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BBC News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hearts announce McInnes as new head coach
Derek McInnes has been confirmed as the new head coach of Heart of Midlothian on a four-year 53-year-old leaves Scottish Premiership rivals Kilmarnock and succeeds Neil Critchley, who was sacked in late April after just six months in Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald will follow McInnes from Rugby Park to been in charge at Kilmarnock since 2022 and last season guided the Ayrshire side into Europe by finishing managerial career began when he took St Johnstone into the top flight in 2009 and, after a brief stint at Bristol City, he had eight years in Aberdeen, with whom he never finished lower than fourth and won the League Cup in left Pittodrie in 2021 and took charge of Kilmarnock the following January, leading them to promotion to the spell in Ayrshire ended with his side finishing in ninth, two places below lost 1-0 to Hearts at Rugby Park on Sunday, with McInnes absent from the home dugout after a compensation deal was agreed between the clubs.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
What are McInnes' priorities as Hearts boss?
Hearts fans, the news you have all been expecting has finally been McInnes is your team's new boss following his exit from Kilmarnock and he will be joined by first-team coaches Paul Sheerin and Alan a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, what should McInnes' priorities be to get Hearts challenging at the right end of the table next term?Send us your thoughts
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
SPECIAL REPORT: A sour ending at Killie ... but future could be sweet for Derek McInnes with Hearts
When the Kilmarnock players arrived at Rugby Park on Thursday morning for a recovery session, Derek McInnes was already in the process of clearing his desk and saying his farewells. Just over 12 hours had passed since McInnes addressed his players in the away dressing room at Fir Park on Wednesday night and told them he would no longer continue as manager after a 3-0 defeat at Motherwell. It was now merely a case of gathering his belongings and saying goodbye to the staff with whom he has enjoyed a positive working relationship over the past three-and-a-half years. McInnes could have called it quits and stayed at home on Thursday morning, but he felt it was important to show face one last time and bid adieu to everyone around the stadium before he joins Hearts at the end of the season. Just a few hours later, as the sun shone down, he was filmed driving away from Rugby Park along with his assistants Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald. Their time at Kilmarnock was officially over. How did it all come to this? Why was one of the club's best managers in recent times, a manager who led them from Championship obscurity into Europe, effectively left to slink out the back door? Watching McInnes and his staff carry boxes of their belongings out to the car park, it had the look of a sacking rather than an amicable departure. The only thing missing was a black bin liner. When McInnes held a media conference on Tuesday, he declared his intention to take charge of Killie for the final two games of the season, firstly at Motherwell and then at home against his prospective employers Hearts tomorrow. In his mind, after three wins on the bounce had secured Premiership survival, he wanted to finish the season with five straight victories. McInnes viewed that as a good high on which to finish. However, the fact that terms had already been agreed for him to move to Tynecastle meant that his presence in the Kilmarnock dugout was never really a viable proposition. Especially so after a section of fans turned on him at Motherwell on Wednesday night. The atmosphere at Rugby Park tomorrow would have been toxic had he remained in post. There was a broad agreement reached among McInnes, owner Billy Bowie and the club directors that his position had simply become untenable, despite his best intentions to end the season with Killie. In the eyes of some supporters, McInnes hasn't covered himself in glory over the past 10 days or so since it became known that Hearts wanted him as their next manager. In particular, an appearance as a pundit on Sky Sports last Sunday for the Rangers-Aberdeen match at Ibrox rubbed fans up the wrong way. It was not simply because he chose to appear on the show after shirking media duties with Kilmarnock a few days earlier prior to their match against Dundee. But the fact that McInnes sat in the studio and allowed Kris