Next Hearts manager names revealed as progress is made

Hearts are whittling down their shortlist of candidates for the managerial vacancy at Tynecastle Park, with Kilmarnock’s Derek McInnes one of the names under consideration for the job. The Edinburgh News has learned that McInnes is one of the main contenders to replace Neil Critchley following the Englishman’s sacking late last month.

Sporting director Graeme Jones is leading Hearts’ search for a new head coach and will make a recommendation to chief executive Andrew McKinlay and the club’s board on his findings. There is a desire to appoint someone with experience of Scottish football if possible, and Hearts’ recruitment partner Jamestown Analytics is heavily involved in the process.

The name of every coach under consideration will be fed into Jamestown’s system and analysed before a formal job offer is made. Jamestown also produce a list of candidates based on criteria which Hearts desire, such as knowledge of the Scottish league.

Jones is making progress with some names having dropped off the initial shortlist. The Falkirk manager John McGlynn was an early candidate, and he won PFA Scotland Manager of the Year on Sunday after leading his club into the Premiership via back-to-back title wins. His chances of getting the job are understood to have reduced as things stand. The St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson is admired by some inside the Tynecastle boardroom, but McInnes is the leading candidate right now. He holds appeal after his achievements at both Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.

He worked at Pittodrie from 2013 to 2021, and during that time the club finished second in the Premiership four times. In two of those seasons, Rangers were in the lower divisions following their financial collapse. Aberdeen also finished third once and fourth twice under McInnes, who led them to four cup finals and won the 2013/14 League Cup. In 2017, he rejected offers to join both Sunderland and Rangers and was linked with the Scotland national team job before Steve Clarke’s appointment in 2019.

McInnes became Kilmarnock manager in January 2022, quickly securing promotion back to the Premiership. He guided the Ayrshire club into the Europa League qualifying rounds by finishing fourth last season, and was named Manager of the Year by the Scottish Football Writers’ Association. The club are currently sitting ninth in the league.

Next Hearts manager: What the Tynecastle club want in a new head coach

Hearts want someone with a proven track record who can guide them back towards a challenging position in the William Hill Premiership. They failed to reach the top six this season and sacked Critchley after losing their first fixture in the bottom six 1-0 at home to Dundee. He was the second manager dismissed at Tynecastle this season after Steven Naismith departed in September. First-team coach Liam Fox became interim head coach again and oversaw Saturday’s 3-1 win against Ross County in Dingwall.

Hearts are not in a rush to name a permanent head coach and are considering their options at the moment. They have done due diligence on different individuals. Some are no longer in contention, with the hope being that a new man could be in place before the end of the month. Any move for McInnes would see Kilmarnock entitled to compensation given his contract at Rugby Park runs until summer 2027.

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