Ryan Stevenson believes Andrew McKinlay's failure to speak out after the chaotic conclusion to last season will be his biggest mistake as Hearts chief executive, and the club must learn from his reign when appointing a successor.
Business success, footballing shortcomings
Stevenson, who has not always seen eye to eye with McKinlay, said the outgoing CEO's six-year term falls into two categories. On the business side it was a huge success; on the footballing side, he should have done better.
McKinlay joined Hearts in the Championship, helped them win promotion back to the top flight, and leaves after a season where they went to within minutes of winning the title. Hearts Women were also crowned SWPL champions for the first time in May, while the Wee Jambos won the SFA Youth Cup.
The club is in a healthy place as a business, with the stadium, season tickets, hospitality and hotel all performing well. The Tony Bloom deal, brokered with Jamestown, is another positive, with the majority of fans in favour.
Silence was deafening
However, Stevenson said the silence from McKinlay as CEO in the days and weeks after the chaotic conclusion to last season was deafening. Supporters believe he was conflicted by his vice president role with the SFA, and it is hard not to agree.
Whether over refereeing decisions or the scenes at the end of the season decider at Parkhead, McKinlay should have been standing up for the club and its supporters. Not doing so was his biggest mistake, as that is how supporters will remember him.
Appointment errors
Stevenson said McKinlay got the sackings of Robbie Neilson, Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley right, but some appointments thereafter were wrong. Naismith should never have been appointed, being a lazy appointment and too soon for a young guy who had been B team manager and not long finished playing.
Critchley was a great guy and great coach but not a manager, proved in six months when he was shown the door as Hearts failed to make the top six. Eventually they found the right man in Derek McInnes, but it was through gritted teeth, and that was one of the biggest mistakes - not appointing him sooner, like after Neilson was sacked in 2023 or after Naismith was axed.
Stevenson thinks they turned their nose up at McInnes on previous occasions, and they could have had him in charge two years before he arrived.
Football people needed
For a CEO, the main part is making sure the club operates well as a business. Now Hearts need to ensure the next chief exec has football people round about them that they can lean on, somebody that understands the club.
Gary Locke is the prime example, knowing the game, having played for and managed the club, and being worshipped by the fans. Someone like Locke would be an important sounding board for a chief executive on key footballing matters.
While there is a place for Jamestown, there has to be a human side to it, with people with a football brain who can say 'no, I don't agree with that' if they don't like what Jamestown throws up. Stevenson noted that Josh Morris looks set to be the new recruitment manager, but his background is as an agent, so the jury's out.
On the pitch, Stevenson was delighted to see Wouter Vrancken get the monkey off his back with the 4-0 thumping of Dundee United on Sunday. He hopes they can build on it and bring consistency, with back-to-back results needed to lift the fans and get Tynecastle rocking again.
