7 Hearts next manager candidates as key Jamestown metric applied to unearth choices who understand Gorgie Rules

Daily Record

27-04-2025

Farewell Neil Critchley , we barely knew ye. Or at least, Hearts knew enough to know that they needed a third new manager of the season. A dismal home defeat to Dundee spelled the end for the ex-Blackpool and QPR boss, although it felt like he was already a dead man walking after missing out on the top six and exiting the Scottish Cup semi-finals last weekend. With the Jambos still casting nervous glances in the rear view mirror to try and keep enough distance between themselves and the relegation playoff spot, and the fanbase fully fed up with manager and board, the Saturday evening statement felt inevitable. In its wake came the predictable patter about the Jamestown Analytics 'supercomputer' malfunctioning. But that assumes Critchley was identified, ranked and rated by it in the first place, and also that Jamestown picks the winner - that's still very much for the Hearts board to get right. Per-Mathias Hogmo was the first choice having run the numbers, but when that fell through, Critchley, who applied for the gig, was handed the reins in what seemed quite a departure in profile from the guy the Hearts board really wanted. Critchley never seemed a convincing fit from the outset and while there was initial improvement from the very low bar Steven Naismith's disastrous start had set, repeated missed opportunities to achieve objectives such as the knockout round of the Conference League, top six and a Scottish Cup Final proved too much. Now Andrew McKinlay, Ann Budge and sporting director Graeme Jones are recruiting yet again. According to McKinlay when Critchley was appointed, a key metric was improving players: "The main thing the analytics does is it looks at managers who have improved the players they've worked with. That's its main focus, they have a track record of where they've worked with players, they have improved them. "The great thing about that is it doesn't purely look at only people that have won. People might win something or might do something because they've got better players, for example, or they might have a better environment to work in. The analytics very much, and that's what we want, is someone that will improve players." How exactly that is measured is one of the Jamestown secrets. But Record Sport has tried to broadly apply it to see who could fit the bill for next season. The Swede's name was mentioned plenty by fans during the last search. There was perhaps a bit of Jimmy Thelin-inspired recency bias, which evaporated a little when the Dons boss went from the form of dreams to that of nightmares. But Hellberg has his merits and crucially, seems to tick the improving players, or at least teams box. After guiding unfancied Varnamo to a 10th placed finish in their first ever Allsvenskan season, 20 points clear of relegation, Hellberg led them to fifth the following season after turning down IFK Gothenburg. He missed out on Manager of the Year to Thelin, then made the move to Hammarby. A second placed finish behind champions Malmo was a big improvement on 7th the previous year (behind Hellberg's Varnamo) and while it's early days, Hammarby sit second again in this year's table after five games. The former Swiss international cut his teeth as a youth coach after retiring, working with FC Thun and Servette before joining Swiss Super League big boys, Basel. He was quickly thrust into the first team hot seat following a change in the board, and got them over the line to claim the title while also winning the Swiss Cup. His first full campaign didn't end with similar success though, as Basel finished second, went out of the cup in the semis and lost a Champions League qualifier to PAOK (Hearts know that feeling), which resulted in Wicky being sacked. A stint as USA U17 coach followed before taking over at Chicago Fire, but was dismissed after failing to reach the playoffs. He then returned to Switzerland with Young Boys and secured a Swiss Super League title in his first season, along with the Swiss Cup. However, despite sitting top again the following March, a one point lead wasn't enough and he was sacked. Wicky's background in youth football could see him meet the player development criteria Hearts seem to want, and a track record of trophies can never hurt. If it's player and team improvement Hearts are valuing above all else, then Papszun may have the ultimate Jamestown high score, with the trophies to prove it. An incredible run of promotions and league title started with Polish sixth tier side KS Lomainki. it was then on to Legionovia Legionowo in the fourth division, and he took them up as well. But it's his work at Rachow Czestochowa that's really caught the eye. Two League wins in three seasons saw them promoted to the Ekstaklasa in 2019, with