A question for Mixu Paatelainen: in marks out of ten, what would he give himself for job enjoyment and satisfaction, given the task of trying to steer perennially cash-strapped Hibernian to greater glory?

“Hmmm . . . that is a hard one to answer,” the Easter Road manager said. “But I love every day here. I love the challenge. I knew exactly how hard this job would be when I took over at Hibs, but it is still a great job. We have had a bad pre-season in terms of results but, strangely, I am still optimistic.”

Of all the Clydesdale Bank Premier League clubs, the Hibs board have given the greatest impression of being frugal misers who would almost weep at the prospect of spending £75,000 on a player. Rod Petrie, the club’s managing director, is a likeable — and in many ways, admirable — keeper of dreams who, nonetheless, would sometimes appear to need psychiatric counselling were anyone to dare him to open his chequebook on behalf of the club.

Petrie’s stewardship of Hibs has been a model of stringent house-keeping, much to the consternation of many among the Leith faithful. Various estimations have been attempted on the total sum received by the club over the recent sales of players — Garry O’Connor, Derek Riordan, Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson and more — and all agree that it has amounted to several millions. In that time, though, managers Tony Mowbray, John Collins and now Paatelainen have had to hold Petrie upside down by the ankles to see if any money can be shoogled from his pockets.

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“There is no point in asking me about money,” Paatelainen said. “We haven’t spent any money over the summer, though I could spend a little if I wanted to. So it’s tough — it’s difficult to compete at a club like Hibs. We’re trying to compete with Rangers and Celtic, who can spend £2 million or £3 million on a player. We’ve brought in one or two players and I am hoping — hoping — to bring in one or two more before the transfer window closes. But we’ll see about that.”

As Hibs brace themselves for the new season, speculation persists that Steven Fletcher, their prized striker, will be the next to leave. It would be utterly galling for the club’s fans to see Fletcher depart — especially as he has stated that he wants to stay for a few more seasons — but it remains a real possibility.

“He will not be with us forever, but I hope he will stay for a while yet,” Paatelainen said. “There is going to be a miserable day when a club comes in and offers us the sort of money we cannot refuse for Fletcher, but I hope that is a while away yet. I hope he will be with us for this season at least, but you never know.” Thus speaks a man who deals in harsh realities.

Hibs are one of Scottish football’s great institutions, a club of glorious interludes such as the 1950s, not to mention the brilliant, though under-achieving, team of the early 1970s. In recent times, though, despite winning the CIS Cup under John Collins in 2007, fate has been hard on the team.

Collins eventually walked away in frustration, and Paatelainen, who had barrelled about as one the club’s strikers until not so long ago, returned to step into the breach.

The past summer has been intermittently gruelling, what with the 6-0 hammering at the hands of Barcelona in a friendly, and their Intertoto Cup eviction by IF Elfsborg of Sweden.

“The pre-season has been very tough,” Paatelainen said. “We knew that it would be tough and we’ve not had good results. We faced a good team in Elfsborg in the Intertoto Cup and got a negative result. We then faced Barcelona — a top side — which was an eye-opener for us. But you have to be brave — you have to take these setbacks and learn from them.

“It is a major challenge being the Hibs manager. You have to listen to your players and get them to respond to you. I made a plan for our pre-season in terms of the players’ fitness and a high-tempo style of play, but it was still too much, too early for us. I knew there was every chance of these defeats.”

The goal, Paatelainen says, is to drag his team towards a Uefa Cup spot. “A club like this should have a chance of getting a European place and that is one of our goals this season — that is the motivation for me and my players.” Say a prayer for him.

Hibernian

Manager: Mixu Paatelainen

Last season: 6th

Players in: David van Zanten (St Mirren), Steven Thicot (Nantes), Joe Keenan (Melbourne Victory)

Players out: Guillaume Beuzelin (Coventry City), Mickael Antoine-Curier (Dundee), Dermot McCaffrey (Falkirk), Damon Gray (Partick Thistle, loan)

Graham Spiers’ tip: It could be a season of foreboding for the Hibees. Mixu Paatelainen is the latest to be asked to make silk out of straw, and it may prove to be a tall order. If Steven Fletcher stays at Easter Road and scores goals, Hibernian have a chance, but the odds are stacked against them

Prediction: 8th

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