Liam Fox is setting high expectations for his Hearts B Team this season as he looks to the squad to mount a challenge for the Lowland League crown.
The Scot returned to Tynecastle after finishing up his spell with Aberdeen earlier this month, succeeding Steven Naismith as the manager of the Wee Jambos.
And in his first sit down interview with the club, having returned for the first time since 2020, Fox has given fans an insight into how he plans to prepare the side for what will be their second season in Scotland's fifth tier.
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He told Hearts TV: “I’m delighted. It all happened really quickly. My overriding feeling is one of real happiness. There’s a lot of staff members still here from my previous time, including Naisy.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to work and meeting younger players on Monday when they report back in. The Lowland League will be a challenge, but the experience we had last season will stand us in good stead.
“We’re under no illusions how difficult it’ll be, because there’s a lot of experienced players in that league. That said, it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to and I’m certain the players will be as well.”
Fox returns to Tynecastle with plenty of added experience, having taken on spells with Livingston, Dundee United, and most recently among the coaching staff at Aberdeen.
But after three years away from Gorgie, he is hoping that his tenures elsewhere bring him back to the capital an even better coach than before.
“I’ve been away now for about three years and seen some different things at different clubs,” he added. “I think I come back a better coach, and hopefully those experiences will have stood me in good stead and help the players that are here just now.
“When you go to different clubs, you need to take away as much as you can from it. I’ve worked with a diverse range of people who have all brought their own qualities. You learn about different demands, but we know well the demands at a club like Hearts.
“The supporters expect big things, and we know that. The youngsters are going to learn very quickly about my expectations for them. To do that, they have to maximise every single day they’re out on the training pitch.
“We’ll work incredibly hard, but it’s up to them to seize the opportunity. It’s a very difficult step to make into the first team – if it was easy, more would have done it – so they need to make sure they’re doing everything they can.
“They have to be eating right. They have to be sleeping right. They have to be making sacrifices which is hugely important. The first team have got some very good players in a very strong squad.
“I know how quickly careers can go. One day you’re 16 years old and, before you know it, you’re suddenly 35 and the career’s finished. Nine times out of ten, when a player leaves this football club, their career goes downhill. With that in mind, they have to make the most of every single day they have here.”
As the new campaign draws closer, Fox is adamant it is still early days but he is already shaping up his pre-season plans for the young Jambos.
He said: “It’s early days yet, I’m still getting my feet under the table and getting familiar with all the staff. The players are back on Monday and will undergo testing and various other bits and pieces before we eventually get them back on the grass on Thursday.
“Pre-season is tough, difficult, but that’s how it’s supposed to be. I’m delighted to be back, can’t wait to get on the training pitch with them, and for the boys to show me what they’ve got. My job is to help the players – and that can be from an arm around the shoulder, or occasionally giving them a bit of a reality check.
“I’m not here to be their mate. If they come and give me their all, then there’s no reason why this can’t be successful for all of us.”
