Jury still out over Cathro
ALARGE gust of wind swept around Tynecastle just after 10pm on Wednesday night. It was Ian Cathro exhaling a deep sigh of relief. His Hearts side had just concluded a gruelling 210-minute test of their credentials by Raith Rovers and emerged safely on the other side. Perhaps the nature of the victory would not have been entirely to Cathro’s liking – they needed two extra-time penalties to get beyond a struggling Championship side – but the important thing was that Hearts were still in the Scottish Cup and Cathro had another win against his name.
This has been one of the most scrutinised and analysed managerial appointments in recent Scottish football history and the spotlight on Cathro won’t dim any time soon. This afternoon he takes his team to Celtic Park to try to inflict the first domestic defeat of the season on a team now, statistically at least, on a par with the Lisbon Lions. Three days later and Hearts welcome Rangers to Tynecastle, while the cup tie against Hibernian looms large on the horizon. Rightly or not, that is the one that Hearts fans will focus on as the barometer of whether their side is moving forward under their new manager or not.
Cathro wants and needs time to implement his long-term vision but the stark reality is that he must do so in tandem with getting results. No manager has ever been given the chance to indulge their tactical blueprint if they aren’t also showing they can do so hand-in-hand with winning matches. So far Cathro can only point towards that replay victory over Raith and a more comprehensive toppling of a poor Kilmarnock side as tangible signs that his ideas are bearing fruit.
He will likely escape
criticism if Hearts take nothing from Parkhead today – no other Scottish side has managed that this season, after all – but the comparisons with his predecessor will be unavoidable come Wednesday night. In what turned out to be Robbie Neilson’s final game in charge, Hearts played Rangers off the park in late November with an energy and verve they have rarely demonstrated since.
sure rouselater. match mitment,when TynecastleCathro that You thathis Hibs and will can Neila level playersdo few travel knowneedso Lennonof weeks againcom- forto to to that willhis lips managerialalreadyat the prospectbe match-up. lickingof in That which will Cathrobe an will occasion need to nous demonstrateand his mettle. both his Almost two months in and we remain no closer to knowing whether the Dundonian is the real deal or someone merely playing at it. It is still up for debate whether he is the latest to wear the emperor’s new clothes or someone taking the first steps of what will turn out to be a long and successful managerial career. The jury is still out. His coaching pedigree is undeniable given the managers he worked for in Portugal, Spain and England. Nuno Espirito Santo, Steve McClaren and Rafa Benitez would not have agreed to take him on board if he did not have something about him that went beyond setting the cones out for training in a neat, straight line.
The same can be said about Ann Budge, who has barely put a foot wrong since becoming chairwoman of Hearts, and Craig Levein, who knew Cathro well from his time at Dundee United. Appointing a 30year-old with no playing or frontline managerial experience naturally carried a risk but the rationale was that it was a calculated one worth taking. F course, there is a big difference between being a successful coach and a successful manager. Plenty aspiring coaches have come unstuck when forced to step into the limelight and become the public face of the club. The situation at Hearts is slightly different with Levein employed as director of football above him but Cathro will be the face most see on television, hear on the radio and read in their newspapers. Regardless of his title, he is the man who must present the image Hearts want to show to the world. Whether he is polished in media interviews or not will make little difference to his managerial ability but coming across as strong and confident – and not slightly befuddled as he did after the game at Stark’s Park – helps paint a picture of someone in charge who knows what they are doing.
Cathro, with Levein’s input, has at least had the chance this month to create the sort of team he wants Hearts to become. In the original cup tie against Raith last Sunday, he handed debuts to three of his back four, while Rory Currie – an 18-year-old prospect – made his first start, and scored, in the replay. Five new players have been recruited in total in January and more could yet join them before the window closes on Tuesday. Game by game, week by week, we should start to learn more about the identity Cathro wants to create at Hearts.
He will almost certainly be given time by both Budge and Levein and he may need it. Already there have been grumblings among some Hearts supporters as to whether this is the right appointment at the right time. The opportunity, though, is all there for Cathro. Results and performances over the coming weeks and months will give a clearer indication of whether or not he is capable of taking it.
We remain no closer to knowing whether the Dundonian is the real deal or someone playing at it