Heart of Midlothian are currently interviewing candidates from a "long shortlist" for the head coach position - and the next appointment will arrive from a "different route".

The club are on the hunt for a replacement for Steven Naismith who was dismissed last month following the club's worst-ever start to a season.

Hearts have cast their net wide with the involvement of Jamestown Analytics ahead of a possible link-up with the company that would transform the club's recruitment.

Chief executive Andrew McKinlay revealed the club have had around 100 notes of interest for the job. Both him and new sporting director Graeme Jones are in the process of interviewing between seven or eight options with a view to presenting a recommendation to the board which could potentially happen as early as next week, albeit such is the nature of the process it is far from straightforward.

"We had around about 100, I wouldn't go as far as saying applications, but notes of interest," he said. "Some of them are application CVs, some of them are direct from individuals, some of them are through third parties. Then you get the whole thing about different agents saying they're acting for the same manager which is an issue. Then you get ones in particular around maybe managers that wouldn't want it publicly known.

"We also have our own views on managers that we've been keeping an eye on or looking at. And now, of course, we have the third part of it, the analytics firm also has a view on managers. So what we've done is everything's been fed through the analytics. As at the back end of last week, we've got a long shortlist, probably seven or eight. We are now speaking to individuals on that list.

"Now, what will happen is some of those individuals might drop off. It's just the nature of it. Once you start speaking to them, they might have expressed some interest, or it might not have been as much interest as it seemed.

"We're now speaking to people. I had one conversation yesterday, which was myself and Graeme Jones with one individual. I've got two more today. And then I'm hoping to have a few more over the weekend, so that we can get to a stage where hopefully next week we can get down to a shortlist, which we'll then take to the board with a recommendation, or allow them to speak to a couple of people and see where we get to.

"Now that makes it sound like it'll be sorted out next week. It's never as straightforward as that. That's just where my head is at the moment. It's bound to drag on a bit. We're bound to hit snags here and there. Once you then get down to negotiating contracts, you have some people that are in work, some aren't in work. So it's very difficult here and now to know how long that'll take. It's progressing. We had a good conversation with someone yesterday. Looking forward to conversations today that Graeme and I'll have."

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While understandably not revealing the identity of possible candidates, McKinlay did reveal Arnar Gunnlaugsson, the Icelandic manager who has been the bookies favourite for the job, is not someone the club are looking at.

In addition, the appointment will be "probably non-Scottish but not 100% on that yet" with a mix of candidates from different countries. While it is not certain the club will go down the Scandanavia route following Jimmy Thelin's success at Aberdeen.

“What I would say is the list doesn't contain anyone that I've seen quoted anywhere, I don't think," McKinlay said. "Which is good. We'll see how long that lasts. It's probably what you'd expect.

“It's not the same old same old, to use that phrase. Although I think sometimes that's a bit disrespectful to managers. I've got no issue with some of the managers that are being mentioned, it's just not what we're looking for. We're looking to go down a different route.

“It's all very well with analytics, but then it's our job to make sure we get someone that fits in with our culture. Someone that I can work with, someone that the sporting director can work with. Because our structure is that the manager reports into the sporting director and they have to have a good relationship. So there's all those sort of things you need to tease out of the individual which the analytics just can't do. It's a fascinating process.

"The other thing of course is you need someone that's prepared to work with analytics going forward. Because that's going to be a big part of what we do when it comes to our recruitment."

He added: “Because Aberdeen have got a Scandinavian manager, I think that's flavour of the month. And he's doing brilliantly, so why wouldn't it be? I'm not saying we won't end up with a Scandinavian manager but you've got to be very careful that you don't suddenly go for, 'Oh well, that seems to be what works this month, so that's what we'll definitely go for'."

The next Hearts head coach will come into the role with more experience than Steven Naismith did when he was appointed last summer. 

"The way the analytics is done is it looks at managers who have improved teams where they've been," McKinlay said of the candidates they have been speaking to. "So by definition you have to have had some experience.

"On that basis it's a different profile from Steven. Is it a different profile from Robbie? Maybe not. I have no idea how Robbie's numbers would come up on the analytics.

"So yeah, it's different from that perspective."

The involvement of Jones in the recruitment process of the new head coach has "made a big difference". Although not scheduled to start his position at the club until November, an agreement has been reached with the Scottish FA to allow him to help with the search.

"He has a different perspective from me on certain things," McKinlay said. "And that was a concern obviously when Steven went. Graeme doesn't officially start until the end of November. But the SFA have been really good and we've reached an agreement. A formal agreement that he's able to help us with this. And that's working really well. It's massively important for that.

"He brings a different experience. But also, given that the person will be working with him going forward. You want to make sure that that works.

"He was actually in Liverpool yesterday. He was visiting Richard Hughes, sporting director there. So he's doing a lot of work at the moment in the back, visiting loads of other people as well. And getting a few ideas from other people.

"He'll also speak to other clubs in Liverpool. It's one of them where analytics has been a big thing for them over the last few years."