OK, Wouter Vrancken.
You take over at a club who were denied a historic league title in the final 10 minutes of last season. They then lose their captain and talismanic striker, plus their best midfielder, and have a huge turnover of players.
Your first competitive action is a Champions League qualifier against seasoned European campaigners Sturm Graz, losing 6-0 on aggregate, before conceding twice after the 90th minute up at Aberdeen to lose your first league match.
So, what’s next? Benfica in Europa League qualifying. A doddle.
The Portuguese giants await on Thursday (20:00 BST) amid a savage introduction for Hearts’ new Belgian head coach. Chances of progression feel slim.
There have been aspects of each of the three matches under Vrancken that have been encouraging, and a win at Pittodrie on Saturday would have been a huge morale boost.
However, the nature of the team’s late collapse has intensified fear among the support that their season could unravel before it has even properly started.
A trip to Lisbon to face Marco Silva’s Benfica presents a glamour tie but also the prospect of another chastening defeat on the continent as Vrancken tries to piece together his best XI.
The 38-time Portuguese champions beat Napoli and Real Madrid at home in the Champions League last term on their way to the knockout stage, where they were put out by Real, who have since taken head coach Jose Mourinho.
Benfica’s domestic action is yet to return after they finished third in the league last season, but they defeated Swiss side St Gallen over two legs to reach this stage of Europa League qualifying.
A 2-1 defeat in Switzerland was wiped out with a thumping 5-0 win in the second leg last Thursday, with four of the five goals coming from Greece striker Vangelis Pavlidis.
