8 pundits react to Hearts sacking Neil Critchley and who could be next manager
3 . EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - MAY 20: Former Hearts Forward Ryan Stevenson during a cinch Premiership match between Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen at Tynecastle Park, on May 20, 2023, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)
'I don't really know where to go forward for here. I think that they've sort of put all their eggs in the one basket with the analytics company and obviously, they've brought Neil in. I think if we're being honest, I think outside the sort of bottom six teams, it's not been good enough. When you look at the two Old Firm teams, Aberdeen and Hibs, they haven't picked up any wins against them this season which has been extremely disappointing. 'But I think it was very much the easy option to go and sack the manager at the weekend. I think the board need to sit in a room and understand what the DNA of that club is, and understand that the next appointment they need to make has to be long-term. It has to be somebody that has a plan and understands solely the DNA of Hearts and what these fans want. These fans put money in every single year. [The board] need to get it right this time." | SNS Group
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Findlay & Bravo near Hearts moves
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an hour ago
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Why I totally underestimated Leicester Tigers
Some aspects of this domestic campaign have been difficult to rationalise, but we know one thing for sure: Premiership coaches take heed of this website. In the wake of his side's loss to Bath on Friday night, Pat Lam suggested that Bristol Bears had overachieved because 'everyone predicted we'd be eighth this season'. Less than 24 hours later, Michael Cheika revealed that one of the Leicester Tigers analysts had shown him a headline forecasting Sale Sharks to be in the Premiership final. The combative Australian had also been made aware of a misguided mid-April article speculating that Leicester, who were third at the time, would finish as low as sixth. Well, the attention is flattering and accountability is a good thing. We get a fair bit right. But I am happy to admit that I drastically underestimated this Tigers team. Of four critical Premiership fixtures since the Six Nations, I thought they would lose on the road to Northampton Saints and Bristol as well as in both home games against Sale. They won all of them; the first three handily and the latest, Saturday's semi-final, despite spurning nine points off the tee as well as three more after a skewed drop-goal attempt from Handre Pollard. Leicester have responded remarkably to a truly insipid Champions Cup defeat by Glasgow Warriors on April 5, landing five victories from six to navigate a congested league table and set up a defining date with Bath. No doubt they will relish praise being piled on to their opponents during the build-up, even if it is justified. Tigers thrive with a chip on their shoulder. They are better when a little bitter. In that respect, Cheika has been a fitting figurehead for a resurgent, restorative season. This term was never going to be dull and has not been without turbulence. Matt Everard, a hard-working and well-regarded defence coach, was dismissed abruptly following thrashings by Bristol and Toulouse in the space of a month. Leicester conceded 134 points across those two grisly games. Off the field, Cheika opted not to extend his contract and the search for his successor was not easy. Recruiting a fly-half to replace Pollard, a hunt that brought them to James O'Connor, became trickier as a result. Perhaps that uncertainty made it easier to forget that the current Tigers roster still represented a potent blend of youth and experience; a squad pressing up against the ceiling of the salary cap that has ripened. To use the Eddie Jones theory of maturation cycles, they are close to 12 on the clock face and reaching a peak. Nicky Smith, the Wales loosehead prop, always looked an excellent signing last summer and the January addition of electric wing Adam Radwan from Newcastle Falcons has been transformative – a coup for which general manager Richard Wilks deserves praise. Alex Sanderson, the Sale boss, commended Cheika's Tigers for an astute and accurate display on Saturday. Ferocity was a non-negotiable, especially at home, but Leicester were undeniably smart. Crucially, there is a balance to their front-line team now as well. Freddie Steward at full-back is an ideal foil for Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins, with the latter enjoying a fine campaign on the left wing. He has plundered 13 tries while growing more assured in defence and as an aerial operator. In the back row, the rangy Hanro Liebenberg and Tommy Reffell complement one another nicely. Nobody could have replicated Jasper Wiese's savagery, though Olly Cracknell has been thunderous at No 8. Solomone Kata's powerful carrying in midfield aids his forwards. Equally, the poise and intelligence of Joseph Woodward at centre has alleviated pressure on Pollard as a playmaker. Another youngster to emerge, Emeka Ilione, is revelling in a defined role; to arrive off the bench and cause carnage at the breakdown. If Cheika has no other lasting legacy in English rugby union, trusting those two will have been worthwhile. His own experience is valuable when stakes are high. Two replacements, Ben Volavola and Izaia Perese, combined for the match-winning try against Sale within seconds of Cheika introducing them. Other moments encapsulated a performance of intuition and subtlety as well as primal commitment. Radwan's first try came from a defence that has been steeled by Kiwi coach Dave Kidwell. Cam Henderson and Liebenberg wrapped up Jean-Luc du Preez at a restart and forced a rushed offload that was coughed up by Raffi Quirke: A dominant scrum ensued, Kata clattered over the gain-line and Jack van Poortvliet spun to feed the speed of Radwan as quickly as possible. Minutes later, George Ford sent Ben Curry through the middle of the Tigers line. Reffell bust a gut to retreat and track Quirke, discouraging an inside pass to the supporting scrum-half that could have yielded seven points. Cracknell eventually snaffled a loose ball: In the second period, after Radwan and Steward had combined to fell Arron Reed, Woodward dropped to the back-field cleverly to claim a Quirke box-kick and call for a mark: Three precious points were eked out when Henderson was alert enough to complete a tackle Joe Carpenter and Reffell bustled in. Bevan Rodd could only clear from the side: Ollie Chessum is another huge asset to Leicester. The sky is the limit for their sole British and Irish Lion of 2025 (so far) should fitness allow and he has won nine of his 10 Premiership appearances this season. Respect for the set piece is a staple of Tigers tradition and with Chessum, Henderson and Liebenberg in a match-day 23, they