Latest news with #Shankland
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
McInnes knowing what Hearts need was music to my ears and it should be to Shankland too
Lawrence Shakland has much to consider when it comes to his future. At least there's one thing he can be sure of. If he signs on again at Tynecastle, he's going to get a team and manager who will give him every chance to recapture his best. Derek McInnes won't have needed to tell Shankland what to expect from the Hearts team next season if he's part of it. The striker will have seen it for himself. The new boss gets it. He knows what Hearts requires and it was music to my ears hearing him identify pace in the wide areas. It should have been music to Lawrence's lugs too. Just look at the way McInnes has set up teams in the past. It's tailor-made for a Shankland. Look at the way he used Adam Rooney during the first part of his spell at Aberdeen and the way he created a set-up to utilise him to the maximum. I played against that team and it was murder when the likes of Jonny Hayes and Niall McGinn got into full flow. Those boys were a nightmare to face. They held their width and they got service into Rooney. If McInnes thought Hayes and McGinn had the beating of their full-back, they would just keep pummelling them down the flanks. But, if he thought they weren't able to get away, he had no hesitation switching their sides and then they'd come inside and make mayhem, create and score their own goals. The other thing about them is they worked their backsides off and weren't scared to stick a foot in if it was needed as well. McInnes' Aberdeen team evolved, yet the principles stayed the same. Fast and aggressive in the wide areas and, when Rooney left, not many would have given Sam Cosgrove much hope of filling the void, yet he did it brilliantly in the end. That was down to service. The likes of Gary Mackay-Steven and Scott Wright were wide guys who kept that ethos and Kilmarnock was the same. Marley Watkins and Kyle Vassell both had brilliant seasons when they qualified for Europe and got fourth place in the Premiership. And much of that was down to the incredible service provided by Matty Kennedy and Danny Armstrong. Two boys who held their width. McInnes' plan was to get the ball to those two boys as swiftly as possible and let them deliver service. Kennedy was with him at Aberdeen as well, Mackay-Steven ended up going to Rugby Park. Listen, I get accused all the time of being old-school, of talking about playing direct football but I keep saying it. It's not just booting the ball up the park, it's getting it to your attacking players quickly and letting them do damage with pace and quality. Football has disappeared up it's own a**e. I hear folk rattling on about breaking lines and all of this jargon. Players have been breaking lines since the game was invented. It's called running off the ball or committing a player by taking him on. Some coaches these days could sell cars if they didn't have jobs in the game. I'm not suggesting McInnes isn't up to speed with modern tactics because he is but he's also clearly aware there are basic traits you need. Hearts are about being fast and aggressive. Being in people's faces, running that extra yard and making that extra tackle to then let your ability speak. That's the ethos and the DNA of the club. Hard work and quality. McInnes knows this. Various areas of the pitch are going to need work and alteration but those wide positions are absolutely key. It has been sadly lacking at Hearts in recent times and Lawrence should have been the first one to complain about it. This is a guy who guarantees you goals when you deliver into the box for him, yet it felt like teams were being set up almost to deny him that. Dropping him deep and asking him to link the game. That's great – but why take away your key weapon? McInnes wants boys to hug touchlines and make the chances and this is where the Jamestown Analytics can help the gaffer identify some options. Lawrence had a 12 months to forget but I have no doubt that if he stays at Hearts, he will start scoring goals again within a McInnes team. He's going to have options, as I said. But there's a World Cup coming next summer and Scotland might be in it. It might be worth considering where you are going to get the best out of yourself for the next few months. He knows McInnes rates him. He was the one who signed him for Aberdeen and he had to watch from the bench as the likes of Rooney ran riot. The evidence is there for Lawrence that he has now got a boss who is finally going to play to his strengths again. McInnes and Shankland together can be the figureheads for Hearts really pushing on now.
Scotsman
7 days ago
- 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.'
