Hearts are looking to new beginnings after the sacking of Neil Critchley.
Jamestown Analytics, owned by Brighton owner Tony Bloom, will likely prove key as the club hunt another head coach with the former QPR and Blackpool man gone after six months. A 1-0 loss against Dundee proved the final straw after failure to make the top six and disappointment in big matches this campaign.
Currently, Hearts are eighth and are five points off the relegation play off spot, this being the second time they’ve sacked a head coach this term after Steven Naismith paid the price for a poor start to the campaign. Questions are now being aimed at more than just the now former head coach and a look to the future is also being cast by fans and pundits alike. Here are what eight Scottish football pundits think about the situation.
1. Kris Boyd (Sky Sports)
"We've seen the impact at Brighton, at USG, they've got a chance of Champions League and winning the Belgian top flight. You can see the impact that organisation has on football clubs and everyone at Hearts will hope it's the exact same with them. If they get it right, they will be successful. Hearts can't be in the bottom six." | SNS Group
2. Peter Grant (Sportscene)
"Dundee made it very difficult for Hearts and Hearts looked nervous then because they didn't know where to go, but that was great credit to Dundee." Photo: Mark Scates - SNS Group
![“I don’t really know where to go forward for here. I think that they’ve sort of put all their eggs in the one basket with the analytics company and obviously, they’ve brought Neil in. I think if we’re being honest, I think outside the sort of bottom six teams, it’s not been good enough. When you look at the two Old Firm teams, Aberdeen and Hibs, they haven’t picked up any wins against them this season which has been extremely disappointing.
“But I think it was very much the easy option to go and sack the manager at the weekend. I think the board need to sit in a room and understand what the DNA of that club is, and understand that the next appointment they need to make has to be long-term. It has to be somebody that has a plan and understands solely the DNA of Hearts and what these fans want. These fans put money in every single year. [The board] need to get it right this time."](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/10/03/11/08/20761454.jpg?crop=4:3&trim=&width=800)
3. EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - MAY 20: Former Hearts Forward Ryan Stevenson during a cinch Premiership match between Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen at Tynecastle Park, on May 20, 2023, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)
“I don’t really know where to go forward for here. I think that they’ve sort of put all their eggs in the one basket with the analytics company and obviously, they’ve brought Neil in. I think if we’re being honest, I think outside the sort of bottom six teams, it’s not been good enough. When you look at the two Old Firm teams, Aberdeen and Hibs, they haven’t picked up any wins against them this season which has been extremely disappointing. “But I think it was very much the easy option to go and sack the manager at the weekend. I think the board need to sit in a room and understand what the DNA of that club is, and understand that the next appointment they need to make has to be long-term. It has to be somebody that has a plan and understands solely the DNA of Hearts and what these fans want. These fans put money in every single year. [The board] need to get it right this time." | SNS Group
4. Ryan McGowan (Scottish Football Podcast)
“It just seemed to be after the recent couple of results and especially the semi-final. I think that was, if he had won that, at least he could have kind of held on to the cup final. But yeah, I feel like after the Aberdeen game, the writing was always kind of on the wall. It was just a matter of when he was going to be done.” | SNS Group