Heart of Midlothian

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• Heart of Midlothian have won 15 of their last 19 top-flight home games against St Mirren (D2 L2), winning this exact fixture last season 2-0.

• After their 2-1 win in September, St Mirren could earn consecutive top-flight victories over Hearts for the first time since September 1988.

• Hearts have just two points from eight league games this season (W0 D2 L6), the joint-fewest by any side in their opening eight matches of a Scottish Premiership campaign since the re-brand in 2013 (also Dundee United in 2022-23).

• St Mirren have won just one of their last 10 away league games (D3 L6), a 3-1 victory at Dundee in May.

• Last season’s Scottish Premiership top scorer Lawrence Shankland has had more shots than any player in this season’s competition (31), but has found the net just once (3.2% conversion rate).

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Lee Miller believes new Hearts boss Neil Critchley arrives at Tynecastle "with a decent pedigree" - and the former striker is urging fans to give the head coach "the benefit of the doubt".

The ex-Blackpool manager takes over from Steven Naismith with the team currently sitting bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

The appointment came after talks broke down between the Gorgie club and former Norway boss Per-Mathias Hogmo - and Critchley was handed the role days later.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, Miller, who had a loan spell at Hearts in 2005, said: "A lot of the fans are split with this decision.

"I don't know if he was the first choice, but he comes with a decent pedigree. I think every managerial appointment is a gamble.

"You look at Ange Postecoglou coming to Celtic, nobody wanted him and he did tremendous things.

"I think you've go to give him the benefit of the doubt. Hearts have a very good squad, they're underachieving massively right now.

"If they can get a really good manager to take them to the next level, I think they will kick on again."

New Hearts head coach Neil Critchley says he has spent a lot of time over the past few weeks watching Scottish football, including every competitive fixture the Edinburgh club have played this season. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Tynecastle goalkeeper Craig Gordon is asking sceptical Hearts fans to get behind new boss Neil Critchley. (Scottish Sun), external

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

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Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum backed the overturning of a penalty awarded to Hearts in their 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park, and the award of a spot-kick to the hosts in the same game, on 14 September.

Liam Scales was initially penalised for a handball but VAR intervened, meaning there was no penalty, and later Nicolas Kuhn's cross hit James Penrice's hand, leading to Arne Engels' opener from the spot.

On the Scales incident, Collum said: "The VAR looks at different angles and they quickly identify that it actually hits the defender above the T-shirt line and that's really important because above the T-shirt line is not a punishable handball.

And on the Penrice decision, he added: "The Hearts defender has his arm raised unnaturally and blocks the cross... the arm is out from the body."

With domestic football making its return this weekend, we want to know what you’re looking for from your side.

It's been a miserable start to the season for Hearts, who sit bottom of the table after an eight-game winless run in the league.

That form resulted in the sacking of Steven Naismith - and now Neil Critchley is in the head coach role.

What does the new boss need to prioritise with the weekend visit of St Mirren fast approaching?

Give us your thoughts here, external.

We asked for your views on Neil Critchley being appointed head coach.

Here's what some of you said:

Ando: Appointing Critchley is a bit like when you're driving home from work and you've just remembered it's your anniversary. You stop at a garage and buy some cheap flowers hoping that'll keep you out of trouble. This appointment is exactly that - a panic buy that will wilt far sooner than you expected, and critically, you'll still be in trouble!

Jamie: Another unknown appointment. Another cheap option by the board. The news about the new head coach never filled any fans with excitement. What do we have to do to get a decent name as a manager? Surely from around 100 applications there was a well known name in there, but we have gone cheap again. Maybe it's time for new board members now too.

Robert: We'll be playing in the Championship next season, guaranteed. I've been a pledger from day one, it stops here. This is a joke appointment and if it was an algorithm that selected Critchley then the programmer needs a new job pronto.

Andrew: Good luck to Critchey in the manager's role at Hearts. I've been a season ticket holder at Blackpool for a number of years and witnessed some shocking performances under him. Hearts fans, get ready for a rollercoaster of a season!

Iain: Embarrassing, will likely be gone by Christmas. When that happens, the board will be going shortly behind him as their positions will be utterly untenable. Obviously though, the problem by then will be we will be bang in a relegation battle that we aren't cut out to survive. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

Kevo: The analytics were always going to be low on whelms, designed to find people under the radar not what everyone else pays top dollar for. Why question a billionaire?

