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Scotsman
42 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Cammy Devlin breaks silence on Hearts future, gives update on contract talks and states Australia goal
A key part of McInnes' Tynecastle revolution, tenacious midfielder is in for long haul Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hearts' summer agenda has been dominated by Jamestown Analytics-led recruitment and the future of captain Lawrence Shankland. But now that those issues have been largely resolved, there's another piece of work to address: the contract of midfielder Cammy Devlin. The Australian midfielder has been at Tynecastle since 2021, when he moved to the other side of the world from Newcastle Jets. He's experienced a lot in the his four years at Tynecastle, from the highs of finishing third in the Premiership and European nights in Florence to managerial sackings and bottom-six finishes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Now 27, Devlin is approaching the peak years of his career. A tenacious and energetic operator, he has long been a popular member of the Hearts squad. He is now in the final year of his current deal, but the good news for Hearts and the club's supporters is that he is content to stay. Cammy Devlin says he is content at Hearts. | SNS Group Devlin has already become a key part of new head coach Derek McInnes' team. He plays as a No 6 and is tasked with snapping at opponents, winning the ball back and leading the charge. He was many onlookers' man of the match as Hearts started their 2025/26 league campaign with a 2-0 win over Aberdeen at a raucous Tynecastle and was loudly clapped off the pitch at the end. Unsurprisingly, his future came up as he performed media duties ahead of Sunday's next assignment, an away clash at Dundee United. Devlin has always been an honest and engaging interviewee and this time was no different. He brought the aura of player very happy with life right now. 'I feel like everyone's bought in really well,' Devlin said of this new era at Hearts. 'Everyone's been really good, been really at it this pre-season, which we needed because of last season wasn't successful at all. So we really want to change that. All the new boys that are coming and bought into what it means to play for Hearts really well. And yeah, long may it continue.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Devlin on his own Hearts future Hearts fans will want to know if he has been approached on his future. "Not with me,' was his response to direct contract talks. 'The club spoke to my agent, but nothing's... I feel like there's been a massive focus with obviously Tony Bloom coming in with so many ins coming and obviously the transfer window is still open. So there's been a massive focus. We've had so many players coming to the club. 'I can't speak on behalf of the club, but that's probably been the club's focus. And I'm sure, like I say, that will take care of itself. If I perform well, then hopefully a positive outcome comes. But at the moment, I'm personally just focusing on playing, hopefully playing every week, playing well. And like I say, I'm sure that will take care of itself.' Devlin is as assertive as a player can be when asked if he is hoping for a positive outcome on his new contract. "Of course,' he smiled. 'Yeah, of course I am. I think everyone kind of knows my personality. I've been sitting in front of you guys for a few years now. You know that I enjoy being here. The city has really welcomed me. I feel like I've made a home in Edinburgh. I met my girlfriend over here and having her family, I've said before, has made everything feel a lot nicer. And yeah, of course I am, but like I say, that's not what I'm thinking of right now because I just want to play good football and then that will take care of itself.' Cammy Devlin tackles Graeme Shinnie during the 2-0 win over Aberdeen. | SNS Group There's quite a lot on the line for Devlin this year. He wants to become front and centre of Hearts' revolution, while on the horizon is the World Cup with Australia. He went to Qatar in 2022 with the Socceroos but since then he has fallen away from the current international picture, not helped by injury and the Jambos' form last season. The Sydney native has always been passionate about Australia, and he is desperate to add to his four caps and impress current boss Tony Popovic. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah, definitely,' continued Devlin on the magnitude of this upcoming campaign. 'I feel like I was in a similar position this time last year in terms of coming off contract and then I signed that extension. So it's a weird one because you've got to perform, you've got to play well and obviously then you've got the extra carrot if there's a World Cup next year. 'And I haven't really been in the Socceroos [squad]. I obviously was injured for a little bit with my concussion and then wasn't selected for the last couple of camps. So that's why I'm always desperate to be involved in that. That's my biggest pride, playing for my country and something that I hold really close to heart. And I get to see my family a bit more often when I'm in the camps! So that's definitely something I want to strive towards. 