As part of a massive hiring process, Hearts will name a new speciality coach this summer. In an attempt to boost output and performance, the team’s playing roster will be drastically altered, and another coach will join the Riccarton staff.
Proposals for a new set-piece specialist to join the management team have been approved by the Tynecastle board. To strengthen their handling of corners, free kicks, and throw-ins in both attacking and defensive situations, Hearts plan to recruit a coach who specialises in set plays, a move that is supported by several other elite clubs in contemporary football.
The team had a busy summer, and the new hire should be ready for the upcoming season. Several players, including winger Barrie McKay and captain Lawrence Shankland, are anticipated to depart. Christian Borchgrevink, the Norwegian right-back, will be joined by a number of new players. In June, he agreed to a pre-contract exchange from Valarenga to Edinburgh.
The current Hearts management team comprises head coach Neil Critchley, assistant Mike Garrity, first-team coach Liam Fox and goalkeeping coach Paul Gallacher. They are joined by sports scientist Mike Williams, plus physios Craig Maitland and Claire Rankin. The new set-piece coach will work closely with the technical coaching staff to improve how Hearts perform.
The inability of Tynecastle to finish in the top six of the Premiership this season has infuriated the team’s supporters. As the league breaks in two, Hearts dropped from sixth to seventh place after last weekend’s 0-0 draw against Motherwell, with St Mirren securing the final berth in the top half.
Critchley and his team will play Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park this Saturday, which will be the most important match of the season. In Glasgow, almost 20,000 Hearts supporters will be present in the hopes that the team advances to the championship game against either Celtic or St Johnstone.
“Obviously, it’s just the next game for me, but we recognise the significance of the game,” Critchley added. “To be in this position, we have had to put in a great deal of labour. We are here because we deserve it. To get here, we had to endure various challenging situations against formidable opponents during this competition. Therefore, we must accept this challenge. We’re in the national cup semi-final, and it’s a fantastic occasion. We know what lies ahead, and we’re clearly looking forward to it.
“We owe it to everyone. We owe it to ourselves. I can only speak since I’ve been here and I see a group that’s improved. I won’t let a disappointment or one performance get in the way of how I feel about the group and where we’re moving and the direction that we’re moving in. I have to keep a sense of perspective on things, which obviously in this industry with the emotion and the passion, I get it. I have to look beyond the here and now, but never take my eye off the next game, which is obviously a hugely important one for us.
“At some point you’ve got to have evidence, if you like, of what you’re working on and the things that you try to implement within the group. That has to be shown on the pitch. That’s the game that we play. We have to go and show it. There’s no point talking about it. Actions speak louder than words, but that’s true. On Saturday we have to go and deliver a performance that gives us the best chance of winning the game.”
