Former Hearts manager Ian Cathro has spoken candidly about his brief and challenging time at Tynecastle, claiming that Scotland's attitude towards young coaches worked against him. Cathro, who now manages Estoril in Portugal, believes his experience as an assistant manager at top European clubs, including Newcastle and Valencia, was disregarded by some in the Scottish game.
Ian Cathro has addressed his short-lived tenure as Hearts manager, claiming that Scotland's perception of rookie coaches hindered his success. The 38-year-old landed the job at Tynecastle in December 2016 after gaining experience as an assistant manager at top European clubs like Rio Ave, Valencia, Newcastle, and with renowned managers such as Steve McClaren and Rafael Benitez.
His appointment was met with harsh criticism, particularly from former Rangers striker Kris Boyd, who publicly ridiculed Cathro's qualifications and suggested he was out of his depth. Cathro's time at Hearts lasted just over seven months. Following a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Premiership, he was sacked after a disastrous League Cup campaign the following summer, where the team was eliminated in the group stages.A year later, Cathro returned to his role as an assistant manager, joining Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolves, Tottenham, and Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. Last summer, he decided to give management another try, taking charge of Portuguese top-tier side Estoril. After 16 games, his team occupies a comfortable mid-table position, aiming to improve on their 13th-place finish last season. In a recent interview with journalist Henry Winter, Cathro reflected on his challenging experience at Tynecastle, expressing his frustration with the negativity he faced from certain elements of Scottish football. He stated: 'I took away the space from somebody else. I couldn't get people on the phone that were writing the articles, I didn’t play fives with them on a Wednesday night. I was far from being in that little bubble. 'There was something about a young Scottish coach who hadn't played but had already worked at clubs like Valencia and Newcastle. Unfortunately, there's something in the Scottish psyche that would rather pull that person back down than use that person to inspire others. Not everyone. But it's definitely an attitude that exists unfortunately.' Cathro also revealed that a conversation with Portugal manager Roberto Martinez had significantly impacted his approach to balancing his football career with his personal life. 'We both thought we'd speak about football and we ended up just speaking about family life.', he shared. 'Roberto had the view that to have real comfort for your work, family has to be with you. “I'm not a guy who's going to sacrifice that. That's also helped me immensely. To the ninth degree I’m a better coach particularly in the most important moment which is during the game because I've had the fortune of becoming a husband and a father. My wife has a lot of patience for this (itinerant) life and I'm eternally grateful. Home is wherever my wife and daughter are.
Ian Cathro Hearts Scottish Football Management Estoril Roberto Martinez
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