Latest news with #ScottishFootballSocialClub
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Lawrence Shankland's Hearts contract talks and the key positions Derek McInnes is targeting in transfer window
Season 2025/26 plans are well underway in Edinburgh Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... Further contract talks between Hearts and Lawrence Shankland will take place today in an attempt to decide the club captain's future. Derek McInnes will take time out from a family holiday to speak with Shankland for the second time since he was named head coach at Tynecastle Park last week. The new manager is hoping discussions can lead towards a positive outcome as he tries to keep Shankland in maroon. It is one of several issues McInnes is aiming to resolve as he works to strengthen the Hearts squad for next season. He intends to sign new players in various key positions, but securing Shankland would be as important as any. The Scotland internationalist scored 68 goals in 137 Hearts appearances since arriving in Gorgie three years ago and is very much a talismanic figure when on form. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad McInnes wants him to extend the three-year contract which is days away from expiring. The player has already been offered a new deal. 'I'm due to speak to him again tomorrow,' the head coach told Monday night's Scottish Football Social Club. 'I've made it clear I'd like to work with Lawrence but it's not just me selling how I see him and the advantages of staying at Hearts. I think there are clear advantages for Lawrence of staying at Hearts, how I want the team to be and I think he could really capitalise on that. 'Lawrence has allowed his contract to run down. He's a No.9 who is known for scoring goals, he's got pedigree. We'd be foolish to think we're the only show in town, but all we can do is put our best foot forward and see where it takes us. Like everything else you hope for a quick decision on these things so you can plan, but if that decision isn't forthcoming and isn't going to be quick, we need to move on. I need to look after Hearts and Lawrence needs to look after Lawrence. While there's a chance, and there's still a chance, we'll continue to try and exhaust that the best way we can.' Hearts won't wait forever on Shankland to decide whether to accept the new contract. 'I would like to be patient with that but when you're a new manager, in the door, you want to put your squad together as quickly as possible,' acknowledged McInnes. 'We are just five weeks away from League Cup games and I would like to get my squad as strong as I could for the start of those first proper games. Ultimately, it's about getting the squad as strong as we can before the window closes. 'I've never been one for putting deadlines on things. I always think people resist against deadlines. I don't think that's the best practice. But, clearly, there has got to be a healthy regard and respect both ways. I can't have people just sitting there thinking: 'Well, Hearts are there anyway, I can keep them waiting.' In time, we might not be there. We need to move on. I don't want to get involved in a fight that I can't win so, if we're not going to win it, I would rather just move on.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Transfer window signings and Hearts' Jamestown relationship There are numerous other signing targets being worked on by the Riccarton recruitment team, aided by Jamestown Analytics' data. Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink and Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis will arrive next month for pre-season training. Hearts are also working to finalise a deal for the Kazakhstan internationalist Islam Chesnokov. McInnes explained the process involving his assistants, Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald, plus the Hearts sporting director Graeme Jones. 'I'm getting a lot of agents who I've built up relationships with getting in touch and offering me players, as you would do, but it's up to Hearts to contact the agent now,' he stated. 'Through Jamestown Analytics, they flag up the players and the agents get the call. I'll send on the the agent's number and all the players that are getting put to me, but by and large it's totally different. It's a bit unusual for me just to pass that on now. 'I have been looking at a lot of players over the last few days. We've got a group chat with myself, Alan Archibald, Paul Sheerin and Graeme Jones. We've identified the types of players we would like to bring to the club, and then it's looking at different options. This is different for me but it's exciting nonetheless. 'It's actually nice to look at players who are doing well. A lot of the time, at the clubs I've been at, it's the out-of-contract list, free agents and loans. This time, it's different. You are actually looking at players targeted as doing well with a lot of potential and at a high level. Jamestown Analytics, their rating brings you into our focus for where we want to fill the squad as best we can with players with a high rating. That's the players I'm looking at, so it's a totally different couple of weeks I've had. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think the same pressure is still there because, once the ball rolls, you've got to win games of football. There's still a pressure there to try and identify the right players for what you need and the right players for Hearts. Jamestown Analytics, Graeme Jones and the recruitment team will help me build the squad, but it's important that I build the team. 'You have a lot of benefits at Hearts: Bigger budget, infrastructure, training ground, stadium, fanbase. It's quite unique in that sense. There's a lot going for it. There's a big sell any time you are trying to sign a player but we have a lot going for us at Hearts. Ultimately, it's only advantages if you work right and use it right. 