'But like I say, if I don't work as hard as I can, then none of it's going to happen. So I just go out there every day, train as hard as I can and everything will take care of itself, hopefully.' High praise from McInnes Devlin was heartened by praise from McInnes after the pre-season victory over Sunderland, where the midfielder was part of an-all action, aggressive performance. "I'm absolutely delighted with him," McInnes said a couple of weeks ago. "He's been first class. Even from my first conversation with Cammy when I was on holiday. I've always been an admirer from a distance and now that I'm his manager, I'm really enjoying working with him. I think he gives you a bit of everything.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Devlin blushes a little when he is reminded of those words. "Yeah, it was really nice,' he admitted. 'My dad sent me that quote after the game. My dad was chuffed. But no, it is nice. I think as a footballer, you want your manager to like you because you might have more chances to play on the weekend, I think. 'But for me, just keep my head down, work as hard as I can. I feel like I've always prided myself on just working hard and hopefully then that gets me in the team. I feel like we had a positive result against Sunderland, so he said that. But if I then slack off and anyone slacks off, there's so many boys in this team that will just come and take your spot. So I feel like you can't rest.' Hearts have made eight new signings - plus the conversion of Elton Kabangu's loan into a permanent deal - and competition is fierce. Especially in midfield. New boys Oisin McEntee and Tomas Bent Magnusson add to already decent mix of Devlin, Beni Baningime, Calem Nieuwenhof and Blair Spittal. A drop in standards with lead to a dropping of players. 'We've got a massive squad and everyone's hungry to play,' said Devlin. 'I know that if I was the one missing out, I'd be so desperate to just take my teammate's spot in a teammate way, you know what I mean? And that's the way it is. There's so much friendly competition and it's healthy, it's good. But you've just got to work as hard as you can. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Tony Bloom's bold Hearts claims given credence as early table-toppers live up to expectations
Jambos off to a flyer in Premiership opener with 2-0 win over Aberdeen Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hearts are not making life very easy for Derek McInnes. Their players are working in tandem with new investor Tony Bloom, it seems, to ratchet up belief levels in Gorgie and therefore increase the pressure on the new manager, who might have preferred a season in which to ease himself into the post. Some hope. Hearts are already staring down at everyone else from the top of the league. The expected upheaval caused by Storm Floris proved limited in the end, certainly with regards to the staging of this football match. However, the disruption – his word – promised by Bloom to Scottish football's established order might well be real. Is there a new wind about to blow through the game? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts head coach Derek McInnes celebrates on the touchline during the 2-0 defeat of Aberdeen at Tynecastle. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) | SNS Group The Brighton & Hove Albion owner certainly seems to think this is very possible. He was in town to watch his first game since his investment was officially ratified at an egm earlier this summer. His funds and, perhaps just as importantly, his data-led monolith now implemented at Hearts continue to bear fruit in the shape of some irresistible performances. This was the latest one and it will be treated as a more reliable bellwether than League Cup wins over the likes of Dunfermline and Stirling Albion. Aberdeen, Scotland's most recent major trophy winners, felt the force. If not swept aside, then the team expected to be challengers for third spot in Scotland were dealt with pretty efficiently courtesy of goals in each half from Graeme Shinnie, who put through his own net, and defender Stuart Findlay. But then Hearts' sights are seemingly aimed higher than simply being best of the rest. Like Bloom, McInnes was in situ to enjoy the show against one of his former clubs. However, he might have needed a dose of smelling salts to revive him after being informed of events at Tynecastle the previous evening, when Bloom told supporters that Hearts had a very good chance of finishing second 'at least' this season. Over to you, Derek. They can't do much more than win their first game of the new league season, which is a big step forward when compared to last season when it took them until October to collect their first three points. Things started to go their way pretty swiftly here. Just ten minutes in, in fact. New fans' favourite Claudio Braga was the agent of chaos on the right though he was aided by Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester losing his footing as he attempted to deal with the lively winger. The ball seemed in danger of going out of play but Braga managed to retrieve it and then play a ball into the box towards Oisin McEntee, who bulleted a header towards goal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This effort was well saved by Scottish Cup hero Dimitar Mitov. Cammy Devlin pounced on the subsequent clearance but his shot struck McEntee and was deflected out to the left. The stretching Harry Milne returned it into the goalmouth and the unfortunate Shinnie could only deflect the ball into the net. Hearts' Harry Milne (R) and Lawrence Shankland (L) celebrate after Aberdeen's Graeme Shinnie scores an own goal. (Photo by Ewan Bootman / SNS Group) | SNS Group One minute you're holding the Scottish Cup aloft, the next you're scoring an own goal on national television on your 34th birthday against the team whose fans have always enjoyed the chance to mock. 