A year on from joining the club, Sporting Director, Graeme Jones sat down with Hearts TV to discuss his first year in the job, Jamestown Analytics, Derek McInnes and the future.
The full interview is available to watch on Hearts TV and on YouTube, but some of the key points can be found below.
When you joined Hearts, what were your initial thoughts about where the club was and where we needed to get to?
“When I came in, I just saw a huge opportunity within my role and what could be achieved.
“It was really clear that my job was to align the ambition of the club, along with the potential to deliver sustained success over the coming years. There was a lot of things that I wanted to change, which is natural, when you come into a new job, but over the piece, that’s what we've gone about off the park. Bringing that alignment to enable the year-on-year success that the club's craving.”
It’s almost a year since we entered into our partnership with Jamestown Analytics, how have you found working with them?
“The Jamestown piece is arguably the most exciting part of what's happened to the club over the last year, alongside the investment with Tony Bloom. The relationship is excellent and I love that part of my job, that interaction. It gives me huge energy and clear objectivity in my decision-making.
“There's a lot of attraction towards the recruitment part of it, but the part that probably goes unseen, is how Jamestown has connected the whole club.
“They have connected the board's ability to understand what they are seeing, both in terms of recruitment, but also performances and where we're wanting to go to with those performances. It connects me and Derek, which is the key relationship for the club and it connects us in a way that maintains that objectivity all the time.
“It also aligns what we're trying to develop within other parts of the club, with the development of our youth players and the women's side. So Jamestown covers the whole area.
"It's connected so many things that enables me to be comfortable that we're all very much pulling in the same direction and that can only lead to a positive future for the club.”
How much have you enjoyed working with Derek McInnes and watching his Hearts side?
“The Manager of the Month Awards are recognition for the excellent work that Derek has done, but also his staff and most importantly, the players.
"I really enjoy working with Derek every day. We get on very well. We're very much aligned with our mindsets. We're pragmatic but ambitious, which is a good combination.
“We know what we need to do over the coming seasons and where we want to get to. Derek has been everything that I hoped he would be and more in terms of coming in.
"He's made it about the football team again. His performances at Tynecastle have exemplified what he wants our team to be. He's taken players that have been here for a long period of time and made them the best versions of themselves and they're performing at a high level.
“He's brought in the new players that we've brought in through the Jamestown model and managed to integrate them into what has been so far, a successful team. That's the beauty of Derek's skills both as a coach, but as a manager and it sets us up nicely for what's to come.”
With January approaching, what do our plans look like in the transfer window?
“Well, every transfer window matters for us, like all clubs, but particularly with the utilisation of Jamestown. So, there are certain areas within the team that we want to improve.
“But we have to balance that with the harmony within the group and that's something that Derek has spoken about himself. We will work to be as active as we can be, but balancing that out with making sure that we maintain a harmony within the group and keeping that positivity and focus on the gradual improvement of what we're achieving.”
Is there any update you can provide on Islam Chesnokov?
“We're looking forward to having him in, in early December. We had a call with him on Friday, just past and he's really excited about coming.
“I appreciate there's noise that's surrounding him back in Kazakhstan, but we can't do anything about that noise. We have a pre-contract agreement in place and we've got a player that's really excited about coming here.
“He had a great conversation with Derek on Friday. So, for us now, it's just making sure that we facilitate the set up. So, the transition as he comes into the country is as smooth as possible.
"He can have a good month's training with us, and be ready and available for selection as of the beginning of January. He’s a really exciting one for us and as I say, the sooner we have him, the better.”
How would you assess the past 12 months?
“I think it's been a progression from where we came in. We've tried to progress as best we can both off the pitch, behind the scenes and also on the pitch. And as a result, we're now in a place where I think, is a much better place than we were in a year ago. That gives me confidence in what's to come."
What would you like the next 12 months to look like?
"I would hope that we just maintain the trajectory of what we're on and continue to improve. As I say, we are well positioned just now to deal with whatever comes.
"I've got full confidence in the players and the management and the belief that they've got. Their resilience will be tested, but we're ready for whatever's to come.”
You can watch Graeme's interview in full on Hearts TV or YouTube.
