Irvine’s in the frame
Alan talks with Hearts
HEARTS have held discussions with former West Bromwich Albion boss Alan Irvine over the vacant Tynecastle hotseat. Glaswegian Irvine, who managed Preston and Sheffield Wednesday, and had spells as No 2 to David Moyes at Everton and West Ham United, is one of several candidates to have spoken to Hearts owner Ann Budge.
Neil McCann, Stuart McCall, Steve Cotterill and Jack Ross, who has since agreed to take charge of rivals Hibs, have also been part of stage one of the interview process, and Hearts will now focus on candidates already in work elsewhere.
One of those expected to be the subject of an approach next week is Motherwell’s Stephen Robinson, despite a compensation tag of £120,000. The intention is to pick out a shortlist of three or four potential managers before selecting a final successor to Craig Levein.
Speaking earlier this month, Budge — who joined board member Donald Cumming and a club lawyer on the interview panel — said: ‘It’s not that we have someone in our sights. I want to go through the process rigorously, thoroughly and explore a lot of avenues. The net will be cast wide.’
Hearts are also keen to land a sporting director, with current interim boss Austin MacPhee the frontrunner for the role. David Weir, Neil Warnock and Sven Goran Eriksson have also been linked with the post.
Meanwhile, Hearts have announced a profit of £1.6million for the financial year ending June 30, largely due to the contribution of £3.25m from unnamed benefactors.
An ‘exceptional donation’ of £1m was made towards player costs, with a further £2.25m going towards the redevelopment of Tynecastle. Despite Budge lamenting a ‘disappointing’ final Premiership position of sixth, Hearts’ turnover increased by more than 20 per cent from £12.1m to £15.1m compared to the previous year.