Former Town manager George Burley has been confirmed as the new boss of Hearts. Burley has signed a two-year contract at Tynecastle.

Jambos chairman George Foulkes was pleased to have brought the ex-Scotland international back to his home country: "We are delighted to be in a position to bring George to Hearts.

"His track record in management is outstanding, and bringing him here is a significant coup.

"We have taken our time to find the right man, and in so doing have attracted a manager of real standing within the game who has a tremendous record at clubs like Ipswich Town and Derby County.

"We have every confidence that George Burley will take this football club forward into an exciting new era, both on and off the pitch.

Chief executive Phil Anderton added: "George Burley has impressed us with his vision for the future. We clearly have a new manager who intends to create a very competitive and exciting football team, and that should be of tremendous encouragement to our supporters at a time when season tickets have just gone on sale."

Burley said Hearts won him over in meetings over the last few days: "I've been very impressed with everything around the club and I share the ambition of Phil Anderton, the chairman and Mr Romanov.

"I believe we can be very successful here at Tynecastle, and I look forward to the excellent support I know we'll get from all the thousands of fans who follow Hearts."

Burley will come up against former assistant Tony Mowbray, manager of Hibs, and ex-Town team-mate Terry Butcher, boss at Motherwell, in the SPL next season.

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