Heart of Midlothian

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland in Azerbaijan

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Hearts' head coach shortlist features "some really good candidates" amid a "fascinating" recruitment process, says CEO Andrew McKinlay.

The vacancy has attracted "huge interest", with Hearts – working in conjunction with an analytics company - receiving over 100 notes of interest before choosing eight applicants for consideration.

The likes of Derek McInnes, Stephen Robinson and Tony Docherty have been linked with the role, but McKinlay says Hearts are "are looking for someone maybe a bit different".

On how Hearts are conducting the managerial search with the analytics company, he said: “There is a mix. It's not so much the analytical company have come up with the list. We have put to them some from a list that we had put together ourselves.

"It's not just those that have approached us. There are others who we think we would like to speak to. You then find out if they are interested, some might not be, so they may not have applied, but when you pique their interest then they think it may be of interest.

"Then the analytics company may have a few other names as well. It's misunderstood, this, as it’s not just a case of them just churning out a name and we go, ‘Oh no, that’s not a name we want.

"That's not the way it works. It's a collaborative piece. The analytics also only take you so far. You then have to look at is this someone who will work within a sporting director environment? Is this someone who will work with analytics going forward which is very important to us?"

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Craig Gordon is hoping the empty stadium for Thursday's clash with Minsk can aid Hearts.

The Edinburgh side begin the Conference League campaign behind closed doors in Baku.

Hearts are winless in nine games so far this season and have Liam Fox in interim charge after Steven Naismith's sacking.

"It's always strange when there's no fans in," goalkeeper Gordon said.

"You don't really know which way that's going to fall but it's something that we've done not too long ago.

"During the Covid season we had to play with no fans so I think a lot of the guys will remember that.

"It's not what you want to do but for this one-off game, hopefully it can help us and we get a result."

Former Aberdeen player Steve Tosh believes Hearts' hopes of catching the Dons this season will end if they lose at Pittodrie on Sunday. (Press and Journal - subscription), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

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Liam Fox insists Hearts will not be fazed by playing their opening Conference League match against Dinamo Minsk on Thursday behind closed doors, but admits the supporters "will be a big miss".

The match takes place on neutral territory at the Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium in Sumqayit, Azerbaijan, with Belarusian clubs banned by Uefa from playing European ties in their own country due to their nation's involvement in Russia's war with Ukraine.

Fox believes the experiences of playing with no supporters in grounds during Covid-19 will ensure Hearts players will not be spooked by playing in an empty stadium.

"No, not really," said the interim manager when asked on Wednesday evening whether it would pose any problems for his team. "I think a lot of these boys played during the Covid times.

"Are we going to miss the supporters? Absolutely, because of what they bring in, the energy they bring in. They're a big, big miss to us, we're aware of that. But you can mump and moan about it, or you can just get on with it. It's the situation and it's just another challenge for us to overcome."

Hearts head into their first Conference League group fixture on a wretched run.

They're winless in their 10 matches in all competitions this season, although they did at least bring an eight-game losing run to a halt at the weekend when they salvaged a draw at home to Ross County with a deep stoppage-time leveller.

"It would be lovely to get our first win of the season," Fox added. "We're conscious there will be loads of Hearts supporters in pubs and houses back at home.

"We can never promise that we’re going to win, but we’ll do everything we can to try and get that win."

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Liam Fox says his team selection headache is "a good conundrum" as Hearts prepare for their Conference League opener.

The interim boss took charge of his first game at the weekend, nabbing a 1-1 draw with Ross County.

Now, Fox's full focus is on the challenge against Minsk on Thursday night and putting out the best side possible.

"The players worked ever so hard to earn the right to get these types of nights so we're really looking forward to it," he said.

"Their attitude and application has been really good, they're forcing me to make decisions on selection which is positive. I think that's a credit to the depth of the squad.

"Definitely selection headaches but these are good conundrums to try and solve."

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Hearts' interim manager Liam Fox has been speaking to the media as his side prepare to take on Minsk in the Conference League opener.

Here are the key points:

• Reflecting on draw with Ross County at the weekend, says there are things he's really pleased with. Coming away from the game with something was important.

• Knows the players worked so hard last year to get to these types of [European] nights.

• Although he's only in the role for a short time, Fox insists he's learning every day and has been impressed with the attitude and application of his side.

• As a result, it's given him major selection headaches but knows these are good conundrums to try and solve

• Knows Minsk on a really good run, have talented players and admits you don't play bad sides so it'll be a challenge.

• Isn't sure if no fans being at the game will affect the on-pitch performance but insists they can't look for excuses.

• Fox believes the team can go out and get a result wherever they play.

• On the squad, everybody is fine, travelled, fit and healthy.

• Fox is full of praise for goalkeeper Craig Gordon after his Scotland return but stresses the need to pay credit to the players he's training with at Hearts.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

With the clock ticking towards 96 minutes on Saturday the 18,000 or so Hearts fans inside Tynecastle were getting themselves ready for another chorus of boos that would have undoubtedly been ringing round the stadium had Ross County held on for their victory.

