Derek McInnes was perfect Hearts fit and Rangers would be 'stupid' to overlook him

Ryan Stevenson admits Neil Critchley is slowly but surely beginning to win him over.

The ex-Hearts hero was initially sceptical of Cirtchley's appointment to the Tynecastle hot seat due to the Englishman's previous dugout woes at Blackpool at QPR. Critchley's arrival also raised eyebrows amongst the Jambos support but after a solid start to life in Gorgie, Stevenson insists he's happy to swallow his words.

However, nothing will change Stevo's mind that Derek McInnes would have been a perfect fit at Hearts and believes Rangers would be crazy to overlook the Kilmarnock boss should under-fire Philippe Clement eventually be handed his jotters.

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He told the Daily Record: "Del was the obvious choice and, for that reason, I wasn't exactly surprised when his Kilmarnock team came to Tynecastle at the end of last month and left the place with all three points.

"Critchley has done a good job in a short space of time but, in that game, you saw why I wanted Derek in the first place. You don't need an algorithm to see what's staring you in the face.

"They went 1-0 down, got it back to 2-1 and never looked as if they weren't going to win it. And, in the process, he was maybe handing out a wee lesson for the man who did end up replacing Steven Naismith. Because that's exactly the type of resilient, robust team Hearts need to get back to being and hopefully, over time, Critchley can achieve it.

"As for McInnes? I still think my old club has missed a trick on its own doorstep there and, more than that, Rangers will be very stupid not to try to take him from Rugby Park when, inevitably, they end up looking for their next manager.

"Which will probably be sooner rather than later. They are crying out for a gaffer of Derek's calibre - a throwback to the days of Walter Smith and a man who gets the DNA of that particular club. Look at the mess they've got themselves into without that kind of experience and leadership.

"That's what would annoy me so much if I was in that Hearts dressing room right now. I'd look at the mess Philippe Clement is in right now and I'd sniff the vulnerability coming out of Ibrox. I'd see what Aberdeen are achieving and I'd be kicking myself that we weren't up there doing something very similar at the top end of the table, splitting the Old Firm and laying down a real marker in the league table."