Hearts in talks with new manager candidates as they aim to go down a different route

Officials at Tynecastle have compiled a list of names.

Hearts plan to select their new manager from a list of eight contenders that they have compiled. The Edinburgh club is now in discussions with other candidates and anticipates hiring a non-Scottish coach as they take a different approach from their previous two managers, Robbie Neilson and Steven Naismith.

Before Thursday’s first Conference League matchup against Dinamo Minsk, Hearts CEO Andrew McKinlay provided an update on the hiring process from the team’s headquarters in Azerbaijan. He acknowledged that Arnar Gunnlaugsson, a favourite of the bookies, is not on Hearts’ list despite having received more than 100 messages expressing interest in the position.

As negotiations regarding a possible investment deal with British entrepreneur Tony Bloom continue, Jamestown Analytics is collaborating with Tynecastle officials in the process of finding a replacement for Naismith. Along with Graeme Jones, Hearts’ new sporting director, McKinlay is interviewing managers. Next week, they intend to move on to a shortlist of candidates, and later this month, they aim to make a final choice.

According to McKinlay, “we had about 100, I wouldn’t go as far as saying applications, but notes of interest.” “A portion of them are application resumes, while others come from people directly or via intermediaries. Then there’s the entire problematic situation of various agents claiming to be representing the same manager. Then there are those, possibly managers in particular, who might not want it made public.

Thus, they simply state, “I act for X,” rather than genuinely stating that they are applying. Thus, there are roughly 100 of those. We have also been observing or examining managers from our own personal perspectives. And this brings us, therefore, to the third section: the analytics company’s perspective on management.

Thus, everything has been fed through the analytics component. We have a lengthy shortlist, likely seven or eight, as of the end of last week, and we are currently discussing with candidates on that list. What’s going to happen now is that some of those people may cease to exist. That’s just the way things are. They may have shown some interest once you start talking to them, or it may not have been as great as it first appeared. A portion of them disappear.

We’re talking to people now. Yesterday, I only spoke with one person—that being Graeme Jones and me. I have two more to go today. I then expect to have a few more over the weekend, so that ideally by next week we can narrow it down to a shortlist, which we can either present with a recommendation to the board or let them talk to a few people and see where we finish up.

That suggests that a solution will likely be found the following week. Nothing is ever as simple as that. That’s simply what’s on my mind right now. It’s bound to drag on a bit. There will inevitably be obstacles along the way. When it comes time to negotiate contracts, some of the parties involved are employed, while others are not. Therefore, it’s quite challenging to estimate how long that will take right now. It’s getting better. Yesterday, we had a nice talk with someone. I’m looking forward to conversations today that Graham and I will have.”

Hearts had the worst start to a season in the club’s history as they are currently bottom of the Scottish Premiership and winless after ten competitive games. When asked if the incoming manager would be Scottish, McKinlay clarified that Hearts are looking for a different kind of person. Not entirely certain, but I’d say it’s not Scottish. After that, a mixture of nationalities is present. I would remark that, as far as I can tell, none of the people on the list have been quoted anywhere. it is advantageous. How long that lasts will be seen. You would probably anticipate it to be.

To use that expression, it’s not the same old, same old. Although I think occasionally that’s a bit disrespectful to management. Some of the managers that are being touted are fine in my opinion; they’re simply not what we’re looking for. Our goal is to choose an alternative path. Moreover, you need to hire management. All well and good when it comes to analytics, but it is our responsibility to ensure that the candidate we select is culturally compatible. Someone with whom I can collaborate and with whom the athletic director can collaborate.

According to our organisational structure, the manager and sporting director must get along well. Analytics just cannot extract the kinds of things you need to extract from each individual. It’s an intriguing procedure. Naturally, you also need someone who is ready to deal with analytics in the future. Since it will occupy a significant portion of our recruitment efforts.

In the sense that Steven was a young, inexperienced manager, I suppose it’s a step forward. The way the analytics are done for the people we are speaking to is that it looks at managers who have improved teams in the past. Therefore, you must by definition have some experience. It’s a different profile from Steven because of that. Is this a separate Robbie profile? Maybe not. How Robbie’s numbers would appear in the analytics is beyond me. So, yes, from that angle, it is different.

I believe that’s the flavour of the month since Jimmy Thelin, the manager of Aberdeen, is a Scandinavian. Given how well he’s performing, why wouldn’t it be? Though I’m not saying we won’t hire a Scandinavian manager, you need to be really cautious to avoid making the snap decision to hire someone because, “Oh well, that seems to be what works this month, so that’s what we’ll definitely go for.”

Tynecastle has no interest in Gunnlaugsson. “No, that’s not a name that we’re looking at,” McKinlay clarified, stressing the importance of Jones’ participation in the process. Indeed, very much so. Actually, it’s made a significant impact. He views several things differently than I do, and that was clearly a worry when Steven left. Although Graeme’s actual start date isn’t until the end of November, the Scottish FA has been quite helpful and we’ve officially agreed that he may assist us with this. It’s functioning incredibly well. It’s crucially significant for that.

He offers a unique perspective. You also want to make sure it works because the person will be working with him moving forward. Graeme was in Liverpool yesterday, but I conducted the interview from this location yesterday. He came there to see the sporting director, Richard Hughes. He’s currently working hard in the background, seeing a lot of people and picking up some ideas from them. He will also address other teams, such as Liverpool. For them over the past few years, analytics has been a major factor in this one.

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