Then finally a slice of fortune went the way of Hearts. A corner came in from the left, Craig Gordon caused havoc in the away defence and Lawrence Shankland guideded a header into the bottom corner.

A sense of relief for everyone associated with the club and while a home draw against the Dingwall side should not be celebrated, could this be the turning point of the season?

The international break will come at a good time for Hearts and allow everyone to take a breath and give the board time to assess who should be leading the first team moving forward.

There are sure to be some big names who fancy the job and rightly so as this is probably one of the top three positions in club football in Scotland.

Before that, though, there are two key matches to negotiate. First up, a lengthy trip to Azerbaijan to take on Belarusian side, Dinamo Minsk.

The game in Sumqayit will be played behind closed doors as Uefa have decreed no fans should be allowed into the stadium.

Then a flight to Aberdeen to take on the Dons on Sunday. Jimmy Thelin has started incredibly well since taking on the job in the summer, but if Hearts can get back to their levels of last season then Liam Fox and the team may just give the Dons a fright at the weekend.

The new manager/head coach may well be looking on and undoubtedly the players will be looking to impress over the next two matches.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

It's going to be a right laugh when Tony Bloom's analytic company comes out with someone like Jim Duffy for our next head coach when every Jambo has been dreaming of more exotic names.

There's no disrespect to Jim and his famed Scottish lower league style of 'DuffyBall', but you feel that we're going to have to play ugly at times to get ourselves out of the quagmire we find ourselves in.

With each passing week, we become entrenched further down the Premiership table and last Saturday's home draw at Ross County should provide a reality check to our current predicament.

In truth, we did fashion some decent chances which seemed to all fall to Cammy Devlin, who isn't exactly known for his prowess in front of goal. We then fell behind to a terrific County strike and they sat back, content to protect their lead with a low block for the entire second half.

Thankfully Lawrence Shankland scored right at the death to open his goalscoring account for this season and spare our blushes but it's Groundhog Day watching Hearts at Tynecastle.

With the exception of the Old Firm, Hibs and usually Aberdeen, every other Scottish side that visits Tynecastle plays in the same way Ross County did. Sit in a low block, allow Hearts to have the ball, don’t concede early to get Jambos silenced and frustrated before looking to hit on the counter attack.

From the 19 league games we'll play at home, at least 11 games will follow that pattern and whoever gets the manager's job on a permanent basis will need to address this by implementing a style to break down teams.

I'd have that as one of the interview questions for any prospective managers and ask them what they'd do to address that, as well as the profile of any strikers they'd look to recruit in January.

Thursday’s game against Dynamo Minsk in Azerbaijan followed by a trip to Pittodrie against Aberdeen on Sunday are two tricky fixtures, even when your team is in good form, so it's hard to know what to predict in these encounters.

Interim head coach Liam Fox will be desperate to get a win in at least one of these encounters and if I were to choose, I'd prioritise the Aberdeen game.

Sure, a win in the Conference League is worth something in the region of £500k but what would be the price of another demoralising defeat in the league and rooted bottom to the table going into the second international break of the season?

Coming out of Tynecastle last week, I was chuckling away walking along Gorgie Road because there's Jambos that are adamant that we will recover and achieve fourth place once a new manager is in place and then seconds later I overhear a conversation insistent that we will be battling at the bottom of the table all season, much like our 2019-2020 campaign.

One thing that's for sure, we need to take the time in the October break to bring a new manager and give them time to turn the season around.

Three of Hearts' Scottish Premiership fixtures in November and early December have been selected for television coverage.

The Jambos trip to Ibrox on Sunday, 11 November will kick-off at 17:00 GMT in front of the cameras, while the visit of Celtic on Saturday, 23, November has been pushed back to 19:45.

Aberdeen travel to Tynecastle on Sunday, 1 December and kick-off has been confirmed as 15:00.

Additionally, Hearts welcome St Johnstone on Sunday, 22 December and kick-off has been declared as 15:00, though this game is not on TV.

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Dinamo Minsk warmed up for Thursday's Conference League opener at home to Hearts with a 2-0 defeat of Isloch that puts them top of the Belarusian Premier League.

Head coach Vadim Skripchenko described it as the "strongest and high-quality" performance from his team in five games since losing 1-0 home and away to Anderlecht in Europa League qualifying.

It means four 2-0 home wins have straddled a 1-0 defeat away to Vitebsk.

Ivory Coast midfielder Boni Amian scored six minutes after the break and again shortly before the final whistle.

Neman Grodno's 0-0 draw away to Naftan means the reigning champions now lead on goal difference with two games in hand.

Amian had been one of four changes made by Skripchenko against 11th-placed Isloch following the previous week's derby win over Minsk.

Veteran defender Aleksandr Sachivko and midfielders Gleb Zherdev and Nikita Demchenko also started.

Defender Sergey Politevich, midfielder Raymond Adeola and forward Maksim Budko dropped to the bench, while midfielder Daniil Kulikov missed out.

Watch highlights as Hearts draw 1-1 against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK viewers only.

We asked for your views on Hearts' draw 1-1 against Ross County.