Daily Record
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Lawrence Shankland new Hearts contract offer details revealed as chiefs plot 'soap opera' to legend transformation
Jambos' CEO Andrew McKinlay hopes the arrival of Derek McInnes will help persuade Shankland to put pen to paper on a new deal Lawrence Shankland has been offered a three-year deal by Hearts as they plan to make him a legend. Shankland has banged in 68 goals his three seasons at Tynecastle, although only nine of them came during a torrid 24/25 campaign. The Scotland international's current deal expires in a few weeks, but there's an offer on the table for him to remain at the capital club. CEO Andrew McKinlay confirmed that Hearts are offering Shankland security, and he hopes, the chance to become a bonafide club legend. The Jambos haven't had as prolific a scorer since the days of John Robertson, and it's hoped the appointment of Derek McInnes as the club's new manager will persuade Shankland that his future lies in Gorgie. "It's been a bit of a soap opera as we know for the last two years with Lawrence," McKinlay told Sky Sports. "Not with him personally, but just constantly asked about him. "We're on record as having said that we've made an offer, Derek would like him to stay here. Derek's spoken to him, Derek knows him. "Derek had him up at Aberdeen, which probably wasn't the best part of his career, but Derek understands maybe what didn't work there and what does work and doesn't work for Lawrence. "I'm sure he'll want to speak with his family and want to decide what's best for him and his career. "We hope that it's back here and we genuinely think that if he did stay here for another three years, which is what we've offered, that he would become a genuine Hearts legend and would go back to how he was in the first two seasons and goals. "I can already picture Derek's teams with a couple of pacey wingers, getting the ball in for Lawrence and Lawrence banging it into the net. This place would absolutely love that." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here. 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.
Scottish Sun
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Keeping Lawrence Shankland is my TOP priority, reveals new Hearts boss Derek McInnes
Shankland is yet to sign a new contract with the Edinburgh side 'WOULD BE BRILLIANT' Keeping Lawrence Shankland is my TOP priority, reveals new Hearts boss Derek McInnes DEREK McINNES has confirmed talks with Lawrence Shankland were his top priority on day one as Hearts manager. The ex-Kilmarnock and Aberdeen gaffer was paraded as the new Tynecastle boss yesterday. 1 The striker's contract expires at the end of the month Credit: Willie Vass And then he shot off to speak to the Scotland striker about his future. Shankland had looked certain to leave the Jambos this summer. But McInnes will pull out all the stops to keep him. He said: 'As soon as we finish this I can probably get going with that. If we've got an opportunity to keep him then we should, because he's Scottish and he gives you 20-odd goals a season. 'He could maybe get more than that if you give him the right service and get him closer to goal.' Del — who also plans discussions with 42-year-old Craig Gordon — signed Shankland for Aberdeen in 2013. He added: 'I do believe that working with Lawrence would be brilliant. Ultimately, it didn't work out for him at Aberdeen and there is no shame in that. 'Sometimes it takes a player a bit longer to find his way. 'He became a Scotland internationalist, he goes to the Euros, he becomes a really relevant player in the Scottish Premiership. 'He's a boy that I'm really fond of. 'I know his family. I would love to continue with him.' Legendary Hearts manager Jim Jefferies reveals he was dead for more than four minutes as he opens up on major health scare Things never worked out for Shankland at Pittodrie and his levels of professionalism only cranked up after moving on. But McInnes always appreciated his knack for scoring goals. He added: 'We felt Lawrence was the kind of signing we should be making at Aberdeen. 'He was a young player who'd scored goals in the lower leagues, and he had potential. 'He did brilliantly for the reserves but it just never happened for him. 'I think he thought Adam Rooney was too far ahead of him at the time. 'Maybe a lack of belief, maybe a wee bit of lack of everything at that time. 'A goalscorer is a goalscorer and when he left Aberdeen, it never really quite worked out for him at St Mirren and Morton. 'It was only when he went to Ayr United under Ian McCall. He made him feel important. 'The penny dropped with Lawrence. 'It looked as if he was enjoying his football again. He looked leaner, more confident and was scoring goals again.' McInnes left Kilmarnock under a cloud after news of his imminent departure to Hearts broke. But he insists he did nothing wrong. He said: 'I've got nothing to apologise for because I loved the time at Kilmarnock. 'It was a brilliant club and I'd made so many good friends and relationships there. 'I just thought Sunday's game would be too problematic, too antagonistic.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Kilmarnock 0-1 Hearts: Analysis
All change at Tynecastle as well with McInnes' appointment expected in the coming day or been a positive end to a campaign that was so frustrating for the most part but work will surely start right first on the agenda is clarity on Shankland's future. The travelling support certainly embraced their captain when he was at Hearts is hiding from the fact that this season has been bitterly disappointing. There can be no will want to start the new campaign in complete contrast to how this one began with recruitment key.
