Graeme Jones' Hearts remit, recruitment role and delayed start date
The Scottish FA’s performance director is moving to Tynecastle Park
The appointment of Graeme Jones as Hearts’ new sporting director fills a void created by Joe Savage’s resignation in May. It is not a like-for-like replacement, for the two are very different people and work in their own way. Jones’ remit will be wide-ranging as he oversees various departments aiming to improve the overall football function at Riccarton. The Scottish Football Association’s performance director is about to step into top-level club operations for the first time.
So, what exactly will he do? With a background in sports science, medicine, performance data and analysis, he is well-versed in modern football technology and methodology. He cultivates relationships with players, coaches and staff having been plucked from the corridors of Hampden Park because Hearts believe his extensive skillset will be an asset to their senior personnel.
Jones will analyse first and react second. He is a deep thinker and an organiser who is not afraid to act on those thoughts. Be it academy structures, sports science, fitness or contracts, he will have a level of authority to implement certain ideas. Expect those ideas to be specific and precise down to the very minute details. He is based in Edinburgh and understands the city’s football culture.
Before he can think about events at Riccarton, or even don a Hearts tracksuit, he must work his notice at the SFA. Jones is not due to officially start his new job until later this year having tendered his resignation. “He obviously needs to serve a notice period so I think it will be towards the end of the year that he will be in,” confirmed the Hearts head coach, Steven Naismith. “I think it's an excellent appointment. He is somebody I know well from my time with Scotland.
“He ticks a lot of boxes in all the areas of responsibility he will have. I think the club have done extremely well to identify him and to get him. Especially at the SFA, loads of good stuff goes on behind the scenes that nobody [outside] pays attention to. Nobody takes note of: 'How did that happen? How is that possible?' Graeme Jones is at the heart of most of that.
“You see the words from the Scotland manager and anybody you will speak to will have the same opinion. He is very diligent and creative and he is a good people person. He is somebody who makes people better. That was an important part, especially for the club and the way they wanted to structure that role. It's somebody who sees an opportunity to progress their career and move it in a different direction. His work rate is phenomenal and he will improve all the departments he is in charge of.”
One of Jones’ biggest responsibilities at Hearts will be player contract negotiation. Like Savage before him, he will be tasked with closing deals and getting agreements for new signings ‘over the line’. Recruitment at Tynecastle is always a keenly-debated subject among supporters, so it is perhaps the most high-profile aspect of his new job. Jones is not the type to covet the public eye but avoiding scrutiny is impossible when you work at one of Scotland’s biggest football clubs.
“There is not a defined ‘this is what you must do with each department,’” explained Naismith. “His role is going to be to manage each department, whether it be the academy, the footballing side, the women's side, performance and all these other departments. We have got a head of recruitment [Will Lancefield] who heads up that department. The way we have worked and given where we are trying to get to, there is an understanding of what's expected and what we are needing. Jonesy will be a big part of that.
“Like Joe, at the end part of deals, he will be the one doing those negotiations to get those deals over the line. Each person is different. The way they work and the way they want things to be done are different. It's up to Jonesy to come in and put his stamp on things.”
Closing deals with players will be something new for Jones, just as it was for Savage when Hearts gave him his first sporting director job in December 2020. Naismith is confident that Jones’ experience of working with players and organising behind the scenes at Hampden will stand him in good stead for contract negotiations.
“In terms of doing it with players individually, it's definitely something that is different,” said Naismith. “Going back to the behind-the-scenes stuff, he has negotiated a lot of good deals over the years for the SFA and got solutions to things which needed done. One, that was to get a deal done but, two, to improve performance in terms of the meet-ups for every Scotland camp, what the players are getting there, the level and the quality. On that side, I think he's got good experience. Yes, not exactly on a football player's contract but doing contracts generally he has got good experience. That will be another strong point of his.”