big guns Legia Warsaw and Lech Poznan interested in his services. He stayed put though, and delivered the club's first ever major trophy by winning the Polish Cup in 2021, along with Conference League qualification. Rachow were runners up the following season - their highest ever league finish with Papszun crowned Coach of the Year. A second Polish Cup win in 2022 and in 2022-23, he guided Rachow to the league title, despite announcing his intention to leave with six games to go. He was back soon enough though, taking charge again at the start of this season after replacement Dawid Szwarga didn't cut the mustard. Rakow were two points clear at the top of the table, although his contract is reported to include strict definitions over when he can leave. The Falkirk boss has for so long been seen as an unfashionable choice that he's almost become fashionable now, although that's more down to the wonders he's worked with the Bairns. Taking over in League One, McGlynn led Falkirk to the league title while going unbeaten the whole season. And he has them on the verge of promotion to the Premiership, should they survive a late wobble and beat Hamilton at home on Friday. McGlynn is steeped in Hearts, having been coach, assistant, interim and temporary boss. He's evolved since last working at Tynecastle in 2013 however, and the man himself credits a lot of that to a spell working as Brendan Rodgers' chief scout at Celtic. The chance to lead Falkirk into the top flight would be well earned, and there would be little in the way of pressure on McGlynn. That would not be the case at Hearts, although whether the chance of such a big job would come up again is doubtful. The Danish striker made next to no impression at Tynecastle as a player thanks to injury, but he's forged a burgeoning reputation for himself as a coach. He's been building his experience since retiring early, mostly as youth coach in Germany, working his way up the levels bar a spell as an assistant back in Denmark. But there aren't many better breeding grounds for coaches than Borussia Dortmund, where he is currently in charge of the Under 19s. Having previously taken charge of the reserves, many may see that as a step down, but the 19s gig is widely regarded to be a more prestigious role and shows Tullberg is on an upward trajectory. He's also taken the first team reins on a temporary basis, overseeing a draw against Wereder Bremen, a Champions League victory against Shakhtar Donetsk and a 2-1 win over Hiendeheim in January this year. Would be a gamble, but no less so than Naismith was, and a win over Hibs in the UEFA Youth League less than three years ago served as a well received reminder to Hearts fans that he's earning his coaching stripes. If Tony Bloom is to invest in Hearts this summer, then the former Belgian international is known to the Brighton owner thanks to his time with Union Saint-Gilloise. As assistant, he led them back to the Belgian top flight for the first time in nearly half a century under head coach Felice Mazzu. They were then serious title contenders in their first season, leading the league for 200 days before a playoff defeat to eventual champions Club Brugge saw them finish second. When Mazzu joined Anderlecht the following year, Geraerts stepped up to the big job and came within a whisker of the league title, when only stoppage time goals conceded to throw away a 1-0 lead against Brugge, coupled with Antwerp's late equaliser at Genk denied them the crown. Geraerts' contract wasn't renewed that summer and he took over at Schalke in October 2023. He kept them in the 2.Bundesliga but a poor start to this campaign saw him sacked in September. Maintaining a title challenge in Belgium is impressive, even if USG missed out, although he did take them to the Europa League quarterfinals. Crucially though, he's well versed in how Jamestown Analytics works and even more importantly, how to use it well. Back for the hat-trick? It's unlikely and would certainly split opinion. But it;s difficult to argue against Neilson's record. In each full season in charge, he finished as high in the league as possible, with two canters to the Championship title and two third place finishes. His first departure came with Hearts sitting second in the table and when he was sacked in 2023, they had only just slipped from third to fourth after a bad six week run. Throw in two Scottish Cup Finals and it's down on paper that Neilson, more than any other Hearts manager over the last decade, has achieved the objectives expected of the country's third biggest club. Perhaps most tellingly, it's ultimately Hearts who have ended up in a far worse position after his departure, with Naismith managing to deliver third place before this season's horror start. Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On , every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.