Peter Houston close to getting Hearts manager job

By STUART BATHGATE
Published on Saturday 9 March 2013 04:38

PETER Houston has emerged as the clear frontrunner to become Hearts’ next manager, and could be confirmed in the post early next week.

The former Dundee United boss, who was Craig Levein’s assistant at Tynecastle, has been favoured by the Tynecastle board over John Robertson and Derek McInnes.

Houston was at Tynecastle on Tuesday night as a radio summariser on Hearts’ 2-0 league win over St Johnstone, and is understood to have spoken to the club’s directors the following day. Hearts sources indicated last night that negotiations were at an advanced stage, and that barring any unforeseen 
happenings a final agreement should be reached shortly.

Although associated primarily with Levein, whom he worked with at Leicester City and Tannadice as well as Tynecastle, Houston first arrived at Hearts from Falkirk with Jim Jefferies. He coached the reserves and the youth teams, and was briefly caretaker manager when Jefferies moved on to Bradford in 2000.

Levein took over and kept him on as his assistant, and the pair maintained their partnership at Hearts for four years before moving on to Leicester. After Levein was sacked by the English Midlands club at the start of 2006, the partnership was revived that October at Dundee United. When Levein became Scotland manager at the end of 2009, Houston looked set to be only a short-term caretaker, as United began talks with Pat Fenlon, the current Hibs boss who was then in charge of Bohemians. But talks with the Irishman fell through, and Houston was given the job until the end of the season, subsequently agreeing a longer-term contract after leading United to victory in the Scottish Cup final of 2010.

Hearts have been in no particular hurry to fill the vacancy caused by the departure of John McGlynn last week, but do not appear to have regarded interim boss Gary Locke as a candidate. Locke, appointed caretaker along with player development coach Darren Murray, has so far presided over last week’s defeat by Motherwell and Tuesday night’s win against St Johnstone.

Taken from the Scotsman