Neil Critchley plots talks with ex-Rangers boss - but reveals he's not 'afraid' to seek advice from certain staff

New Hearts head coach Neil Critchley will speak to Steven Gerrard to garner advice on Scottish football after taking over the Tynecastle hotseat.

The 45-year-old Englishman was confirmed as the successor to Steven Naismith on Tuesday morning, with his usual assistant Mike Garrity joining him on deals until to the summer of 2027.

Following two stints in charge of Blackpool, a short spell at QPR and coaching spells at Aston Villa and Liverpool, Critchley will experience Scottish football for the very first time. And he plans to take counsel from former Rangers boss Gerrard, who he worked with at Anfield and joined at Villa Park as part of his backroom team.

Neil Critchley was Steven Gerrard's assistant at Aston Villa. | Getty Images

“I think I'd be foolish not to speak to someone like Steven,” said Critchley, “and there's other people as well, but he was here for three years and had good success himself. There's already been a few other people who will rename nameless at this moment in time, but they've been also giving me some advice, but again there's people on the staff at the football club as well that I need to tap into.

“I have to use the people that surround me as well. I've got some good people in the staff at Oriam, so I'm never afraid to ask and I don't pretend that I know everything. I certainly don't, I know we see it as a hugely collective effort.”