New Heart of Midlothian head coach Neil Critchley has defended his managerial record.
The latest appointment has split Jambos supporters, with many pointing to the fact he struggled with Blackpool during his most recent stint at Bloomfield Road.
Critchley was relieved of his duties after the Seasiders lost their first two games of the EFL League One campaign. Blackpool missed out on the play-offs by three points the previous season following his return to the dugout in May 2023
He had previously guided the club to Championship promotion when he was initially at the club two years prior. In between that saw the 45-year-old last only 12 games as Queen Park Rangers boss last year.
“With the first [Blackpool] spell we got promoted in the first season, and then sustained our Championship status,” Critchley explained during his Hearts unveiling press conference on Tuesday.
“When I came back to the club it was after a relegation and there had been a lot of changes. Lots of players left and we built a new squad.
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“To change a team that had a mindset of losing to one that was expected to win - to get to 73 points and only miss out on the play-offs on the last day of the season, to get to the semi-final of the EFL Trophy, and to take Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup to a replay, I didn’t see it as a negative, I thought it was positive.”
Critchley is well-aware of the job that he has on his hands at Tynecastle Park.
He's inherited a squad which currently props up the Scottish Premiership table after accumulating just two points from their opening eight matches.
Despite that, the former Liverpool assistant coach has dubbed it an "honour" to take charge in Gorgie and detailed exactly what he's expecting from his new role.
“I’m super excited - I’m very honoured to be in this position, I know it’s a huge responsibility at a fantastic football club,” he said.
“They had a fantastic season last season, finishing third and qualifying for Europe which is credit to Steven (Naismith) and the staff.
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“Obviously it’s not gone the way anyone would’ve wanted this season, and that can happen, it’s not for the want of trying - I’ve had experience of that myself.
“From what I’ve seen and studied, and seen this morning, I’m encouraged by what we can still try to do this season. My immediate aim is to win games of football because we’ve not done that yet this season, my focus is St Mirren on Saturday.
“I’ve had similar experiences, and you learn from all of them, good and bad. I’ll use all of them to hopefully make me better in the future. The saying that through adversity you gain strength is really true.
“I think I’m in a far better position now with what I’ve been through, and I hope to use that to my benefit that will ultimately transfer to the people I’ve got responsibility to every day.”
