Heart of Midlothian

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Beni Baningime has been told "very good things" about potential new Hearts boss Derek McInnes by Tynecastle team-mates.

Hearts are closing in on the appointment of Kilmarnock's McInnes, although an official announcement may not come until the sides meet in what would be an awkward final game of the season at Rugby Park on Sunday.

Midfielder Baningime believes McInnes would be taking over a Hearts squad that can finish third next season and prove this term was an "anomaly".

Prior to tonight's visit of St Johnstone, he said: "I think from the boys that obviously know him, they're saying very good stuff about him.

"I spoke to Shanks [Lawrence Shankland] about him, I spoke to Barrie McKay, and just all the boys that have known him, he worked in person with Shanks at Aberdeen, and they're saying very good things.

"I think my time here, we've been quite successful, so I would be hoping this season is an anomaly, that we had a really bad season and that's it.

"The ambition at the club and the trajectory that we're going on as a club and also us as players, we can't allow another season like this one to happen.

"I was speaking to Cammy (Devlin, who also joined Hearts in 2021) and we're like, this doesn't happen here, in our time being here, we've never experienced this.

"We got third and then kind of bottled it when we finished fourth the following season. But yeah, we had third, so it should actually be three thirds in a row, but we obviously didn't get that.

"But this season's just been like, how are we down here? How is this happening? It's been a strange one. It's draining when you're not winning. I think we all need a break and then come back and redeem ourselves next season, hopefully."

Hearts, in conjunction with Jamestown Analytics, are set to revamp their squad this summer but Baningime insists there is already plenty of quality for McInnes to work with.

"We need to remember, these are the same boys that two of the last three years were easily third, and, as I said, fourth, where we probably should have been (third)," said Baningime. "You don't become bad players overnight.

"It's a strange one. I do think we have to be better, but I do think the foundation we have with players and the quality and, most importantly, character is good enough for us to get third and beyond next season."

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• Hearts have won their past nine league meetings against St Johnstone since a 2-1 defeat in February 2022. The only current Scottish Premiership side on a longer ongoing winning run against a current opponent in the competition is Celtic over Ross County (13).

• St Johnstone have lost nine of their past 10 Scottish Premiership away games at Hearts, including their past five in a row since a 1-0 win in December 2019 under Tommy Wright.

• Hearts have only won their final home game in one of their past 10 top-flight league seasons (D4 L5 – including the curtailed 2019-20 season), a 2-1 victory over rivals Hibernian in 2017-18.

• After failing to win their final away league game in five successive seasons from 2018-19 to 2022-23 (D2 L3 – including curtailed 2019-20 season), St Johnstone won their last on the road in 2023-24, 2-1 at Motherwell.

• Hearts' Lawrence Shankland has been directly involved in eight goals in his past 10 league appearances against St Johnstone (six goals, two assists), assisting both of his side's goals in their 2-1 win in February.

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Hearts will be without goalkeeper Craig Gordon (shoulder), Kenneth Vargas (knee), Gerald Taylor (knee) and Aidan Denholm (hamstring).

Blair Spittal could be back after missing out on Saturday, while Jamie McCart (groin) is pushing for a return.

St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari expects to be selecting from an unchanged squad, with Zach Mitchell (hamstring), Drey Wright (ankle), Bozo Mikulic (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) still out.

Hearts' plans to unveil Derek McInnes as their new manager have been put on hold until chairwoman Ann Budge returns from holiday. (Herald - subscription required), external

Beni Baningime says Scots Barrie McKay and Lawrence Shankland have played down fears about long ball tactics should McInnes take charge at Hearts. (Record), external

Hearts' new boss will inherit a squad eager to prove this season has been an "anomaly", with the side having missed out on a top-six finish. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

St Johnstone's Daniel Balodis backs team-mate Uche Ikpeazu to show former club Hearts what he's capable of when the sides meet at Tynecastle on Wednesday evening. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts interim boss Liam Fox says he does not know if he has any future at the club under the incoming new head coach.

It is expected that Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes will take over at Tynecastle when the season concludes this weekend, with both sides meeting on the final day.

Fox says his sole concentration is on preparing the team for the final home game of the season on Wednesday night against St Johnstone and everything else is beyond his control.

"Things can happen really, really quickly in football," he said. "What I can say is I've really enjoyed the last couple of weeks. The players have been really good.

"I'm not naive, I'm not silly. I understand when a new manager comes in, there's various different things that can come with that.

"What I can say is I think I can add value to anybody. But what I'll also say is football's all about opportunities.

"I feel like I've tried to do the job how I would do it if it was my job. I've tried to be up front and honest. Hopefully we've seen a wee bit of a change in the style."

Fox was appointed interim charge back in October when the club sacked Steven Naismith and once again when they dispensed with Neil Critchley last month.

And the former Dundee United boss admits that this season cannot be described as anything other than being a massive disappointment.

"We know we've not been good enough. We accept that. Moving forward, there will be loads and loads of changes," he adds.

"Hopefully there will be positivity and expectation next year again. That's the demand of this football club."