'Just because you have a Hearts badge on your strip doesn't mean you've got any guarantees to win games of football. You are going to have to work harder than your opponents on any given day. You will have to work harder as a club to recruit better. With every signing, there's an element of risk. No signing is without risk. I do think Jamestown Analytics limits the risk. It's really focused and strategic in what you want. 'I've been pretty clear on the few positions that I think we really need to zone in on and identify. Thankfully, those options are already coming through. It's my job, the staff's job and the club's job to try and get the best ones we can find.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Signing targets identified as McInnes moves on deals McInnes is eager to add those wide players with pace. A physical and mobile striker has also been discussed, and he wants a dominant central midfielder. That's just for starters. 'There are some players I'm aware of, other players I haven't been aware of and you soon get a handle on them,' he said. 'There are key types of players. The squad I'm inheriting, there are a lot of good players. I think it's quite overloaded in certain areas but there are a lot of good players there and I'm looking forward to working with them. 'There are a lot of players I've got a good handle on what they can offer. But there are also players I'm pretty sure that, when you get to work them a bit closer, maybe some will surprise you. I do feel it's my job, like every manager, you've got to assess the squad. You've got to look at one or two that are leaving as well, potentially, and you always try to get ahead of the game. 'I think we need forward options, I certainly think we need wide options and I think we need a different type of midfielder and those are the key positions we're looking at. We want a lot more pace in the wider areas, players who are happy holding the touchline, players who are happy one v one. I do think eight or nine teams will come to Tynecastle and try and sit and frustrate. There are others who will take you on and the game becomes a bit more open. We've got to be able to have players that are happy to take on tight defences and try to unlock team. I do think that having the best wide players and good wide options is going to be key for us.' There are options which will excite fans and others McInnes has already dismissed. 'A lot of the time my recruitment team at previous clubs and myself are sifting through footage because you're always scared in case you miss out on somebody,' he admitted. 'You know these agents are contacting other clubs and you don't want any other clubs to gain an advantage on you. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'A lot of the time the clubs are all kind of fishing in the same pond. So you watch and you watch and you watch and a lot of the time it's a waste of time because you quickly make your mind up. But with this system a lot of that has been done for you and you're actually getting good options. A lot of the options we've had so far, while a lot of them aren't exactly what I'm looking for, they're pretty close. That's the bit you're saving a lot of time on. Any manager will tell you it drains you a lot of the time, looking at players that are clearly not fit for purpose but you look anyway because it's our job.' Tony Bloom's £10m Hearts investment deal voted through Hearts fans yesterday voted 98.5 per cent in favour of Tony Bloom's investment deal through Foundation of Hearts. The club will now hold an Extraordinary General Meeting to finalise the £9.86m agreement. After seeing substantial improvement at the other clubs where Bloom holds shares - Brighton and Hove Albion in England, plus newly-crowned Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise - McInnes is intrigued by what Bloom's influence may lead to at Tynecastle. 'When Neil [Critchley] lost his job and the Hearts job became available, you think: 'What a great opportunity that is with the added investment, with Tony Bloom, who is very successful in his own right and in football now.' USG winning the league, what a brilliant story that is in Belgium,' said McInnes. 'It's well-documented how good Brighton have become over the last 10 years or so. He has been at the heart of that and driving it. 'I think, in Scottish football, when you get something a bit different, there's always a bit of scepticism, but there is some real evidence there that it works. You are talking about serious operators, guys who know what they are doing, guys who are putting money into the club, guys who believe there is a bigger future and a bigger outcome for Hearts. We want to be the biggest club we can be and, obviously, they have seen the potential in it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'As managers and players, you want to work for clubs like that. Sometimes you can be left a wee bit dismayed, could maybe take it on a wee bit more. I'm pretty sure, if we can progress things, the support is going to be there and it's going to continue to be there. Hopefully this is just the start of something. 'From the outside looking in, when Hearts were looking for a new manager at the end of the season, I think I'd have been a bit envious if it hadn't been me. I wanted it to be me. I was choking for this job, I'm not going to deny that. For all the reasons we've spoken about - strong squad, nucleus of good players, all the advantages Hearts have as a club and their traditions, with the added investment and forward-thinking of the people involved, hopefully it can help and assist a manager. I firmly believe it can.'
