Cathro the right man for the job

CRAIG Levein still believes Hearts have appointed the “right guy” in Ian Cathro — despite the rookie boss’ nightmare start to his managerial career.

The 30-year-old has mustered just six wins from his first 26 games in charge at Tynecastle.

And his prospects for next season have already suffered a blow after Levein confirmed talisman Jamie Walker has decided he sees his future away from Gorgie.

But the Jambos director of football admits he has to take a share of the blame for the slump which saw Hearts slide from second in the table, when former boss Robbie Neilson quit back in November, to ultimately missing out on a Europa League slot as they limped home in fifth.

Levein reckons the club’s poor recruitment over the past 12 months is the real reason for that decline and stressed Cathro will be given time to get things right.

Asked t o sum up t he club’s campaign the former Hear ts manager said: “Frustrating and a tad disappointing. Was it a d i s a s t e r ? N o . W h a t ’s important now is to make sure things are correct going into the new season.

“I would point to recruitment (for why things went wrong). We’ve had six transfer windows since the club came out of administration. Four of them have been really good, the last two haven’t. That’s an area in which we obviously have to do much better.

“There’s been quite a furore surrounding I an’s appointment and subsequent matches. People have been very quick to pick holes in his results

“One thing we have is patience. We believe the experience he has gained in the last five months will hold him in good stead going into next season.”

Craig Levein is backing Ian Cathro to thrive next season.