Although Billic wouldn't have been my first choice, I realise it could have been alot worse.
He will have first hand knowledge for the recruitment of Croat players, (although not necessarily special knowledge of other European players), but for a small country, Croatia punches well above its weight. Their players also always seem to be tenacious vigorous types. If it is Billic, he deserves a fair chance. A 3 year contract would be quite generous from the club, but maybe that is the minimum they could negotiate.