Kuptin: One minute there's news that Per-Mathias Hegmo's the preferred candidate, the next minute he's clearly pulled out. Hearts were right to dump someone that unreliable. As for Critchley, you can only appoint the best of those who apply for the job. Would you want to do it?

Steven: It's done now, welcome Critchley. I sincerely hope he is successful but he has an almighty task as we sit bottom of the league. The board have done him no favours, he wasn't the first choice and the supporters know it. If this goes wrong then there will be board members that will have to own their mistakes. Fingers crossed for Neil.

Steve: Look at the managerial appointments under Ann Budge and Andrew McKinlay, appalling record, so why let them appoint another no-hoper? Critchley sacked from his last two jobs, anyone can talk a good interview but this is a joke. Did Ian Cathro interview well? I don’t see us in Europe next season, might just finish in the top six. I feel sorry for the fans and players.

Paul: This is a left-field appointment and one that I don't think was necessary. Surely other candidates would have suited better? It seems a gamble on someone who was recently shown the door at Blackpool after a dismal spell at QPR. What are they playing at here?

Ali: Some fans are way too negative with their comments regarding the new manager. Every candidate has been sacked at some point in their career and I for one am willing to reserve judgement until the guy has been with us for a few months. Let's see if he can turn things around and give him our full support in that aim.

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland at Hampden

Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon praised the "real team effort" required to secure a 0-0 draw at home to Portugal in the Nations League.

The Scots secured their first point in League A Group 1 with the draw at Hampden, following three opening losses.

"It felt good, everybody was chucking their body in front of things at different stages in the game," said Hearts keeper Gordon, 41.

"A real team effort to get through that and preserve the clean sheet and very happy to be part of it.

"The effort’s been there, the boys are trying to give everything to get that win. It’s going to be so difficult when you are playing the opposition of the calibre we are.

"We are happy with the point, we created a few chances of our own, we could have nicked the game. We managed to get one point. It’s going to take all of that and more to try and get a win."

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Neil Critchley says he will ask former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard for advice after landing the Heart of Midlothian job. (The Scotsman)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

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Andrew McKinlay is "encouraged" by the response from the Hearts fanbase following the appointment of Neil Critchley as head coach.

The 45-year-old was unveiled earlier on Tuesday as Steven Naismith's successor.

In recent days, there has been a lack of excitement from sections of the fanbase after talks with Per-Mathias Hogmo broke down.

However, the chief executive doesn't subscribe to such negativity and instead enthused by fans' reaction.

"You talk about this negativity, I’m actually quite encouraged by quite a lot of what I've been hearing and reading today since we made the announcement," McKinlay said.

"I know our fans will get behind Neil and will wish him all the best. We all want to come together as one and I'm very, very positive. The fans, I think, will be too."

McKinlay also stressed Critchley was the "preferred candidate" all along and the only person Hearts held negotiations with.

"Neil was the preferred candidate from an analytics perspective and also when we spoke to him, it was very clear he was the right person to work with us, Graeme and the analytics," he added.

"We spoke to Neil at the back end of last week and over the weekend.

“We didn't negotiate with anyone else. There was a lot of talk but Neil was the only person we negotiated with."

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Neil Critchley spoke as Hearts head coach for the first time today.

Here's everything he said about his new role.

Neil, how excited are you?

Super excited. I'm very honoured to be in this position. I know it's a huge responsibility at a fantastic football club, but I'm super excited to get started and get going. Yes, it's a challenge, but there's plenty of points and plenty of games to play. We know where we're at, we know what we need to do in the immediate. That started this morning, ready for our game on Saturday. I concentrate on the things that I've got responsibility for and what I can control.

How encouraged are you with the squad?

From seeing them this morning, more encouraged than I was beforehand. I've also watched all the games because I've had a little bit of time on my hands recently! It's always good to see the players first-hand, getting to know them, speaking to them and then seeing them train. Sometimes when there's change, you can get that, but there was a good energy, a good vibe about the group this morning. I'm really looking forward to working with them in the short and long term as well.

How pleased are you to come to a club like Hearts and how surprised are you at where the club is just now, given where they were last season?

They had a fantastic season last season, finishing third and qualifying for Europe - that's credit to Steven [Naismith] and the staff. Obviously, it's not gone the way anyone would have wanted so far this season and that can happen sometimes. It's not for the want of trying. I've had experience of that myself. From what I've seen this morning, even though it's only one training session, I'm encouraged by what we can still try and do this season.

