Interim head coach Liam Fox discusses the need for pace at Tynecastle.

Last weekend, Hearts returned to form thanks to a direct approach laced with width and pace. Following Neil Critchley’s dismissal, Liam Fox’s second spell as interim head coach began with a 3-1 win at Ross County. There were some encouraging signs in an attempt to re-engage disgruntled fans, though it should be noted that the Dingwall trip was only for one game.

Lawrence Shankland’s goals, Alan Forrest’s strike, and Kenneth Vargas’ assist all supported Fox’s team selection. Critchley preferred a diamond-shaped midfielder or a 4-2-3-1 formation with inverted wide players, whereas Fox chose 4-3-3 with the intention of attacking County. Forrest and Vargas flanked Shankland, combining two quick wingers with a natural goalscorer in attack. The move paid off.

Supporters, on the other hand, will need more than a win over the Scottish Premiership’s second-bottom team to get over their frustration. Given their resources, Hearts should not be in the league’s bottom half, and fans are frustrated by this season’s poor performance. They chanted at the club’s board in Dingwall, specifically chief executive Andrew McKinlay and chairwoman Ann Budge, who were not present.

Fox acknowledged, in an exclusive interview with the Edinburgh News, the importance of uniting everyone involved. “Yes, we heard them,” he said about the chants. “My responsibility is to lead the team to the end of the season. It would be ideal if everyone could stick together and stay united. I understand that it is difficult following a bad season with some poor results and performances. All we can do is focus on Motherwell this week, as we did last week, and hopefully put on another good performance to finish the season strong.”

He intends to accomplish this with more of the same on the field: speed, width, and goals. “Having previously done this kind of role before, and also being a manager in the Premiership before, definitely gives you that wee bit of assurance and a bit of something to reference,” he said.” “For me, it was about putting a team on the pitch that represented what I wanted the team to be like. I wanted more width and speed in the team, and that is no slight to anyone who has been before. That’s just how I see it, and I thought this was the best way to get the desired result. So, some people got opportunities, but it was based on how I saw the game, how they performed, and how they trained the previous week.”

Shankland and Hearts find resolve to win crucial Premiership fixture.

Hearts appeared to lack confidence at times in the first half, and the fans’ ire flared after Ronan Hale put Ross County ahead 1-0. Fox’s team recovered well and put on a much more convincing second half performance. “I think that’s fair,” he admitted. “I also believe that going behind by a goal – I’m not sure how many attempts Ross County had on goal before scoring – there was a sense of ‘we’ve been here before’.

“What pleased me the most was the reaction to that. We kept being brave, passing the ball, and looking forward, and the group gradually gained confidence. Obviously, we score before halftime, which gives everyone a boost of confidence. It just gave us a little bit more belief and confidence. So the game is about moments, and that was a big one. Lawrence stepped up for the team, and I was pleased with several aspects of the second half. I was pleased with some of the attacking and counter-attacking, but also with how we defended the box.”

The interim head coach recognised the significance of publicly extracting character reserves. “Absolutely. Again, that’s probably my biggest takeaway: they didn’t fail,” Fox said. “We stayed strong, stood up to it, and fronted up, which is sometimes necessary in football. You need to figure it out, find a way to get through these times, and then keep believing in what you’re doing. I believe that was what we discussed at halftime: our determination to win the game, even though we could have sat back a little.

“No, we want to win; we want to play aggressively, forward, and quickly. We had moments of that in the second half. I’m just happy for the players because, as you mentioned, it’s been a disappointing season. We are aware of this. There is no getting away from that. There is no getting away from it. We didn’t go down the road celebrating, jumping up and down, but hopefully it gives them a boost and propels us forward to another big game next week.”.

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