An awful lot has been written about data and analytics around Hearts in the last month.
But the only stats that matter right now are the ones staring the Jambos in the face at the bottom of the table – zero wins and just two points from eight games. Jamestown Analytics is the Tony Bloom-linked tool that produced Neil Critchley’s name as the best candidate – according to CEO Andrew McKinlay – to sort out that mess that ultimately cost Steven Naismith his job last month.
Yet the numbers around the 45-year-old are hardly encouraging either given he has been sacked from his last two jobs at Blackpool and QPR in the space of under two years. He lasted just 12 games at Loftus Road. It’s a set of circumstances that sees Critchley, unveiled at Tynecastle on Tuesday, arrive in the job with a lukewarm reception from punters. And that’s putting it politely.
But the mildly spoken Englishman has promised doubters he is the real deal. He does have one promotion on his CV from his first spell as boss at Blackpool.
More than that though, he insists he’s a better manager for the trials and tribulations of his previous jobs. And he is in no doubt he can lead Hearts out of their hell. Critchley said: “Yeah, I believe I am otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here. I understand that whoever’s sitting here, it always divides opinion. I can only control what I can control.
“I promise the Hearts supporters that I give them everything I’ve got every single day to improve this football club. And I’m fully confident that I can do that and I’ll be the man to get us out of the situation that we’re in right now.
“When you’ve got a big supporter base like we have, then some people will agree, some people will be sitting on a fence and let’s give them an opportunity, some people might think differently. It could be anybody sitting here, but I’ve been given this opportunity and it’s one I intend to give everything that I can to make this football club successful.
“You learn from all of the experiences, good and bad. You reflect on them and I’ll use that to hopefully make me better in the future.
“That saying, for adversity you gain strength and I think that’s really true. You learn more about yourself and I think I’m in a far better position now from what I’ve been through.
“I hope to use that to my benefit that ultimately transfers to the people I have responsibility every day for, which is the staff and the players. My immediate aim is to win games of football. We’ve not won a game of football so far this season. My focus is solely on St Mirren on Saturday.
“The rest will hopefully take care of itself in the future, but like I say, there’s plenty of points to play for, plenty of games. Hopefully, over the next coming weeks and months, we can gradually climb and let’s see where we can get to.”
Critchley launched a strong defence of his record at Blackpool, despite being sacked in August after losing the first two games of the League One season. The Seasiders missed out on the play-offs in May by three points but did reach the semi finals of the EFL Trophy.
He said: “The first spell at Blackpool, we got promoted in our first season and then sustained our Championship status in the second. Then when I came back to the club it was after a relegation and there’s been a lot of change at the club.
“Lots of players left, I think there were 17 players left last summer and we built a new squad. From changing a team that was losing and having the mindset of losing to a team that was then expected to win, to get to 73 points and only miss out on the last day of the season to get to the playoffs.
“To get to the semi-final of the EFL trophy, one game away from Wembley and to take Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round to a replay an extra time, I didn’t see it as a negative at all, I thought it was positive.”
Tynecastle chief McKinlay insists Critchley’s name came top of the Jamestown algorithms when they were hunting for a coach who can specifically improve players. His background as an academy coach at Liverpool working alongside Steven Gerrard and then being head-hunted by the former Rangers boss as his assistant at Aston Villa are testament to his pedigree on the training ground.
But it’s results that Jambos want. And quickly, starting with the visit of St Mirren on Saturday. Critchley, who took his first training session yesterday, said: “If you look at both ends of the pitch, I think we’ve conceded practically two a game and we’ve only scored maybe six goals so that’s the reason.
“If that trend continues, then inevitably it’s only for one thing that happens. Quite simply, games are decided at both ends of the pitch and we need to do better at both ends of the pitch.
“From what I’ve seen, what I’ve studied and analysed, from what I’ve seen this morning, even though it’s only one training session, I’m encouraged by what we can still try and do this season.
“There was a good energy, a good vibe about the group this morning. I’m really looking forward to working with them in the short term and the long term as well.”