TERRY BUTCHER, in his own words, has gone full circle.

It was at Easter Road, in August 1986, that Butcher's 27-year on-off association with Scottish football first began, the experience leaving former England internationalist left wondering just what he had signed up for following a particularly raucous Rangers debut that included player-manager Graeme Souness being sent off, a 21-man rammy in the middle of the park, and Hibernian emerging as 2-1 victors. Throughout it all, a hostile, noisy home crowd offered support to their heroes and opprobrium to the opposition in equal measure.

Butcher has enjoyed something of a meandering career in the subsequent years, the latest twist in the road leading him back to Easter Road yesterday as he accepted the challenge of becoming Hibs' new manager, their seventh in a period spanning just over seven years. Given that instability - none of the most recent five incumbents lasted more than two years in the job - it is hardly a surprise that the team has struggled to fulfil the potential a club of this size provides.

Under Pat Fenlon, Butcher's predecessor, the feeling was that Hibs had become something of a soft touch, vulnerable to a physical approach. The Englishman recalls that game in 1986 and wonders if he can bring that sort of passion, on and off the field, back to a club struggling to find its identity. "Steve Cowan [one of Hibs' goalscorers that day] was in the paper [talking about that game]," said Butcher. "I still wish I had caught him with my elbow but I missed him. It was the only time I have been booked in a game and not been sent off.

"It is where it first all happened for me and it has now come round full circle. There was a big slope on the pitch in those days and it was not quite the magnificent stadium it is now. But it was full to capacity and it is our aim to get it back to that; not so much bringing the Hibs fans back, but to get them feeling proud of the club and the players. People might say it is a big task, but if we get the team playing with the passion and commitment we want and expect, I think the fans will like it."

Butcher spent almost five years as manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle after joining in January 2009. It was not all plain sailing - the team were relegated early in his tenure - but, alongside trusted assistant Maurice Malpas, he helped foster a genuine team spirit and bond that delivered increasingly impressive results on the pitch. He leaves Inverness with the team in second place in the table and looking forward to a second successive Scottish League Cup semi-final. It has been a gradual transformation but one that Butcher believes he can bring about at Hibs as well.

"We need to make everybody really happy with what we're doing on the pitch but that will take time," he said. "If you look at Saturday's [Inverness] team, it was 18 months of a project for Caley Thistle to get to that stage. I'm not saying it will take 18 months here - I'm optimistic it will take a much shorter time - but it requires hard work. The first thing we said to the [Hibs] players was that we want them to work harder than any other team in the Premiership. And to do that you've got to be fit and you've got to be strong."

An audience with Butcher is rarely dull. There will be no more chat about stopping for fish suppers at Auchterarder after an Inverness away game, but there will be other topics to animated him. Yesterday there was great enthusiasm about the new office he and Malpas will share at Hibs' training ground - "They've got a window, Maurice, they've got a window!" - as well as talk of his Inverness players toasting them farewell during a drunken night in Aviemore.

It is not hard to see how Butcher's personality, combined with Malpas' diligence on the training ground, equates to a winning combination. Butcher is the type of man who can lift a whole club, the sort of manager who will chat to receptionists, tea ladies and administrative staff and make them feel a part of things. "It's part of the package; Terry's a big man and a big personality," said Rod Petrie, the Hibs chairman. "He's charismatic and comfortable speaking to people. For someone who had a reputation on the pitch of being ruthless and determined he is actually very personable.

"He has spoken to every member of staff he has met, from the lady on reception to people behind the scenes. He has got big personality and charisma. He has interpersonal skills that make him a pleasure to deal with."

The international break gives Butcher a fortnight to assess the players before Hibs' travel to face St Mirren. Petrie revealed there would be funds available should the new man wish to revamp his squad in January but Butcher hopes too many changes won't be necessary.

"That is unfair on the players who are here," he said. "We can't change things now and it depends on what they do. I could easily say I want to bring in seven or eight players, but we have to go with the budget we've got and what's available. But I want the squad to cut the spending and what needs to be done in January. They are playing for the jersey, the club and their careers."

On their first day at the club, Butcher and Malpas shared a poignant moment as they recalled their first day at training with Inverness almost five years ago. "We had been out of the game for a little while and we stood at Fort George and the wind was blowing," said Butcher. "It was good to be back training and I said to Maurice: 'Remember this day; it is good to be out on the training pitch'. The wind was blowing again to welcome us in [yesterday] and you remember these days, seeing it for the first time and taking training for the first time, it is just wonderful. Everything is there for you. It's perfect."