Celtic and Rangers gap NOT insurmountable says Neil Critchley as new Hearts boss looks long term

Neil Critchley has watched Celtic and Rangers dominate Scottish football for the past four decades.

But the new Hearts boss insists the gap between the Old Firm and the rest is NOT insurmountable. The Englishman will take charge of his first game as Jambos boss against St Mirren tomorrow and reckons a new way of thinking allied to the tie in with Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics offers a chance to bridge the chasm to the top two. That might be some way down the road with Critchley’s priority right now to get a first win of the Premiership season on the board at the ninth time of trying tomorrow.

But he knows long term the targets will be at the top end of the table and not the bottom. The Jambos finished best of the rest last season but still 17 points behind Rangers in second and a massive 25 off champions Celtic. And Critchley said: “It’s always something to whet your appetite. Everyone knows the top two are the dominant. They have been for a number of years.

“But, at some point, why can't that gap be bridged? It's not insurmountable. To do that, though, you have to think differently first. So maybe this is a different type of appointment. I think that shows you maybe the direction the club wants to go into. And with a different type of thinking and what we might be able to achieve in terms of recruitment then who knows what might happen in the future?”

Former Blackpool and QPR boss Critchley’s appointment was met with negativity from large swathes of the Jambos support. Sacked from his last two jobs the Gorgie faithful have questioned his credentials. Particularly given he lasted less than four months and just 12 games at QPR where he won just once.

But he said: “QPR… you talk about your first 100 days at a job and I