THE CAPITAL CONTENDERS
From Pep’s pick to a German legend, Sportsmail casts aneye over the leading candidates for Hearts and Hibs jobs
HEARTS say they are not looking to make a quick appointment after the sacking of Craig Levein as manager and director of football late last month. Tynecastle owner Ann Budge is looking at restructuring the club and says caretaker boss Austin MacPhee could remain in charge for the Kilmarnock match at Rugby Park on November 23. The Gorgie club expect a sporting director to be in place before a new boss, with Sportsmail revealing on Tuesday that David Weir is under consideration for the post. Here, we cast an eye over the candidates for the Hearts hotseat.
The former St Mirren assistant coach joined Hearts as No 2 to Ian Cathro in December 2016.
He remained at the club after Cathro was sacked the following summer and was appointed caretaker manager when Craig Levein was axed last month. He had previously taken the first team after Levein suffered a heart scare last season.
As No 2 to Michael O’Neill at Northern Ireland, he has also been linked with joining him at Stoke City after O’Neill took the reins there last week.
In his first match as Hearts caretaker, MacPhee oversaw a 3-0 Betfred Cup semi-final loss to Rangers but subsequently made his case to replace Levein with a 5-2 home win over St Mirren last Saturday.
Tynecastle insiders expect him to survive the Hearts restructure but whether that’s as manager, sporting director or staying part of the backroom staff remains to be seen.
NEIL WARNOCK Age: 70
The much-travelled former Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers and Leeds United boss is English football’s promotion specialist, taking a team up a division on no less than eight occasions. He left Cardiff City by mutual consent this week.
Warnock has a family home in Dunoon and has previously spoken of his desire to manage either Hibs or Hearts, saying last September: ‘I’ve always been an underdog and I’ve always thought: “I wish I could get a club up there to rival Celtic and Rangers”.’
BILLY DAVIES Age: 55
The controversial former Motherwell, Preston, Derby County and Nottingham Forest manager is a talented but fiery boss who has not managed a club for nearly six years since being sacked by Forest.
He pulled out of the race to succeed Cathro at Hearts in 2017, insisting the Tynecastle club were not willing to change their structure to obtain success. But Hearts are now ripping up their plans and Davies has again been linked with the post.
FELIX MAGATH Age: 66
The former German Manager of the Year is a three-times Bundesliga winner with Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg. He has also managed Hamburg, Nurnberg, Werder Bremen, Stuttgart and Schalke in his homeland.
He last worked for Shandong Luneng in China in 2017 and has previously applied without success for jobs with Scotland and Rangers.
DOUGIE FREEDMAN Age: 45
The former Scotland international began his managerial career at Crystal Palace in 2011, before spells in charge of Bolton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest until his sacking in 2016. He was in the running to replace Cathro at Hearts in 2017 but dropped out of the race to take up his current post as sporting director back at Palace.
BILLY McKINLAY Age: 50
The former Dundee United and Scotland midfielder has pedigree as a first-team coach with Fulham and West Ham in the English Premier League and he was assistant to David Moyes at Real Sociedad in Spain. He has also worked with his ex-Tannadice team-mate Michael O’Neill at Northern Ireland and has been tipped to join O’Neill’s new backroom team at Stoke City.
But it’s believed he would love the chance to return to Scottish football as a manager in his own right after previously having a bizarrely-brief eight-day spell in charge of Watford and a season at the helm of Norwegian side Stabaek.
GRAHAM ALEXANDER Age: 48
The former Scotland international defender managed Fleetwood Town and Scunthorpe United before taking his current post at Salford City.
In his first season, Alexander steered Salford into League Two via the play-offs but he is understood to be keen on the Hearts job.