'Graeme Shinnie, he's one of our own,' the home supporters chorused. Aberdeen could not have expected to be allowed to stand on ceremony here, even if it was the first competitive outing since that memorable afternoon at Hampden. Apart from booting the ball straight out of play from kick-off, perhaps in expectation of the wind holding it up, they had started confidently enough. However, the loss of the early goal unsettled them and it seemed as if they were hanging on for the most part for the rest of the half. Milne saw his piledriver crash off the top of Mitov's bar after 14 minutes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Somehow, amid this relentless energy being displayed by the hosts, Aberdeen came close to levelling. Strikers are often in need of some luck to get off the mark and Kusini Yengi would not have complained if a goal he knew very little about had been credited to him. He seemed to be trying to control the ball if anything following Nicolas Milanovic's cross but it rebounded off him and then struck Zander Clark's far post before being cleared. Hearts defender Stuart Findlay scores to make it 2-0 over Aberdeen at Tynecastle. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group) | SNS Group Yengi might be better when he's not got the chance to think about what to do. He spurned a glorious chance five minutes into the second half when Leighton Clarkson's curling free kick found him dead centre of the goalmouth. However, Yengi's attempt dribbled hopelessly wide. Aberdeen were still very much in the contest at this point, much to the home fans' growing frustration. They might not have been had Lawrence Shankland's curling strike from the edge of the box just before half time not been struck off after a VAR check. Craig Halkett had strayed marginally offside in the build up. Shankland had been a peripheral figure up to his point and he struggled to impose himself in the second half as Aberdeen made a better fist of dealing with the hosts and started to make some inroads themselves. McInnes changed his side's shape in an effort to counteract this and switched to a back four while also making a quadruple substitution shortly afterwards, with James Wilson, who replaced Braga, among those coming on. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Bullish Tony Bloom lays down bold Hearts ambition and has title message to Rangers and Celtic
Tony Bloom has invested in Hearts. | Getty Images New shareholder sees hugely exciting future at Tynecastle Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... New Hearts shareholder Tony Bloom has told Rangers and Celtic that it will no longer be a two-horse race in Scottish football and that he would be 'very disappointed' if the Tynecastle side doesn't win the Premiership in the next ten years. Brighton owner Bloom invested £9.86 million into Hearts earlier this summer and spoke for the first time at a Foundation of Hearts event on Sunday evening. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He plans to take on Monday's league opener against Aberdeen at Tynecastle and candidly revealed what he expects from the Jambos now he is involved. Tony Bloom has invested in Hearts. | Getty Images 'I believe I can make a difference here, said Bloom. 'I don't want to see a league dominated by two teams. I did look at clubs in Scotland. As soon as I met Ann (Budge) and looked at Hearts, I knew this was the club I liked to invest in and here I am today. I think it's really important for Scottish football that it's not just a one or two-club show - and it's not going to be from now on. 'I welcome the investment from other clubs outside the Old Firm, I think that's really good for Scottish football. It's not good at all that Scottish clubs, historically, have not been doing well in Europe. That lowers the co-efficient, so even if you win the league, like Celtic this year, they have to win knockout games to get into the group stage of the Champions League. I'm very confident that the co-efficient will change over the next few years, it will be really good for Scottish football. I really hope it will be good news for Hearts. If the level of the league goes up, that will be good for Scottish players and will help the national team. I'm very excited about that challenge. I think the days of it being a two-runner race have gone. 'The target every season is to finish third. I'm hoping that will now change - so the absolute minimum each season that we should finish is third, and we should be trying to win the league and compete with Celtic and Rangers.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On this season, Bloom added: 'I don't like to make predictions on any one season, but all I will say is Hearts have an exceptionally good squad this season,' he remarked. 'There is every chance we will have success this season. Not being in Europe gives Hearts an excellent chance in the league and a chance, perhaps, in the cups as well. 'Hearts fans have every right to have big expectations. I don't think, historically, the expectations have been big enough - or maybe the club haven't been good enough on the pitch. I know it's difficult. The Old Firm have a huge advantage in terms of their turnover, their commercial deals, their fanbase, etc. But that's all changing. We are going to have a squad to compete with the very best teams in Scotland.
