Hearts announce former Blackpool manager Neil Critchley as new head coach

Hearts have appointed Englishman Neil Critchley as their new head coach following the sacking of Steven Naismith.

The 45-year-old former Blackpool and Queens Park Rangers boss has signed a deal until the end of the 2026/27 season at Tynecastle.

Critchley has been out of work since August when he was sacked from his second spell in charge at Blackpool following a 3-0 home defeat to Stockport County.

Hearts held discussions with former Norway international manager Per-Mathias Hogmo last week but failed to agree a deal with the 64-year-old, leading them to move to appoint Critchley.

The new Hearts boss retired from playing at the age of 24 and immediately began a coaching career at his formative club Crewe Alexandra.

In 2013 he moved to Liverpool and he spent seven years at Anfield in charge of their under-18 and under-23 sides.

Critchley earned his first shot as a head coach with Blackpool in March 2020 and guided the Seasiders to promotion to the English Championship through the play-offs.

He left to become assistant manager to Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa in 2022 but left alongside the former Rangers boss after just four months.

Critchley had an unsuccessful spell at Queens Park Rangers, winning just one game in 12, before returning to Blackpool in May 2023 where he failed to guide them to promotion for a second time.

Hearts sit bottom of the Scottish Premiership with two points from their opening eight games. They host St Mirren in the league in their next game.

In a message to supporters, the new head coach said: “We want you to be excited by the team that you see on the pitch and come to support. We want to be a team that nobody wants to play.

“When you come to Tynecastle on a Saturday, the feeling should be optimistic and excited to see a team that gives the support reasons to get on their feet. You should be able to see the passion of the support reflected in the team.

“This is an exciting time for the club, and it rightly has high expectations.

“That starts with a simple objective; winning football matches, and our first opportunity to address that is when we play St. Mirren in Gorgie on Saturday.

“The passion for this football club I’ve experienced in my short time here has warmed me. There’s passion, but also great compassion shown both by the people who work here and the supporters.

“I promise I’ll give this club everything. You very quickly come to understand how much Hearts means to those who care most about it, and how much of a difference it makes to their lives by giving them a successful team.

“I can’t wait to start this journey, and I’m looking forward to meeting all of the players and getting down to work straight away. See you on Saturday.”

Speaking about the appointment, chief executive officer Andrew McKinlay told the club’s website: “I’m very happy to be able to welcome Neil to Hearts.

“We’ve made no secret of the fact that analytics has guided our search for a new manager, and that data presented us with many top quality options including Neil.

“During the interview process, we got the opportunity to hear from applicants and get a better understanding of them as people and in particular how they have dealt with and learnt from particular situations both positive and negative in their careers.

“In addition, we were able to ascertain who would fit best into our new model going forward which includes the use of analytics for recruitment and the appointment of a new sporting director with very clear ideas of what we need to do to succeed.

“This was a vital part of our deliberations as any appointment has to be fully bought into this to ensure that we have the maximum chance of success.

“Following these discussions, it became very clear who the standout candidates were.

“Neil understands well what we are looking to do, has experience at big club environments, none more so than at Liverpool, and is an ambitious coach with a desire to lead his teams to the top.

“Everyone at Hearts is looking forward to Neil getting to work and I’m sure our supporters will give him a warm welcome when we play St Mirren on Saturday, and continue their unrivalled backing of the team.”

Incoming sporting director Graeme Jones said: “I have been privileged enough to be involved in this process ahead of officially commencing my role as sporting director at Hearts, and I have been impressed at how robust and concise it has been.

“Our analytics partners, who have an extremely good track record of managerial appointments in the UK and abroad, worked with us to provide a shortlist of compelling and contrasting options, which through interviews and negotiations have led us to today’s announcement.

“Neil was the outstanding candidate based on the analytics, and having spoken with him at length I believe he is who we need to provide success as the club prepares to enter a new, exciting era.

“For Neil to succeed he, like anyone, will need the right environment and I will work closely with him to provide that environment.”