Crazy, but it won’t cost me job, says Austin
Austin MacPhee doesn’t believe a crazy eight-minute spell will ruin his chances of taking over as Hearts’ manager from Craig Levein.
The 40-year-old is confident club owner Ann Budge will take a wider look at the work he has done at Tynecastle.
It seems unlikely, however, that Hearts won’t now redouble their efforts to secure a new boss after producing a woeful 90 minutes as they lost 3-0 at Kilmarnock.
MacPhee was hugely frustrated by watching his side lose the goals before 20 minutes had elapsed.
He said: “It was a crazy eight-minute spell where it all went wrong. There were three preventable goals and the players are as angry as me.
“The reaction was poor to the first goal.
“There was a long time to get back in to it and we should have done better, but we didn’t get the rhythm we managed against St Mirren.
“We needed a breakthrough at the start at the second half and when you don’t get that the game becomes slow.”
Losing this game certainly won’t have helped MacPhee’s chances of getting the job, although he may stay on as sporting director.
He added: “There’s a bigger picture here. I don’t think I should get the job on the back of last week, and likewise not on the back of this one.
“Obviously when you win your odds increase, when you lose, they decrease.
“The reality is I’ve taken the team six times now and won four times.
“This was a very disappointing result, especially in the manner of the way we lost the goals.
“Whether I take the team at Ibrox next Sunday, I don’t know.
“I speak to Ann every day and the plan will be more long-term.
“When people get emotional, Ann stays practical.
“I don’t think the uncertainty affects the players.
“With the job of a caretaker manager you don’t have the full authority a head coach would have.
“But I understand that with each result the narrative changes.
“The most frustrating thing is that Kilmarnock didn’t have to offer moments of brilliance to win the game.”