Craig Gordon has called on Hearts fans to give Neil Critchley a chance – insisting he is excited to get working with the new management regime.
Former Blackpool and QPR boss Critchley was unveiled as the new man in charge at Tynecastle on Tuesday, more than three weeks after Steven Naismith was sacked. But his appointment has been met a lukewarm response from supporters unconvinced by the 45-year-old’s track record.
Critchley was axed by Blackpool in August after a second spell in charge of the Seasiders and 18 months after being binned by QPR after just 12 games in charge. He had led Blackpool to promotion into the Championship via the play-offs in his first spell in charge and Hearts leaned on Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics tool to help identify the best candidates for the job. That’s failed to allay the fear of a large swathe of fans. But club captain Gordon insists he can’t wait to get started with the new boss – and has urged the Gorgie faithful to get behind Critchley and assistant Mike Garrity too.
He said: “It’s up to us to win games. If we win games that will soon change. It is everyone’s responsibility to rally and get ourselves out the predicament we find ourselves in. Everybody deserves a chance. It’s quite clearly way too early to be negative about it.
“It’s been a robust process going down the analytics route and that seems to be the way forward. I think it is going to be good, I spoke to a few of the players and they were happy with training and are looking forward to getting started.
“I spoke to him (Critchley) just before he got announced. He was at the team hotel and I managed to grab a couple of minutes in passing just to touch base and wish him all the best. It was a general chat. It’s a new era for us back at Hearts, an exciting one. I am looking forward to getting back there and getting started.”
Gordon moved level with Alex McLeish in fifth place in the list of Scotland’s most capped players after producing a string of fine saves to help secure a 0-0 draw with Portugal on Tuesday night. It was the latest chapter of the 41-year-old’s remarkable career and puts him in pole position to retain the number one jersey when Steve Clarke’s side end the Nations League campaign against Poland and Croatia.
Gordon hopes the clean sheet can turn the season round for both club and country with the Jambos rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table with just two points from eight games and Scotland bottom on their Nations League group with one point from four games.
He said: “I’d take anything to turn the season around! It’s a start. A clean sheet, I have not had one of those in a while.
“It’s pleasing for me to get out there and help the team get that clean sheet and help this team build towards the future and get a point on the board. It’s a difficult thing to do at this level so for this team it’s a great starting point and hopefully I can take it back to the club and continue that form.
“You know it’s going to be incredibly difficult when it’s against a team the calibre of Portugal, and the talent they have in their ranks. The boys in front of me and even the midfield, the work they got through to limit them was a great team effort. To a man I thought we were fantastic right across the pitch.”