Kilmarnock respond to anti Hearts chants aimed at Derek McInnes as next Tynecastle manager update provided
The 53-year-old took charge of Kilmarnock on Wednesday ahead of a move to Hearts.
Kilmarnock have responded after fans vented their frustration amid manager Derek McInnes’ move to Hearts edging closer.
The Tynecastle side have agreed terms with Killie for their manager, who reiterated his desire to be in the Ayrshire dugout for their final two games of the season against Motherwell and his soon to be club. Kilmarnock were facing off against Motherwell on Wednesday night and the man who is likely to be in the Gorgie dugout next season was met with some chants against him, and Hearts were also chanted against by travelling fans at Fir Park.
Motherwell won the game 3-0 as they capitalised on a red card by Robbie Deas in the first half. Luke Armstrong scored twice and Callum Slattery also netted to seal a comfortable victory for the Steelmen, who are now the only side who can hope to finish above Hearts in seventh on the final day.
Kilmarnock response to anti Hearts chants
Post match, McInnes did not appear for the press conference and Paul Sheerin was up in his place. He was asked about ‘anti Hearts’ chants and admitted that McInnes deserves better. Sheerin said: “It's disappointing, but fans will be fans. It's one of the things that's sometimes expected. I'm biased and I think he deserves a lot better, but that's easy for me to sit here and say. He'll be gutted by it.
“I know he'll be gutted by it, because he has given his all to the club. I think, unfortunately, football moves on and things happen in the game. You get opportunities and they're too difficult to turn down sometimes. As much as he'll be disappointed with it, again, he knows what he's done for this club. There's been nothing short of incredible, really, to get them where they are. We're all frustrated with this season.
“We all want it to be in the mix again for Europe, but for different reasons that's not happened. But he's done brilliant here, he really has. It's just a horrible situation, the way it's fell, the timing of it. You can't get away from that, but I think he's dealt with it brilliantly. He'll continue to do that until things change, I'm sure he will.”
Verdict on Derek McInnes era at Kilmarnock
Sheerin believes he has made Kilmarnock a better club than the one he found in the Championship. The assistant coach added when asked if he wants him in the dugout on Sunday, with a view that the deal is expected to go through: “I think, like I say, business as usual. He's our manager. We want him front and centre where he needs to be. I think he's dealt with this business really well. I think it's a horrible situation for him and the fixtures obviously haven't been kind with it following Hearts on the last day of the season. He's always stated he wanted to finish the season.
“He wanted to finish it as strongly as we could in terms of positioning the league. Unfortunately, we are where we are now, so we can't better that. But I think throughout his time at the club, he's been wholly professional. He's made the club a better place. I think we were both in the Scottish Championship when he came in, and it's definitely a better environment, with the greatest of respect, than when we came in. If he has to leave and things are to go through as we think they will, he certainly can be proud of his efforts.”