Boyd to champion him for the Hearts job, insisting that he deserved a crack at a 'big club'. In all fairness, Boyd probably didn't do McInnes any favours. However, McInnes didn't really do anything to stop the conversation or play it down, and that wasn't a great look in the circumstances. Sky Sports normally book their pundits a couple of weeks in advance. McInnes had committed to it long before the interest from Hearts came along. But he could have managed the whole thing better. Killie fans felt it was disrespectful, hence why the anger and vitriol spilled over at Fir Park on Wednesday night. Truth be told, there was a feeling that the McInnes-Killie partnership had run its course in any case. A growing number of fans felt things had stagnated over recent months, hence why few will shed a tear at his departure. And yet, for all the optics around the appearance on Sky weren't great, it is unfair for McInnes to be painted as the villain of the piece in all of this. Perhaps his greatest crime in this whole episode was to be naive enough to think it would be acceptable for him to remain in charge for Kilmarnock's final two matches of the season. If the final game hadn't been against Hearts, it may well have been fine. Given the good work he has done at Killie, there may have been enough goodwill remaining to afford him a decent send-off. Armed with the investment of Tony Bloom, above, and the club's new data-led approach, McInnes will be expected to take Hearts to the next level But the fact that McInnes would have been taking Killie into a match against his new club meant it always looked like a non-starter. It's Hearts who have completely botched the handling of this. What ought to have been a simple recruitment process, had it been dealt with at the end of the season, has instead turned into a debacle. There was no need for Hearts to go public with their pursuit of McInnes with only a few games of the season remaining. It could have waited until next week, when the season was finished, and the clubs could have discussed terms and agreed on a compensation package. The Tynecastle club chose to push ahead while the season was ongoing - with a game against Killie on the immediate horizon - and put McInnes in an incredibly awkward position. The way Hearts have handled it all has looked a bit amateurish, particularly given the fact that Ann Budge is on holiday at the moment and is unable to approve anything until she returns over the next few days. Although she has stepped back in recent years, anyone who believes that she doesn't still have serious influence in football decisions at Hearts clearly isn't paying attention. However, this clumsy pursuit of McInnes looks poor for the club. He made his mark at Rugby Park, taking the club back to the top flight from the Championship and into Europe McInnes will go into Tynecastle with his eyes open. Over the past few years, there has been a glaring lack of leadership at the top of the club. He will change that and seek to take charge of football matters as much as he can, with the investment of Tony Bloom set to be rubber-stamped over the next couple of weeks. Normally a very hands-on manager, how McInnes integrates with the data-driven approach to recruitment will be key to success at Tynecastle. A few months after McInnes had taken charge at Kilmarnock, he appointed Russ Richardson as the club's new head of recruitment. A scout whom he trusted implicitly, McInnes and Richardson had worked previously together at Aberdeen and had unearthed hidden gems like James Maddison and Sam Cosgrove. With the Jamestown data boffins crunching the numbers in the background, it is unlikely that he will be granted the same level of autonomy over recruitment at Hearts. Nonetheless, there is an argument that this represents the biggest chance of McInnes' career. To manage a club of Hearts' stature, and with fresh investment on the table, it's a brilliant opportunity. Bloom is set to invest just shy of £10million into the Gorgie club. Not all of that will be immediately invested in the playing squad, but next season's budget is still expected to be increased considerably. It won't be enough for McInnes to simply steady the ship at Tynecastle. Armed with Bloom's millions and the Jamestown analytics algorithm, he will be expected to take the club to the next level. He will need to show a willingness to adapt and evolve as the club seek a more modern approach both on and off the pitch. Set to be formally unveiled early next week, the fact he leaves Killie with a slightly sour taste in the mouth will be a mere footnote as he begins a new chapter in Edinburgh.
