The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Cathro reign at Hearts ended after eight months
Tynecastle board call time on experiment four days before kick-off
Hearts are looking for a new head coach ahead of Saturday’s Ladbrokes Premiership opener against Celtic after losing patience with the Ian Cathro experiment.
Cathro was sacked four days before the league kick-off in the wake of the club’s Betfred Cup exit, which saw Hearts fans round on the 31-year-old.
The appointment on December 5 last year was viewed as innovative but risky and Hearts decided to cut their losses after an unrelenting run of poor results.
Cathro has been linked with an immediate return to the game with Wolves while Hearts will now have to decide whether to stick with their declared policy of developing young coaches or bring in an experienced hand to steady the ship.
Director of football Craig Levein was the key man behind the appointment, but owner Ann Budge and the rest of the board could have more of an input into the latest recruitment search.
After announcing Cathro’s immediate departure, a club statement read: “The board wishes it to be known that this was a very difficult decision, reluctantly made, as every member of the board recognises that Ian is an extremely talented young coach with a very bright future ahead of him.”
Cathro had impressed then Dundee United boss Levein with his youth coaching in his early 20s and was given the job of leading the Tannadice academy. He later held assistant coaching roles at Portuguese side Rio Ave, Valencia in Spain and Newcastle.
Hearts were three points above Aberdeen in third when Cathro took over following the departure of Robbie Neilson to MK Dons but finished 30 points behind the Pittodrie club in fifth and failed to qualify for Europe.
Cathro won just six of his 26 matches in charge last season and a Scottish Cup defeat by Hibs piled on the pressure.
The club hoped a transfer window and pre-season would transform the fortunes after six of their nine winter signings departed at the end of the season, and the arrival of the likes of Christophe Berra and Kyle Lafferty rekindled optimism.
But a defeat at Peterhead and home draw with Dunfermline ensured Hearts were the only Premiership team missing from the Betfred Cup second-round draw and fans reacted angrily after the Pars won a penalty shoot-out at Tynecastle on Saturday.
The club promised a further statement today in relation to their management plans for Saturday’s trip to Celtic Park, the first of four consecutive away games while their new stand is completed.
Another young coach, Northern Ireland assistant manager Austin MacPhee, joined Hearts at the same time as Cathro, while former Rangers and Dundee United forward Jon Daly, the club’s under-20s coach, was in caretaker charge for one match.
Levein stated after Neilson’s departure that it was a “little bit early” for Daly, Andy Kirk and Liam Fox to be promoted to first-team duties but added that they would be ready “next time”.
The former Scotland manager clearly did not envisage that would be less than eight months later though and more experienced managers such as Paul Hartley and Steven Pressley have been linked with the post.