There were no familiar faces on the coaching bench at Kilmarnock in yesterday’s meeting with Hearts in the Scottish league. Their man, Derek McInnes, who has had great success with the club, is moving to rival Hearts and taking his staff with him.
On the 17th of May itself, it became clear that many Liam Fox will leave after Sunday’s game. Harts wrote: Liam will take charge of the first team for Sunday’s Premier League game at Kilmarnock, the final game of the 2024/25 season, before moving on from Tynecastle Park.
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A former Hearts player, youth coach, and first-team coach, Liam returned to the Jambos in 2023 as B Team Head Coach. He took on the role of interim head coach, for the first time, in September 2024 for three games, before joining then-head coach Neil Critchley’s first-team staff.
“Again, we thank Liam on behalf of everyone at Hearts for everything he has done for this club and we wish him the best of luck in the future”
Derek McInnes has been officially confirmed as the new manager of Heart of Midlothian on a four-year contract.
The 53-year-old is leaving rivals Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership to take over from Neil Critchley, who was sacked after just six months in the job. (Was the leader of the B-team before that)
Assistant coaches Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald will follow McInnes from Rugby Park to Tynecastle.
Success in Kilmarnock
McInnes was in charge of Kilmarnock since 2022 and last season led the Ayrshire side to a European place by securing fourth place in the league.
His coaching career started when he took St Johnstone up to the top division in 2009. After a brief stint at Bristol City, he spent eight years at Aberdeen, where he never finished lower than fourth and won the League Cup in 2014.
McInnes left Pittodrie in 2021 and took over Kilmarnock in January of the following year, where he led them to promotion to the Premiership.
His time at Ayrshire ended with the team finishing ninth in the league, two places below Hearts.
Off the bench in the farewell match
Kilmarnock lost 1-0 to Hearts at Rugby Park on Sunday, with McInnes absent from home bench after the clubs agreed a compensation deal.
Now the experienced Scot is ready to lead Hearts into a new era at Tynecastle.
