottish top flight boss ever.
Ian Cathro has shrugged off the doubters who claim he does not have the personality to be Hearts boss by insisting: I'm ready''.
The 30-year-old is Gorgie owner Ann Budge's bold choice to replace former head coach Robbie Neilson after his departure to MK Dons.
But having never played the game at a serious level the Dundonian's appointment has not gone down well with everyone.
The likes of former St Mirren midfielder Jamie Fullarton and Kilmarnock striker Kris Boyd have both already raised doubts about his suitability for one of Scottish football's biggest jobs.
Fullarton claimed the man who started off his coaching journey with Dundee United's youth academy before going to land posts with Spanish giants Valencia and English Championship leaders Newcastle lacked the social skills'' to command oa first-team dressing room.
Meanwhile Boyd suggested Cathro - who also worked in Portugal with Rio Ave - would be out of his depth'' at Tynecastle.
But the new Jambos boss gave a confident display at his official unveiling alongside Budge and new assistant boss Austin MacPhee.
And he did his best to dismiss the fears of critics who say he does not have the experience needed to be a successful manager.
If you met me when I was 18, you'd probably have thought, 'What a boring 40-year-old he is', he joked.
''Comment on football is part of what makes the game so beautiful and interesting.
We all want to talk about something we love. One of the reasons why stadiums are full is because people can be involved and have an opinion, so that criticism is fine.
Am I daunted by working with older players? No, I've done that before.
I'm ready because this has been something I have prepared for quite specifically for a long time. The people I've spoken to at Newcastle and the other people who have supported me and who I look up to have said to me, 'You're ready - go'.''
Cathro's route to management began when he was spotted coaching youngsters on Tayside by then United boss Craig Levein.
He went on to help the likes of Ryan Gauld make the grade at Tannadice before, aged just 25, accepting an invitation from Rio Ave boss Nuno Espirito Santo to join him in Portugal after impressing with his methods while on a coaching course.
And a stint in Spain and his spell working alongside the likes of Steve McClaren and Rafa Benitez at Newcastle convinced Levein - now Hearts' director of football - he is ready for this next challenge.
Now Cathro cannot wait to get started.
He said: From really quite young I always had in my mind that I wasn't going to be born in Dundee, live all my life in Dundee then pass away in Dundee. I think life has a bit more to it than that.
From really young I always had the idea that I need to leave this place.
I didn't have limits for myself. But if you don't change your environment then you are going to have limits on yourself because you are only going to grow in the environment you are in.
That is what drove me to leave - because I want to be better and I wanted to grow.''
Cathro has gained a reputation for innovative thinking but his methods will now be put to the test, starting against Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday.
But he has told his new players he will not try to reinvent the wheel.
Laughing off the critics like Fullarton who claimed he spent too much time on his laptop and not enough on the training ground during his time at St James' Park, he said: It's not really a day for specifics, although I've got numerous PowerPoint presentations I can give you if you wish. I just need to open up the laptop.
But I think my responsibility is that prior to the first whistle of the game we go out expecting to win. That takes a lot of work.
My vision is that on a daily basis, every player here improves.
I don't think my approach is radically different to what has gone before. All the words that seem to be attached to me - and I was genuinely unaware of how interesting I was - are not words I have ever used about myself.
Maybe how I work is slightly different but it is in the same degree that every manager will have a preferred way of working. I wouldn't use the word radical.''