‘Never again’ – Hearts CEO admits the key mistake made in Neil Critchley appointment.
Andrew McKinley breaks silence on reasons for sacking.
Hearts chief executive Andrew McKinlay admits that the club made a mistake in their previous managerial recruitment and appointment.
Hearts fired Neil Critchley after six months in charge after failing to qualify for the William Hill Premiership top six and losing at home to Dundee, raising the prospect of relegation.
After winning their last four games under caretaker manager Liam Fox, they hired Derek McInnes, who previously managed Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.
Regarding the previous appointment, McKinlay told Sky Sports: “I’ll admit that we got it wrong. If anyone can stand there and claim they have never made a mistake, I challenge them. The main thing is to learn from your mistakes.
“We were looking for a specific type of manager, and Neil was a very good coach and a nice guy, but I’m not sure he understood the club and its demands.
“We spoke with several people, but Neil was the one we ultimately chose and the only one with whom we had serious discussions.
“We spoke with a number of other people, some of whom were identified at the time and some who were not.
“The one thing I did learn from that process, and it’s much more difficult with foreign managers, is that you have to meet people in person.
“The last time around, we didn’t meet anyone in person. Some of this was due to circumstances; (sporting director) Graeme Jones was not in the role, and I was in Azerbaijan.
“It wasn’t easy; we wanted to get it done as quickly as possible, so we did everything remotely, and I would never do it again.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with conducting some of the interviews remotely, perhaps the first few, but I don’t think you should ever hire someone for a job like that who you haven’t met with in person, which is something we’ve obviously done with Derek on several occasions.
“We need someone who understands the Scottish game, has managed at the highest level of Scottish football, understands the needs of the Hearts fan base, and has previously achieved success. Derek is the man, and I’m really excited to work with him.”
McKinlay sympathised with Critchley, claiming he was “very unlucky in some ways”.
Hearts appeared to be on track to qualify for the UEFA Conference League knockout stages after a strong start, but a late penalty cost them a victory at home to Petrocub in a game they were expected to win.
They missed out on the top six on the final day, then had two players sent off in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-finals against Aberdeen before losing to a late extra-time winner.
“Every fine margin, everything went the wrong way for us,” McKinley told the crowd. “In some ways, you have to feel sorry for Neil.
“We just got to the point where we were concerned, to be honest, after the Dundee game, that we would be relegated.
“I understand that some people may think we were hasty, but we simply felt it was a difficult decision that we had to make. In hindsight, I believe it was probably the right decision.”
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