Glasgow Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Derek McInnes will not lead Kilmarnock into Hearts game with Jambos move agreed
The club announced McInnes would not be in the home dugout when Kilmarnock host Hearts on Sunday in their final William Hill Premiership game of the season. A number of Killie fans directed chants towards Hearts and McInnes during their 3-0 defeat at Motherwell on Wednesday after the two clubs agreed a deal for the former Aberdeen boss to move to Tynecastle. Some of the visiting support ended up calling for McInnes to leave immediately, in so many words, and the club swiftly agreed to remove him from what assistant manager Paul Sheerin termed a 'horrible situation'. Chris Burke will take charge for Kilmarnock (Andrew Milligan/PA) A club statement read: 'It has been agreed between our board of directors, Derek McInnes and his staff that the best approach would be if they were not in charge for the final match of the season. 'Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald will also not be involved – first team preparation and matchday duties will be undertaken by Chris Burke and Craig Clark. 'We look forward to seeing the blue and white army out in force this weekend as we give the players the send off they deserve.' Killie travelled to Fir Park with hopes of finishing seventh but the defeat – which came after Robbie Deas' first-half red card – means they will end ninth. With no prize money at stake for Killie and Hearts potentially needing a result to finish above Motherwell, McInnes has been taken out of a difficult situation. The 53-year-old's move to Hearts is expected to be confirmed early next week after the Tynecastle board identified him as their preferred candidate to succeed Neil Critchley. McInnes led Killie from fourth place in the Championship to European football within two-and-a-half years and Burke was full of praise from someone he called a 'mentor'. The former Rangers and Kilmarnock winger said: 'First and foremost as a football club and as staff, and especially myself, we can only be thankful for what Derek McInnes has done for the football club and his staff members as well. Club Statement. — Kilmarnock FC (@KilmarnockFC) May 15, 2025 'It's been a long journey but a good journey. His first game was Queen of the South away and then we were playing at Copenhagen away. That tells you the achievements. 'I think it's really important we don't get too caught up in emotion and really reflect on what the successful parts were, what the manager and the coaching staff brought to this group. He's created a great culture.' Looking ahead to Sunday, the club's under-18s coach said: 'From my own point of view it's been a little bit strange, I'm not going to lie. 'But ultimately in football you just have to take it on and go for it. Whatever you have been asked by the board, the fact is I need to help the players. We have a game to prepare for against a good team. 'As much as it happens in football and you lose good people and good staff, and I like to think we will be friends for the rest of our lives, we have to move on quickly and really focus on the game against Hearts.'
North Wales Chronicle
15-05-2025
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Derek McInnes will not lead Kilmarnock into Hearts game with Jambos move agreed
The club announced McInnes would not be in the home dugout when Kilmarnock host Hearts on Sunday in their final William Hill Premiership game of the season. A number of Killie fans directed chants towards Hearts and McInnes during their 3-0 defeat at Motherwell on Wednesday after the two clubs agreed a deal for the former Aberdeen boss to move to Tynecastle. Some of the visiting support ended up calling for McInnes to leave immediately, in so many words, and the club swiftly agreed to remove him from what assistant manager Paul Sheerin termed a 'horrible situation'. A club statement read: 'It has been agreed between our board of directors, Derek McInnes and his staff that the best approach would be if they were not in charge for the final match of the season. 'Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald will also not be involved – first team preparation and matchday duties will be undertaken by Chris Burke and Craig Clark. 'We look forward to seeing the blue and white army out in force this weekend as we give the players the send off they deserve.' Killie travelled to Fir Park with hopes of finishing seventh but the defeat – which came after Robbie Deas' first-half red card – means they will end ninth. With no prize money at stake for Killie and Hearts potentially needing a result to finish above Motherwell, McInnes has been taken out of a difficult situation. The 53-year-old's move to Hearts is expected to be confirmed early next week after the Tynecastle board identified him as their preferred candidate to succeed Neil Critchley. McInnes led Killie from fourth place in the Championship to European football within two-and-a-half years and Burke was full of praise from someone he called a 'mentor'. The former Rangers and Kilmarnock winger said: 'First and foremost as a football club and as staff, and especially myself, we can only be thankful for what Derek McInnes has done for the football club and his staff members as well. Club Statement. — Kilmarnock FC (@KilmarnockFC) May 15, 2025 'It's been a long journey but a good journey. His first game was Queen of the South away and then we were playing at Copenhagen away. That tells you the achievements. 'I think it's really important we don't get too caught up in emotion and really reflect on what the successful parts were, what the manager and the coaching staff brought to this group. He's created a great culture.' Looking ahead to Sunday, the club's under-18s coach said: 'From my own point of view it's been a little bit strange, I'm not going to lie. 'But ultimately in football you just have to take it on and go for it. Whatever you have been asked by the board, the fact is I need to help the players. We have a game to prepare for against a good team. 'As much as it happens in football and you lose good people and good staff, and I like to think we will be friends for the rest of our lives, we have to move on quickly and really focus on the game against Hearts.'