What are the expectations this season?

My immediate aim is to win games of football. We've not won a (league) game of football so far this season. My focus is solely on St Mirren on Saturday. The rest will hopefully take care of itself in the future. Hopefully, over the next coming weeks and months, we can gradually climb and let's see where we can get to.

How do you cope with the lack of positivity from the fans, given they and the Foundation of Hearts are the owners of the club?

I think whoever was sitting here, it was always going to divide opinion. When you've got as big a support base as we have, then some people will agree, some people will be sitting on a fence - let's give them an opportunity - some people might think differently. It could be anybody sitting here, but I've been given this opportunity and it's one I intend to give everything that I can to make this football club successful.

How will your experience in the past help you in this role?

I've had similar experiences and you learn from all of them, good and bad. You reflect on them and I'll use that to hopefully make me better in the future. That saying, through adversity you gain strength and I think that's really true. You learn more about yourself and I think I'm in a far better position now from what I've been through. I hope to use that to my benefit and that ultimately transfers to the people I have responsibility every day for, which is the staff and the players.

You've been at Blackpool twice and QPR once. How would you summarise those three spells, just for supporters who are maybe looking in to say why did the first spell at Blackpool work, why did the second one not go as well?

I have a different opinion on that because in the first spell, we got promoted in our first season and then sustained our Championship status in the second. Then, when I came back to the club it was after a relegation and there's been a lot of change at the club. Lots of players left - 17 I think - and we built a new squad. From changing a team that was losing and having the mindset of losing, to a team that was then expected to win, to get to 73 points and only miss out on the last day of the season to get to the play-offs, to get to the semi-final of the EFL Trophy, one game away from Wembley and to take Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round to a replay an extra-time, I didn't see it as a negative at all, I thought it was positive.

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New Hearts head coach Neil Critchley and chief executive Andrew McKinlay met with the media following the 45-year-old's appointment this morning.

Here are the key things both had to say:

• McKinlay said he is "very confident" Critchley will deliver in this "new chapter for the club".

• The chief executive reiterated Critchley was the "preferred candidate" and the club "didn’t negotiate with anyone else".

• He believes the fanbase will "get behind" Critchley and his staff and stressed Hearts are "lucky to have him here".

• Critchley held training this morning and was "hugely encouraged" by what he saw.

• The new head coach is aware "a challenge" awaits, but, is ready to met the "huge responsibility" which comes with the role.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

It's taken 23 days for Hearts' search for Steven Naismith's successor as head coach and after 100+ interested individuals were whittled down to two, there’s still a sense of disbelief from a lot of Jambos that Neil Critchley has taken his spot in the Tynecastle hotseat.

Let's be honest, when it was announced by chief executive Andrew McKinlay, that data analytics were going to be used in the recruitment process, everyone was expecting an exotic and hipster appointment; not a man from Crewe who has been sacked from English League 1 side Blackpool a few months ago.

After it was leaked to the media last Thursday evening that Critchley and experienced Norwegian Per-Mathias Hogmo were the front runners, everyone wanted the latter given his obviously more extensive credentials, which includes managing national teams to winning the Swedish League in 2022.

It's believed Hearts are unhappy with people from outside the club releasing Hogmo's name. It may have alerted a couple of his former teams in Sweden to make a move and further give the Norwegian more bargaining power in terms of negotiating his contract, which ultimately broke down.

I find it strange that Hogmo's agent would tell the Scottish press that he and Critchley were the front runners – that must be a first in any industry that an interviewer tells it's candidates who they are up against. The final two names should never have got out and I imagine that's a lesson learned for future.

I think, for me, that's why the Hearts board are copping as much flack for this Critchley appointment. It feels like that moment in 1980s show Bullseye with 'here's what you could have won' with the fact we know Hogmo was in the frame and the optics appear that we are going cap in hand to our second choice pick, with many sceptical that he is the second best out of the aforementioned 100 interested parties.

According to some reports, Critchley featured high – if not top – of the data analytics that were used to whittle down to a short list and if that's the case, then supporters are going to have to have some faith in the same model that has turned the fortunes of Brighton around, with Tony Bloom's company.

I genuinely feel sorry for Critchley, as many in Scottish football, have written the guy off already before he's uttered a single word. It's fair to say that this is the most underwhelming appointment Hearts have had since the mad few years under Romanov where the likes of Graham Rix and Eduard Malofeyev were leading the side.

