The search for a new Heart of Midlothian head coach has now concluded with Neil Critchley appointed to succeed Steven Naismith in the Tynecastle Park hot seat.

It brings to an end a search that began the moment Naismith was notified of the club's decision following the 2-1 loss to St Mirren last month. During that period analytics have been considered, interviews have been carried out, prospective candidates have made presentations, and interim head coach Liam Fox has overseen a draw, a win, and a defeat.

The news of the appointment has not been met by widespread fanfare amongst the club's support with many using the same description of 'underwhelming' owing to Critchely's last two managerial posts, at Blackpool in England's League One and a short 12-game spell with Queens Park Rangers prior to that where he won just once.

Critchley's coaching career, however, extends far beyond those last two managerial posts. 

He developed a passion for working on the training pitch in his late teens when he was a player at Crewe Alexandra. And it was with the Railwaymen his coaching career started properly when he decided to retire early.

“At 24 I decided to stop playing completely," he explained. "It was a big decision but it was the right one. I didn’t miss playing that much because I loved coaching and teaching the kids. I also did first-team match analysis and scouting which was a great education for me.”

During his time at Crewe, he developed a close relationship with and learned from former Chelsea and England coach Steve Holland and his work as a coach and talent developer didn't go unnoticed, helping the progress of Nick Powell and Max Clayton who both attracted significant interest from the biggest clubs in the country.

Liverpool headhunted him for a role in their own academy with Brendan Rodgers playing a key role in that process.

It was at Anfield where he began to make a name for himself in coaching circles. Unassuming, calm and reserved, he's been described as a "coach's coach". Critchley is someone who wants to work on the training pitch with the players, individually and collectively, to help them improve.

"As well as creating a plan to benefit the collective, Critchley excels in improving players... focusing on individuals and knows the necessary stages to get a young player equipped for first-team action," an article from The Athletic said. 

He was at Liverpool for nearly seven years, working with the under-18s and under-23s and has been credited with aiding the progress of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Ki-Jana Hoever and Harry Wilson. On two occasions he took charge of a Liverpool first-team fixture using mainly academy players.

Critchley was part of a select group of coaches to earn the Football Association’s Elite Coaches Award - which has now been disbanded - via UEFA so in that sense, he can't be accused of being under-qualified.

In 2020, Blackpool would approach him about making the step to become a first-team head coach. He hadn't applied for the job but, as he told The Athletic, “management was an itch that I wanted to scratch at some point".

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Hugely respected at Liverpool, he was viewed as a big loss.

“Neil epitomises the best qualities of a modern coach: leadership skills, intelligence, compassion and a hunger for individual and collective improvement," Alex Inglethorpe, the club's academy director said at the time. "Blackpool are very fortunate to have him and we wish him well."

It was a far from straightforward introduction at Blackpool, who sat 14th in League One at the time. He was barely in the job when Covid struck. One of the positives for Critchley was that it allowed him and his management staff to spend time analysing the team, both the games before he arrived and the personnel in general. 

Even when football returned for the following season it didn't start that well. The first dozen or so matches were inconsistent before the team did find a consistency but they would be transformed. They climbed the table, reaching the play-off spots on matchday 31 where they would stay before gaining promotion to the Championship at Wembley.

The squad that season featured a number of players familiar to both Hearts fans and Scottish football. Demetri Mitchell, Ellis Simms and Ben Woodburn all contributed, some more than others, while former Hibs goalkeeper Chris Maxwell was No.1.

That season's success was achieved with flexibility and versatility. Blackpool played a number of systems, from a back three to 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 while Critchley was content with rotating the squad to suit the opposition. It brought home and away wins over Sunderland and Portsmouth as well as a 5-0 thumping away to Wigan.

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The following was perhaps equally impressive as Blackpool consolidated their place in the Championship even reaching the play-off spots a third into the campaign. Again, Critchley was flexible with his systems but 4-4-2 was a more popular option.

During those two campaigns, Critchley would sign three players who would go on to make the club significant profits when sold. Josh Bowler and Daniel Grimshaw were signed on free deals and sold for a combined £3million. A fee that could rise further. While striker Jerry Yates was flipped for £2.8million after arriving for a small six-figure fee.

The Liverpool connection would take him away from Blackpool. He would link up with Steven Gerrard, replacing Michael Beale as the former Rangers manager's assistant at Aston Villa. His exit from Blackpool left a sour taste amongst some fans.

The move back into a coaching role was short lived with Gerrard being sacked as Villa boss only a few months later. It allowed Critchley to return to first-team management, again replacing Beale. This time at QPR.

On arrival at Loftus Road he gave an insight into his view on his playing style and whether or not he had a preferred formation.

"Very attack-minded, on the front foot," he said. "We want a team that is forward-thinking, forward-passing, forward-running. Attack with the ball, attack without the ball. Everyone has to be together. Our game way has to be with everyone in line and total clarity in how we want to play. 

"I think the principles are more important than the formation. I think when you come into a football club you look at the players who are in the squad and I think a skill of mine is to choose the formation or way of playing that suits the players. It would be foolish to come in and have a preconceived idea of what you want to do because then the players might not be best able to carry out that formation."

Critchley barely had any time to implement any style or principles of play. He lasted just 12 games, winning one. His first. Overall, it was a disaster with a win percentage of under nine.

For context, QPR, who had started the season strongly, were showing signs of sliding before Beale left for Rangers. In hindsight, Critchley was viewed as too similar to Beale. It was felt that he struggled to get buy-in from the players, and the team became less than the sum of their parts. When the decision came to relieve him of his duties, even so early, there were few complaints.

Critchley was back in management before the end of that season and it was back to Blackpool. It was a return that drew a mixed reception due to the manner of his exit. He couldn't replicate the success of the previous spell. Following relegation he had Blackpool knocking on the door of the play-offs all season but they ultimately weren't able to get it to open, finishing three points outside the final play-off spot.

Critchley, who admits to not looking at the league table, spoke of the second spell being more with the ball compared to a focus without it in his first spell. Blackpool largely played in a 3-4-1-2 system and the manager drew criticism for being too stubborn and not having a Plan B.

In an opinion piece in June this year, the Blackpool Gazette reporter wrote: “Neil Critchley’s style of football was labelled ‘boring’ at various points, with his Blackpool team just lacking a spark at times when it came to creating chances.’"

It added: "Having possession can be a good thing, but it needs to be used effectively, and that’s something that clearly wasn’t always happening for those in tangerine."

No Hearts fan needs reminding, both have been issues for the team this campaign. However, if Critchley has learned from his previous spells and can find a way to help the team improve on both, especially early on, he will gain plenty of buy-in amongst the support.