Andrew McKinlay has sat down with Hearts TV for his latest quarterly update.
The Chief Executive Officer covered a wide range of topics across all areas of the club, which supporters can watch on Hearts TV and YouTube.
On the excitement of the new season:
I genuinely can't believe that it's only three months since I last spoke. If you look at everything that's happened, it’s unbelievable the number of things that have happened in that three months. But we certainly sit here in a much happier place than we were three months ago.
We're always in a good place as a new season's about to start. I think anyone that loves football, as I have my whole life, this is the most exciting time of year as you're coming to the opening day of the league season. I think we're all in the same place, but I think there's genuine excitement as we go into the Derek McInnes era for the club. I share that excitement with the fans and I'm really looking forward to it.
On the summer transfer window:
This has been the first summer window that we've used the analytics and it's been fascinating.
I think it's fair to say and I hope this is the view of the fans, but some of the players that we've brought in so far, they've hit the ground running, some real excitement among some of these players. You can tell we're going to play in a different way. What we haven't had yet is the new width on the right, but we've now got [Sabah] Kerjota in and I think as everyone knows, we're hoping to get [Pierre Landry] Kabore over the line as well, so it's been brilliant.
As far as doing any more, touching upon the size of the squad, the focus is very much now on moving in the other direction. Obviously, I'm not going to go into names in that regard, that's very much the manager's view on things, now he's had a chance to assess the squad.
There will unfortunately be some players that are just surplus to the requirements, just based on a numbers game. We'll hopefully move some players out before the end of the window. Whether we bring any more in will depend partly on what goes out but it's not that we're not looking, not monitoring and we'll always be doing that but I think we're all feeling pretty comfortable that if things stop tomorrow and that was the end of the window, yes we'd have too big a squad if it was tomorrow but we'd be happy with what we've got from an in's perspective.
On Ann Budge’s decision to step down as chair:
I think first and foremost, and I think it goes without saying, the club and the fans owe Ann an incredible debt of gratitude. She was instrumental in bringing the club out of administration as we all know in 2014 and I don't think you can overestimate how important she was to that and how important she has been to what I would view as the rebuilding of the club.
Ann has overseen that and she's been instrumental in bringing Tony Bloom to the table. I think she views this as the right time for her to pass on that baton and to move away from being chair.
At a personal level, I think it's really important that I give my own personal thanks for the support that I have had from day one to now from Ann. As the Chief Executive, it's really important the relationship you have with the chair and I can only thank Ann for how supportive she has been in that regard and wish her well obviously as she steps down from that role.
As far as going forward is concerned, I'm not actively involved in bringing in the new chair. That's being led by three of the non-executive directors, as would be normal in these circumstances and there's a process ongoing and as soon as we have any news, we will announce that.
On the Tony Bloom investment deal being officially passed:
Great to get that deal across the line and I'd just like to give my thanks to the guys in my team but also the guys on the other side of the deal.
To make that work, it was fairly painless the last few months. There are always negotiations, there are always things that need sorted, but it was, as far as corporate deals go, and I've been involved in many in my previous life as a lawyer, it was a good deal. The lawyers all work well together and the advisors all work well together.
There was very much a common purpose to getting that deal done. We had a very clear timetable, we stuck to it, and we got it done so absolutely delighted. I think it's hugely exciting.
We talk about the Derek McInnes era, but we've also got this new era as well, the era with Tony Bloom and his guys becoming involved and every one of us is more than excited about what that could bring the club in the future.
On the upcoming 90 minutes with Tony Bloom event:
I think one of the questions that gets asked is ‘why does Tony want to be involved?’ You've heard the rest of us give the explanation for that, but Tony will now give that explanation. I won't say any more about that and I'm sure he will be incredibly engaging that evening. The FOH have now put on quite a few of these 90 minutes with events and every one of them so far has been hugely well received and has gone down really well.
Hats off to FOH for running those events and for giving an insight into the club. There are very few clubs, if any, where you would get the level of insight that is given, and Tony will be the next person to do that.
I think that will be a really fascinating night for people to hear from Tony and isn't it great to see that he's up here immediately to see games. He's not someone that just doesn't care about what's going on. Far from it, he is so invested into Hearts and to have him up here for that game is and, I think he's looking to go to the game at Tannadice the following week as well, is just brilliant.
On James Frank's appointment to the board as Tony Bloom’s representative:
It’s been widely documented that James is one of Tony's closest advisors and has been for years. He has worked so closely with Tony, but he's never wanted to be involved as closely with a football club as he has with Hearts. He's done other deals with Tony, being involved with other clubs but when he knew that there was a board place here, he approached Tony and said, 'I really want to be the person on that board', because I think what we're going to do there is just going to be incredible. I think I can bring something to it, and I want to be part of that.
From the conversations I've had with James, I've got no doubt he'll bring a huge amount to the role, both him personally but also through his contacts at other clubs and other things he has done. I think it's going to be another brilliant piece to add to the new era.
