Derek McInnes speaks on Hearts, transfers, Lawrence Shankland, Craig Gordon, Jamestown and future plans

The pertinence of Derek McInnes sitting in Tynecastle’s Gorgie Suite as Hearts’ new manager on 19 May was hard to avoid. Thirteen years on from the greatest day in the Edinburgh club’s history in the Scottish Cup final against Hibs, this is a new era aimed at recapturing such lofty heights. The 53-year-old looked relaxed, happy and ready for business.

He stated that the Hearts job is one he long desired and is clearly confident he can shoulder expectations in Gorgie. Hearts finished seventh in this year’s Premiership, four places below their pre-season target, and McInnes’ four-year deal is designed to address the malaise. First, he was addressing media and outlining plans to restore his new club to a challenging position.

He demonstrated a clear focus and acute understanding of what Hearts need right now. This seems an obvious fit: The experienced Premiership manager taking over a club needing revitalised. For sceptics, the energy emanating from the new head coach filled the large function suite beneath the Gorgie Road Stand. He is hungry for the opportunity in an environment he admired from afar for many years.

“Obviously, the last few days have been problematic, not straightforward,” explained McInnes after his departure from Kilmarnock. “Sometimes when there's changes, such is the way. The opportunity to manage Hearts was just everything I wanted, to be honest.I've always felt this was a club that I wanted to manage. I think it's a good fit. I think they can match my ambition, what I want – and equally, hopefully I can give them what they want.

“The intention is to try and deliver silverware, bring sustained success on the pitch, and just be the biggest animal we can be and try and meet the expectation that's there from everybody. I’ve obviously managed before, it's a similar-sized club at Aberdeen and there's similar expectations but I feel as though there's so much going for us here at Tynecastle and at Hearts that there's a real excitement about being the guy to take it on. With what's in structure there behind us, the support network, I feel as though it's something that we can really get our teeth into and do well here.

“I've got nothing to apologise for because I loved the time at Kilmarnock. It was a brilliant club and I'd made so many good friends and relationships here. It was some real highlights. In a lot of time with these things there's a lot of emotion and sometimes a lot of pain when there's decisions to be made. Ideally I would have done it at the end of the season.

Why Derek McInnes left Kilmarnock for Hearts after working at Aberdeen and St Johnstone

“Obviously, when they first got muted about Hearts interest I spoke to [chairman] Billy Bowie about it. I told him I didn't want to leave the club until the club was safe and if there could be an agreement between Hearts and Kilmarnock it's something that I would like to explore. I wanted the opportunity to speak to Hearts and take this job on.

“I think Billy has the right intentions. Kilmarnock are so fortunate to have him. He plugs the holes all the time. His investment and his commitment to the club is undeniable. When I met Billy last Tuesday he'd asked me to take the team for the last two games. Obviously it was something that I'm going to do what I'm told. I'm the Kilmarnock manager at the time and I just wanted to work with the club until we could get it resolved.

“Then, before the game on Wednesday against Motherwell, I spoke to the board again and I just thought this had to be my last game. I just thought Sunday's game would be too problematic, too antagonistic. I wouldn't have wanted to do that to the Kilmarnock supporters and players at the time and I just thought the game should be played without me as it did yesterday. So the club agreed to that.

“I wanted to speak to the press on Wednesday after the game and I got stick for not speaking, but the club asked me not to speak. It was the club instruction that said they didn't want me to do the interview after the game. So I complied with all that. Ultimately, it's never easy these things and for the sake of a few more days it might have been a bit different.

“For me, it's all about the new start with Hearts. Kilmarnock will go on and it's a brilliant club and they'll appoint a new manager. But for me and my family this is what I wanted. I was hoping up front that we'd be ready, so here we are and it's all about trying to move forward now. In football things change pretty quickly and I feel as though this can really get everything I want from the job.”

Lawrence Shankland and Craig Gordon’s Hearts future in question

One of McInnes’ first tasks at Hearts will be to hold talks with captain Lawrence Shankland and goalkeeper Craig Gordon about their futures. Both are out of contract and the head coach intends to move to speak to them immendiately. “As soon as we finish this, I can get going with that sort of stuff,” he remarked. “Lawrence I know more than Craig, but both are capable players and have proven they're good players here. I just want to work with good players. So these conversations will be had, as they will do with the majority of the squad over the next wee while.

