Over a fortnight on from Steven Naismith’s sacking as head coach of Hearts, the Tynecastle outfit are still hunting for his successor after the 3-2 defeat to Aberdeen at the weekend.
The Jambos head coach had led his side into Europe following an impressive third place finish last season, but couldn’t replicate his success at Gorgie in 24/25, and departed Hearts as they propped up the Scottish Premiership table having mustered just one point from six league games.
Naismith was already on borrowed time at Hearts when a 2-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat to Falkirk in August was followed up by defeat to FC Viktoria Plzeň in the Europa League qualifiers, and his fate was sealed when his side limped to poor 2-1 defeat against St Mirren.
Liam Fox has since took interim charge of the Gorgie side and helped them to their first win of the season when he masterminded a 2-1 win over Dinamo Minsk in the club’s opening game in the Conference League. Fox has oversaw a 1-1 draw with Ross County and an unlucky 3-2 defeat to Aberdeen in the league. Has he done enough to convince the Hearts hierarchy he can be the man for the job?
Pundits and fans alike now speculating on who will step into the Gorgie hotseat on a permanent basis, with one ex-Hearts bosses also in contention, according to Gambling.com.
1. Gareth Ainsworth - 2/1
The former Wycombe and QPR boss has saw his odds increase on October 3. He is now 2/1 favourite. | Richard Pelham/Getty Images Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
2. John McGlynn - 9/4
The Falkirk head coach has led his side to second in the Scottish Championship table on their return to the second tier and has already managed at Tynecastle. | Michael Gillen Photo: Michael Gillen
3. Tiernan Lynch - 3/1
Lynch has been making waves in Northern Ireland with Larne and was linked with St. Johnstone recently. His odds have increased in the last week. | DESMOND LOUGHERY Photo: DESMOND LOUGHERY
4. Liam Fox - 9/2
The Hearts B manager has taken charge of the team in the interim. Can he bag the job on a permanent basis? | Getty Images