Hearts name Steven Gerrard's mentor as new manager after 'analytics guided search'

Hearts have appointed former Liverpool man Neil Critchley as their new manager, who once worked closely with Steven Gerrard during his rise in the world of football management.

The ex-Blackpool and QPR boss Critchley has signed a contract through to the end of the 2026-27 season and succeeds Steven Naismith, who was sacked last month following the club's poor start to the campaign.

The Jambos looked set to appoint Per-Mathias Hogmo as their new head coach after interviewing the former Norway boss, but he ruled himself out of contention last week.

Hearts, who are in the process of striking a deal with Brighton owner Tony Bloom to gain access to his renowned recruitment software, confirmed that analytics had guided their search for Naismith's replacement.

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."

"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."

After working in the youth system at Liverpool, Critchley guided Blackpool to promotion to the Championship via the play-offs in 2021 before becoming Gerrard's assistant at Aston Villa.

He left Villa Park to take charge of QPR in 2022 but was sacked after 12 games, and a second spell as Blackpool manager ended in dismissal in August.

Critchley's long-time assistant Mike Garrity is also joining the Jambos' staff.

Naismith guided Hearts to a third-placed finish in the Premiership last season but was dismissed in September after eight straight defeats in all competitions.

Hearts sit bottom of the Premiership after taking only two points from their first eight matches.

They secured their first win of the season under interim boss Liam Fox earlier this month, 2-1 at Dinamo Minsk in the Europa Conference League.