The National
28-04-2025
- Sport
- The National
'I'm struggling' - Hutton picks only one Rangers player to keep
Appearing on Premier Sports' Scottish Football Social Club, Hutton was asked which members of the current Rangers squad deserve to remain at the club for the upcoming campaign. His response was immediate and focused on Czech winger Vaclav Cerny, currently on loan from Wolfsburg. "Cerny," Hutton said, before pausing. Fellow pundit Michael Stewart joked that Hutton's mic had been muted, prompting laughter from the panel. Cerny, 27, has been one of the few bright spots for Rangers this season, earning praise for his performances amid an underwhelming overall campaign. "If you brought in better players to play round about these guys, I think you could get better out of them," Hutton went on to explain after being asked to be realistic with his assessment. "Cerny, if they can keep a hold of him, has been a standout for most of the season. [Nicolas] Raskin has come on to a real good game, [Mohamed] Diomande possibly, [John] Souttar at the back – I think the back needs a lot of work. [Jack] Butland, I presume, if he gets back to the form that we've seen, but outwith that I'm struggling to be quite honest with you." Read more: While acknowledging a handful of players showing promise, Hutton expressed concern about others in the squad - even striker Cyriel Dessers, who has netted 24 times this season. "Dessers' numbers are good, don't get me wrong, but the problem is everything else that goes along with that. I think they could be much better," Hutton added. "So, I think they need more players up the top end of the pitch." Hutton also pointed to potential departures in the coming months. "People like [Nedim] Bajrami, [Oscar] Cortes, [Tom] Lawrence – all these guys will leave," he said, suggesting a major overhaul is required in the attacking areas of the team.
Scotsman
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Michael Stewart launches fiery tirade at Hearts hierarchy after Scottish Cup exit
The former Jambos midfielder has accused the club of 'playing to the gallery' after their statement following the Scottish Cup defeat to Aberdeen. Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... Former Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart launched a long and fiery tirade not just against referee John Beaton but also against the club itself following their Scottish Cup semi final exit to Aberdeen. Michael Stewart didn't hold back when discussing Hearts' Scottish Cup semi final defeat to Aberdeen and the club's statement in the aftermath (Pic: SNS) | SNS Group The BBC Scotland and Premier Sports pundit was speaking with former Rangers and Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton as well as host Darrell Currie on the latest episode of the Scottish Football Social Club show. It came after Hearts released a statement questioning the actions of Beaton who sent off Michael Steinwender and Cammy Devlin with the Jambos being beaten 2-1 in extra time and finishing the match with nine men. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stewart touched on multiple issues from the match itself to head coach Neil Critchley and the board of directors, making reference to previous comments made by CEO Andrew Critchley. You can watch the full segment on Premier Sports YouTube channel or read what was said below... Michael Stewart takes aim at Hearts hierarchy after Scottish Cup exit First up, Stewart spoke on Cammy Devlin's sending off in the semi final defeat to Aberdeen. He also touched on the match as a whole. He said: 'First and foremost, Hearts were the better team in the first half in regards to a straight shoot out between the two teams. The sending off just before half time changes the dynamic completely so it becomes a different style of game and then Heart's as a defensive outfit I thought looked pretty comfortable. 'Aberdeen huffed and puffed without really threatening them too much. Touching on the second yellow card, just ludicrous. Okay it's a free kick it's a free kick, John Beaton understandably gives it but it's never a yellow card and I just find that so disappointing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Now I see Hearts' statement coming out and you understand the frustration of course, it's a semi-final and the referee's made a mistake. I'm trying to be as balanced as possible, I don't think you could say it had a material effect on the game that second yellow card.' Host Darrell Currie jumped in at this point, asking: 'How could you say that though? Because even psychologically you're hanging on with 10 then, you go down to nine, it's a bad decision as well. I know what you're saying, that might not have had an impact on the goal. Do you not think it's still a massive moment in the game, who even knows that the placings of the players on the eventual winning goal having an extra man in the park might have helped?" Stewart responded: 'I hear all you're saying and there is an argument for that but in my view it's not like, for example they've scored straight from the free kick, or there's been another incident in the middle of the park where they've lost the ball and they're outnumbered because there's a man down. I get what you're saying but I don't see it as being so blatant that it was a direct consequence of that sending off that led to the goal. 