If you use a footballing analogy, he's starting at 1-0 down before a ball is kicked with Hearts supporters and I hope for both our sake as fans, and more importantly his, that he's able to turn the fortunes round quickly.

He's got the potential to win back Hearts supporters' trust in his abilities fairly quickly with two home games versus St Mirren and then Omonoia Nicosia. If he gets through both games unbeaten, which is a mini achievement in itself given our form this season before the Edinburgh derby at Easter Road. If he wins that, then he instantly becomes a cult hero and that's when you will see supporters backing him in droves.

There's no doubt Critchley will have burned the lugs off Steven Gerrard and Michael Beale in the past few weeks talking about Scottish football, so he'll have readied himself as much as possible but football managers and head coaches are judged on the 90 minutes of a football match.

Here's hoping he's able to get off to a good start versus the Buddies, as the air of expectancy in Gorgie will outpower the usual scent of the brewery on Saturday.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

When Steven Naismith was sacked by Hearts at the end of last month, it was sure to attract a host of names with this being one of the top jobs in Scottish domestic football.

Towards the end of last week, it looked as if the Norwegian, Per-Mathias Hogmo was the chosen one, only for the deal to breakdown late on.

And now Neil Critchley has been given the role of leading the Jambos away from the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

Every managerial appointment is a risk. That should go without saying. However, is the risk of appointing a 45-year-old with no experience of the game in Scotland one Hearts should be taking?

Critchley has a solid background in coaching. He served his ‘apprenticeship’ at Crewe Alexandra before moving to Liverpool where he was in charge of their under-18s from 2013.

The Liverpool boss back then was Brendan Rodgers, who handed him the role of ensuring a conveyor belt of talent was heading towards the first team at Anfield.

He twice took charge of the Liverpool first team in season 2019-20, before leaving the club to become his own man at Blackpool in the same season.

In his first full season in charge, he led Blackpool to promotion through the League One play-offs.

He left in the summer, however, to join Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa. His stay at Villa Park though was short-lived after Gerrard was sacked four months later.

A spell in charge of QPR quickly followed, but with only one win in 12 matches, his tenure lasted just three months before returning to Blackpool at the end of the 2022-23 campaign and their relegation to League One had been confirmed.

An eighth place finish last season and a poor start to this current campaign led to his sacking in August.

In 2021, Critchley was awarded the North East manager of the season award. A prestigious title and beating none other than Pep Guardiola to the gong.

Hearts are in a difficult position right now. Bottom of the Scottish Premiership, a squad low in confidence but packed with talent.

And a fan base who not only crave, but demand success. Critchley may not be the name the Hearts fans had been wishing for, though, and therefore his ‘honeymoon’ period in the job is likely to be a short one.

A win against St Mirren on Saturday would be the perfect start and if this could be followed up by a home victory over Omonia Nicosia next Thursday in the Conference League, then the signs would be good.

But the acid test will be at Easter Road a week on Sunday. Win that, and the Hearts fans will give Critchley time to get things right. Lose, and those who didn’t want him in the first place will have more ammo in their lockers.

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Neil Critchley is "an ambitious" head coach with "a desire to lead his teams to the top," says Hearts chief executive, Andrew McKinlay.

The former Blackpool boss has been named as Steven Naismith's successor at Tynecastle and has a contract running until the end of the 2026-27 season.

CEO McKinlay has never shied away from the use and importance of analytics in this search to find the Gorgie club's new head coach, and noted Critchley was one of a few "top quality candidates".

"We’ve made no secret of the fact that analytics has guided our search for a new manager, and that data presented us with many top quality options including Neil," McKinlay told Hearts' website.

"During the interview process, we got the opportunity to hear from applicants and get a better understanding of them as people and in particular how they have dealt with and learnt from particular situations both positive and negative in their careers.

"In addition, we were able to ascertain who would fit best into our new model going forward which includes the use of analytics for recruitment and the appointment of a new sporting director with very clear ideas of what we need to do to succeed.

"This was a vital part of our deliberations as any appointment has to be fully bought into this to ensure that we have the maximum chance of success.

"Following these discussions, it became very clear who the standout candidates were.

"Neil understands well what we are looking to do, has experience at big club environments, none more so than at Liverpool, and is an ambitious coach with a desire to lead his teams to the top."

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Neil Critchley's name has been at the forefront of Scottish football conversation in recent days, but who is the new Hearts head coach?

He's no stranger to the dugout, having coached for over 20 years since retiring from playing at the age of 24.

