I’m still right man for Hearts, vows Cathro
Hearts head coach Ian Cathro can be quite a witty guy, even if you have to dig through a lot of waffle in search of the occasional nugget.
the problem he faces at the moment is that, when you’re losing, every comment is analysed for evidence of some fault or failing. Given the hostility he faced upon taking his first job in frontline management, it’s obvious that a whole army of critics is just waiting for him to say the wrong thing.
Four wins from his first 14 games is a record that would bring scrutiny upon any new boss.
It’s not intended as a slight on his non-traditional background in the game, then, when the 30-yearold with zero playing experience is asked what he has learned since moving from high-profile assistant to taking responsibility for a professional first team. ‘Management has been completely as I expected,’ he insisted. ‘It’s a case of you being in situations where you have a responsibility for other people — how the support feel about the team, how the players feel about their work and each other, about staff, all of these things.
‘there are moments when it is going in one direction and your brain does not even recognise the bad things.
‘sometimes the hardest bit is to keep looking for the bad things because, trust me, even when things appear to be good, they are not always so good.
‘then you have the stuff we are all feeling and currently living inside just now. a lot of it is real because we have caused the problems for ourselves by not performing and delivering on individual levels — or with the collective performance.
‘and some of it is not real because there is always a percentage of the story which is not real. But, fine.
‘the responsibility of dealing with those things — and leading in those situations — is something which I’m enjoying.
‘What am I learning? Nothing new. You learn with every day and every game. You analyse things. I can’t give you anything new. these are games, sometimes they go well and sometimes they don’t.
‘We’re in a difficult moment and we’ve had some bad days. the solution isn’t in a cliché answer about: “We learn this, we learn that ...”.’
Cathro shares almost nothing about the individual improvements or tactical tweaks needed to turn around a rotten run of results, his insistence that such things must remain private inevitably leading some to question whether he actually knows what he’s doing.
that’s harsh. But it’s what a lot of Hearts fans are beginning to suspect. against ross County at tynecastle tomorrow night, they had better be wowed, thrilled and thunderstruck by the home team’s performance.
Because of what Cathro has said — and all the things that have been said about him — since arriving, supporters worry that he’s too wedded to one style of play. that he doesn’t appreciate the traditional scottish qualities, chiefly an ability to fight for every muddy patch of turf, so prized in our top league.
‘there has to always be a blend and you have to be flexible — playing the game you are in,’ he said. ‘For sure, everyone and every person will have their preferences but what we have to do is how I see things.
‘there are parts which have to be respected, adjusted and dealt with. there is a high percentage of games which is direct ball and second ball, so on and so on. We need to be more resistant to those things, whilst making the right decisions in games.’
right back at the start of his time at the helm, just two-and-ahalf months ago, Cathro reacted to a 1-1 draw at home to Partick by saying that the game had changed — with thistle going more direct — and that he wouldn’t ever try to play in that manner.
Widely interpreted as an adherence to dogma in the face of reality, that statement was revived yesterday — 48 hours after a 2-0 loss to thistle at Firhill — as the rookie was asked if he had changed his mind.
‘I haven’t changed my mind,’ he insisted. ‘I wasn’t lying then. If there are adjustments it’s in dealing with that type of play, not playing like that. It’s a game of decision-making, trying to make the big decisions.
‘every person will have their own thoughts on the best way to win, because that’s the object of the game.
‘I don’t believe that’s the best way. so I couldn’t do that. that would be me changing myself — and that would be unnatural. that would suggest that I’m not ready to be in the position to make these decisions.’
Cathro added that he had been in conversation with someone he respected in the game who had reminded him of his abilities in recent days.
‘I took a phone call, someone calling me, and it was quite sharp,’ said Cathro. ‘It was just: “You know, trust yourself and be you”. It was as simple as that.
‘You have to be you and things have to be natural.
‘What we have allowed to happen through poor performances and poor results is people to question things about us. that’s what hurts the most — when people are allowed to ask those questions of us.
‘We’re hurt because we’ve allowed that to be the case because we’ve not delivered.
‘the only way that’s resolved is on the football pitch.
‘One of the things that drives me most is being responsible for how these tens of thousands of people feel about the football club that they love.
‘You can’t switch that off. I want that responsibility and I want that stress and pressure of being the one who is to blame when things are difficult.’
“Management is completely as I expected”