'They were good Hearts, they were. There's credit to be given there but the most important thing is getting through a cup final and that's what Aberdeen have done. Aberdeen were poor but they managed to get through to a cup final and that's all that really counts and for Hearts, as much as you can point to certain things and say the performance was good, that sending off has changed the game, defensively they looks sound. There's bigger picture issues and bigger picture decisions to be made about Hearts and I just don't think that this game alters or changes that dramatically.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Discussing Neil Critchley's half time substitutions where defender Frankie Kent and Craig Halkett replaced strikers James Wilson and Elton Kabangu, Stewart commented: 'It's a fair enough point but this is what I would say about what happened there and forgive me for going back and harping on about this point but it's a pertinent point as far as I'm concerned. If Hearts had a balanced team with pace you could have gone to the defensive setup that they had and still been a real threat going forward. 'So it becomes a difficult situation for Neil Critchley, does he leave himself a little bit more exposed at the back to try to have the threat up top or does he look to contain? It was effectively trying to play for penalties or trying to get a set piece and hope you get something from that but it's because the team and the squad is so imbalanced the options to be able to do other things were very slim. 'You look at the quality that comes on, Frankie Kent's a good defender, Craig Halkett barring the injuries is a very good defender and Kingsley likewise. They don't have the equivalent of that in forward areas or wide areas in terms of the quality so they become very limited in what they're able to do and I thought the decisions he's made almost paid off perfectly but at the same time it still highlights what that team has been sorely lacking for years.' Hutton and Stewart react to Hearts club statement Reacting to the statement released by Hearts, Alan Hutton commented: 'I don't have a problem with it, personally. I think if they feel the need to let everybody know and voice their opinion on what's happened to them this season, then no problem. I think the Cammy Devlin one, it was rubbish. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The second you look up, he's not even looking, he's going to clear the ball, and he catches him on the foot. Play on, they still had possession of the ball, they could have still attacked, they could have done something, so they could have just went, right, play on, and then after it, the referee just has to say to them, look, watch what you're doing, you've already been booked, just calm it, or whatever it may be. I've not got a problem with Hearts coming out and saying what they feel moving forward, and it needs to get better, because at times it hasn't been good enough, simple as that.' Stewart then returned to the conversation, saying: "I was just going to say, not that I disagree with that, but I just feel at times, clubs coming out with statements like that and then saying 'don't take our silence for inaction'. Previously in the season that was a quote that they came out with. I just feel it's playing to the galleries a wee bit. 'I suppose it's probably just my slight hesitation and reluctance to feel like the board are making good decisions. I'm probably being a wee bit prejudice this year in terms of all the other things that I've got concerns about with the board. 'There was a fairly heated debate that I heard. Big Chris Sutton was saying that Neil Critchley's job was to keep hearts up, which is utter garbage, like total nonsense. Use Andrew McKinley's own words, he said himself, way after Neil Critchley had already been appointed, that he still felt they were going to get in the top six, and they were going to qualify for Europe. So there's a stark difference between getting into Europe, top six, and qualifying for Europe, and getting relegated. There's a huge difference between those two things. