Neil Critchley lands Hearts manager job as former Blackpool and QPR boss pens 2 and a half year deal

Neil Critchley has been named the next Hearts manager, penning deal until the end of the 2026/27 campaign.

The Jambos have been on the hunt for Steven Naismith's successor and initially pursued veteran Norwegian coach Per-Mathias Hogmo before talks collapsed. He and Critchley were down to the final two and they have since turned to the Englishman to take the reins.

Record Sport reported he was due in Edinburgh on Monday to finalise the move. And now it's been confirmed with Hearts confirming his arrival. Speaking about the appointment, Chief Executive Officer Andrew McKinlay told the official Hearts 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. During the interview process, we got the opportunity to hear from applicants and get a better understanding of them as people and in particular how they have dealt with and learnt from particular situations both positive and negative in their careers.

“In addition, we were able to ascertain who would fit best into our new model going forward which includes the use of analytics for recruitment and the appointment of a new Sporting Director with very clear ideas of what we need to do to succeed. This was a vital part of our deliberations as any appointment has to be fully bought into this to ensure that we have the maximum chance of success.

“Following these discussions, it became very clear who the standout candidates were. 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