should always run a polished line-out operation for 80 minutes, securing possession and frustrating rivals with steals. The same applies to the scrum. There are one-two punches at loosehead, with Smith and James Cronin, and at tighthead, with Joe Heyes and Dan Cole. Deputy hookers do not come more reliable and robust than Charlie Clare either and another replacement against Sale was Matt Rogerson, the erstwhile captain of London Irish. George Martin was sitting in the stands and Tigers still fielded an imposing pack. Spearheading it was skipper Julián Montoya, among their departing heroes. A belligerent yet classy competitor, he and Reffell walked directly to the Sale bench to commiserate amid the chaos of Saturday's finale. Montoya's existing relationship with Cheika from their period together at the helm of Argentina has seemed significant. The standing ovation Montoya received from Welford Road as he dragged his battered body over the touchline with 10 minutes remaining in the semi-final was touching and served to reinforce the galvanising force of goodbyes. Pollard, Cole and Ben Youngs are also ending their Tigers careers, as are popular team men like Dan Kelly and James Whitcombe. There is deep familiarity with the final stretch of the Premiership calendar, with several survivors from the 2022 title. While Pollard has not yet won silverware for Leicester, his composure – the Sale aberration notwithstanding – is a big plus. Individuals will grasp for motivation anywhere they can and Cheika is admired for his man management. Van Poortvliet has spoken about his empty feeling at being dropped for the decider against Saracens three years ago. Steward will be burning for further England caps. Collectively, Tigers will feel written off; just the way they like it. And yet, they have the tools to stand firm at Twickenham in key areas: scrum, line-out, breakdown, gain-line and kicking exchanges. Bath are 10-point favourites with the bookies and I am one of many who believe their time has come. By this stage though, Leicester fans almost certainly prefer predictions like that.
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3 hours ago
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Craig Gordon calls on Hearts to embrace 'new era' as he recalls Sunderland memories and famous save
The Hearts goalkeeper believes Derek McInnes can breath new life into 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... Craig Gordon believes new Hearts head coach Derek McInnes will breathe new life into Tynecastle next season, heralding his arrival as an 'exciting new era' for the club. The 42-year-old goalkeeper is entering his 20th year as a professional after he agreed a one year extension with at Tynecastle last month, but admits he won't do much resting this summer as he gears up for the return of the competitive football, starting with a Premier Sports Cup tie against Dunfermline Athletic on July 12. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I'm very proud and privileged to have had such a long career,' said Gordon. 'So many highs along the way. Making my debut at Hearts, joining the club as a youngster. It was 1999 the first year I came in here, right through to winning the Scottish Cup to leaving to go to Sunderland and playing in the Premier League, and testing yourself against the best players, then coming back to - first of all Celtic - Hearts. It has been some journey. Craig Gordon thwarts then-Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez during his time at Sunderland. | AFP via Getty Images 'I don't think I'll be relaxing too much on holiday. Next season is already on my mind. I'm still doing plenty of work during the summer to make sure I come back as ready as I can be, and to fight to get as many appearances as I can again. I'm really looking forward to pre-season, it's an exciting period, we are right at the new era of Hearts.' The veteran Scotland stopper has been awarded a testimonial at Tynecastle this season, with the club announcing that a pre-season friendly clash with Gordon's former club Sunderland will kick-off a series of events aimed at celebrating the Hearts icon's impressive career. Once the most expensive goalkeeper in the history of British football, Gordon still remembers the time he first left Gorgie in order to complete a £9million transfer to Sunderland. Signing for the Black Cats in the summer of 2007, he still heralded on Wearside for a jaw-dropping reaction save against Bolton Wanderers that was voted the English Premier League's greatest of all time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His testimonial game against the Black Cats now just around the corner, Gordon admits his time his big money move to England was far from easy. Detailing the pressures that came with his record-breaking at the age of just 24, he admits his famous save against the Trotters is one he looks back on fondly. 'That was my first move,' said Gordon. 'I'd been here [Hearts] since I was 12, I had came through the youth system. Seven or eight seasons on from going through the under-18s, the first-team, I'd always been at once place. Now I'm a couple of hours down the road, everything is different, the training ground is different. People are different. 'The travel to away grounds is much further. Everything changed in a matter of days, that is going to take some getting used to, whether you're coming from the other side of the world or a couple of hours away. It probably took me a little while to get used to everything, and the club. Once I did though, it was somewhere I really felt at home. 'Yeah, it was a fantastic save [vs Bolton]. At the time, I'm probably not entirely sure how I've managed to make it. I remember the corner going to the back post - I've obviously watched it a few times since. It gets knocked back into the six yard line, my initial reaction was 'oh, this is a goal', but I need to make an effort and show that I am trying to keep this out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'As I turned and made my dive, I've realised it is still within my reach. I've swung my left hand at it, and luckily for me it sort of rolled up my left thumb, I got some spin on the ball which managed to take it up and over the bar from almost on the goal line. I'm not entirely sure how I managed to do that, but sometimes you get a little bit of luck along with a great reaction. It is something I am still very proud of.' Craig Gordon is entering his 20th season as a professional at Tynecastle this coming season. | SNS Group The 42-year-old still holds affection for the Wearsiders, having spent five seasons at the Stadium of Light, and was delighted to see them win promotion back to the English Premier League last month. While it was Tommy Watson's 95th minute goal that sealed their 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the EFL Championship playoff final, Gordon reserved his praise for Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson ahead his two crucial saves at Wembley.