He was most recently in charge of Blackpool, and only left his position fewer than two months ago.

The Englishman managed the Seasiders between 2020 and 2022 then returned to the Lancashire club in 2023 after a three-month spell in charge of Queens Park Rangers, where he won just one game from 12.

Critchley, who took Blackpool up to the Championship in England via the play-offs in 2021, has won 77 and drawn 47 of his 185 games as a manager.

He coached Liverpool at under-age level, and was involved with the Anfield club for nearly seven years, before becoming Steven Gerrard's assistant at Aston Villa for a short spell in 2022.

So, Hearts have their man, Neil Critchley has been appointed head coach until the end of the 2026-27 season.

The 45-year-old has arrived in Edinburgh and succeeds Steven Naismith, who was sacked last month after a winless start to the Scottish Premiership season and a run of eight consecutive defeats.

We want to know what you make of the appointment.

Give us your thoughts on it right here., external

Former Heart of Midlothian defender Ryan Stevenson says he is "not sure I trust this move", with Neil Critchley poised to be appointed at Tynecastle. (Daily Record)

Hearts defender Kye Rowles is in Japan with Australia for a World Cup qualifier and reveals he would like to play in the J League later in his career. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.

Hearts are in advanced talks with former Blackpool and Queens Park Rangers head coach Neil Critchley over the vacant position at Tynecastle. (Edinburgh Evening News, external)

Critchley, 45, could be in post at Hearts by Tuesday. (Sun), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

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Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon insists there are positives to take from Saturday's 2-1 Nations League defeat in Zagreb.

Steve Clarke's side thought they had snatched a dramatic late draw, but Kristijan Jakic's own goal was ruled out for offside against Che Adams following a VAR check.

It means Scotland have won just one of their last 15 outings, but Gordon - who won his 76th cap having been left out of the summer's Euros squad - says they can bounce back against Portugal on Tuesday.

"We are disappointed, because we put in a performance we thought was worthy of taking something from the game," the veteran keeper said.

"We had good chances but just didn't take them. That seems to be the story of this Nations League but we have another game to look forward to now, we have another chance to get some points on the board and we have to focus on that."

"The boys gave everything. Defensively we were chucking ourselves in front of things when we had to, we defended our box well and carried a really good threat.

"In terms of what we worked on during the week a lot of it came off. We worked the ball really nicely. Another good performance but we can't keep saying that, we need to take results."

Scotland have now lost all three of their Nations League games by a one-goal margin, but Gordon says if they continue to work hard, the results will come.

"We are not far away," he said. "It's always going to be difficult when you come against pot one teams. You are going to have play really well to get anything from a game, especially an away game.

"We need to stick with it (the game plan), stick with each other and come back and show that fight again in the next game."

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Former Wales head coach Rob Page and experienced EFL manager Gary Rowett are contenders for the Hearts vacancy. (Sun), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

We asked for your views on Hearts' talks with potential new managerial candidate Per-Mathias Hogmo breaking down.

Here's what some of you said:

Barry: A manager with proven pedigree and genuine success outside of the Scottish bubble is a rarity in Hearts' history. Paulo Sergio is probably the closest fit in recent times. I'm not sure what Hogmo could have been demanding that was unpalatable to the board, but it's yet another in a succession of missed managerial opportunities for the club.

Anon: What did Hogmo find out that made him walk away? Why does the board go for mediocre coaches and second-rate players year after year? Now whoever they offer the job to knows he’s second best! Basic miscalculation we've come to expect again and again.

Steven: Shambles. The answer is staring the board in the face. Don't need analytics to appoint a manager to get us back in the top six. Trying to walk before we can run. We've seen this play out before and we ended up in the Championship. The board are incompetent when it comes to on-the-pitch matters.

Gary: Just pay the money and get the number one target and a decent coach, instead of penny pinching like the last three or four times. It's embarrassing!

Chris: Let me guess, Hearts have tried to get someone on the cheap, again. We're about to lose Lawrence Shankland because we are being cheap and I'm more than convinced we missed this target due to being cheap too. I fully understand being prudent with our money but it is getting ridiculous now. Half expect Craig Levein to come wandering out. Shambles.

Ronnie: I hope the board think again about the final two on the shortlist because I just don't think this is the way forward. I do realise that the likes of Steve Clarke are under contract and probably being paid more than we could offer but I still think a question needs to be asked to either him or Derek McInnes, both have good track records and know how to win.