The new head coach of Hearts has been announced.
Hearts have appointed Neil Critchley as their new head coach.
The former Blackpool and QPR manager agrees to a contract that will last until the conclusion of the 2026–2027 campaign. Mike Garrity, a former member of the Liverpool Academy, Blackpool, Lincoln City, and QPR who has also worked overseas in China and Norway, assists him. Critchley has also served as the head coach of Liverpool’s U18 and U23 teams in addition to being Steven Gerrard’s assistant manager at Aston Villa.
Prior to Saturday’s matchup with St. Mirren, he was appointed with the team in the bottom of the Premiership and without a victory this season. Andrew McKinlay, the chief executive officer, stated: “I’m delighted to have Neil join Hearts. We have not concealed the fact that our search for a new manager has been guided by analytics, which also gave us a number of excellent candidates, including Neil.
We had the chance to speak with candidates during the interview process, which helped us learn more about them as individuals and, in particular, how they handled and learnt from both positive and negative circumstances in their professional lives.
Additionally, we were able to determine who would best match our new model moving ahead, which calls for hiring a new Sporting Director with a clear understanding of what we must do to succeed and using analytics for recruitment. This was a crucial component of our discussions since, in order to maximise our chances of success, any appointment must be totally committed to.
After these conversations, it was evident which candidates stood out. Neil is an ambitious coach who wants to take his teams to the top, has experience in major club environments—none more so than at Liverpool—and is well aware of what we are seeking to do.
“Everyone at Hearts is excited for Neil to start working, and I have no doubt that our fans will welcome him with open arms when we play St Mirren on Saturday and continue to provide the team with their unmatched support.”
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