Old boys joust for Hearts job
But Daly looks set to miss out
STEVEN PRESSLEY and Paul Hartley are now the leading candidates to take over as Hearts boss, with Jon Daly looking increasingly likely to miss out on being appointed on a permanent basis.
The interim head coach, who is scheduled to remain as caretaker for this weekend’s trip to Motherwell, has steadied the ship with a win at Kilmarnock followed by a battling draw against rangers at Ibrox on saturday.
The Irishman’s stock as a serious contender for the top job has undoubtedly risen, but
Sportsmail understands that, while director of football Craig levein has been very impressed by Daly’s leadership since his promotion from the Under-20s post, the Hearts board are against appointing another managerial rookie following the disastrous Ian Cathro experiment.
The interview panel, who have spoken to a handful of candidates, are now in discussions with the full board. They have signalled their intention to wait until the international break to make a move.
Pressley is believed to have impressed the panel with his presentation on taking the team forward, leaving Hearts owner Ann Budge keen to talk further with the former club captain.
The 43-year-old’s managerial experience — both good and bad — at Falkirk, Coventry and Fleetwood Town is considered a definite advantage over rivals with fewer miles on the clock.
Former Dundee and Alloa boss Hartley, who won the scottish Cup for Hearts along with Pressley in 2006, also remains in the running, his long association with levein meaning he has a ready champion in discussions about the next move. Billy Davies, with a long managerial record on both sides of the Border, is still an outsider for the position.
Hearts have shown definite improvement under Daly, who
has held informal talks with Budge about his own future.
But the CEO and chairwoman is determined to explore options from outside the existing structure, citing concerns about Daly’s relative inexperience.
Having found a winner in robbie Neilson, but then taken a major misstep with the appointment of Cathro, Budge feels the club needs someone more ready for the challenge of managing at a team with major domestic ambitions.
Within the club, former Cathro assistant Austin MacPhee and liam Fox — both key figures on the training ground — are getting great credit for the turnaround in recent performances.
Daly, who is nevertheless popular with players after reviving spirits following the Cathro reign, a nine-month spell that yielded just eight wins in 30 matches, believes that whoever gets the job now will be met with a team transformed.
The former Dundee United and rangers striker, thrown in at the deep end on the eve of the new Premiership season and unable to prevent an opening-day loss at Celtic Park, insisted: ‘I am relatively happy with the start we’ve made to the season.
‘you go into each game hoping to get three points, but, to have four points from those three difficult away fixtures, we’re quite happy.
‘It’s something for us to build on and something for the club to build on.
‘Whether it’s me or someone else, it’s something for them to build on — and, hopefully, go into next weekend’s game and get the three points.’
Daly has been told to prepare for saturday’s game at Motherwell as normal, with the Hearts board seeing little value in appointing a new man just before the Premiership breaks up for the upcoming international break.
By the time they resume for their first ‘home’ fixture of the season on september 9 — welcoming Aberdeen to their temporary accommodation at Murrayfield — they expect to have made a permanent appointment.