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The job was not for hearts to stay in the division. The job was clearly to try and push to get into the top six. They've not done that. My issues and my concerns are that for a number of years, footballing decisions have been poor and, also, which probably leads me to say what I just said there about feeling like they're playing to the galleries slightly is that Hearts are a fan-owned club, which I think is brilliant, but in any system like that, you still have a hierarchy, and you still have to have people, strong people making strong decisions. 'I feel too often, they follow what they hear outside. To me, that is not a healthy way to run something. You can't run by committee. It doesn't work and when you look at the poor footballing decisions that have been made, managerial appointments, not a particularly great track record, you look at the deficiencies in the squad, and it's been like that for a number of years. Not particularly great. This is a club that takes huge sums of money in from the fans 'I don't think it's been spent and invested as wisely as it could. The business side of the club has been done brilliantly for a number of years. Fantastic. The whole setup of the club is perfectly placed for Hearts. Over the last three or four years, with the guaranteed group stage European football, to have kicked on and I don't think it has kicked on. I think it's stagnated slightly and now they're in the bottom six, which is regression. 'So, to look at the status quo and Neil Critchley moving into next season. Is he the manager? Is he not the manager? Or whatever, right? I mean, it's irrespective of whether he stays or he goes. You can guarantee that if he's in charge to start the next season, if they don't start the season well, you know what happens. Come October, November, it will be rinse and repeat." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stewart questions Jamestown Analytics role in Hearts recruitment Finally, the former Jambos midfielder brought the role that Jamestown Analytics plays in the club's recruitment of players into the spotlight. It came after his fellow panellists had brought up the new contracts signed by Adam Forrester and James Wilson last week. On those deals, Stewart said: 'This is catch up. This is stuff that has been apparent to many people. I'm not suggesting it's the manager's fault. I'm still talking about the club as a whole here. When you then talk about the manager, for example, look, I'm just not sure. He's not a leader for me. Are Hearts going to maximise their potential with the current set-up in place. I don't think they will. That's just my honest opinion. 'Let's look at the recruitment side of things here in Jamestown Analytics. I'm not really sure why or how you need a data analytics company to tell you about Harry Milne, who's a left-back in the Scottish your scout, use his two eyes and tell you what he thinks. "Jamie McCart, I don't understand why you need the data. Surely you merge the two things, the data and your eyes, to then form the opinion. There has to be an identity to that and my fear is that it becomes a little bit of a discord group and that becomes more difficult to knit things together. Great to see young Wilson and Forrester getting new contracts but I do think you need to really, really be careful and make sure that that spine of the team, not just the periphery, but the spine of the team, is more domestic. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "I think it is a big summer because there's a group of players there as well who have done very well over a number of years but they are at the stage where they probably need to be replaced in the squad as a whole. The likes of Kingsley's been picking up a few injuries. He becomes more difficult to rely upon. Craig Halkett even more so. Lawrence Shankland is probably going to leave, it would look like. "The midfield as a whole, of which there is a plethora of midfielders, but none of them that balance out with Beningame, who is a good player, I thought he was very good on Saturday. He just needs that support around him and he's not really got that, so he needs more support in the middle of the park. He needs wide players, he needs another winger. "They've obviously signed a right back, that's one that they need. What's going to happen with Craig Gordon? That's an interesting one. 42-year-old, Scotland's number one, but it doesn't appear like they're moving forward at the moment, I'm not sure. So there is a fair bit of work that's needed."
