Hearts & Hibs rivals to ‘finalise’ managerial appointment as highly regarded coach on verge of arrival
Following their 6-0 loss to the Hoops yesterday, St Johnstone is reportedly putting a lot of effort into hiring a new head coach this coming weekend.
Even though September is just halfway through, the Scottish Premiership has already lost two managers this year.
St Johnstone took the lead when they fired Craig Levien, and Hearts quickly followed suit after Steven Naismith paid a heavy price for their disappointing start to the season. But it appears that one of those teams is getting close to announcing a new player, which should excite both their supporters and Scottish football fans in general.
The Belfast Telegraph reports that St Johnstone is “hoping to finalise a deal” with Tiernan Lynch, the head coach of Larne, potentially today. Lynch must now decide what his future holds after it is rumoured that the Perth team and the Northern Irish champions have reached a compensation agreement.
Before the former Hoops captain signed a new contract with Ayr United, the likes of Celtic legend Scott Brown were also in the running for the position at McDiarmid Park. Aberdeen coach and former interim manager Peter Leven was granted permission to discuss the position but reportedly chose to remain at Pittodrie.
Lynch, 44, helped Larne go from Northern Ireland’s second division to two consecutive NIFL championships. He also made history by being the first Northern Irish team to advance past the group/league stages of a UEFA European competition; this season, Larne is participating in the Europa Conference League. The Perth Saints may consider the acquisition of Lynch to be a true coup.
Larne’s NIFL season has started off very well; as of right now, the Inver Park team is ranked fourth in the standings with four victories, two draws, and one loss. Although they trail leaders Linfield by six points, they still have two games remaining as they aim for an amazing third consecutive first division title.
Additional talks between Lynch and St Johnstone are scheduled for today, according to The Courier. Presumably, Lynch will be introduced as their new head coach as soon as possible, barring a last-minute change of heart.