Here's what some of you said:

Bob: Hearts dominated possession again in yesterday's game but lacked cutting edge up front. Despite controlling the ball, their attack felt tame and uninspired. Lawrence Shankland, while talented, isn't showing the leadership needed as captain. It's clear we need a strong manager to assert authority and transform the team into an attacking force.

Steve: Glad to see a back four but too many long balls to players with little support. We are too spread out as a team, we bypass midfield most of the time as there are a few options. Celtic go forward as a team, attack as a team and defend as a team, we need the midfield to be more dynamic. Jorge Grant and Cammy Devlin are not the answer.

George: Hopefully the board will choose the right man for Hearts new manager/coach. I'd prefer a fresh outlook from a foreign candidate but the board's track record is not great with managerial decisions so I'm fearful of another two seasons wasted by the wrong appointment. Fingers crossed.

Jim: Not good enough, it shows how bad things are when a home draw against Ross County is good news. No disrespect to County, but Hearts should never be put in the hands of a rookie manager ever again. Forget about Europe, third place is probably gone, we now have a fight on our hands this season.

David: Only Alan Forrest and Beni Baningime get pass marks. Last season, Shankland would have had a hat-trick. A manager with a proven track record needs to be appointed as a matter of urgency.

David: Who would have thought we'd be celebrating a draw at home to Ross County? Same old story - lots of possession and no end product. His goal aside, Shankland is a shadow of the player of last season. Can't see any improvement in the short term and the need for more strikers has never been so apparent.

Richard: Not a terrible performance but not great either. But much of that's because of the opposition - against a better team than Ross County we'd have looked pretty bad. Beni had some excellent interceptions and looked the pick of our side. I think any observers from Minsk will be pretty happy at their chances. A scramble at the bottom of the league awaits us.

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Lawrence Shankland "has faith" that Hearts' goal-scoring fortunes will change, after his header rescued a late draw for the Jambos against Ross County.

Hearts, who are without a manager after Steven Naismith's departure, sit bottom of the Premiership having picked up just two points from their opening seven games, having scored only four goals in that time.

"It's more the team results that have been the frustration," Shankland said. "The goal scoring part, I have faith that will change and hopefully this is the start of that.

"When you are not in form yourself that can be tough to take, when you have to manage yourself and the full team, but we have a good group in there and we have tried to stick together through that.

"It has been difficult at times but hopefully this is the start of a change."

Shankland's header was his first of the new season, following a season in which he netted 31 times for Hearts.

"It was a good ball from Yan Dhanda and I just put my head to where it was going. Thankfully enough it bounced off and went in.

"You take those ones when you are on the run we have been on. Hopefully that's our luck changing a bit. It was important we try and take something out of the game."

Prior to the draw with Ross County, Hearts had lost their last eight games, failing to pick up any points in the league since the opening day draw with Rangers.

"When things are not going well it's not easy. We feel that pressure from being at this club. It's not easy to break the chain but we keep battling away.

"The boys have tried to stay together at times but it’s been difficult. We have been trying to grind through it but hopefully this result will give us some positivity with a result back on the board and sometimes that can be enough to change things going forward."

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• Hearts have failed to win in their last nine games in the Premiership. Their last longer winless streak was from 23rd November 2019 to 22nd January 2020, a run of 10 games.

• Ross County have scored in their last three games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of four games from 4th May 2024 to 19th May 2024.

• Kye Rowles attempted 103 passes in this game, the highest total for a Hearts player in the Premiership this season.

• Ross County have lost four points from winning positions in the Premiership this season, only Dundee United (six) and St. Mirren (seven) have lost more.

Gareth Ainsworth, who led Wycombe Wanderers from League Two to the Championship, says he is ready to help Heart of Midlothian reclaim their identity as Scotland's third force with the 51-year-old Englishman applying for the head coach role following his eight-month sabbatical since being sacked by Queens Park Rangers. (Sunday Mail), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Did you attend Hearts' draw with Ross County or were you following from home?

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Hearts interim head coach Liam Fox: "We're not celebrating a draw at home but the message I want to get across is that the players kept going right to the end.

"We can do better, we know that."

Andy Campbell, BBC Scotland

Hearts face the arduous journey to face opening Conference League opponents Dinamo Minsk in Azerbaijan on Thursday then visit Aberdeen the following Sunday.

Winning this game would have been the ideal boost and though their winless run stretches to a 12th game, Lawrence Shankland's late goal gives them something of a tonic.

In truth, they should have been in front early on. Ross County goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw could only palm a shot from Alan Forrest and Shankland pinched the ball just next to the byeline to tee up Forrest, whose shot was blocked by Ryan Leak.

After, after falling behind, they carved an excellent chance when Stephen Kingsley found Shankland with a back-post cross and the Scotland forward nodded wide.

Substitute Barrie McKay struck wide after a one-two with Shankland and both Jorge Grant and Shankland were denied by Laidlaw as time ticked away. Shankland would have the final say, though.

Lawrence Shankland probably should have scored before eventually drawing Hearts level in the 96th minute but he got his goal in the end - a first of the season.

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