The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
A Heartfelt merry-go-round
Hearts have got what they badly need in Robbie Neilson – a man with a proven track record.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one caught by surprise on Sunday when I heard Robbie was returning to Tynecastle as manager. After all, the club hadn’t even announced the departure of Daniel Stendel.
It has been a strange few years for Hearts. When Robbie left the club for MK Dons four years ago they went for a new approach with Ian Cathro and it was one which proved unsuccessful.
From there, Craig Levein, the former manager who had returned as director of football, was thrust back into the dugout in a role which I’ve never been convinced he actually wanted.
Then came Stendel’s arrival in December. Given he arrived just before the winter break and the season stopped in March we never had the chance to assess whether he would have been a success or not. But with Hearts being relegated, the club has decided it is time to start afresh.
The emotional attachment of a club can be hard to resist and I think that is the case in this move. Robbie did a fantastic job in his first spell in charge at Tynecastle and I’m sure he will be just as successful again – once he knows what division his team is playing in.
While he will be excited about returning to Hearts I do find myself wondering what now for Dundee United?
They have just won the Championship, were preparing for a return to the top flight of Scottish football and now their manager has walked away little more than a week into pre-season.
The speed in which the deal was done at the weekend was remarkable and it does leave the United board with their first real challenge since taking control.
The bookmakers have put former St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright as favourite for the job but I’m not so sure about that one.
Tommy did a good job at Saints but I’m not sure if he is the right fit for the Tangerines. Let me put it this way, I’d be more surprised at Tommy ending up at United than I was at Robbie returning to Tynecastle.
I know Scottish football can be a bit of a merry-go-round at times but if the summer does end with the reshuffle at Saints, who appointed Callum Davidson as Tommy’s successor last week, Robbie to Hearts and Tommy to Dundee United it would be remarkable. United won’t be short of candidates. They cruised to the title in the Championship last season and have a very strong squad already in place.
What’s more, they seem to have boardroom financial backing, as their pursuit of Kevin Nisbet of Dunfermline shows. They are in a strong position.