WATCH: Hearts 'lucky' to have new manager
Hearts chose Neil Critchley to become their new head coach due to his ability to improve players, according to chief executive Andrew McKinlay.
The Edinburgh club - bottom of the William Hill Premiership - are in the process of striking a deal with Brighton owner Tony Bloom, which will allow them access to his data-led player recruitment system.
Hearts were able to use the analytics software to "guide" them in their search for a replacement for Steven Naismith, who was sacked last month, with the main focus on unearthing a new boss with an ability to get the best out of players.
Despite mixed fortunes in his two spells as Blackpool manager either side of an ill-fated 12-game stint at QPR, new Jambos sporting director Graeme Jones described 45-year-old Critchley as "the outstanding candidate based on the analytics" after he was appointed on a two-and-a-half-year deal on Tuesday.
WATCH: Click on the link below to view our video from today's presser...
Much of the negativity around Critchley's appointment stems from the perception that his second spell at Blackpool, where he returned in May 2023 after previously winning promotion to the Sky Bet Championship in 2021, did not go well.
"I have a different opinion on that because obviously the first spell, we got promoted in our first season and then sustained our Championship status in the second," said Critchley.
"Then when I came back to the club it was after a relegation and there had been a lot of change at the club. I think there were 17 players left last summer and we built a new squad.
"From changing a team that was losing and having the mindset of losing to a team that was then 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 third round to a replay and extra time, I didn't see it as a negative at all. I thought it was positive."