“Spending time with Graeme [Jones, Hearts sporting director] over the next few days, we will be homing in on what we need for the start of the campaign and hopefully when the window closes, the squad will be more rounded. It might be a bit more balanced and a bit more of what I would want it to be for the challenges ahead.

“It's important that we've got the answers in the building. It's important we've got the squad that can meet the demand here and there is a demand. We should all relish it, players, myself, Graeme, everybody. There's a demand here and if none of us are doing our job right then it's not good enough, so it's important we do our job.”

Thereafter, he will look at transfer business and signing players. There will also be departures. Hearts’ relationship with sports data and recruitment firm Jamestown Analytics has been explained to the new man in detail. He is fully on board with the process and excited to work with those involved. “Before I got offered the job, I was like: ‘Whoever gets that Hearts job has got a brilliant opportunity,’” said McInnes. “Because I think it's clear that the Jamestown Analytics system operates well at the clubs. I think there's a body of work there and evidence here that it does work.

Jamestown, Hearts and the transfer window

“After going into the explanation of it, I feel so invigorated and excited by it. Working with the director of football and having those sort of support networks and the analytics, isn't always commonplace in Scotland, but it is more common in Europe and the continent. Jamestown have proven that they're such a leading operator and they will provide the answers for our questions, really.

“When we're looking for places in the squad to be filled and different options, then we feel we've got that real lead and advantage over every other team. Because when you actually get into the nuts and bolts of it, it is so exciting and it is a system that I believe will work. And that, for one, I think we're fortunate to have that at Hearts and I'm fortunate to have that as a manager.

“If you look back at the previous season and Naisy [Steven Naismith] gets to third in the league with Hearts, there's been a lot of optimism about this year. I saw their campaign and for whatever reason, they haven’t really been able to build on that. I think everybody's got to look at reasons why that is the case. Recruitment is a huge part of any manager's success and we want to try and make sure that we get more right than wrong.

“I think it's important that there's an honesty that every signing you make, there's always an element of risk. All we want to do with Jamestown and the support that we're getting from those guys is minimise that risk as best we can. We want to get players who can deal with the expectation. It takes more than just being a good player to play week in, week out at Hearts. You've got to have so much more under your bonnet. You've got to have that competitiveness game in, game out.

“We've got to try and work with every player that meets the demand and you need to have a strong mentality with that. You need to have so much more than just being a good player. I feel we can fill the squad with the budget that's afforded to me and Graeme. We'll try and do the best we can to put our squad out there that Hearts fans want to turn up on a Saturday, can't wait to get to Tynecastle to see their team play and ultimately win games.”

Following McInnes from Kilmarnock to Edinburgh are first-team coaches Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald. “Obviously, I spoke to the club about how every manager wants to try and bring their own staff,” said the head coach. “I've not got a big circle, a small circle, but it's really tight and it's people that I trust implicitly. These are two guys who have been managers in their own right and two guys who not only played with but have worked with me over a period of time. They are very experienced, very capable guys.

“They're as excited as I am about the opportunity that's there for us, delighted that I've got my own staff. I think I must mention the job Liam [Fox] did in the last few weeks as well. In his time at Hearts, I think he's done well. I know Liam is looking to try and get back into management as well, but I think for me it was important that I brought people that I've worked with in the past. When you get a chance at a club like Hearts, it's the job you want to bring people with you.

“I always felt it was a good fit. I always felt, obviously, having worked at Aberdeen, you get a taste for being at the top end of the table, cup finals, playing in Europe. There's no doubt that I wanted a part of that again. Obviously, I got a taste of Europe with Kilmarnock last season and so many highlights. It's difficult for any club to sustain that, particularly a club like Kilmarnock. They gave me some great times, but for me, the opportunity to manage Hearts has been something that I've always thought looked right. I just needed others to think that as well, to be honest.

“It feels right being here. It feels right walking into the stadium every day. It feels right meeting the staff. It feels right meeting everybody at the Oriam. I just can't wait to get started. I hope it comes across how excited I am about the challenge. It's given me the proper opportunity to be successful and I'm determined to make the most of it.”