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Midfielder Jorge Grant and winger Barrie McKay will both leave Hearts at the end of the season when their contracts expire, the Tynecastle club have announced.

One-time Scotland international McKay joined Hearts on a free transfer in 2021 after leaving Swansea City.

The former Rangers and Nottingham Forest man has struggled for minutes this season, making just three starts in all competitions.

Grant has played a more influential role in a disappointing campaign, finding the net three times in 40 appearances.

The Englishman has scored 10 goals in 112 appearances in total since signing from Peterborough United in 2022.

Hearts say the first-team squad will form a guard of honour for their departing teammates after Wednesday's Premiership match against St Johnstone.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

While 'McInnes Mania' has absorbed all of Scottish football's attention over the past few days, one man that has been forgotten about is interim head coach Liam Fox.

Now, I'm not saying he should be offered the role on a permanent basis like Steven Naismith was two years ago, but he deserves more credit for picking up the pieces on a couple of occasions this season.

Fox has gone on two rescue missions; the first back in late September, to arrest the slide which saw us in 11th place in the league - above Hibs - following our worst ever league start on record.

The latest task was to take control of a side who had seen both European and Scottish Cup dreams dissolve into the ether and were nervously looking over their shoulder at a relegation play-off following five matches without a win.

The boyhood Jambo wasn't presented any opportunity to earn glory or go into the history books as one of the heroes, instead he was told to keep us out of them.

Whether Fox will be in charge for the remainder of the season remains to be seen, but he certainly can hold his head high following his latest stint that has seen us pick up two wins from two.

It's an intriguing prospect having Derek McInnes as the main man at Tynecastle, but one thing for certain is he wouldn't be wheeling and dealing on his own.

Much has been said about whether McInnes would like to work in such a set-up, but the question is: has he ever been offered the opportunity before to do so?

I know he previously turned down Sunderland and Rangers while at Aberdeen, but both those clubs had their own travails at the time and results afterwards proved that to be correct.

Given where McInnes' stock is right now, is there a bigger job than the Hearts one that will come knocking at his door? This season hasn't been his greatest at Kilmarnock, but I'm not concerned with that when it's compared to his previous experience.

I'm not old enough to remember Jim Jefferies joining Hearts from Falkirk, but I'm assured by older Jambos that this has a similar feeling to it.

I'm hoping the St Johnstone game on Wednesday takes care of itself - which would mean we potentially relegate one of McInnes' former clubs at Tynecastle - and the McInnes media circus can start to pack up when we take on Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

I, like every other Jambo, will be glad when the final whistle blows on Sunday afternoon for the final time in the 2024-2025 season and hope that our new manager will be making plans that evening for how to bounce back in the new campaign after the summer.

Talks with Kilmarnock over a compensation deal to make Derek McInnes Heart of Midlothian's new team boss will not be concluded until after the sides meet in their final Scottish Premiership game of the season this weekend, with former Hearts head coach Steven Naismith favourite to replace him at Rugby Park. (Sun), external

McInnes is edging closer to accepting the Hearts job - almost eight months after Jamestown Analytics suggested him as the ideal man to replace Naismith before the appointment of Neil Critchley. (Record), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Frankie Kent: Utterly assured at the back as Hearts continue their end-of-season renaissance.

Lawrence Shankland: Four goals in his past two league games. Incredible what a change of shape, position and, perhaps, manager can make.

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Is Derek McInnes the right man at the right time for Hearts?

The Tynecastle club seem to have identified the Kilmarnock manager as their top target to fill their vacant head coach position.

A formal approach to the Rugby Park side, where the 53-year-old has managed since 2022, is expected on Monday.

Hearts' interest in McInnes has perhaps come as a surprise to some, with many predicting another left-field appointment given the club's recent use of the renowned Jamestown Analytics software, which has a key role in player recruitment.

But the Edinburgh side look to be prioritising proven experience and success in Scotland following the exit of Neil Critchley, and not many have a better CV than McInnes in that regard despite a tough campaign this term.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, The Herald's Stephen McGowan said: "I think McInnes is the manager with the right profile, with the right records and the right experience. He just has the right gravitas for where Hearts are at.

"I think the big question there is going to be about going down the data-driven road. McInnes is a manager rather than a head coach, so there needs to be a bit of a compromise there between him and the club.

"But I think if you give him an opportunity to go to a club of the stature of Hearts, bringing in investment from Tony Bloom with Jamestown Analytics taking on all of the recruitment, I think you'll find that irresistible."

Heart of Midlothian are set to make their move for Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes official before close of business on Monday. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

Former Hearts midfielder Michal Stewart analyses Lawrence Shankland's standout performance in the win over Motherwell as the striker nears the end of his contract. (Available to UK users only)

Watch highlights as Hearts win 3-0 against Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership. (Available to UK users only)

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts' third-choice goalkeeper Ryan Fulton missed the call to tell him he was making his first-team debut - because his young son was playing on his phone.

The former Hamilton shot-stopper only found out he was in the starting XI for Saturday's 3-0 win over when he arrived at Tynecastle Park before the game.

"[I found out] literally as I turned up here," he told BBC Scotland. "Paul Gallacher [Hearts' goalkeeping coach] had tried to call me but my wee boy had the phone so he kept on just dinghying it.

"Once I got here, Gal was like 'I've tried calling you!' I was like, 'sorry, wee man's had the phone.' He was like, 'you're playing" and I was like, 'oh, no way!'. Then it was just obviously a whirlwind from there pretty much."

Dropped into the squad after Craig Gordon woke up with a neck complaint, Fulton kept a clean sheet as Hearts strolled to victory.

"I was just still prepared the same way," added Fulton. "Obviously, Zander [Clark] is coming back into training now as well, so there's a bit more competition there but it was nice to actually get the nod because it could have been easy to put Zander in there as well.

"It's lovely to get the clean sheet but the most important thing is to get the three points to make sure we stay in this league and take our form into next season."

Despite a torrid season for Hearts, Fulton has enjoyed his first year in Edinburgh.

"It was nice coming to this culture and environment," he said. "The pressure and the club demands, that's been different as well. But I've enjoyed that challenge and obviously I know I've not played much football but I've been experiencing it.

"Learning off Craig and Zander and watching Gal [Paul Gallacher] in the training and seeing how that works, it's been good for me, I've enjoyed it."

We asked for your views on managerless Hearts' 3-0 win against Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said:

Graham: A very enjoyable game from a Hearts perspective in what was a dead rubber for both sides, the timing of the first goal right at the end of the minute's applause for young Charlie was perfect. Good to see Yan Dhanda contributing well as the lad has talent that hopefully whoever the new manager is can bring the best out of. Onwards and upwards to next season.

Alexander: Good win, good football. Delighted we are making an approach for Derek McInnes though I'd rather have Stephen Robinson. My concern still stands that if we win the next two games it allows Ann Budge and Craig Levein to push the case for their man Liam Fox to get the job!

Jim: A reasonable performance in a match where there was little danger attached to the result. If the match proved anything it is how important it is we hold on to Lawrence Shankland's services. We all knew he was asked to play a deeper role by Neil Critchley and that affected his goal tally but up front is where he is most valuable and he has proved it yet again over the past few weeks. If McInnes is to be our new manager I hope he is given sufficient funds to seek out more quality additions.

Sam: Not sure we learned much other than that Ryan Fulton is very much a third-choice goalkeeper. Nice to see some out-of-touch players like Shankland, Alan Forrest and Dhanda playing better. Defence looks more solid with Craig Halkett and Frankie Kent back.

David: Great to see Shankland back among the goals, hopefully he could still be here next season. He certainly made the difference in a scoreline which probably flattered us a little. Fox's change of shape in the last two games have definitely improved us.

Steve: Not rocket science, Shankland up front equals goals and he looks to be enjoying himself. Defence looks solid, we just lack pace in midfield. A very sunny and happy Tynecastle, it's been a long time coming, the gloom has lifted.

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• Motherwell have failed to score in 12 of their 36 games, only Ross County (15) have failed to score more often in the Premiership this season.

• Lawrence Shankland has scored eight goals in the Premiership this season (two in this game), more than any other Hearts player.

• Tom Sparrow attempted nine tackles in this game, more than any other player (ahead of Beni Baningime - five tackles).

• Cameron Devlin made five fouls in this game, more than any other player (ahead of Anthony Paul Watt - four fouls).

Hearts are trying once more to reach a new contract agreement with captain Lawrence Shankland, with the striker hitting form as his current deal nears expiration. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

Two goals from Lawrence Shankland helped Hearts to a comfortable win against Motherwell.

Were you at Tynecastle or following the match from home? Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here.

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Hearts interim head coach Liam Fox: "We had some good moments in the game and scored three good goals. But also the commitment from the players to working hard in this heat and sticking to the plan was there for all to see.

"There's good players in that changing room and I've just tried to simplify it and make it nice and clear and easy for them in and out of possession. The players have been fantastic and all the credit has to go to them.

"At this moment in time I'll be back in on Monday and looking forward to St Johnstone at home, will be another tough game."

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Lawrence Shankland's poor form this season has been as big a factor in Hearts' disappointing campaign as his scintillating run last term was in the club romping to third place.

For much of the season he has looked lethargic, frustrated, and low in confidence as he dropped deeper and deeper looking for the ball.

All that is perhaps understandable when a mooted big move last summer never materialised, after he rejected big contract offer from Hearts to prolong his stay.

Any deal on the table now will presumably be nowhere near the level it was 12 months ago, but as the season draws to a close Shankland is doing his best to get as much value as he can.

He now has five goals in his last three games and is starting to look more like the player that scored 31 times last season.

His movement in and around the box has been sharper, and his finishing more crisp.

His first goal was well-taken from the edge of the box, and his second was a deft header.

Interim head coach Liam Fox's decision to revert to a 4-3-3 with more width and Shankland as the central striker has certainly helped.

For many Hearts fans, though, this might all be too little, too late, given the pressure has been somewhat off and they are playing in the bottom half.

But as the club make a decision about just how much he is worth, the captain's upturn in form will give them food for thought.